After months of zero zilch nada progress made on my home due to analysis paralysis, I finally made some decisions and got to work this weekend. Everyone had awesome suggestions for my room last week, Sherry had the genius idea to use photoshop to test drive designs and I loved From the Right Bank’s idea to switch the black wall and paint my fireplace a bright color… but I wasn’t up for painting over black. In fact, you all had so many awesome ideas, I almost had to spend another 6 months in hibernation trying to figure it all out.
But! My mind was about to explode and I had to make a move. I decided to go with my gut and laser-light-show it up. A visit to the always brilliant Sanders sealed the deal when he gave his nod of approval and pointed me to the metallic paint (!!!!) display. Sanders and I quickly agreed on pearl white and I was out the door with some fancy paint and lots and lots of tape:
I started by free-form taping the wall behind my bed, making each stripe about 1.5″ wide.
I continued around the corner and onto the 3rd wall. I didn’t tape the entire 3rd wall, I let the design taper off so that there would be a spot for your eye to rest. Fancy, huh?
I was actually pretty smitten with the kelly green tape (of which I used 180 yards) and was almost remiss to paint it all white, but green angles are too crazy for a bedroom and I had a plan and I was going to stick to it, dammit.
Ta-Da! Laser-Light kicks kelly green’s ass! To understand how amazing and fabulous this looks in real life, please take the awesomeness of this picture and multiply by eight hundred thousand, give or take. It is seriously out of control. Do you want to see more pictures?
A close up. Don’t worry, we’re shopping for new lamps next. (I will be taking Camilla’s advice and finding some with black drum shades)
Doesn’t the dog bed just make this picture? What about the crappy bathroom door that’s about to be replaced? Ok, Ok, focus on the wall… j’adore?
last one, promise:
Once Erin comes out of maternity leave, project #1 is to have her take some decent looking photos of this joint. You’d think I could have at least photoshopped myself out of the mirror. lazy lazy Karly.
This project was actually super simple despite my gigantor walls, from start to finish (including clean up) it only took about 5 hours. With all that extra time left over, I decided to tile my living room fireplace.
WHAT?! HUH?! But, Karly, you’ve been indecisive about tile for months!
I know, I know, but Friday night I was having cocktails in Hope’s back yard when I spotted a stack of white marble 1/2 inch tile going to waste on her porch. Apparently it had been given to her roommate who never got around to doing anything with it. A few drinks in and I was ready to end my tile misery and make an offer: $3 a sheet. Done and done.
If I were to search the world over and could have my choice of tiles, would I pick this? No. But is it 800 times better than the bare fireplace I’ve been living with for the last year? Can I get a hellz yeah?!
Here’s a close-up:
It’s marble, it matches my room, and it shimmers, so I’m happy with it. Oh, and it was dirt cheap, so I’m really happy with it. I did some web sleuthing and found out that in the real world it costs $11 a sheet here, still pretty cheap.
I have visions of finding the world’s most perfect tile one day and replacing this but until then I don’t have to hang my head in shame when the first thing people see when they walk in my house is a bunch of junky drywall surrounding my fireplace.
So, there you have it, my weekend in a nutshell: cocktails and decorating, what more could a girl ask for?
PS. stick around this week as we have some badassical guest bloggers in store: tomorrow Andrea from House of Slappy does a fantastic (I mean really fantastic) artist roundup; Thursday, the always lovely Tula of Whorange brightens up the joint with my favorite palette; then Friday, it’s lame old me again wrapping up the week. Come on back now, ya hear?
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SHUT UP! I freakin’ J’ Adore the hell out of it. And the fireplace ain’t too shabby, either. Bravo, girlfriend.
You’re BRILLIANT.
That’s all I got.
Love Love Love Love.
Small suggestion, if you have some left over paint, continue your light show up onto your ceiling and fade out like you did the living room door wall. I know, I know, you’d need more tape!
I remember very well the band-aid beige tile that was on your fireplace; cheaply-acquired marble tile that sparkles is a HUGE improvement and totally you.
Hellz to the yeah! Love it all! I’m glad you sat around on your ass doing nothing all weekend long. ;0)
By the way, what exactly is that fabulous bit of fish tail thingy? Me like. A lot.
It looks AWESOME! I did love the green as well, but I guess you can’t just leave tape up on your walls indefinitely. And the pearly paint looks quite posh, as does the new tile. I do like Connie’s idea for your ceiling, BTW.
It seriously looks SO GOOD. Great job (on both projects)!!!
P.S. Can you tell us more about your awesome Tupac painting?
Wow – I was scared at first with the green tape, but the end result is wonderful!!
WOW! Everything looks great! You did an awesome job!! I totally j’adore the sparkly fireplace tile!!
Question: What is in the globe next to the fireplace in your bedroom?
Dang, Karly, that’s some weekend you had. I wouldn’t have been up for repainting a black wall either. That takes like what? A hundred coats? But I’m glad you liked my suggestion. The room looks fabulous and I can’t get over that you made that bed! And I love the marble on the fireplace. Well done all around!
ok. That, reminds me of this:
http://www.hyggeandwestshop.com/products/julia-rothman-for-hygge–west/pieces-wallpaper—silver/
Which is why I love you. I wanted that wallpaper for my mini-bathroom but thought: icky men spraying up the wallpaper with peepee – need wipeable walls.
You did an amazing job. The tiles are lovely too.
I’m staring at your photos slack-jawed. Simply stunning! What a brilliant idea and it’s perfectly executed. Gorgeous.
Love the wall and the fireplace!!! I have been itching to re-tile my fireplace lately and that tile is sweet…I like sparkly too! Now just have to figure out how to take the old tile down without injuring myself…
I took Karly’s tile down with a rubber mallet and small crowbar. Took me a couple of hours. Karly was suffering from having a very good time the night before.
Holy shizzle, it is awesimo maximo! Sanders is a certifiable genius — that iridescent paint was a great choice, and I can’t wait to groove out to some prog rock at the laser light show. The Ikea curtains are also a vast improvement, and the tile looks fantastic!!!
Brilliant, fabulous, stunning! I am in awe of the patience this requires – AND the neatness – not attributes I can say are my best!!!
looks fabulous -truly!
I also want/need to know more about fishy tail. I have a fish fetish-so my senses are on high alert now!!
you are Awesome, with a capital A. that wall looks fantastic and so does your fireplace. You have killer style, lady. I love that painting over your fireplace too.
p.s. glad the photoshop idea helped!
I am just going to repeat what everyone else said. You are awesome! I love it!
so badass. even the green tape looked amazing.
I must confess, I totally didn’t get the laser light show wall in the idea faze, but you executed it perfectly and I FREAKIN’ LOVE IT! Great job!
AWESOME!! I’m so glad everyone likes the new walls and fireplace. Sorry I didn’t get to answer your questions yesterday, I wasn’t feeling so well. Let’s hop to it now, shall we:
Connie: I thought the same thing about the ceiling but it has MAJOR popcorn texture so no stripey stripe.
NKP & Camilla: The fish tail is from Z Gallery (Don’t tell Raina), it looks like they just have an all white version now: http://tinyurl.com/m4qpjl
Alison: Tupac was painted by my friend hope (who I also got the tile from) she paints dead rappers on thrift store canvases, visit her site here: http://www.hotpinkpistol.com
Ceci: Hi!! The globe is actually a terrarium, it’s filled with green house friendly plants that I bought at a local nursery. I got the terrarium itself at a local consignment shop, sometimes they pop up on ebay as well.
I think that’s all… thanks so much everyone for your awesome awesome comments, I’m glad everyone likes the wall!!!! xoxo
Bravo!
so happy you finally found some tile for the fireplace, I love the sparkle. Maybe we will find something you love more one day at Roundtop. you could have done a mosaic (like the kitty) or we could have made resin cubes (they have ice cube trays that exact shape). I think the subtle color matches nicely in the room. LOVE the lasers! you are the wall painting mural queen. I can’t wait to see it in person. Lets do lunch at your place next time rather than mine so I can get a close up gander.
WOWIE! I had no idea how awesome your bedroom was lookin when I saw your fireplace tiles in hand! KUDOS! That looks badass. More pics? Uh, yeeaa-AH.
LOVE it!! (Both its!)
Long time listener – first time caller
I’m glad I popped my comment cherry with this entry because YOUR BEDROOM IS FREAKING FABULOUS. Is that marble flooring spy throughout your house? Also, where is that sweet duvet from? I want to see more pics!
xx
LA
Welcome Lisa Ann and thanks for the love!!! The flooring is actually skimstone, it’s a concrete overlay that looks like marble. You can pick any color (or combination of colors) we went with white and a hint of grey with a super shiny polyurethane finish.
The duvet is made from some insane fabric I found in the clearance bin at G Street Fabrics in Northern Virginia while I was visiting my family last fall.
The room is far from done, I’ll post pictures as we go. Thanks again!!!!
hello to you karly from the land of AU… grand effort with the laser light show and bargain mosaic tiles. Any chance of retaining the bargain marble surround and cut out the occasional chunk of mosaic squares from the surround to inset other lovely tile or resin finds? Best of woth worlds. I often love one single tile but could never see a whole wall full of them.
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Looking for a dining table like the one you have. What sellers on Craigslist did you purchase from? Thanks.