Milton Avery Paintings

Currently enamored with the forms and colors in the paintings of Milton Avery.

Concepts for Small Spaces

It seems like everyday, I'm dealing with the issue of how to pack as much design and function as possible into small spaces. I find conceptual artist Andrea Zittel very interesting in this respect.

Patterned mosaic tile

I am so in love with this photo from Trend, an Italian company that makes mosaic tile with patterns that look like wallpaper.

Ray Fenwick's Life of Mystery

Tiny Showcase just announced a new print by Ray Fenwick that recalls those old schoolhouse educational posters, without actually being based in truth. This Illustrated Guide to a Life of Mystery makes me think of Scooby Doo, Nancy Drew, and all those detective stories I loved watching as a kid. Love it!

Before and After Walls

entryway.jpg
Originally uploaded by paintchipdiaries.

In between some more major projects, I snuck in some time to paint my entryway. I use low-VOC paint whenever I can, and since this was an extra small area, I splurged on Benjamin Moore's Aura line of paints ($20 per quart). Out of the eco-friendly paint options on the market, Aura has a wonderful sheen and ranks among my top two favorites to use - my other favorite being Yolo. Next up...the rest of the house!

Narrow bathtubs

I've been on a hunt recently for a well-designed, narrow bath tub for a remodel of a vintage bathroom. The standard bathtub width nowadays is 30", a symptom no doubt of America's new monster homes and growing waistlines. However earlier in the 20th century, everything was smaller, less supersized. The easy solution of course would be to buy a standard tub and end up with less floor space. But that won't do when we're starting out with a 24" tub in a small-enough-already bathroom. So here are a few of the less-than-30" tubs currently on the market, including this Antonio Lupi tub above with a built in bookcase, and Phillipe Starck designed Duravit tub.

Stenciled floors

I've been looking at inexpensive ways to transform old floors and came across these Mokko Stencils from Stencil Gallery. The photo shows it used on interior painted hardwood floors, however I would love to see it adapted to outdoor applications such as a porch or concrete patio. Read more at Apartment Therapy.