A simple birdhouse

This charming made-by-hand birdhouse was a gift we received soon after we moved into Etiwan House in the summer of 2017.  We found a spot and hung it just after Hurricane Michael.  Now, this sweet little roosting place is just waiting for new inhabitants - hopefully we'll see some this spring.

Navy and White Powder Room and Painted Ceilings

Navy and white is a classic combination for a reason and I've always been attracted to the calming nature of deep dark blue and contrasting simple white.

You might remember that we added shiplap to our small powder room a few months ago.  And, despite knowing I wanted navy in this room, I somehow talked myself into doing something different and painted the shiplap a pluff muddy brown.  Have you ever done something like this and regretted it?  And, did you live with it or redo?

I'm sorry to say this isn't the first time I've done a redo just a few months later.  We once painted an entire condo Benjamin Moore Yellow Highlighter because I saw a swatch in a Pottery Barn catalog and figured if Pottery Barn recommended the color, it had to be beautiful.  Oops.  I will say, I've tested all paint colors using swatches ever since.

Anyway, this tiny room kept pleading to be repainted and this weekend, thanks in part to the Sherwin Williams 40% off all Paints sale, I gave in.

I stuck with almost all of the same art and other finishes.  How could I not love the copper towel and toilet tissue bars?  I did spring for a couple new hand towels from Target though - I love how they pop against the dark blue.

Paint colors are SW In the Navy in flat on the walls and SW Pure White in Semi Gloss on the shiplap and trim.

Also, since we were painting, I thought we'd go to extremes and take on two painting projects in one weekend.  It was supposed to rain all weekend.  It didn't.  The rest of the family was not thrilled about missing out on two perfectly good boat days.  Live and learn.

Anyway, my obsession with painted ceilings continues and the back hallway was the lucky room this time.

The color is SW Cay, flat, cut 50%.  It's a tad lighter than the porch ceiling on the other side of the pictured back door.

Buck loves it, by the way, he says he feels right at home.

Painting the Porch Ceiling Blue

Gallavant through neighborhood streets of Charleston and you're bound to catch a glimpse of a porch ceiling painted blue.  According to The Southerner's Handbook, the tradition of using 'Haint Blue' for porch ceilings, as well as front doors and even trim, is closely tied to Gullah culture.  Gullah wisdom suggests that haints (vicious ghosts) are unable to cross over water, so the blue paint color acts as a barrier to keep the spirits out of the home.  The book Very Charleston suggests that sky blue ceilings also deter bugs from nesting - I'll report back with my personal experience in a few months.  I'll be able to do that because I painted the ceiling on our small back porch this weekend.

I love the charm of any painted ceiling, but especially those painted blue.

Here's the before shot showing the simple wood beadboard painted white.  It was fine, just missing the character I knew I wanted for this back porch which looks out to the woods.

Choosing the right blue was a must.  I wanted something a little bit more vibrant and slightly turquoise because I knew it could stand up to all of the nature surrounding the porch.  I choose SW, Cay, and I love it!

My motivation for this project was reignited when I visited the Smart Home in Palmetto Bluff last week.  The designer for that home chose a dusty blue, which makes for another interesting choice.  Here's a picture I took during my visit -

Thinking of painting your porch ceiling blue?  Consider these colors options -

Left is SW Piazza Blue D-CR075, the most traditional choice for haint blue.

Middle is SW Cay 6772, my favorite and what I chose for my porch.

Right is SW Resolute Blue 6507, a little more mellow bluer blue.

Playhouse Paint Refresh with the Best Navy Blue

The tale of how this playhouse came to be is a story for another day.  Today though, I'd like to share a quick little before and after.

The teeny tiny little kid house has lived in the yards of not one, nor two, but three different big people houses.  This last spot seems to suit quit well, so the time felt right for an exterior paint refresh.

The old colors were Aged Cobblestone (from the historic Charleston collection) on the siding, Duron Aunt Betty's China (available at Sherwin Williams)  on the trim, and a random can of Shrek-like green we had leftover from another project on the door.  I don't know what we were thinking with that green in the first place, but with the natural green woods in the background, the color began to irk me more and more every day. 

We started with a good pressure wash, removed the front door, and got at it.  We were able to paint the entire exterior in just a few hours.

Inspired by all the water around Charleston, we chose Benjamin Moore Hale Navy for the siding.  I adore this color.  I love how it pops against the SW Snowbound white trim and the green of the trees in the background.  If you aren't familiar with this color, it's a deep navy blue with just a hint of grey.  The front door is SW Tame Teal - light and fresh.

You can find the darling wood-handled rake (along with a shovel & hoe) here.

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We have dark shiplap!

Earlier this year, we made an afternoon of the Old Village Home, Garden & Art Tour here in town.  One of the homes we ventured through had a tiny room planked with dark shiplap.  I've wanted to incorporate something similar in our home ever since.

And, what's the best time in the world to take on a home update project?  Right before you're about to host 17 people for a holiday, of course!  So we've been running around like crazy people trying to finish this up.  We did it!

If you follow me on Instagram, you might remember seeing paint samples in preparation for this project.  In the end, I decided not to go with any of those (which is why I must always, ALWAYS test color via paint sample!), but to go with a rich pluff mud color instead.

Here's what the room looked like before...

And here's after -

Sources:

Shiplap - Guy C. Lee

Paint - SW Porpoise 7047

Sconce - Pottery Barn

Fish painting - Mutton Snapper by Christina Hewson

Wicker basket - Target

Succulents - Whole Foods

Mirror - Southern Accent (old)

Pedestal sink - Amazon (yes, we bought a sink on Amazon, and I'd do it again)

Faucet - also Amazon

Sweetgrass trash can - local basket weaver

Woven Rug - Dash and Albert

Rainbow Row print - C. Brooke Ring
Turquoise frame - Etsy

Fall Winter Front Porch Flower Boxes

Here in the south, window and porch boxes are a ritual.  I find it amazing how a little bit of green can warm up and add life to any space.

As we were building this house, and the drawings of the front porch came to life, I knew that I'd want to add significant planters to the space.  Before the house was even complete, we built these large planters.  Since we moved in a few months ago, they've sat patiently waiting to be filled.  This weekend was their time.

For me, it was so tempting to fill these guys up with fall annuals.  In the end though, I decided to go with almost all perennials, and just a few flowers that will need replacing in the spring.  The shade loving perennials will work perfectly on our front porch, that only gets an hour or so of sun a day, and they will work perfectly with our recently busy days, weeks, and months that don't allow for continuous plant replacement.  This route is better for the budget, too.

The empty boxes -

My process includes spacing the plants out before planting.

The after -

The plants I used from the outside of the container in are - Goldilocks Creeping Jenny, Myers Asparagus Fern, Cyclamen, Heuchera (Coral Bells) and Evergold Carex.  These are all from my favorite local garden center Abide-a-While.

Simple Entryway Coat Hooks

Summer is stretching on here in the Lowcountry, as it tends to do, and therefore residents of our house seem to want to stay outside.  This makes getting inside projects done difficult.

I did manage to sneak in another one of our "little projects" today.  While the project was little, the result is big improvement to our everyday lives.  So, I'll take it!

See, each time we arrived home, we tossed bags, everyday jackets, hats and whatnot all over the place.  There didn't seem to be a good spot for them.  So, we needed to make one.

We already owned a set of knob rails (old, Pottery Barn) from our last house (you can see pictures here), so all we needed to do was find a spot and hang them.

In case you're curious:

Kids hat - Field and Stream

Denim jacket - so so old, J.Crew

Shirt - Free Fly

Brown Purse - Kate Spade

Patterned purse - Orla Kiely