#paint

Today we wanted to share with you a collection of our favorite instagram photos that use a hashtag involving paint.  As you can see, people everywhere are painting - and it can be fun!  We think you should join them: read more »

help me pick a color to paint my closet

So, I have a problem when it comes to keeping my closet organized.  When I first moved into this house, I was in love with my new closet.  It has two levels for hanging cloths and lots of built-in storage compartments - a big step up from the boy and I sharing a tiny closet in our various apartments. I thought keeping my closet organized would be a breeze.  That lasted about a month and now its back to disheveled.  While Lisa and I were staging our last project we painting the inside of a closet as an afterthought.  We had our color ACK with us and hadn't used it anywhere else, so we thought why not? read more »

painted easter eggs

 

Today we are talking Easter eggs.  Is this a tradition you partake in?  The dying (or in this case painting) of eggs?  If so, we wanted to share with you this little project we did - it's easy, super fun and perfect to do with the kids...  And of course, since our paint is completely organic and non-toxic you can have your little ones participate without worry.

Here is what you need:

• Egg Crate
• Paint brushes (various sizes)
• Quiet Home Paints samples (in chalkboard finish if you'd like to be able to draw on them)
• Eggs (preferably hard boiled)
• Painters Tape
• Letter stamps (Optional for decorating painted eggs)
• Chalk (Optional if using chalkboard finish)

Before starting, think about what colors you would like to use and how you would like them to be paired together.  You can have eggs that are all one color, but I found it was more fun to do two or even three colors per egg. 

For my first egg I chose Twirl and Sprig.  The purple and green combo really reminds me of spring so I thought it was a good place to start. 

Then just start painting.  I found it was easy to paint the eggs in a two step process.  I painted the top with twirl, holding the bottom to keep my hands clean.  Then place the egg in the empty egg carton to dry before adding the second color.  

I did the first color for a few eggs.  Here we have twirl, mist and buzz.  Then it was time to add the second color. 

For the first few I used painters tape:

You can either go straight around the egg either top to bottom or around the middle. 

Or you can do some at an angle. I found I really liked the way these looked in the end, although it is a little harder to do the taping.  

Place back in the egg carton to dry.  Then peel off the tape and voila.  (buzz and grass stain)

Once they are painted and dried it is fun to add a little more decoration, like polka dots, scalloped edges, or stamped initials.  Get creative here.  At this point you can also draw on them with chalk.  Write peoples names or spell out happy easter.  

Get creative! 

Order sample pots of any of our colors to complete this project at home. 

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spring eternal

Good Morning.  So here we are, a day away from Spring and it is snowing.  A lot.  Many are complaining, even cursing the poor old ground hog who predicted an early spring, but I don't mind it.  I've always been of the mindset that if it is going to be cold, it might as well be snowing.  Of course, that doesn't mean I'm not ready for spring...  We had a really mild weekend a few weeks ago and I awoke to the birds chirping, a sound that immediately makes me think of spring.  It was such a welcome sound and got me really looking forward to warmer weather.  But like I said...  as long as it is this cold, let it snow. 

Today, I wanted to share with you some simple ideas to bring spring into your home, whether it has really arrived or you are just hopeful it isn't far off:

To me, spring is all about color.  The world once again becomes full of it and so should your rooms.  The yellow of the walls alone is enough to remind me of spring, but add light and airy drapes, flowers and fruit and you have a room that is perfectly spring. (housetohome)

Of course, if you don't feel like painting your entire room there are smaller projects that will make a big difference. 

You know I will paint anything.  An easy project that speaks to spring is painting a few framed mirrors or photos in a bold spring color and layering them.  Not only is it simple, but it can easily be changed with the season or your mood.  This pink is perfect for spring.  And of course, always include some beautiful flowers. (ciaonewportbeach)

Don't toss out those drawers when it is time for a dresser upgrade.  Add some paint and hang them on the wall for some unique, spring-like storage.  (shelterness)

My new favorite project:  paint those stones you collect while walking on the beach and display them throughout your home.  Check out the full post for more beautiful ways to display these beautiful stones. 

If your child is eagerly awaiting spring, why not surprise them while they are out at school by painting their bedframe in a beautiful, bold color.  Add some fun pillows and have it all made up for when they get home.  I'm telling you, they will love it (and you!).  

Pour a little paint into an old mason jar and swirl it around.  Let is dry and enjoy custom colored mason jar vases. (etsy)

And finally, add a splash of color to your dresser by painting the drawer fronts.  (projectnursery)

What do you think?  What do you do to bring spring into your home?  

Check out our palette of non-toxic paints inspired by spring:

pottingshed

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From Lisa.

Twice a month we will be featuring posts from our Co-founder, CEO, and lead designer: Lisa!  The posts will range in subject from painting tips and project tours to Q&A's and Inspiration.  Today is her first post and gives you some insight into her life...  enjoy! 

Well I’m moving.  I just can’t believe it.   5 years, 5 moves, plus a major home renovation. And I’ve moved the studio—twice!  That’s it I’m crazy.  But this one, I just can’t resist this one…

Andi has asked me to start writing blog posts again, advice on color, design, painting and the like.  I agreed, but when I sit down to write, I realize I lose interest unless it’s personal…and what is more personal than making a home?

 You’ve all seen my little home.  For some reason it gets a lot of press and attention.  What many of you haven’t seen is the beginning…so let’s start there, and then I’ll introduce you to my new home…

Check out all the before, after, and in between photos of my current home here.  And stay tuned for my next posts featuring my new home!

-Lisa

 

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Wentworth Gardner House Photoshoot.

A few weeks ago Lisa and I staged a portion of the Wentworth Gardner House in Portsmouth NH for a photoshoot.  As a paint company, it is important to show our colors on the walls so you, as potential painters, can see more than just a swatch.  We chose a few colors, one from each palette in the Quiet Home Collection and went to work.  Staging rooms for a photoshoot is a fun (but big) job.  Not only did we need to paint each area with the color we wanted to shoot, but we needed to shop for furnishings, accessories and art, then move it all into the space, stage the space, have it photographed, then break it all down.   Like I said, it's a big job.

I've shared some previews of what the space looked like in progress here on the blog previously.  Today I wanted to share the results (along with how we got to them!). 

A big thanks to the photographer who captured these shots, John Hession. 

First up: Grass Stain

 

It's the most beautiful green and the perfect backdrop for purples, teals, and creams.  You can find Grass Stain in the Potting Shed palette among other colors that inspire spring.  

Pretty, right?  

Well, here is what it looks like from my angle:

John is great at doing what it takes to get the shot.

Next: Whisper and Cuddle Together Forever

There is something so beautiful about an all white space.  When we started Quiet Home Paints, we knew we only needed two whites: one warm and one bright...  here they work together to create a perfect spot. 

Here is Lisa painting over that horrible color that lived on these walls previously.

Pretty. 

Jewel Toned Ballgown and Emma:

Both of these gorgeous colors live in the Estate Palette.  When used together like this, the impact is a powerful one. 

You can see the difference here: 

Ballgown before we added Emma on the wall in the hallway...

There she is. 

And of course, the addition of furniture and accents makes a big difference.  You can see a little texture on the wall here.  We painted right over some textured wallpaper.  It's a great look and much easier than taking all that wallpaper off! 

Husk and Foxtail:

I love this color combination.  Both husk and foxtail can be found in the Camp palette...  along with Truck which is the orangey red on the stool.  Its a warm and lovely space.  

what do you think?

Ok, now for Porch:

A lovely blue from the Cottage Palette...

Up next:  Nest

This warm toned neutral really transformed this hallway... 

And finally:  ACK

The back wall of this small closet is painted in ACK from the Cottage palette and makes the small space special. 

And there you have it!  It was a fun project to work on...  where would you use these colors? 

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Andi's Bookshelf Makeover.

 As promised, today I wanted to share with you my own bookshelf makeover. 

It's a start...  I never knew how many orange books I had until I started this process.

Anyway.  I'm embarrassed to admit that this is how my bookshelves looked yesterday morning:

They became a catch-all for photos, books and pictures with no rhyme or reason to how it was displayed.  I wanted to change that. 

I started by clearing everything from the shelves.  A blank slate. 

There.  That is better.  Upon doing so I realized the the shelves were in pretty bad shape - they really needed a paint job.  I had wanted to paint the backs of the shelves anyway, so I picked a color and got to it. 

I went with our color celadon, from the loft palette.  It's a cool gray, green that I thought would work well with our wall color (spool). 

In this in-progress shot you can see the difference between the painted side (right) and not-painted side (left).  

Rigby always like to help when I paint.  You can also see how dinged up the shelves are...  So I gave them a quick once over with our white, whisper.  

While the paint was drying I did two things...

First, I organize all the stuff I had on the shelves previously. 

I guess that doesn't look too organized, but it made sense to me. 

Then I decided I needed something for the top of the shelves that wasn't just "stuff".  These built-ins are unique in the fact that they do not extend all the way to the ceiling (or even to the top of the window) so you are left with this awkward space to fill. 

I remembered I had some letters from the local craft store and grabbed them.  I wanted to spell out bibliotheque, but I didn't have two Bs, so I went with Library.  In hindsight, I don't think bibliotheque would fit anyway. It really bothers the boy that there are four letters on one wall and three on the other.  It doesn't bother me so much - thoughts?

Once I decided I liked the idea,  I painted the letters to match the back of the shelves. 

Then I slowly started filling the shelves with books, art, photos...

I didn't go shelf by shelf.  Rather I tried to balance the shelves with color and shapes.  If I found I had a lot of orange on the right side, I tried to balance it out with bold colors on the left side.  

Slowly I filled the shelves until they looks like this: 

I was pretty satisfied, but there were some things that need tweaking.  It was really helpful to look at them through the camera lens... 

After the final tweaks: 

left side. 

right side. 

Rigby seems to like them.  What about you? 

This project took a total of 4 hours from start to finish.  Painting the backs of the shelves was maybe the easiest painting project I've done in awhile.  And I used a brush for it all, so if you used a small foam roller it would take even less time.  

What do you think?  Time for a bookshelf makeover of your own? 

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bookshelves: inspiration

Today, my bookshelves are getting a makeover.  I am a lover of books.  Real books.  While I understand that kindles and the like are convenient and probably more environmentally friendly, I just can't give up actual books.  I often find myself jealous of the boy when we travel who just carries his ipad, while I lug around numerous books and magazines.  But like I said, there is just something about them.  Not to mention if I didn't own books what would I fill my bookshelves with?  It's such a nice feeling to have a well-stocked bookshelf.  When friends come over, they always end up perusing the titles and inevitably borrowing something they haven't read.  Who can give that up?

Anyway.  Like I said.  Today my bookshelves are getting a makeover. Currently they are a mess...  no order and very top heavy.  I'll share a whole post with you including before and afters tomorrow, but in the meantime here are some photos that I used as inspiration for the makeover:

If only I had built ins like this.  I don't but I love the mix of books, photos, and accessories and will definitely be incorporating that into my own shelves. 

Color.  Love color on the back of the shelves.  I think I'll choose a slightly more subtle color for mine, but the idea is the same.  How do you feel about hanging mirrors over shelves?  I've seen a lot of that lately and can'e decide whether I am a fan...

This one I love for the layering.  Photos, boxes, and dishes layered in front of each other give the shelf depth.  Mine will be more about the books but I will definitely show some layering. 

This one incorporates all of the above: variety, color, and layering.  

I saved this one for the color coded books.  My shelves are currently organized like this and I'm thinking of keeping some of that element in the new design. 

And finally.  I love these shelves.  They are organized and I love the way the magazines are displayed (or hidden).  

Stay tuned for before and after shots of my own bookshelves! 

Photos:

1. Pinterest

2. houseofturquoise

3. amberinteriors

4. recentlytheblog

5. dehnbloomdesign

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play space.

As you all know, I am not yet a mother.  I hope to be one someday, but in the meantime I get my baby fix through this job and my two beautiful nieces.  The boy and I spent our weekend with one of them and let me tell you, I don't know how you all do it!  She is 18 months old, full of spunk and energy and a joy to be around - but man is it exhausting!  We picked her up Saturday morning and returned her (safe, sound and happy I might add) Sunday morning.  Between singing songs, drawing, making pizzas, walking on the beach, and very messy meals I learned two things:  1.  It is impossible to keep a clean house with a toddler running around and 2. you parents must all be brilliant, patient, multi-tasking, creative geniuses.  It got me thinking about play spaces.  They seem essential.  I know not every home has a whole room free to designate the playroom, but it became apparent that we needed a small space that was home base for books, crayons, dolls, toys - and more importantly free of all the things not toddler proof (like scissors, electronics, sharp cornered coffee tables, etc).  It seemed our house was an accident waiting to happen...  

So today I thought I'd share some creative and functional play spaces for your little loved ones.  It seems to me that whether your play space is a whole room or just a corner there are a few key ingredients to make it work:

1.  Color

I love how this nursery has the color on the floor in the form of a cushy rug and allows the walls to be a blank canvas for the creations of the kids who play there. 

Similarly, this cute space has a colorful ceiling letting the main wall be a gallery for books to inspire reading. 

2.  Storage

A refurbished armoire makes a great play station for kids...  Close the doors and it is all hidden away, open them and let the kids get creative! 

Get creative with your storage.  No one says you have to use simple bookshelves if you have a beautiful old wagon that will do the trick! 

3. Some creativity:

An activity seems essential.  I love this play kitchen! 

But if you lack the room for that, why not use one wall to allow their imaginations to grow?  A simple mural (this one is interactive) takes up no space!  

4. And finally: Chalkboard! 

Whether you have a lot of space for a whole wall...

Or just a corner, our chalkboard paint makes a great addition to any place space.  As you know it comes in all of our colors and is completely non-toxic.  Check it out! 

Enjoy! 

Photo credits:

1&2: Simplified Bee

3: Better Homes and Gardens

4: her blog

5: mali-mo

6: elmueble

7&8:  QHP

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best dressed.

I love watching the Oscars.  The glitz and glam, the speeches, the tributes... I love it all.   So today,  just like last year, we are going to share with you some of our favorite looks from the red carpet (and of course some beautiful rooms that could have been inspired by these lovely looks).  

Here we go.  Up first, the winning lady of the night: Jennifer Lawrence

Talk about gorgeous.  I have loved her since watching Winter's Bone and I love her even more after her little tumble and honest acceptance speech last night.  She looked beautiful in this white, dramatic gown.  

When it comes to our completely non-toxic paint colors, we have two whites to choose from:

whisper and cuddle

Halle Berry.  The ultimate bond girl looked stunning in the form fitting, structured, black and gold sequined gown.  I think she is flawless...  kind of like that amazing stove top and backsplash.  It's hard to go wrong with a little black and gold. 

Vintage Tux will do the trick:

Jessica Chastain looked lovely in this old hollywood gown.  I loved her in Zero Dark Thirty and I loved her in this dress.  What do you think of rooms using this dusty, bronze color?  If you like it try our colors nest and slipper and jazz them up with some shiny elements like satin drapes:

This coral dress with embellished top worn by Kerry Washington was another stand out.  For a stand out room in your home, try corals with some mirrored or metallic pieces to kick up the glamour. 

Try our color bloom.  It has just enough orange behind it to work:

And last, but definitely not least, Robin Roberts from GMA looking stunning and healthy and beautiful.  I love this jewel toned look on Robin and in the home. 

These are our colors Ballgown and Emma:

Did your favorites win? 

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