Lea Goes To New York: What is Hi-Def paint?

Nesting Newbies was invited, along with a group of decor bloggers, to a special event in New York to learn about and experience hi-def paint and current color trends from Valspar, Lowe’s, and Nate Berkus. Lowe’s and Valspar flew Lea across the continent, from San Francisco to Manhattan, so she could experience the power of hi-def paint!

Who knew that there was so much to learn? Lea shares…

Forget the red carpet leading us to the event…We got the “red wall” treatment!

This happy handyman is smiling because Valspar’s Hi-Def paint rolls onto a wall surface and covers over everything–even black–in one, single coat. Wow, how impressive! They caught my attention at the first roll over that bold chevron stripe! I was all eyes and ears to learn more.

Lowe’s had some tasty treats for us–so nice and food always gets my attention–but what attracted me the most was the large scale graphic wall with blown-up Allen + Roth Valspar® Signature Colors® Paint chips.

Allen + Roth Valspar® Signature Colors® Paint is available at Lowe’s. They call it…”classic style with a modern twist.”

The names of the colors are hip, fun and whimsical. My favorite color is teal, so of course, my favorite paint swatch is a teal-ish hue called “swizzlestick”. How did they know that I am a sugar fiend? Perfect!

Forget a bunch of talking heads…this event was experiential. There were mural painters creating original art by painting over life-size wall photo decals. What a cool idea!

They put all of us to work, too! We donned aprons and paint brushes for some hands-on practice while learning a few valuable tips from a Valspar paint guru. Did you know that the quality of the brushes will make a difference in the final result? Well, that was news to me, as well as finding out that Purdy paint brushes are the best.

Nate Berkus, celeb designer and host of The Nate Show, popped in to discuss current color trends and his color inspirations.

He reminisced about a past island vacation and his adventure with snorkeling. He isn’t very fond of swimming with fishes (at this point, he really caught my attention because I feel the same way). He ended up going for it, and was glad he did, because the experience was amazing! The vibrant colors of all of the fish and other sea life that live beneath the water left a huge impression. As a result, he has new found appreciation for combining color. His realization? If a color mix exists naturally in nature, then never second guess whether it is a good combination.

Nate brought and displayed some of his “favorite things” for color inspiration, including a few palettes from the Allen + Roth Valspar® Signature Colors® Paint line.

We were given a paint challenge…even Nate participated (just look at that concentration). It was buckets of fun! : )

I had a moment to catch up with Nate one-one-one, and he was really relaxed, engaging, and very authentic. He made everything fun, lighthearted, and kept us laughing! After experiencing him off camera at this event, I am happy to say that I am an official Nate fan!

Lea Goes To Lowes: Seeing is believing.

Upon returning from the East Coast, I visited Lowe’s in San Jose which is just a few minutes away from my loft to see the Valspar paint display in person.

Whoa…there’s way more than I expected! It turns out in addition to the Allen + Roth Valspar Hi-Def Signature color line… there are several other Valspar Hi-Def Signature color lines at Lowe’s. Creative Ideas for Color™, Eddie Bauer® Home, Laura Ashley®, and Waverly®. OMG! Hundreds of colors!

Now that I have had my intro to Hi-Def paint and know I can get my paint projects done with a single coat, I am ready to throw on my overalls and paint my loft walls! Where to begin?

Painting Project 101: ValsparPaint.com is an online resource and perfect starting point.

ValsparPaint.com provides interactive tools and just about everything you could possibly want to know about paint. Features include:

Project planner- log in to plan one or multiple painting projects.

Idea Gallery- Need inspiration? Browse through the idea gallery to get inspiration for your project.

How-To Videos- Valspar created an extensive library of how-to videos for all types of painting projects. This is an invaluable tool for all of us visual learners.

Paint Calculator- This tool will be really useful for me, the newbie painter. I don’t have the slightest idea about how much paint I need. Here I can enter the dimensions of my project, select the color, and it will tell me exactly what I’ll need!

Virtual Painter- Check out what your room will look like in color. Just load the picture of your room and use their virtual painter tools to change the color.

There’s a cool video that teaches how to navigate the Valspar Paint site…a good starting point. Hmmm…I think this is where I’ll begin!

**While in New York, I met two standout decor bloggers face-to-face. Julie Thigpen is an Interior Designer from Southern California. Read her blog at Belle Maison 23 or visit her online store at Modern Chic Home. My other new-found-blogger-friend is Shani Gilchrist from South Carolina who writes as Camille Maurice.

…from Corbett Lighting

{Kyoto 4-light Hanging Fixture}

{Tango LED Pendant}

…from Hudson Valley Lighting

{Winfield 1-light Hanging Fixture}

{Basking Ridge 3-light Hanging Fixture}

{Diner Pendant}

…from Troy Lighting

{Drum 4-light Hanging Fixture}

{Pierre Pendant}

*Have you taken a break, made yourself a cup of Earl Grey tea, and browsed the latest issue of Nesting Newbies Magazine?

Here are some sheet sets from the new Diane von Furstenberg Home collection. Known in the fashion world for her signature bold colors and patterns, we’re happy to see that she’s offering all of us her same fearless fashion sense for our homes.

Island Clover in Indigo and Flame

Batik Dot in Bahama Blue and Deep Lavanda

Rattan (textured stripe) in Fawn Light and Indigo

Available through Bloomingdales.com.
Find our more about the Diane von Furstenberg Home Collection for tabletop and bedding at dvf.com.

Meri Vallo and Edward Lloyd of Evolving Habitat make functional furnishings and accessories out of salvaged goods and artistic originality. We were captivated by their bright little boxes…a combination of reclaimed wood frames, lighting, and imaginative scenes. They make the perfect night lights (bye-bye nightmares!), and can be made to free stand or hang.

Pleasant Dreams Bear and Ballerina

Custom Light Boxes
They can do custom light boxes in sizes up to 11×11. Just have a convo with Meri!

Find more on their Evolving Habitat Etsy Shop

Here’s a small sampling on parade…

Eiffel

Délicieux

Reflex

Papillon

Tickets

Vroum

Explore bonjourmoncoussin.com to discover more!

It’s the Flux Capacitor that allows Doc Brown…its inventor…and Marty McFly to go back to the future! It’s Holland designers, Douwe Jacobs and Tom Schouten, who bring the future to the here and now with their innovative Flux Chair…and YLiving brings the Flux to the United States.

For $199 (there’s no shipping cost or sales tax at YLiving), you can have a origami-like, flexible, portable, packable, stackable, storable, go-anywhere chair in your choice of lemon yellow, ice blue, classic red, bright orange, jet black, anthracite grey, pebble…and of course, pure white.

Find out more about the fabulous Flux at Yliving.com

Clarke & Clarke Scandia Collection

Image courtesy of Clarke & ClarkeImage courtesy of Clarke & Clarke
Image courtesy of Clarke & Clarke

Magnetism from Weitzner Limited’s new Touch Collection

Parana Stripe (Xanadu Collection) from Lorca

Image courtesy of Osborne & Little

Wicklow (Athlone Collection) from Osborne and Little

Image courtesy of Osborne & Little

“Montparnasse” Fromental (handmade chinoiserie wallpapers with metallic, lacquered and frescoed background) from Sloan Miyasato

Interesting note: According to Sensational Color the red color spectrum:

* Increases enthusiasm
* Stimulates energy
* Encourages action and confidence
* Provides a sense of protection from fears and anxiety

Her new pillows are a definite design detour from her past creations. “I collected paper money from around the world when I was a kid. I recently came across them and thought that the beautiful images on the vintage money would look great on pillows, especially now, since most countries have turned to the Euro.”

Clever, clever girl! The pillows are just magnificent and unlike any we’ve ever seen…

Vintage Budapest Banknote Pillow

Vintage Belgium Banknote Pillow

Vintage Portugal Banknote Pillow (Flower detail)

Vintage Belgium Banknote Pillow (graphic detail)

Vintage Denmark Banknote Pillow

Vintage Australian Banknote Pillow

Vintage Zimbabwe Banknote Pillow

Vintage Italian Banknote Pillow

Another Vintage Italian Banknote Pillow

Find more at ekofabrik.com.

…more at BoConcept.us

And to make way for the new…BoConcept is hosting a spring cleaning event during the month of March. You can snag some great deals on furniture and accessories up to 60% off! Click on the splash to go directly to the sale.

There’s no end to the creative ways an ottoman can be used…placing one in front of a sofa or sectional instead of a traditional coffee table softens the room and provides additional seating when entertaining. Place a wood or lacquer tray on top, and the ottoman easily transforms from seating to coffee table to accommodate drinks, books, or remotes. Use them at the foot of a bed to add color and texture, as well as function. Today, poufs…softer versions of the ottoman…are extremely popular because they interject a pop of personality into a room.

The design of ottomans and poufs are only limited by the imagination…designers and furnishing manufacturers are introducing new innovations all the time. Here are a few that have us under their spell…

Wow! This grass ottoman was originally designed for a client by garden designer Nancy Favier of GH Design. The company will produce more, or come up with something equally creative just for you!

Target has their Kristine Upholstered Ottoman available in 10 different fabric choices! The ottoman is huge! 37 x 37 inches…the prices range from $225 to $300, and they qualify for free shipping (pausing to wipe away a tear…we’re so happy : )

OK, so technically Wisteria calls it a Crosshair Hide Stool, but we’re throwing it into our favorite ottoman mix because it is STUNNING. Wisteria says it’s “the perfect little stool to rest your feet or to sit upon and contemplate.” We’re contemplating it’s great style for only $349.

Jellio combines childhood fun with interior design. OMG, just look at these…Seat Hearts and the Ice Cream Cookie ottoman! Delicious…and fat free.

These French Laundry Home Number Cubes will fit right into a vintage vibe. You get to pick your favorite number from 1 to 9…available through Horchow.