Info to share

On Saturday, April 5th there will be a Spring Fling Boutique featuring many artist displaying their crafts.  Please come.  There will be raffles and give aways.

Location:

10900 Crider Court Bristow, VA

10:00 am - 4:00 pm

While researching paint for a client I came across this;  colors to keep your home on trend.

Also, visit https://www.facebook.com/SaylaviDesigns and White Willow Antiques Aldie, VA.  You will be glad you did.

Phenix High Boy

Restored beautiful Phenix dresser to perfect condition.  This piece is absolutely stunning, I could not paint over its natural beauty.  Everything about this piece is beautiful; curves, drawers, finish, and pulls.  Sold for $285 it's happy owner immediately sent me a picture in its new home.

In the works...

A twin bed, and repurposed desk for a Birthday Girl!  I am excited to finish these pieces.  I know that she will be so EXCITED!!!  Come back to see the finished pieces.




One of three chairs I am refinishing in black for a client's 8 person dining table.  To better serve her family, she opted for a bench, two statement chairs, and refinishing three of her existing chairs.  Cant wait to share the finished dining.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Upon delivery of a coffee table I was blessed with the pleasure of meeting a wonderful couple.  Asked about my opinion of my coffee table in their home, I was sad to admit that they could find a better fit.  They have a beautiful home in which I am providing color choice assistance, furniture repurposing, and decorating consultation.  This is a fun project and I look forward to sharing some of the process with you all.   I love getting to know my clients and assisting them with expressing themselves in their homes.  With a few statement  pieces and accessories, she can make a big impact.  I am certain that with proper choices considering purpose and personality, the function and style of the home will be expressed to its full potential.  The desire is to achieve a modern look with on trend colors; gray or beige with green undertones.  A quick trip to Sherwin Williams (SW), Benjamin Moore (BM), and Lowes allows me to present them with some fabulous color choices.

As always your comments are welcome.  If you love a color that meets these preferences, please share. Thanks,
Melanie

BM Pashmina

SW Fawn Brindle

BM Tyler Gray

BM Revere Pewter

BM Market Square Shell

BM Grant Beige

BM Sandyhook 

Valspar Pantone:

 Oxford Tan

Valspar Signature Allen and Roth:

Skyline Shadow

Opera Glasses

Valspar Signature Eddie Bauer Home:

Beach

Limestone

Travertine

Inspiration Part 2

I've been behind for weeks.  I had a very sick dog and visits to the animal hospital consumed all my time and mental energy.  Mochi is on the mend, and I am trying to get back on track.

I left off with Cheryl (previous post) and Inspiration.

Inspiration is named because that's exactly what it is.  From the beginning, this piece inspired me.  It actually began with just a piece.  When I saw it at the Luckett's Market, I saw it's potential.  I was inspired to create something with it.  With assistance from my better half, I did just that.

A top was made from raw oak lumber.  I learned to plane wood by hand!  

Inspiration is ready for purchase.  A beautiful hand made (I made the top myself) solid wood round table to accent any room in the home.  Complete with a stained top and fluted legs.  Inspiration will be difficult to let go, but will look stunning in a new home.  ☺

Price:  $160

Dimensions and Details:

32” Round, 26” High

I decided on a weathered look for this piece.  I stained the top in a mixture of 1:1 Rustoleum's Carrington:Dark Walnut.  I love the color and the depth it gives to the piece.  

Base is American Paint Company's Wild Horses, dry brushed with Van Gogh’s (VG) Cashmere.  The top and base are waxed, creating a beautiful matte finish.  LOVE.

And if you find yourself in Leesburg, VA stop by Weathered Elegance on Loudon ST SW.  The owner Donna stocks VG paints and finishes, and the candle pictured above from Himalayan Hand Made Candles (Patchouli Ginger).  LOVE.  Well worth the stop.  Enjoy!

Cheryl

I've been busy!  And my puppy has been sick.  Think he's making a recovery, I hope so as this week has been paint free.  Getting to the blog and listings now.

Up for sale are; Cheryl Red Bench, Inspiration, Phenix Curved Five Drawer dresser, and the Stylish Coffee Table.

I love naming my pieces.  I want to remember them and feel connected.

The Cheryl Red Bench is named after my fiery red head friend Cheryl.  She loves red and I did pick this beautiful color because of her.  Together we hit the Shrine sales of Japan in search of treasures that we could repurpose and recycle, and use in our decorating.  I cant wait to hear her response on this bench.  :)

The bench is finished in Annie's Emperor's Silk and finished with her clear and dark wax.  The seat is finished in General Finishes Lamp Black, Rust-oleum poly, and Annie's clear wax.  The process was pain free.  I love the Emperor's Silk on the bench, and love it even more with the dark wax.  It toned down the red and added a rustic look to the bench.  I have listed it for sale at $175

Update:

There was an overwhelming response to the Cheryl bench.  She was sold before I had a chance to update my blog.  Doing the Happy Dance for the quick sale.

Inspiration

This is what I am currently working on.  Not yet complete.  Looking forward to staging.  :)  Come back for my update on project details, dimensions, pricing, and staging.  Inspiration has me smiling.  :)

Cheryl is ready to go!

Details, process, and pricing coming soon.  I can see this in a mud or laundry room, entrance, or anywhere you need to sit and take your shoes off.  Even has storage for shoes, winter items, or whatever you need to store out of site but have at the ready.  :)

Completed Masterpieces

I was recently asked by a client to see one of my masterpieces, my stairs; my pride and joy. I get to see them everyday and they especially bring a smile to my face when I walk in the door.  The way they have transformed the home has been wonderful.  Everything feels fresh, and our personalities are better reflected with this rustic redo.  

Note:  You can barely see the old stairs (carpet runner) in this photo.

Since I was looking over previous projects I thought I'd share a few.  ENJOY!

Stairs

 Vanity

Queen Bed

Side Table






We have only been in the house with things delivered from overseas since October.  I did get a head start in September working with an empty space.  Although difficult to recall what I had coming from abroad, and in storage, I have managed to create workable space for our family.  It is a work in progress as we decide exactly how to make what we have function for us now.  Here are some photos of my design and decorating.  This is what works for our family, I would love to know and help you identify what works for yours; casual, formal, rustic, modern, eclectic, elegant, or traditional.  Or perhaps a combination of styles.  You decide, we can make it work.

Family Room - I have since found an old barn door that I have incorporated into the mantel display.  Perfect for adding height.



Sun Room - A favorite room in the house.  I recently added the chaise sofa and it is now the perfect after school hangout.  Stories are told here and I know many memories will be made here in this room.



As always, thanks for looking.

Come back next week..... I will have a challenge for you!

Stylish Modern Coffee Table

This is one solid coffee table.  Classically beautiful, and heavy with a modern flair.  I decided to complement its contemporary edge with black paint, and at the same time reduce the modernness with the aged look of driftwood.  I achieved this by color layering, color washing, and dry brushing.  This coffee table is awaiting waxing (clear) and staging; then it will be ready for purchase.

I used American Paint Company's (APC) Cannonball Black for the base.  The two-sided drawer and top were  coated with Annie Sloan's Paloma, and then layered and dry brushed with APC Smoke Signal and Cannonball Black.  I coated the top with two layers of clear wax, buffing heavily between each coat.
I'm really liking the surface!  Those who have seen it, LOVE it.

My experience.
I chose AS Paloma because it is a beautiful neutral with a hint of gray and lavender undertones.  I was anxious to use it and thought this was the perfect opportunity.  After seeing this type of trendsetting finish in just about every store, I wanted to tackle it myself.

Starting with AS Paloma, I was really liking the color that appeared after one coat on this solid oak table.  I store chalk paint cans upside down to avoid the pigment from settling on the bottom, and stir well before applying.  However, there were extreme color differences between the first and second coats of Paloma.  I attempted to dry brush Paloma as a second coat hoping for a richer color in places; however, the result was exactly opposite.  I had lighter spots all over that required me to apply a second coat to the entire surface.  From that point on, everything went as planned.
APC Cannonball is from their new Ellis Collection.  Per their website, American Paint Company Ellis Collection the Ellis Collection is "a grouping of old-world colors brought together for a new beginning for your treasures".  
I must say, I love this collection.  I did water down the paint as it is thick and heavily pigmented.  Its application is smooth, and the color is uniform.  It is a true black.  What you see, is what you get, before and after finishing.  

Staging pictures coming soon.

Don't forget to like my FB page.  Simply Stunning Style

Cheers!

Business is Growing!!

I have had quite an eventful couple of days.

First off, The Provence Cabinet sold!  It has a new owner and she has already sent a picture of my masterpiece in her home.  So HAPPY!  Not only do I have a new customer, but I also made a new friend.  Seems my buyer and I have a lot in common; two gals who can discuss design and decorating all day long.

While picking up an item I was purchasing, I met another customer.  She has ideas for converting her 12 yr old daughters "play room"  into a teen lounge.  While discussing design, she agreed to repurpose the item (desk) I was purchasing, into a vanity.  I cant wait to unveil her Birthday present from Mom and Dad.  So EXCITING!  I LOVE offering design and decorating advice.  Who knows, maybe I can be a part of the bedroom/teen lounge makeover.  :)

Today I met a customer who lives in my neighborhood. I was picking up an old buffet/hutch combo that I have two ideas for.  Hmmm.....  While in her basement she showed me a BEAUTIFUL dresser with a marble top that she has tried selling.  Well worth the $300 she'd been asking, there it sat without a purpose.....until I came along.  I have got her thinking about it's potential and hope to help her turn this into something she can use on her main level.  After some discussion, we headed upstairs to locate a new home for this beautiful piece.  I think we may have found one or two.  :)  Upstairs, she mentioned that she wants her kitchen cabinets redone.  Hmm, guess who may be quite busy soon?  On my to do list is to create sample cabinet doors of various requested colors to bring into the natural light of the home, because every color looks different in different light.  Stay tuned...

Met a photographer to capture images of my work.  Hoping to find someone to help build a website where I can use these images.  Looking forward to working with Stephanie personally and/or professionally.  Visit her website and get to know her work @ Ascari Photography

Lastly, discovered my neighbor is going to be my partner in crime at tomorrows barn sale (Ekster Hamilton, VA).  Cant wait!

Now updating the Blog and FB page to keep you all informed of new happenings, techniques, and experiences.

Thanks for all your interest and support.  I truly appreciate it and YOU.

Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it's really how it works.

Steve Jobs

Annie, William, and Harry - The Staging

Repaired, reupholstered, and restored chairs and table.  William, Harry, and Annie are complete and BEAUTIFUL together.

For sale:  $285.00 for the set.

Details:

Hand painted in American Paint Co. Lincoln's Hat and Upholstered in a neutral Greige quality upholstery fabric.  Finished with a Poly Top Coat for durability.  Complimented with decorator pillow to complete the look.

Table: 46" l x 27" w x 16.5" h
Chairs: 25" arm to arm at widest point, 21" across widest part of back, 38.5"h floor to top of chair back.

Annie, William, and Harry

My next project has been in the works.  I found this small Queen Anne style table that was in need of repair.  It had a broken leg that needed repairing, and it's surface was well loved.  After bringing her back to life, I enhanced her beauty with American Paint Company's Lincoln's Hat.  I debated on painting the entire table, in the end I decided to because I was getting tired of working the two tone look.  While repairing her, I found chairs that compliment her beautifully.  It took a while to decide on fabric for the seats.  I settled on something neutral with gray, beige, and pewter tones, an edgy sophistication that would pair with a pop of any color, and added extra padding for optimal comfort.

I love the end result.  I cant wait to stage these pieces and photograph.

I used the same process previously described with the paint.  This time I opted for American's water based top coat for the added durability required for table and chair use.  My prior experience with other water based top coats was better than this one.  I let the paint cure for 48 hours and still experienced drag.  Perhaps I applied too heavy?  The effect mimicked natural distressing that if left alone would have presented beautifully. The perfectionist in me made the mistake of trying to correct when I shouldn't have; I ended up having to reapply paint and finish, luckily to only one section of one piece.  ARGH!  Note to self............. PATIENCE!

Enjoy.
Let me know what you think.
And please visit my Facebook page at Simply Stunning Style.
Simply Stunning Style The Royals
Cheers.

By the way, if you find yourself wanting to try American Paint Company's products (I love them) and you live in the area, visit Melissa Harris and her Mom at Totally Vintage Design in Haymarket, VA.  Tell them Melanie sent you. You'll enjoy the experience.