Dreaming around the Color Wheel

Remember my great love for old shutters since visiting my family's fabulous home in the South of France? This love, which really started when in Tuscany several years before, filled my dreams and caused me to hang shutters in my master bedroom when redecorating a year or so ago. When I wake in the morning and see those shutters through my sleepy, squinty eyes, the day takes on a new meaning as I first have memories of village life, roosters crowing; vignerons starting up their noisy tractors as they head to their vineyards; my family far away bustling around the house, their footsteps echoing on the tiled floors; mouthwatering cappucino and croissant smells wafting up the stairs. Yesterday, after cleaning off the pair of shutters hanging out patiently all Winter in my potting shed, I called French (well of course he's really English) brother to wish him a happy Valentine's Day. Talk about serendipity - HE was actually in the middle of painting his well over 100 year old exterior shutters also! So, my next painting project will begin any day now - I'm ready, willing and armed!

My brother's ancient shutters in France.

I love this room, sophisticated European with rustic touches ~ it has become the inspiration for my current decorating project as many of you know. In the first picture I showed you a few weeks back, I didn't let you get a peek at the shutter! This is how I plan to paint a pair of old exterior slatted wood shutters ~ rescued from SuzAnna's Antiques of course ~ to hang inside at the one window in the room!

This guest room makeover is coming along slowly. I'm not rushing because I'm having so much fun digging and delving for treasure to complete the look and feel I want. The background is bright and clean with new ceiling and walls, and less stained woodwork, but a little cold looking, so I'm now bringing in some colors to make it cozy and comfortable.

Below is the color palette I'm working with. The three chips bottom right are the paint colors I've bought to use on the shutters - Belle Grove Brass for the base, La Fonda Teal and Pine Forest (med. and dark shades next to each other on the chip card on the left) all Valspar. Is this brave or what? I'm hoping it will work - using these colors in a rustic way and sanding down to expose the brass shade in places to give an aged feeling. As no direct sunlight will shine on the shutters I'm thinking this bold color will not be too overpowering. If it's not the way to go I'll be back at Lowe's choosing again - that's the glory of paint, you can always paint over!

My secretary is still on vacation! I'm just gathering bits and bobs to leave on her desk and shelves until the right look comes together, then I'll put her to work. The gold/cream toile fabric is going to line the inside of the doors ~ I plan to make padded inserts, perhaps crisscrossed with grosgrain ribbon and vintage nailheads to display special photos, postcards, notes, inspiration pictures etc.

This is the little chair I bought last year at Karen's gorgeous shop FETCH in Hillsborough, NC shown at the bottom of my sidebar. This will be perfect to use at the desk when writing my memoirs, ha! ha! The floral painting on the back has just a touch of the blue-green shutter color. The complementary color is 'geranium red' (looks darker on this color card) which is that old red of French tickings and kitchens linens. This is a piece of red/cream ticking I found to make a seat pad. Just a touch of this color will bring in more warmth. This linen pillowcase was packaging for a European sham from Anthropologie ~ sewn on embroidered labels, and the pearl buttons, made it too precious to discard and with a pillow insert added it's now recycled ~ way to go!

........and lastly, pretty storage boxes found at Homegoods ~ for the top of the armoire ~ the right old red color.
Wishing you a fabulous weekend. For those of you able to fling open your shutters and windows to let the almost Spring breezes in while painting, enjoy! The rest of you who will snuggle up while snowflakes still fall, your time will come!