Oh Buoy Abodes: Going Green

A:
While we're on the subject of paint colors (see this post), I'm toying with the idea of going green in the dining room. It's an unexpected color choice for us, since our typical color palette is (obsessively) patriotic. I'm not running out to Benjamin Moore just yet, but these photos are providing good inspiration, and I think I may be convinced to stray from the reds, whites, and blues.

Oh Buoy Abodes: Pantone's Color of the Year

A:
Our new house is a giant to-do list. While things like kitchen renovations and master suites will have to take the backseat for a couple of years, every square inch of wall space will need to be painted. The prior owners painted everything (and I mean everything) a pale shade of pink. The walls, the kitchen cupboards, the woodwork, the tile...


A couple of photos from the listing (it's more evident in person, and very pepto-bismoly in the afternoon sun):

Yes, that is a stained glass covered bridge on my front door. Why? I don't know. Anyway, as sick of the pink as I may be, Pantone has named Rose Quartz one of the colors of 2016. I wanted to see how pink could be done right, and found these great examples:

And, just as proof that we are making progress in our house, here is an after photo of the front hall (which was pictured above). That gigantic pink bar has also thankfully been removed.

Oh Buoy Abodes - Dining Room Blues

Looking for some dining room inspiration this week, turns out we've got the blues. Navy blue to be exact. Overall, we tend to like lighter wall colors in our homes, which leave rooms feeling large and airy. But it's always fun to have at least one room with a bold color for contrast, and this seems like the perfect choice. Offset the dark hue with white molding, brass accents, and natural wood. These gorgeous spaces will certainly get dinner conversations going!

Oh Buoy Abodes: Spring Colors

After this long winter, we are ready for some sunshine, flowers, and bright colors. These bright spaces are incredibly fresh for Spring and provide some great inspiration for bringing some pops of color into our homes!

Oh Buoy Abodes: Green Grass

It's beginning to feel like Spring! The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the ground was...white. We may have a couple more feet of snow to melt in Boston before we see green grass and spring flowers outside, but we can start to freshen up our homes with the springy color of green grass.

Oh Buoy Abodes: Bookshelf Decorating Tips

Decor-wise, our apartments have a lot in common, with nautical elements galore. Another similarity is that we each have giant bookshelves. While they are different shapes and styles, our methods for filling them are similar. We looked to our own homes for this post, and put together some of our decorating tips. 

Oh Buoy Abodes - Turkey Before Tinsel

We'll admit it, once November 1st hits we are ready for Christmas time. While the tree might not go up for another month, we are definitely ramping up the holiday spirit. However, our favorite eating holiday does tend to get overshadowed by the excitement. In our homes, we tend to forego the turkey decorations and skip straight from Halloween pumpkins to Christmas. These photos and prints give a little inspiration to slow down at this time of year and be thankful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Oh Buoy Abodes - Mud Room

This weekend brought some seriously cold, wet, and windy weather to the Northeast. With one look out the window, I immediately started digging around in my closet for my boots, mittens, hats, and winter coat, still packed up from last year. It got me thinking about a great space to store my plethora of winter necessities throughout the cold seasons. 

A house in New England just isn't complete without a good mud room, especially in the winter. And just because it's called a mud room, does not mean it has to be dirty and messy. Here's some inspiration from some beautifully functional spaces.