Mochi Home - Paint Ideas, Home Decor, Virtual Makeovers

Living Like a Student in Barcelona

carly — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:58:10 +0000

How romantic! I would love to be transplanted to Spain, living in a little apartment with some fellow student roommates. Barcelona is such a gorgeous and friendly city, it’s definitely a living situation to envy. At least I can live vicariously, pretending to decorate this sweet little space:

Room Setup

These students asked for a warm and inviting space for socializing, studying and enjoying life. They also require one wall for projections (I wonder what they are showing!). Here’s what I’m thinking: Use the back wall for projections by adding a simple sheet/curtain/shade, leaving the rest of the room open for some color. Using those red pillows as inspiration, I picked a few bold palettes from Spanish paint company Bruguer. (Who, by the way, has an entire IKEA paint collection. So awesome and so Euro!)

Color Options

Dijon Yellow

The obvious first choice for a warm and friendly color is yellow. It’s sunny, bright and doesn’t darken the room. The tasteful gray-green back wall keeps the red and yellow from looking too Ronald McDonald. Round rugs are whimsical and fun-just right to keep these students from getting too serious.

Henna

I always love shades of henna/terra cotta/rust. It’s a great compromise between the garishness of red/orange and the darkness of brown. While this color does darken the room, it also envelopes it in a cozy warmth. With the bushy flokati rug, I can imagine many relaxing and sangria-filled evenings.

Stripes

A student rental apartment presents the perfect opportunity to experiment with paint, like these bold horizontal stripes. I love the saturated aqua color, but if you aren’t ready to commit to whole room of it – commit to half of a room. Aqua and red make a great pair which is both bold and friendly. And again, the addition of a rug keeps the space cozy and lounge-ready.

Happy studying! Hopefully these students find time to hit the books AND enjoy life in Barcelona.

Sources

Dijon

Bruguer Paint Vibrations Collection: Dijon Yellow, Green Rain
Balum Rug
Bild
Boja lamp

Henna

Bruguer Paint Karma Collection: Henna, Calma
Flokati
Mod Dandelions Wall Decal

Stripes

Bruguer Pain Colores Del Mundo Collection: Verde Oasis, Egipto Ocre Natural, Egipto Ocre Suave
Fillsta
Vate
Sheepskin

Furnish a Dining Room from Scratch

carly — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 01:55:21 +0000

When I upgraded from a studio apartment to a 1 bedroom and then again to a 2 bedroom, it was always fun figuring out how to fill the space. A new home (whether larger OR smaller) is a great opportunity to start from scratch with some fresh ideas.

One Half of a Great Room

Well, this great room is half great. The living side is looking good with bold red couches and contemporary patterns. What about that big empty space, though? Let’s help these homeowners set up a their dining room from the ground up. They want to keep their existing wall color, but fill in the space to coordinate with the living area.

Modern Wood

I love the idea of a dining table bench. I know, I know – it’s not always practical for dinner guests, but there’s something undeniably cozy about communal seating. Trying to hook up your single friend with your favorite cousin? Have them share a bench at brunch!

Plain curtains soften the edges of this tall (and probably echo-y) space and the straight pleats keep the look modern. The key to this space is adding a bit of drama with a large piece of art. It helps balance the busy rug in the living area and anchors the double-height space.

Sensual Curves

I think this is a very sexy room. The round dining table mimics the oval coffee table, but it’s the clean lines and gentle arc of the chair backs that make this room hot. To complete the conversation circle, I threw in a golden velour chair in the living area (again, very sexy texture). And of course, the dining area is finished with a console and an elegant lady in red.

Seating Galore

Another rounded table option, I like this set for the upholstered chairs. The fresh white really pops from all the dark wood furniture and gives a nice contrast to the red. There is a simple rug in the dining area along with a simple window shade to soften the space without being busy. A few cubes for conversational and flexible seating really make this room functional (cocktail party, anyone?) Lastly, my favorite addition is the sleek hanging pendant with a touch of red to tie the whole look together.

Sources

Modern Wood

Sensual Curves

Seating Galore

Building a Room Around a Fireplace

carly — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 13:48:03 +0000

I’ve always secretly wanted a fireplace, but my cozy urban accommodations don’t really allow it. Which is why I go wild when we get room submissions with any kind of fireplace treatment. Take this room – it’s got all of the elements for a great space: tastefully painted green tea walls, easy espresso wood furniture and of course, the ultimate focal point- a brick fireplace. It just needs a little nudge in the right direction.

Cozy Rustic Retreat

First up, a dramatic upgrade to the existing fireplace. In this scenario, the fireplace is refaced with natural stone from floor to ceiling. Neutral accessories and some plant life turn this space into a relaxing retreat.

White Wood Built-in

Classic and clean white wood mantel with built-in bookcases give this room a touch of casual elegance. The wooden mantel is built around the existing fireplace, which is simply painted a dark brown to coordinate with the espresso furniture. To keep the room fresh, try something unexpected like an orange chair.

Modern Lodge

Who doesn’t love an accent wall? A rich warm gray makes the perfect backdrop for a simple painted fireplace. Of the lot, this room requires the least construction, while still packing a punch. I absolutely adore this plaid chair, which I think gives the space a modern, masculine, updated lodge feel. To keep it interesting, throw in some bold color like a red rug or modern art.

I love all of the options for this room, but mostly I love the fireplace focal point. If you are lucky enough to have a feature like a fireplace, play it up! And don’t be afraid to add some color, some new finishes or get your hands dirty with a little construction. You’ll be glad you did.

Product Rundown

Here’s what I used to build these rooms:

Cozy Rustic Retreat

White Wood Built-in

Modern Lodge

Getting Over a Case of the Blues

carly — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:35:20 +0000

Dealing with the exterior of your home can seem like a daunting task. This new homeowner is inheriting a house full of blue vinyl siding. Aside from upgrading the entire exterior, there are some simple options for de-emphasizing the “smurfiness” (as our reader put it!)

This house is super cute – a classic American vernacular with easy proportions and lots of surrounding trees.

I happen to like the blue siding, but I think the front could benefit from several things:

Shutters that aren’t blue
An architectural feature
Landscaping

And that’s it! With as much or as little work as you want, this house can be transformed.

Option 1

Check out my first idea below – the classic red, white and blue with black contrast (actually, it’s a lot like Papa Smurf!) The red door makes a great focal point and a little overhang gives the front facade some punch. Just one or two high-end accessories can really boost the look, like these sconces from Restoration Hardware.

Option 2

This update focuses more on landscaping and doesn’t require much work on the actual facade. Here I’ve toned down the blue with tasteful warm gray shutters and doors. For a tailored French country effect, how about some well groomed topiary? And a stone/iron fence sets the mood right from the street. It’s like your own little European estate.

Option 3

For this last option, I cheated a little. Rather than visualize the actual house, I’m going to throw out an idea. For more of an architectural feature, a sweeping front porch would really set this house apart. You’ve got to check out this great little before and after from Vintage Woodworks. I think it would work like a charm here too.

BEFORE: A little blue house.

AFTER: Not only does this look more interesting, now you have a shady place to chill out on summer evenings.

Don’t be blue! Just get a little creative with doors, shutters and landscaping and your exterior will be ship-shape in no time.

Multi-colored Interiors

carly — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:38:20 +0000

One of the biggest challenges of decorating a home is making sure that the separate spaces around a house work in harmony to create a greater design vision.

This is particularly true when it comes to paint color. You don’t want to paint your entire house the same color – that could be boring. But you can’t haphazardly paint rooms without a greater vision – that could be unruly! I’m reminded of one of my favorite quotes (not sure by whom, but passed on by my good friend):

Action without vision is a nightmare. Vision without acton is a dream.

Well, Mochi Home is here to help nail down your vision (and avoid the nightmare). It’s up to you to take action and make your home gorgeous!

Case in point: this lovely Craftsman style bungalow, complete with beautiful hardwood floors and architectural detail. It’s hard to see, but the kitchen is painted yellow and the living area is tan. The adjoining dining room is a dark maroon. The owners are looking to lighten up the dining area (good call!), while still coordinating with the exiting paint colors in the other rooms.

The Vision

It’s always helpful to lay out your color palettes and understand how colors work together. Check out our Mochi Matrix (well, it’s just a color palette chart!) All three ideas work with the existing yellow and tan. I kept it light and soft with muted shades of blue, green and sun-bleached terra cotta. I like them all!

Idea 1

Blue is a beautiful contrast to the warm wood details.

Idea 2

Yellow/tan and muted green make for a friendly and fresh take on earth tones.

Idea 3

I’m surprisingly into this color, which I call sun-bleach terra cotta. It retains the warmth of the wood detailing and is very earthy.

The Full Palette

Well, I like all three options! As a final idea, to keep more continuity between spaces, you could paint the dining area the same shade of tan as the living area, reducing your paint palette to two colors. Don’t forget – trim, ceiling and those wooden details are all colors too and should be considered a part of your overall palette.