violetxoxox's Profile

Oh yeah, the open curtains thing scares me, too! And I have the kind of matchstick blinds in several rooms that I can't see out of during the day, but at night, looking from outside, you can see right through them like there's nothing there. Even sheer curtains would afford more privacy than these worthless things. I don't know why the previous owners didn't get them fabric-backed the way they did the ones in the bedrooms. So until I can afford to get better window coverings, I try not to sit in those rooms at night. At least, not with the lights on.

@POODLE MOM: Sure, light grey baseboards would work. I've seen a lot of pictures of rooms with the just the baseboards done in unexpected colors — blues, greens, reds, yellows, you name it.

Last year I read an article where a well-known designer was advocating painting baseboards black. She said (and I'm paraphrasing, because for the life of me I can't remember who it was or locate the article again) that painting baseboards black is similar to underlining a sentence (i.e., it's like emphasizing the entire room, making everything above the baseboards appear important; I think she also compared it to eyeliner). She said not only are black baseboards an easy way to meet the requisite designer's rule of thumb of having at least one black thing in every room, but grounds a space and makes it appear more sophisticated, even giving the impression of interesting architecture in plain rooms that have none. Google "black baseboards" and you'll be able to turn up photos of rooms where it's been done. Looks kind of cool!

One thing that designers swear is guaranteed to work (I've been in places where people have done it and it looks amazing) is that if you want to do trim in a color other than white but you're nervous about whether it will work or not, you can literally make ANY color work (and not look out of place) by painting ALL the trim and baseboards throughout the entire space/house/apartment the same color. It's the continuity, not the color, that gives it a "Yes, I am supposed to be this color" look that people will simply accept without questioning it. If they mention it, it will probably be to say, "I want to do that in my place!" The only way it won't work is if you choose a wall color and trim color that are icky together. Taupe walls with deep orange trim would look striking, especially in a loft, but no amount of continuity would make orange trim look anything but hideous with grass green walls.

Anyways, have a look at this pic of mid-grey trim with light grey walls: http://tinyurl.com/c7ockjr It would look equally nice reversed. Be brave! Life is short. If you don't like it, you can always change it back. :)