"You can go your own way, go your own way"

Editors Note: This post will be a lot more fun to read if you can play this YouTube Fleetwood Mac video at the same time.

Fleetwood Macs' Lindsey Buckingham and his wife Kristen remodeled their LA house from the ground-up in 1999. The exterior of their newly rebuilt home was a mix of  Spanish/Mediterranean revival style. For the interior, they hired decorator Madeline Stuart.  

Elle Decor, Simon Upton

The outside architecture was influenced by Wallace Neff, the famous California architecture who built large houses that overlooked the Pacific ocean.

Elle Decor, Simon Upton

He became collectively known for his use of tiled roofs, wood front double doors, barrel-vaulted ceilings, wrought-iron railing stairways. His style was secured in the 50s.

Wallace Neff Designed Home, Source

Simon Upton Photgraphy

(And I love this photo because there's a black doodle in there too:)

Simon Upton

The Buckinghams house is easy on my eyes...to say the least! It's a great mix between fresh, ecclectic, balanced and rustic.

Simon Upton Photography, Madeline Stuart 

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It isn’t one of those interiors that looks amazing in a magazine, but that’d be really hard to maintain its clean look. This home looks inviting, lived in, and natural.

There’s definitely a mood of eclecticism to this home. Simon Upton

Simon Upton Photography, Madeline Stuart Design

And I like that there’s dark, natural wood—unpainted. Why is it that more and more designers are painting beautiful wood?

Elle Decor, Simon Upton

Simon Upton

Kristen dedicated a few years transforming her home into something that radiated her authenticity and personal tastes. One of the things they worked hard at was finding unique, vintage pieces to fill the rooms. She became obsessed with locating certain elements, like the tobacco colored Terra-cotta floor and the reclaimed bricks.

Simon Upton

No doubt that it would be work to accumulate this style. Even with a large bank account.

What I found really intriguing about this story is that today, you can read about Kristen’s instinctive remodel of her home on the 1^stdibs Introspective Magazine. Personally, I think if you make onto 1stDibs Introspective, by all accounts, you've made it as an artist.

Buckingham Garden, Elle Decor

Apparently, she gained a passion and, to some extent, a knowledge about decorating from the whole experience.

After Kristen finished her home, she liked it so much, she couldn’t let go. Today, you can find her decorating company has expanded to her opening a boutique.

http://kristenbuckingham.com/

About the store, she says

 “When I worked with Madeline on our first house, we would often design custom furniture whenever we couldn’t find anything to fit the bill. Whether it’s an idea that could be shaped into a new table or chair or a vintage objet d’art I found on my travels, I wanted to share the excitement I feel every time I see great design. This store fulfills this perfectly.”

K. Buckingham's LA shop

Although I imagine that doors open easier when your husband is a member of Fleetwood Mac, still, it requires interest, desire and discipline to continue the effort.

Elle Decor, Simon Upton

I really like what she’s done to her own home (with the help of Madeline Stuart), and I’ll be curious to see other homes she designs.


-Tara

Is Dark-Colored Paint Timeless?

I last wrote a post about achieving a timeless look within your home. By purchasing antique and classic pieces, you’ll be able to create a home that is balanced and grounded by timeless furniture.

If you enjoy staying tuned into current trends, updating your accessories, fabric, and paint every 10 years will allow you flexibility and transformation.

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Changing the color of a room can dramatically update a room. Painting walls is one of the things that can be done fairly easily and inexpensively.

Using dark paint in a room can significantly transform it. I’ve discovered that it’s more common to see smaller rooms painted dark gray, rich purple, or deep blue rather than large and bright rooms.  

 Tim Street-Porter

A study or library is a great place to use dark colors in your home.

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It’s common for dark paint colors to be ignored for less obtrusive light colors. People naturally steer towards using lighter colors in their homes. It’s hard enough to correctly choose the creams and whites, right!?

Maria Killam has written several blog posts explaining why white is not a good choice for a room that doesn’t have an abundance of natural light. White walls look dingy in a darker room. Modern homes painted white usually have walls of windows that accompany them.

I specifically like the quote Maria used from Janice Lindsay’s book; All About Colour

White is a snob that likes its own company best. Interest comes from a variety of textures and sheens and from natural or uncoloured materials – wood, stone, fur, metal, glass. It likes other neutrals and finds black, it’s colour complement, incredibly exciting. If other colours are pale enough, white considers them part of the family. If they aren’t, the white tries to make them look bad: bold and boisterous, like vulgar intruders. Colour gets blamed for being loud but white is the mischievous culprit.

Dark colors are fun. It can be easy to pick a dark color if you already have your room decorated.

Tom Scheerer Interior Design

Source

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Dark colors can be soothing and relaxing.

Miles Redd Photography

 Ashley Goforth Design 

 Dark colors are waiting for you to create some ambiance.

Ashley Goforth Design

 Dark colors can be neutral.

Source

Tom Scheerer Design- close to Sherwin Williams, Gibraltar?

Black is a timeless color; according to Janice Lindsay, all colors are timeless. It is combinations that go in and out of style. It’s not so much about the color versus how and where a color is used.

 Image via Cote de Texas



So if you’re looking for a little fun in your home, I challenge you to find a dark color to use in replacement of light colors. It doesn’t have to be an accent wall, it can be the whole room or a ceiling.

  

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Tip: If you’re going to paint your walls a dark color, leave the ceiling white so there’s a contrast and it doesn’t feel like a dark hole. Leave the trim white too.

Thanks for reading!

Tara

Are you on Pinterest?

Are you on Pinterest?


 It seems that the more I'm on Pinterest and 1stDibs, the easier it is for me to find 'inspiration' for blogging.

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I was a blog reader for a very long time before Amy took initiative to get this blog going.

Often, after finishing another blogger's post, I think,...hmm..I really liked what she said, but didn't feel like the complete direction or goal of what she was trying to say came full circle.

Photo Credit

And today, I ask myself the same question. Did I just start a post to 'get something out there?' Or was it content that someone else would find interesting, insightful or worthwhile?

So while it's fun to find photos from all the available sources out there, a good blogger is someone who will take further steps forward to inform or entertain the reader.

As a blogger, thats when your blog stats rise, your audience grows, and you start to become knowledgable about what you're passionate about.

Photo Source

So today, I'll inform you.

A month or so ago, Amy and I talked about a new project that we were working on for a Dallas consignment store. That project is now on hold, and we don't know if we'll get back to it.

However, we do promise to keep posting about other other projects. And we will find other opportunities. We are 2 fun and creative girls in Dallas!

Plus, Amy recently had a plummer come and rip out a large section of her bathroom wall! Exciting!!

We'll be back to share more about paint, bathroom hardware, and tubs.

Photo Credit

I really like this photo. I love the twin-size bed. I'm not sure how often I'd feel like taking a nap in my kitchen, but this kitchen seems pretty special.

This kitchen also has a unique design element. 

Curtains that drape the floor. Via Cote de Texas

Thanks for reading!

Tara