Welcome, let me introduce myself & tell you a bit about my journey.
Perfectly Painted Designs is my business and we specialize in decorative fine finishes but the idea for a blog was born out of my love for knowledge about all things interior design. We completed a full remodel of our vacation rental property (Casa De Norte) a few years ago after doing all the work ourselves and are now slowly working on our own home (The Urban Farmhouse) so I figured it was a good time to start blogging about all the projects and choices we’ve got ahead of us!
Interior design has consumed my brain for as long as I can remember…..
It goes hand in hand with my finishing business, I often work with designers and contractors to help bring their vision to life using color, finishes, and textures. There was a time I considered switching majors in college and getting my interior design degree but when I witnessed the many hats designers must wear I realized it wasn’t the right fit.
Instead I channeled all my love of color and design into the decorative painting field and couldn’t have chosen a more fitting career!
I wake up everyday excited to work on my projects and have had some of the sweetest and most caring clients a person could wish for! I can’t describe how amazing it feels to help someone’s vision become reality and the look on their face when its completed…knowing that you helped bring such joy into someone’s life by doing something you love and feel called to do is truly magical!
Creating a Blog is Scary!
Many bloggers write 3 (or even 5) posts a week, curate beautiful social media feeds, partner with companies, and built lifestyle brands… all while managing jobs and/or families!
I’ll probably never be that productive, just thinking about it makes me want to go take a nap!
Never the less, I decided to start the blog as a way to regurgitate all the endless information I’m taking in during our remodel decisions & share things I’m passionate about. Isn’t that what every blog is about though?
There was a lot of self-doubt during the months leading up to launch…
How is it be possible to live up to all the blogs I look up to?
Will anyone even find my blog?
If they do will they even be interested in what I have to say?
And of course..what the heck is a widget & SEO?!
What about all the spelling and grammatical error’s I’m bound to make because I get in a zone and don’t check over my work before hitting publish?
Self-doubt is often crippling but life is about accepting the challenge and rising up to do it anyways! Even if you fall flat on your face.
So here I am…warts and all.
One of my biggest issues is excitement! I become so excited about starting a project that taking pictures doesn’t even cross my mind, and then I get into a flow and the world melts away so it’s not until I break halfway through that I realize it’s too late to take any pictures of the process. I’m getting better though so I’ll be posting more project tutorials soon!
I may never have the perfect Instagram feed or stop being long-winded, but if you’re reading this then it means you found me!
I hope you’ll be patient through this process and the painful changes that are inevitable in any growth.
Life is messy, complicated, and rarely goes as planned…why should a blog be any different?
My Creative Journey
Growing up in a family of artists I learned to be inspired by the color & details that surround our everyday lives.
As years past I found herself consumed with the transformation that colors, paint, and textures could have. No surface was safe from my desire to see what could be created!
After many failed attempts (and some wonderful wins) I decided there had to be a way to learn without trying every single color and finish…so I turned to my other passion, knowledge.
After many MANY books, teachers, and product data sheets I learned everything I could about color theory and chemical makeup of various products used today and in the past.
An unexpected career change, some training and technical details all led me to channel that knowledge and skill into what’s today become Perfectly Painted Designs!
Art comes in many forms, but it always serves a great purpose: it inspires, connects, and moves us in inexplicable ways. Art and color serves us all by opening up conversation, brighten a space, change our mood or alter our path. Be inspired by what’s around you and pay witness to the beauty that unfolds!
The Mr
A little over 6 years ago I moved into the Mr.’s 1970s ranch house (aka The Urban Farmhouse)
For the first time I was free to experiment on walls & ceilings without the thought of losing a deposit (not that it’d stopped me..but still, freedom!)
It took less than 24 hours for me to turn his life upside down.
After living as a bachelor for many years my design addled brain went into overdrive as if I was seeing his house for the first time.
The things I’d barely noticed found ridiculously funny while dating were suddenly no longer humorous.
- A sun-faded green sheet nailed (yes nailed) across the living room windows.
- Every single room (base board to ceiling) painted a single shade of yellowing white.
- Mismatched sofas pushed to the farthest corners while the TV was 13 ft away over the stone fireplace.
- The space between the sofa’s & TV housed a full-size drum set & weight bench.
- The dining room wasn’t so bad with its full-size pool table & dart board but the adjoining kitchen left must to be desired with its flatted beer box nailed over the hold left after the previous owner had removed the island range hood (because that’s the most practical solution of course ;P).
I wish there were pictures to show you but this was long before the idea of a blog. On move in day I took one look around and thought; “Nope, this simply will NOT do!”, got back in my car and headed to the store for paint & supplies. If I couldn’t start a full remodel then I could at least rearrange and paint!
What I didn’t think about was that trying to explain that a rational person DOES NOT live this way was another story….He wanted the weight bench to stay. It was our first argument. Guess who won?
I may not have the energy to be super woman online but get in the way of my design vision need for normality and I’ll fight to the death.
Some people bake, others go for a run….I like to read interior design books and paint. He’s learned to accept (& maybe even love?) that part of me and just chuckles when he smells paint after walking through the door.
Little did I know what lay ahead of us as we took on the remodel of Casa De Norte a few years later. When you mix two tastes & opinions together, throw in a huge financial investment, and pulling LONG hours after working a full day there’s bound to be disagreements.
We learned A LOT about each other and ourselves which ultimately made our relationship stronger and gave us confidence in our ability to handle our remodel with far more grace and understanding of each others strengths and weaknesses!
The Urban Farmhouse Today
A lot has changed since the day I turned his life upside down!
All of the mentioned eyesores are gone and although there’s still A LOT of work to be done and its slow going since both of our businesses are busier than ever, I can happily say we’ve worked together to created a space both of us comfortably call home.
One advantage to doing a remodel yourself is time. Trends I once loved have become just that…trends, and along with them went plans I’d had many years ago. Our style and vision for the home has become more clear as time passes and I realize what timeless means to both of us.
We’ve also learned to negotiate, he won the battle of carpet in the bedroom (although I put up an Oscar worthy fight) so I got my chandelier. You’ll probably read a lot about these types of battles as our remodel continues…
Be sure to follow along on our adventure of the farmhouse remodel by signing up for emails when a new post goes live and you won’t miss any of the adventure!
I’ll be sharing the process along with tutorials, inspiration & our design process, and of course all the issues that come along with remodeling yourself!
I will also post about painting, refinishing, and my favorite products to get the job done right (no sponsored posts, just honest opinions) but once we get rolling it will mostly be remodel obsession!