Colors, Styles and Other Design Decisions

I mentioned my current project ideas in my last post and I posted this design board for The Kid’s room.  I’m now trying to make multiple decisions regarding his room and our master bedroom.

 I ordered the bedding on the top left and got one of the shams today so I have something for color reference.  Here is his room as it is now (pre-furniture).  First picture is the view from the hallway.

This picture is from next to the window.

I want to paint this wall around the bathroom and hall doors with chalkboard paint in either dark blue or dark green.  His Snap Circuits board is between the doors, so I thought it would be neat to write “geeky” stuff like equations on the chalkboard around it.  The other three walls will be a light gray, blue or some other more neutral color.  The key word is “light” because his room currently feels like a cave.  The blue is neat, but his room is pretty large (~14′ x 16.5′) and it feels anything but.  The ceiling and trim will also get the new whiter color like the rest of the house.

The paint chips on the left are potential wall colors and the chips on the right are potential furniture colors.  I think I need to decide on the furniture color first, then pick the wall color since they will be next to each other.  The obvious furniture choice is a dark blue, but do I want that with a dark blue chalkboard wall (the bed won’t be against it) or should I do the chalkboard wall in green if the bed is blue?  The second choice is a shade of gray like the original bed shown above, but the quilt background is gray and the barn light on the bed will be galvanized steel and I’m worried it will be too much gray.  A dark graphite might work though.  Black would also work, but his previous furniture has been black and I think I want to do something different.  A red that matches the quilt would also work, if I want to go bold.  I don’t think I want white in a kid’s room even if I use easy-to-clean paint and I don’t think I can commit to matching the orange or green in the quilt.  So, dark blue, dark gray/graphite or red for the furniture?

Regarding the furniture, here is the inspiration bed:

Original price tag for full size = $2000.  I think I can make it for a couple hundred.  Lowe’s has the barn light in 2 sizes for $29-39.  I can get the same switch for ~$4.  Plus lumber, paint, etc.  I’ve debated long and hard about staining vs painting, but I think painting has won.  It will save me a ton of time, money and frustration over staining it.  In addition to the paint color dilemma, I’m trying to decide how to build the frame of the bed.  Do I keep it simple like the original above or should I build a storage bed like this:

I had originally wanted him to have a trundle bed underneath, but with a daybed and trundle in the extra bedroom that shares his bath, we don’t really need it.  Obviously, the storage bed will be more expensive and involved, but it’s still pretty straight forward and drastically simpler than the bed we made for him at our old house.  (The headboard will still match the barn light one above).  My biggest concern is this bed looking too “heavy”, especially depending on the final color.  It will only be a full size which is smaller than the queen he’s currently sleeping on.  I also don’t want to cram it full of stuffed animals like we did with his old bed.  I’m thinking some galvanized bins or buckets to store things, but keep with the over all style of his room. With the new shelves in his closet and some new furniture to come, he doesn’t really need the extra storage under his bed, but extra storage never hurt.  Or we can just go with the plain bed like the original and try to keep the mess to a minimum underneath it ;p  Style vs Function . . .

I had also been debating on whether to build or buy his new dresser(s) and nightstand(s), but that turned out to be an easy decision.  Buying furniture from Ikea and finishing it to match the bed is, by far, the cheapest and easiest choice.  I just need to decide between the Tarva collection or the Hemnes collection.  If I paint the bed, we can use either collection (staining would have restricted us to the Tarva since it comes unfinished).  The Tarva collection is unfinished and the cheapest, but all the pieces are smaller.  The Hemnes collection is more expensive, but the pieces are all larger.  Regardless, I will paint them all to match the bed and add matching hardware.  I need to figure out what pieces will fit where in his room.  I still want to add shelves for his assembled Legos along the half wall and have room for a desk under the window.

I also ordered the quilt for our bedroom and think I narrowed down a wall color.  First, I tried the color on the left which is Behr Home Decorator’s Collection Keystone Gray (HSC-AC-21).  I decided it was too dark and green.  Then, I painted the swatch on the right which is actually our closet color – Behr Salt Glaze PPU12-11.  That was better, but I came across Behr Silver Setting PWL-89 and painted the swatch in the middle. The Salt Glaze looks gray until you see it next to Silver Setting.

I also painted the swatches on the wall by the window.  It’s hard to see here, but Silver Setting is on the top and bottom and Salt Glaze is in the middle by the light switch and the chip is hanging next to it.  Above that chip is the new trim color, Behr Silky White and another wall option, Behr Home Decorators Cotton Gray.  I’ve considered doing a neutral color instead of blue on the walls, but don’t know that I want to do that when the main living area is a neutral color too.  The other chips are ones I’ve ruled out.

Again, hard to see here, but Salt Glaze is at the top of the picture and Silver Setting is at the bottom next to the quilt.  Silver Setting is a close match to the reverse color on the quilt and I think it’s “the winner”.

Our bedroom is also going to be a dramatic transformation.

The ceiling is currently the wall color with a darker shade in the tray.  I want to do the complete opposite.  Here’s my inspiration:

We’re going to paint the lower part of the ceiling flat Silky White like the rest of the house.  The center of the tray is going to have some detail added and will be painted high gloss Silky White.  It’s going to be so much lighter in there.  Eventually getting rid of the carpet will also change drastically the feel of the room.

I’ve been on the lookout for some accent chairs for the piano room and taped up a few paint chips, but it was low on the list below the bedrooms and waiting for me to find the right furniture for it.  A trip to Home Goods yesterday changed that. I try to go once a week or so to see what new stuff they’ve gotten in.  They had a bunch of new upholstery pieces and some of them actually matched each other (which is rare there).  I ran back this morning and picked up a chaise lounge, matching chair and a small chrome end table.  I’m so excited!  They fit great in the room and look really nice.  Now I’ve got an itch to get that room painted.  If I can decide on a color, I may start on the walls tomorrow.  (The trim and ceiling also need painted).  That room is open to the foyer so everyone can see it from the front door.  I’m excited to put my stamp on it and to have a couple places we can sit and look out the front windows.  Stay tuned for more on that!

For now, any thoughts on all my color and design dilemmas above???