Studying Malachite

Last year, I worked with Sherwin-Williams on their National Painting Week campaign and I was assigned the color purple. I chose a soft shade of lilac to make a faux inlay effect on my daughters' vanity dresser. (Here's that post).

Malachite painting from the one and only Tony Duquette

This year, I was thrilled to work with Sherwin-Williams again and I thought it would be a good opportunity to try another faux painting technique. My color is green this year, so of course there was only one option: malachite.

Antique inlay box from 1st Dibs

Lamps from 1st Dibs

Malachite sheets

Console from 1st Dibs

Lonny console

Michael Kors malachite dress

Lonny wallpaper

These were some of the images I referenced before starting my project (and I'll be honest - it was a little intimidating to tackle this one, but it ended up being a breeze!). I decided to do a bit of a bluer shade, like the colors in this Celerie Kemble chair, but just a tad more green.

Before I started, I also looked at the techniques other DIYers have tried. Here's a little round up of the posts that were super helpful to me:

Malachite boxes via The Aestate (a seriously awesome blog)

Inspired by The Aestate's tutorial, a cute tray via Burlap and Lace

Also this one, via Mimosa Lane

Malachite mats via Everything LEB

Piano bench via A Thousand Laughing Starfish

Faux malachite lamps via Gorgeous Shiny Things

Faux Malachite walls via Apartment Therapy

Faux malachite knobs via Teal and Lime

This scan below from a vintage book of faux painting techniques was an interesting read. I ended up doing something very similar for my project. 

Malachite painting technique via Chapman Interiors

My photos and tutorial will be posted next Monday and I can't wait to share. There are 13 other design bloggers posting their projects all next week too. It's going to be an amazing week of colorful befores and afters! :)

Concrete Planters

It's going to be sixty degrees today! What-what! Looks like yard work weather is upon us. I went to the garden center this weekend to pick up some flower beds and a few new planters for the balcony (this is finally happening!).

I found a few big boxwoods on sale and some pretty flowers for planting around the playhouse. And I wasn't sure if I had gone crazy when I was tempted by these flamingos.  #notAprilfoolsing

There were some really beautiful concrete planters at Lowes that I loved, but they were pretty pricey. So I bought a bag of concrete instead thinking I could come up with a DIY. When I got home I found this easy tutorial from BHG. It's just too good not to copy. :)

The basic idea is to use an interesting container for the outside shape with something basic and smaller inside.

Aren't these pretty? I'm really loving the sort of corrugated edged ones especially.

Have you ever done any concrete work? I've not done much yet, but I have at least three big projects using concrete planned for this year so I have a feeling I'm going to get a lot more comfortable with this stuff before long. :)

Faux Brick Hardboard Wall Panels

I took a trip to IKEA recently and noticed the badly patched seam in this brick wall on one of their displays and thought, "oh, that's not brick then. duh."

Looks like they could have filled the gaps a little better? But I did like the effect of the texture from the "bricks."

Later I did some digging around the web and I discovered these faux brick hardboard sheets at Lowes. I wonder why I've never noticed these before in the lumber aisle? About $26 for a 4x8' sheet is so affordable! And the reviews are all really positive.

I think with a little effort and some plaster you could make the walls of your bathroom or laundry room look crusty and old like this:

Or if you're on a super-tight budget, I bet you could use the sheets in your kitchen even (painted flat black or white like the IKEA room above, but seamed better, of course!). Have you ever tried the faux brick hardboards? I'm dying to use them somewhere now!

(WHOA, FLOORS! ^^^)

Inlay Boxes at Homegoods

Did you see that Homegoods has a bunch of inlay pieces (trays, jewelry boxes, mirrors, picture frames and even furniture) in gray, black and red backgrounds? I picked up a few pieces last week to add to my hostess gift stash, including two of these jewelry boxes (one in gray and one in red), and I can't decide which one I'm going to keep for myself. :)

They had quite a few chairs that looked a lot like these. They weren't crazy cheap (I think about $200 each), but they were definitely discounted from what similar chairs usually go for. And talk about a look! I love how these chairs pair up so well with more modern furniture.

Adore Home Mag

Did you score any of these Homegoods inlay pieces? Let's see!

PS In case you missed it last spring, here's my DIY version of an inlay-style dresser.

Lonny Feature

The new Lonny was released this weekend and it's a good one! I was excited they asked me to share a few of my favorite things. (Thank you, Lonny friends!)

In related news, I'm crazy-excited that ALL of the Lonny photo archives are now in one easy-to-browse place. The images are sorted by room, which is so genius. Inspiration abounds!

Moulding: Going All Out?

You guys, I must be a glutton for punishment. Just as I'm reaching the home stretch for finishing the crown moulding on the parlor level, I start dreaming of trimming out the rest of the walls. Like, top to bottom moulding.

Looking at the room they shot the West Elm Branch floor lamp in, did not help. (which, PS I really want that lamp!)

I think it would be easier to DIY this type of trim that lays flat on the wall. Crown moulding is such a beast!

Have you attempted anything like this? Maybe I'll just try it in the dining room and stop there if it's too much work/money. I'm especially drawn to the way the moulding and walls are painted that only makes the moulding look chunkier.

So Fresh and So Clean

When I was in college I bought my first dinnerware - eight place settings of really simple Dansk dishes in the prettiest shade of jade/mint. I still have, use and love those dishes. They look great mixed with vintage jadite plates. Green will always be a favorite color of mine, so it's fun that mint is having a major moment right now. So many pretty things to chose from!

ONE - Kelly Wearstler's Hue - the limited edition of this design book comes in the prettiest shades! My favorites are the bright purple and this mint.

TWO - Bench - This Ballard piece is a favorite. The price is right and I love the oak leg option. So pretty with the Suzanne Kasler mint linen!

THREE - Essie nail polish - I usually stick with reds/pinks/neutrals for finger nail polish, but toes are fair game for something really fun. I'm wearing this shade from Essie in this photo. (PS You can follow me on Instagram at jennykomenda)

FOUR - Topshop ballet flats - I've been wearing these like crazy lately. They're not the best made shoes, but they are pretty soft and comfy. Mostly the color is spot-on perfection.

FIVE - Persian style rug - I am so intrigued by this rug! Does anyone have it? It would be so pretty layered on a large natural fiber rug in a living room.

SIX - Mint Fleur Chinoise pillow - A year or two ago, Caitlin and I had street crepes (nutella and banana - my favorite!) and chatted about colors while she was finalizing her fabric designs. I remember talking about how much we both loved mint. So glad the color has a staring role in her textile line! That girl is so sweet, gorgeous and talented. Couldn't love her more.

SEVEN - Necklace - Bauble Bar nails it again with this gorgeous statement necklace. Perfect with a plain white tee and colorful cigarette pants or a maxi skirt.

EIGHT - iPhone case - This is my case du jour. Cheap as can be and a great color! I love that it's bright enough to make my phone easy to find in my purse, which I'll confess is a little on the messy side lately.

NINE - Lidded basket - Thinking my girls need this basket to hold their dirty laundry.

TEN - UO high-waisted jeans - These jeans are super-flattering, but also crazy long - like a 34" inseam. So unless you're a super model, you'll need to get them hemmed. I'd go for ankle length to make them more summer-friendly. 

ELEVEN - Peonies print - Some pretty little art from Minted's new art collection.

TWELVE - Robert Abbey pistachio lamp - I love any of Robert Abbey's lamps. I like the more modern lines of this lamp, especially since the color is a statement itself.

THIRTEEN - Fretwork fabric - Oh, Spoonflower designers, you treat me right!

FOURTEEN - Ikat style cotton fabric - I've never seen this Braemore fabric in person, but it sort of reminds me of the style of Raoul Textiles fabrics, which cost a million dollars a yard, so yeah, I like it.

FIFTEEN - Bud vase - I like vases like this one, with a decorative flower on the vase itself, to be used with greenery or just left empty on a display shelf. Don't you agree that coral and mint were meant to be together? Just gorgeous!!

Mixing Metals

I'm a gold jewelry person, through and through. It just looks better with my skin tone I think. But when it comes to hardware and metallic finishes for the home, I like to mix things up and throw in some polished nickel/silvery finishes with my brass pieces. I feel like I have an abundance of brass lately and should probably round things out with a few more silvery things.

This lamp has always been a favorite and I'm thinking it might be time to finally try the DIY version - fingers crossed it looks okay!

This basket project from MS Living was gorgeous! SO in love with that finish and want to use these in a nursery project I'm working on. Every room needs some sparkle, but that does mean it has to be a 'glam' look, you know? These baskets still feel very boho.

This new desk from West Elm is going into a consulting client's design plan. I saw some zinc and aluminum-wrapped case goods pieces at ABC a few months back that were about 10x this price. It's a great look and the West Elm price point is much more affordable.

PS I'm also loving rose gold and I'm coming around to copper. These new copper chairs from Blu Dot are like woah.