September 26, 2015

Friends and Armoires

I love when my friends hire me to do projects for them. I met Vanessa two years ago when we both joined the same running club. She is one of my favorite people to run with. She manages to encourage me and kick my ass at the same time and always with a smile on her face!

Vanessa and me

We have had loads of fun whether running or doing other things; some of which I am unable to disclose. We may have had some thirteen year old girls take our picture standing on top of a table on my last birthday.

Vanessa and me on a table

She had an armoire of raw wood that she wanted me to paint so that she would have a place to store all of her running shoes. Yes, some runners need an entire armoire to store their running shoes in and her collection is quite modest compared to some people I know.

Raw wood armoire

After a fun evening of googling, pinteresting and texting back and forth we came up with this finish.

It has a gray base coat, white top coat distressed to show the gray, and gray glaze.

close up of finish

I sprayed the hardware with a hammered pewter spray paint to match.

It also has a fun surprise inside.

fun surprise

This project was a joy to do because of the finish we chose which I love and because of the fun surprise inside and because it was for someone whom I absolutely adore!

Here’s to many more interesting running experiences, painting projects and general fun with my girl, Vanessa!

running fun

Posted in Cabinets, color, Faux Finishes, Furniture, Home Decor, Inspiration, Paint
Tagged armoire, friends, painted armoire, running, running friends
2 Comments

May 6, 2014

Kitchen Cabinet Transformation

I never tire of it; breathing new life into something old! This kitchen had suffered flood damage and so the homeowners (who are lovely people!) took the opportunity to not only repair the damages but update other elements. They had already replaced the floor and countertops.

Old cabinets

Obviously, the cabinets were next in line.

Newly painted cabinets

They chose a fresh cream color with a charcoal glaze. It complemented the floor and granite perfectly! They added a kitchen island which was built using part of the old cabinetry.

Newly built island before finish

They chose a charcoal black distressed finish to add some character.

Charcoal black distressed island

I love before and after photos.

Before

Especially when I remember to take them!

After

I’m giddy about this kitchen makeover! They have a few more items to change before the project is complete but I couldn’t wait to share! Cabinets, people!

Posted in Cabinets, color, Faux Finishes, Home Decor, Inspiration, Paint, Repurpose
Tagged distressed island, kitchen cabinets, painted cabinets
2 Comments

July 9, 2013

“No More Elephants” Bar Area

It was time to update this lovely little bar area and that was the first thing my client said as I started to cover up the wall paper, “no more elephants”.

Here is the bar before:

Bar before

A wine rack had been incorporated into the cabinetry so a new finish would be needed for consistency.

Wine rack addition

Here are the lovely results. The walls now have a stunning dark brown plaster with some metallic peeking through.

Bar after

And the cabinets are a cream base with a light “chocolate” glaze.

And it ties in beautifully with the granite countertop! Updating just feels so good!

Posted in Cabinets, color, Faux Finishes, Home Decor, Paint, Walls
Tagged faux finish, metallic highlights, painted cabinets, plaster walls
1 Comment

April 4, 2013

Cabinet Trends part 2: Unhinged

At the risk of going the way of most sequels, I felt the need to address a cabinet trend that few are talking about. My friend, Ande, calls it the cream with chocolate glaze finish. Anything that sounds like food can’t be bad, can it?

This trend has been around for (I’m guessing) at least ten years and is still going strong. You most likely won’t see it in the latest decor magazines or websites. But it works in so many kitchens and is very versatile. Who am I to judge?

Let me ‘splain. The cabinet is painted with a cream, off-white, ecru, linen colored base coat. Believe me, I didn’t even scratch the surface of possible names for this color. Then it is glazed with a much darker brown color. Sometimes the glaze is an all over glaze and sometimes it is just in the grooves. I can get on board with anything that involves a groove.

Off white base, dark brown grooves

Off white base, all over dark brown glaze

The all over glaze can be varying degrees of a light or heavy application.

Remember these?

Beautiful off white cabinets with dark brown glaze

These beauties below went out on a limb and are sporting a dark gray glaze.

Beautiful off white cabinets with dark gray glaze

This finish will not disappoint and seems to have stood the test of time.

Not all kitchens can pull off this look; nor should they.

Dance break!

So contact Atmospheres if you want to invoke thoughts of cream and chocolate every time you walk into your kitchen!

Posted in Cabinets, Faux Finishes, Home Decor, Paint, Repurpose
Tagged cabinets, cream with chocolate glaze cabinets, dancing cabinets, glazed cabinets
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March 27, 2013

Cabinet Trends

People are branching out with their cabinet choices since it is no longer necessary to replace the whole shebang to get a different look. Paint, stain or a combination of the two can cover up your existing cabinet finish including those white melamine/thermafoil cabinets that are standard in many homes.

melamine cabinets

A current trend is different colors for the top and bottom cabinets as shown here at Apartment Therapy.

bicolor cabinetry

I can get on board with this since I love color. Feels a little daring, a little outside the box. That’s how we roll.

Another trend is to paint or stain the island or peninsula a different color than the cabinets.

stained cabinets with black, distressed bar

Here are some new finishes I recently made samples of thanks to Ande Crenshaw at Mojo Faux

There is no need to play it completely safe with your cabinet finish because it can be changed just like your wall color.

If you are ready for a change, call me and let’s create a custom finish for your cabinets!

Posted in Cabinets, Faux Finishes, Home Decor, Inspiration, Paint, Repurpose, Stain
Tagged bicolor cabinets, cabinet finishes, cabinets, glazed cabinets, painted cabinets, stained cabinets
4 Comments

December 18, 2012

Color!

I recently painted this desk.

Colorful desk

Yes, I did this on purpose you may want to ask and it was fun!

It was inspired by a piece I saw at a client’s house pictured here.

Client’s furniture

Side view

If this style of furniture has a name, I don’t know what it is. Inadvertent design? Accidental decor? Regardless of its origin, I happen to love it!

The desk I painted was not painstakingly planned and thought out. Shocking, I know but I used what I had on hand.

Speaking of accidental art, I snapped this picture of the leg of my work pants because I liked the composition. It inspired me because it was not deliberate. Laugh if you must but I do not discriminate on where I find inspiration!

Tresa’s masterpiece

I saw this piece at a store and determined this may be a growing trend.

Trendy furniture

In my world, I like to believe that these pieces were either put together from leftover materials or have some interesting and harrowing history instead of being manufactured in a factory.

So that is what I choose to believe about this picture currently being circulated on Pinterest and tumblr. Its colors are vibrant and captivating and could tell an adventurous story.