I have no idea why, but ever since we chose Farrow & Ball’s ‘Hague Blue’ as our main paint color for the Living Room, that funny phrase, from one of my favorite movies, has been running through my head! Of course in my head, I’m saying it in Franck’s funny accent. And following it up with, ‘Armani don’t also make a polyester!’ Now I’m dying for a Father of the Bride viewing, what about you?!
But ain’t nobody got time for movies…it is crunch time. And somehow I’ve gotten myself in the precarious position of taking this {One Room Challenge} right down to the wire. No exaggeration, but at this point, it’s going to take a miracle to pull this off. Or at the very least, late nights, a lot of wine, and some dry weather! (More on that in a bit.)
Let’s recap for those popping in for the first time…we’re tackling the ‘formal’ Living Room for this go-round (we did our Master Bedroom in the previous ORC). My goal was to create the feel of a jewel-box, with deep colors, lots of glam, and an element of drama, and I’m collaborating on the room with the most talented girl I know!
Week 1 I showed the Before shots and room layout, Week 2 was all about the Design, Plans, and a big fat Hiccup, Week 3 was a total Demolition Zone, and last week we had Lights & Deliveries. Okay, now that we’re all on the same page…let’s get after Week 5, the final update!
I was super excited to use Farrow & Ball paint for the first time, and it did not disappoint. It goes on beautifully, with intense levels of pure pigment, and the full gloss is almost as reflective as a mirror! Having the dark blue on the shelves gave the room depth, but adding it to the trim gave the room the dramatic ‘wow factor’ I was going for.
So why are those shelves leaning against the wall and not installed? Well, that would be the buckets of rain, and accompanying humidity, that we’ve had for over a week! Which means that not only is the paint not drying, but it’s not even close to being ready to man-handle.
There’s no way I’m going to mess-up that gorgeous high-gloss finish with finger prints and dings, so the shelves remain un-installed. One week until reveal and I still have construction to complete!!!! Oh yeah, and we have more rain in the forecast. #passthepaperbag
But let’s focus on the positives…how stunning is that high gloss sheen?! And the dark hue against the gorgeous Crystorama pendant?!
And this art…can we just stop and drool over it for a minute? I’ve been a long-time fan of the artist, Dara Burriss, and I had the good fortune to meet her and tour her studio last week.
I stumbled on one of her pieces hanging in the Accessory Concierge shop months ago, and just couldn’t get it out of my head. I mean, I’ve always loved and appreciated art, but in a ‘oh yes, that’s really pretty’ kind of way.
But when I first saw Dara’s work, I had an actual physical reaction. It makes me feel so many emotions, and that surprised me. So when it came time to selecting the showpiece art for the ORC, I immediately thought of Dara. I mean, if her art is powerful enough to bring tears to my eyes, then it should hang in my house, right?! Apparently I have good taste, because Neiman-Marcus just discovered her as well, and they are going to start selling her pieces! #girlboss
The icing on this artistic cake? Dara was so smitten with the design of our room, that she offered to create a custom piece! #canyoueven I absolutely can not wait to see it…she’s been teasing it on InstaGram and I’m positively frothing at the mouth!!!
I went with this trim from DecoratorsBest, and given the tight deadline, and exquisite craftsmanship of the Loom Decor drapes, I opted to have it sewn on by a professional. I have to say, that may be the best $90 I’ve spent in this entire room! Me + Sewing + 110-inch panels = disaster & tears.
A pair of Bassett lamps arrived, as well as the beautiful blue leopard pillows from Arianna Belle, and the quirky Minted art….so that wraps up the last of the deliveries.
Now we just watch paint dry. Literally.