Ok, so was it killing you? The wait to find out what in the world I painted red in my home that consists of no red whatsoever? No? Ok, well, I’ll show you anyway.
I confessed last week that I strongly strongly dislike (possibly bordering on hate) the color red. But I also challenged myself in my yearly goals to push myself a bit more outside of my typical grey, black, brown comfort zone. I like style that is earthy and relaxed with classic lines and a tid bit of glam. I know it doesn’t all seem to go together, but I think my living room is a great example of the looks combined.
Red, in my opinion does not fit into this look. BUT I had a super ugly piece of furniture that needed a new life so I decided in honor of National Painting Week (SWPaintingweek.com) to offer myself up for something that made me a little uncomfortable. I volunteered to paint it red.
side note: do you ever volunteer to do things that push yourself because you know that you’re held accountable for the end product? Like, volunteer to cook for a work function when you’re learning to cook or something? So you can see why I did this?
so here was the culprit. I’d painted these table legs from Ikea green for some reason but never put them on anything. They were sitting in my guest-bedroom-turned-crap-storing-room which I am desperately trying to clean out and turn back into a guest bedroom. I decided that a super quick console could be made just by attaching them to a plank of wood from the hardware store.
A shiny new coat of paint (Sherwin-Williams Tanager Red (SW6601) from the Sherwin-Williams and West Elm collaboration) and this was a completely new piece. I do think that I meshes well with the natural vibe in my house. It totally leans more toward global and away from glam, since the red is spicy and earthy, but it actually looks cool and is something new for me. Small steps.
I have it styled here in my dining room, but it’s actually going to work into my new guest room design as a desk once the guest room is cleaned out (I’m making progress there, but not enough to actually show the piece in its new home).
Do you think it meshes with the rest of my style? I am going to make myself live with it for a few months to get over this issue I have with red, then maybe I’ll regroup with you guys at that point!
If you are up for seeing more red today, visit both Thistlewood Farm and I Heart Naptime to see these ladies’ take on the hue. Tomorrow, be sure to head over to Decorchick and Home Stories A to Z to see what they’re doing with PINK! There are tons of painting projects going on ALL week at SWpaintingweek.com so go check them all out!
Disclosure: This is part of a two post series sponsored by Sherwin-Williams. Thank you for continuing to support the brands that keep us stretching our limits, learning new things, and providing awesome content!
Amlee says
I love it!
emily says
darling! i love the pop of red, and since it’s lines are so thin it doesn’t take up too much visual space and works so well!
Holly @ Style from the Sticks says
I also have an aversion to red. But this looks great! I attended Go Blog Social and it was great to hear you speak!
New follower!
Erin | House of Earnest says
Thanks Holly! Maybe we’ll get a chance to meet again in the future!!
Ashley Minck says
It looks great! The color red terrifies me, but you managed to make it appealing here! I didn’t know that was possible! Love the shade you picked. Its way more global, less christmas. Thanks for sharing!
Erin | House of Earnest says
Ashley, you’re hilarious! That is such a great way to put it… Christmas Red haha!
Amanda @ A Hammer & Heels says
I love red but rarely decorate with it! I tend to use a lot more color, so I’m diggin’ this. Recently, I went on an orange kick when decorating my apartment and I HATED orange before. You might be a convert
Theresa says
I love this table! I think the red goes perfectly with everything, and adds an unexpected pop of color that fits in seamlessly! I just discovered your blog from this pin on Pinterest! Love it
How did you attach the top to the table legs? I didn’t notice any nail/screw holes. Is it fairly sturdy? I’ve been searing for a narrow console for our entry way and this may be the perfect solution!
Erin | House of Earnest says
Hi Theresa!
The wood top is about 1″ thick and I used 3/4″ screws for the legs. They’re these from ikea, so they mount into a bracket with a long screw and then I used 3/4″ screws to mount the bracket onto the plank top.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10237827/#/30254378
I liked that it was really narrow too!
Anna // Gone Banannas says
Oh my goodness, I love this look! And, even though you had a red aversion, I actually think it flows wonderfully with the rest of your house (at least the pictures I have seen of it). Pops of color here and there area always a nice touch, I think
Audrye says
Ok, so when you said that you hate red, I chuckled. When I first got married, I painted every living room we lived in for the first 2 years red. Dark red.I LOVE red! And now, it is nowhere in my home. I LOVE that you took a leap & your table is fantastic!