Something for the parlor | How About Orange

August 16, 2013

Something for the parlor


Here was the... what should I call it... parlor?... before we painted it pale gray. Wait, it looks even fancier if I spell it "parlour."


Now the parlour looks like this. I'm delighted with how much better the stained glass window shows up against paler walls. I took photos at two different exposures and pasted the stained glass back into the shot above so you could sort of see. The window is way more vibrant in person. Oranges and aquas.


I've had orange chairs on my mind, as you saw yesterday. But then I found this:


On sale, too. I ordered it last night. The Cloud Blue Abigail Loveseat from World Market. Doesn't it scream parlor? There ought to be something tufted and pretty in there. And also something a little crazy because we can't have it getting too stuffy— this thing has some sort of brocade fabric on the back side. I bet I could change that pretty easily whenever I want to switch it up. Also the legs should probably be stained darker. You see how I couldn't resist it, right? And on sale? I hope the quality is decent! I'll keep you posted.

Update: It's here! I love it. It arrived in perfect condition and looks exactly like the picture. The cushion is fairly firm, so don't expect it to be like sitting on a teddy bear or anything. The fabric is soft and pretty. Lovely for lounging, and I feel happy every time I look at it.

33 comments:

Catie said...

I'm so enjoying watching your new house come together. :) LOVE the blue sofa. Love it.

Grandma G said...

So glad you ordered it! It's going to look fabulous in there!

And what a room transformation! Soooo much easier on the eyes now.

Mum

Yvonne Campbell said...

That color really does make the stain glass pop.

Unknown said...

Love that little tufted sofa! Definitely yes on the darker legs!

jeanne e. said...

i also love how the woodwork looks now, against the grey! looking forward to seeing your house come together. :)

Anonymous said...

But...You don't have a *Like* button!

Brittany Kyte said...

y e s!!! I adore World Market for this very reason!! Your parlor is coming together beautifully!

RhondaBuss said...

It looks perfect. I'll be interested to hear what you think about the quality of the piece once it arrives.

lp said...

Can't believe you gave up the orange! ...but I have to admit--it looks a lot better, and the window (I just spelled that "winder"), looks much lovelier. I love the couch.

Dog Mom said...

I want I want I want... Ummm. Sorry. As you were saying, that will look fantastic in your parlour! As does your stained glass window against the grey wall.

Anonymous said...

Love the love seat! It's perfect.
Ruth

Martina BARABASCA said...

It is sooooo amazing window...I like it:-)

Larissa Holland said...

I can't get over the amazing difference that a well-chosen wall color can make. It looks like a different room. And I do love the tufty parlour seat. Where will it go in the room?

Clyo said...

Beautiful sofa!!!!!
It 's perfect for your room and window!

Peggy said...

I literally just sat on that sofa at our World Market this afternoon... I started to "lounge" on it but my son gave me the evil eye... It is simply lovely!!!

And your stained glass window... delicious! Especially with the grey paint!

HawaiianLibrarian said...

That sofa definitely whispers, "front parlour" and will look comfortable against the dove walls. Waiting for the next pic. Mahalo for sharing. We don't have World Market in Hawaii.

Christina said...

Gorgeous choice! And the pale grey walls make a ridiculously good difference in how your room looks!

Unknown said...

Gorgeous! I LOVE World Market...so sad there's not a store where I live (but my bank account is thankful). That parlour sofa is fabulous and the stainglass is stunning. It's so fun to see your old house decorating take shape.

Maiz Connolly said...

It's been so fun watching you transform your house... I'm already looking forward to the next installment! The colors and loveseat (can we please call it a "settee?") are perfect. As you already mentioned, blue is the best backdrop for orange accents. Will you use one of your fabrics for throw pillows? Please show us more pictures as it all comes together!

Nat said...

Amazing transformation. Got plans to re-do my living room soon :-)

Ann said...

Just wanted to say I love seeing the before and after pics too!

ivonne said...

wow, that before color did the room zero justice.

Baking in the Attic said...

"Parlour" is looking great!! And I love that loveseat, especially the brocade on the back! So fun :-)

Jessica Jones said...

Can't wait to get it! I'll keep you guys posted on the room and the "settee" (heck yes, let's rename it!) when it arrives.

Patti McHugh said...

WOW! I love that loveseat! It will be perfect in that room. Great job on finding it. :)

Nicole Underwood Gonzalez said...

Whoa! I didn't even notice the beautiful window in the orange paint photo! What a lovely difference the grey walls make!!

PS - coolest couch!!

Kim said...

Nice! The stained glass is beautiful and really pops better with your new paint color!

I love the loveseat. Can't wait to see the room come together!

Anonymous said...

I am interested in how you ended up with the pale grey choice (I am NEVER able to choose a color or shade with confidence). It appears that the grey resembles the opaque area of the stained glass--did that have anything to do with it? Or does it just look so great because it's a "neutral"? Thanks in advance! Admire your talent and beautiful creations!!

jen said...

beautiful beautiful beautiful! keep up the good work! your house is very happy with you!

Jessica Jones said...

Anonymous, here was my thought process:

1) The woodwork is quite a warm brown in person, with red tones, and the window has lots of orange in it. So anything red or orange would tend to make the window blend in and disappear instead of pop out. So we need the opposite of that: a cool color.

2) The room has dark floors and trim, so to brighten it up and keep it from looking like a cave when the sun isn't shining in, we need a pale color.

3) Cool + pale could be light blue, light green, light gray, light lavender.

4) Grays and blues coordinate best with the window, as you said.

4) Now it's down to personal preference: I went for gray so I could have the furniture and curtains be any crazy color and not have to coordinate as much with walls that have a tint of a color. Plus I just like gray. It's current and modern; beige is out! Gray is in.

So that's how I decided. :)

Grandma G said...

5) Then she got samples which we slathered on a wall first to compare and see which looked the best.

:-)

Mum

Jessica Jones said...

Oh yeah! I forgot that part. I got a couple light grays to test, sample sizes.

Anonymous said...

Thank you (and Grandma G) for Color Selection 101. Great explanation! I have printed your comments for future use.

Incidentally, I have just "found" your site again as I was searching Google images for a "Surt sa räven" or "Sour said the fox" fabric source in the US! (Your blog post of 8/22/11). No luck on a US source yet...

Thank you again for the inspiration and guidance!!