a little detail

The heater vent in the bathroom needed attention--rust and old paint--so I got out the steel wool and cleaned it up, then spray painted it with Rustoleum white satin finish. Looks way better!

How many coats??

I've run out of paint and am losing track of how many coats of paint I have applied to the bathroom walls. I think it is 4, plus primer and still I don't have that great looking saturated white. With the skylight there is lots of natural light coming in this time of year so I can really notice the lack of color depth. I got a new paint pad thinking that was part of the problem. The best coverage is the hand-painted areas. I'll buy another quart,apply one more coat and be satisfied. But isn't the new teak countertop beautiful!

Italian street painting (at Larkspur Library)

This has nothing to do with what I am doing at our house, but I love this chalk painting, done on the concrete threshhold outside of the Larkspur Library where I work. So beautiful. If the rain comes back tomorrow, it will wash away...thank you Gemma.

choosing a white paint isn't easy....

I painted some color samples on the bathroom walls. I want fresh, clean white to go with the brown tiles and (as yet uninstalled) teak countertop. "Linen white" which I thought I'd want (in the center left) was instantly eliminated as too tan. I decided to go with "White Opulence" from Benjamin Moore. The little sample bottles are great--no need to buy a whole quart of paint and then decide it's all wrong.

I have tsp'ed the walls, this weekend I will prime them and then hopefully it will cover in 1 coat?

bathroom countertop demo

Today was a happy day--the herringbone countertop in the bathroom began being demolished. How pleased I am to get rid of this busy, brown and carmel colored tile countertop from the 70s. We are having a new top made out of teak, a wood that is a good choice for wet places (it is often used in boats). We still will have the brown tile shower and floor but plan to give the bathroom a modern look by painting the walls white and adding new chrome elements in towel bars and sink and shower fixtures. I went to the paint store today and grabbed lots of Benjamin Moore white paint chips. This is very fun!

Happy Easter!

Isn't this a pretty bread bag? A b-day gift from my lovely daughter, it is made of bamboo fabric and with a handy drawstring, it's perfect for keeping this loaf of whole wheat walnut bread fresh. She found this great bag at a favorite Berkeley foodie spot, the Cheese Board.

another good book...

Here's a book full of great photos and ideas of quick decorating fixes. "Speed Decorating" by Jill Vegas is great for people who are putting their house on the market and need to spruce it up fast but it offers lots of inspiration for anybody tired of their same-old rooms.. I have known for a long time that the inside of my closet needs patching and painting ( pieces of, what? wallboard? are falling to the floor) but the thought of tackling that job was too forbidding to entertain. Her book inspires -- I can do this nasty job! Now the project is on my list.