Thoughts on Design

February 8, 2016 by Ruthie 5 Comments

Here we are for another Behind the Blogger and today we are talking about our thoughts on design.  We have talked about our lives, our significant others, our blogging tips, among other things.  I love learning about these lovely ladies and learning about their lives behind the blog.  We all have jobs, lives, and kids and blogging is our hobby (we all hope it could become our full-time job).  When I started blogging I never thought I’d love it so much and I never knew how much work it actually was.  It’s all worth it! 🙂

Anyway….back to this week’s subject…my thoughts on design!  Jess from Domicile 37 has come up with a group of questions for us so here we go!

What is your biggest home decor pet peeve?

What is my biggest home decor pet peeve?  I don’t know if I have a huge one but a couple of things that bother me are poorly painted items and mismatched styles.  I know that it’s okay to mix and match styles but I can’t handle it when it’s blatantly obvious that one thing doesn’t go with the other.

I have learned through my furniture painting experience that a good coat of paint goes a long way.  You can be the worst painter in the world but if you use quality paint (my favorite being Sherwin-Williams) then you can create a beautiful product.  I look at even some of my older projects and cringe at how they’ve worn.  It makes me want to redo them or replace them!  I didn’t start using Sherwin Williams paint until the past couple of years.

What is the one design item you cannot live without?

I love candles and picture frames.  I love to share photos of my family and I love to do it in a bold way.  I like large frames with beautifully taken photos of my daughter and family.  It makes me happy to see beautiful photos of my family around my home.  I also love candles and I’m currently obsessed with Luminara Candles.  They are fake candles but have a moving wick that mimics a real candle.  The battery life is amazing and they are truly beautiful!  I have them throughout my home!

What is the one DIY item you cannot live without?

I have a new favorite DIY item I can’t live without.  I have recently discovered the Finish Max Paint Sprayer by HomeRight.  It is amazing!!  It’s going to be hard for me to hand paint a piece of furniture after using this.  It cuts the painting time in half and it’s so easy to use!  I sprayed my kitchen cabinet doors with this and it took me 20-30 minutes to spray 20 doors!  It would take even less if you didn’t have to transfer the doors inside and outside.  I decided to do this project in the dead of winter in Minnesota so I had to spray the cabinets in the garage and then take them down to the basement to dry.  Luckily, it was a fairly warm few days in Minnesota on the days I painted.  It creates a beautiful and smooth finish and it only takes minutes to paint a piece of furniture.

Your favorite project to date?

I have not revealed my favorite project yet but for the past 2 weeks I have been painting, painting and painting some more!  I have been painting my kitchen cabinets!  I have always dreamt about a white kitchen but was hesitant to take on such a large project.  After almost 1.5 years of living in our house, I finally took the plunge and painted my cabinets.  I can’t wait to share with you the how-to soon but I’ll give you a sneak peek of the results!  (Sorry for the iPhone photos!)
Your least favorite project to date?

There isn’t a project I would say I dislike.  Most of the things I’ve created I still use and enjoy but there are some things that I’m really excited about and then don’t turn out how I like them to.  Or, I like how they turn out but then get bored with them quickly.  I have a little antique end table I made and I think it turned out adorable but I just can’t get over how I don’t like it in my family room.  Our family room is a little mismatched and I’m hoping to get a few new furniture items eventually.  I think I’ll end up repainting this beauty to make it a little more neutral.What is your favorite color to design with?

If you would have asked me this a couple years ago my staple design colors were red, white and black. Everything in my house had these colors.  I now have two new design color favs and that would be blue and grey.  I’m in love with how they compliment each other.  I have to watch my decorating sometime and make sure I don’t use them too much!  I like for my rooms to have different styles.

What are 3 no-fail design tips that have worked for you?

1. Use color in your home – it brightens up the space and makes for an overall enjoyable space!
2. Use a mixture of wood and painted furniture in a space to give the room a little diversity.
3. When in doubt about what color to paint a piece of furniture…paint it white!  It always brightens up the space!

Now go check out these lovely ladies blogs and their thoughts on design:

Domicile 37  |  Seeking Lavender Lane  |  Fresh Crush  |  Casa Watkins

Thank you Jess,  for organizing this fun Behind the Blogger series and I hope everyone enjoyed my two cents regarding design and decor!  Tomorrow I’ll be back with tips on how to organize your pantry!  Happy Monday!

Many outgoing links on Refashionably Late are affiliate links.  I may earn a small commission to fund my Diet Mountain Dew drinking habit if you use these links to make a purchase. You will not be charged extra, and you’ll keep me supplied in caffeine. It’s a win for everyone, really.  I only link to products I have tried and love! See my full disclosure here.