Saturday, May 21, 2011

Extreme Makeover! (Choosing Exterior Paint Colors)


 We’ve been so busy the last year with the basics of building the house, I hadn’t even given a thought yet to what the exterior paint scheme might be. Lots of rainy weather this spring had also put the exterior painting on the back burner—that is until two nights ago. A sunny and warm (or at least above 60 degrees) weather forecast prompted MTH into finalizing a contract with a painter to start painting the exterior RIGHT AWAY.

That evening, almost as an aside, MTH said to me “Oh, the painter wants to start tomorrow. Tell me what colors you’ve picked out so I can tell him what to buy.” Huh?? You’re kidding, right??

Life Imitates Art

Here is a pop quiz for you art lovers! Which of these two is a Mark Rothko painting, and which is a test patch of color for Miss K’s bedroom?


Sunday, May 15, 2011

Nordic By Northwest

This post is ostensibly a continuation of the discussion from "Living Room Blues" about the Nordic-inspired living room I’m trying to create and how it fits here in the Northwest. But really it’s just an excuse to sneak in a reference to one of my favorite films—the Alfred Hitchcock 1959 thriller North by Northwest, starring Cary Grant!*

Beyond the fact that the film features a couple of beautiful houses, there is really no relationship to our house project. But isn’t it nice to just look at a picture of Cary Grant anyway? Sigh. They don’t make ‘em like they used to. 

Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint
Back to the subject at hand. So what is this Nordic element I’m trying to infuse into the living room?