Sometimes, little genius things come along. Like the invention of toilet paper … or cell phones. Now imagine those worlds colliding. Because, let’s face it, that phone goes everywhere with you. When we renovated
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PART 2 – PERFORMANCE VELVET I tackled painting these chairs myself, but for the velvet reupholstery we hired an expert (locals: Suely @ Pawluk’s Upholstery, Monroe, CT). But first I had to find a
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PART 1 – PAINT In my whole homeowning life, little has brought me more satisfaction than this Coastal French dining chair makeover. From the day we bought this set, I could envision the beauty
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I’ll admit it. I’m a sucker for a good paint name. So, when the winning color from dozens of paint chips turned out to be Benjamin Moore Amazon Green, I was disappointed. I knew
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To me, nothing screams summer or Coastal French like navy blue and white stripes. Whether you’re on a pier in Chicago or St. Tropez, the stark contrast of those crisp colors signals sunshine and
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In this Coastal French powder room makeover, we started with finding a tiny vanity to make this half bath feel bigger and more inviting. The other major component was finding a small, but stylish
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From the moment we met, I knew our 1980s half bath was destined for the dump. Like a big hair rock band that didn’t know when to hang it up, this powder room had
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My heart bleeds lavender. A Coastal French country home needs it scattered throughout! But growing lavender in New England isn’t straightforward. Our very shady acre in southern Connecticut is not hospitable to it. Downright
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The brain doesn’t know overwhelmed until you try to buy some white paint. Who knew there were a 1,001 options?! If you need a true white paint — a goldilocks white .. not too
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Finding a way to DIY driftwood finish on old furniture was inspired by desire: I love Restoration Hardware’s furniture, but I don’t love the prices (or that ridiculous tree-killing catalog they send out). Their
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Simple soil tests? You may be thinking, ‘I’m not a scientist! Nothing sounds simple about that!’ But believe me. Simple soil tests are the quick and dirty (and CHEAP) way to get answers you
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If you want quick Coastal French change in your home, color is the easiest place to start. As we touched on in our paint colors post, there isn’t a color combo more Coastal French
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It’s hard to choose just one. And in selecting Coastal French metals, we don’t. We mix it up! Like adding textures, mixing the metals in Coastal French design adds some interest for the eye.
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I love a stand of tulips. They are simple, yet bold. They come in colors to match every mood. They are simply delightful. Planting them in Connecticut is painstaking task. (So. Many. Rocks.) But
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After moving, we couldn’t afford to renovate our kitchen, so painting the cabinets was the way to make it more likable until we could. At the time, we were just starting toward Coastal French
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I know. It’s still winter. But this is when you start planning for dahlias! As winter drags on and on wanes, one of my favorite things to do is mentally fast-forward to summer by
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As we mentioned in ‘What is Coastal French Design?’, color is where a Coastal French look begins. In trying to meld the two interior design approaches, what makes any item work is its adherence
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After painting and buying sofas, the next step would be critical for nailing a cozy family room: incorporating Coastal French textures. A coastal color palette is limited — basically blues and neutrals. Those shades
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After you get what Coastal French design is, you can set about making the change happen in your home like we did in our makeover. Finding a Coastal French dining room light fixture is
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‘Coastal’ and ‘French’ aren’t mutually exclusive design goals. Mainland France has 2,000 miles of coastline — someone is living (beautifully) on those shores! From a design standpoint, as you leave behind the high style
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BEFORE & AFTER PHOTO INDEX
