The Interior DIYer
#DarkRomanticLuxe

Painted leather chair – six months later

I remember the day I decided to paint our thrifted leather chair from The Salvation Army. It was about 35°C when I started, and ended up being around 43°C when I finished. I was a hot mess to put it mildly, but it was so worth it.

In my original post about painting our leather chair with Fusion Mineral Paint, I promised to share my honest opinion of how well [or not-so-well] it held up six months later.

Simply put, it’s exactly the same as the day I painted it. No word of a lie. Not a scratch, no peeling, no scuffs, and no fading whatsoever. We’ve used our black leather chair every day since and it hasn’t shown any wear. It’s lasted through a harsh, humid summer and has since experienced a dry, cold winter. While it hasn’t been in the direct 48°C peak this summer nor the -40°C winter winds, inside our apartment has experienced the difference of high humidity then very dry, static-y air.

I think it’s safe to say we’ve put our Fusion Mineral Paint-ed chair through some pretty rigorous testing and has come out the other side perfect. Did I mention we also have a toddler? It has also survived her climbing, curious, energetic hands and thrashing limbs.

I would not hesitate to recommend using Fusion Mineral Paint on leather. Especially something that would get so much physical wear like a piece of furniture. I could not have hoped for it to work out more perfectly. It’s where I blog from the most and even where I’m sitting right now as I type.

Also featured in this post – secondhand baroque style mirror and console, how to mattify gloss paint.

DISCLOSURE – while this post is not sponsored, I did receive this paint free of charge from Fusion Mineral Paint in exchange for a blog post. I only work with brands that I like and of course, think you will too. Thank you for supporting the companies that support The Interior DIYer.

#DarkRomanticLuxe

Moon phase clock from ClimeMET

For some time I had been searching for something that displays the current phase of the moon. It’s something I’ve always been interested in and just Googling the moon phases was pretty un-romantic, so I decided to see if there even was such thing as a moon phase tracker. I didn’t even know what terms to use when I first started searching. ‘Moon clock‘ just gave me results for clocks with moon faces, which wasn’t at all what I was looking for.

I changed my search terms a few times and that’s when I found the Constellations Moon Phase Clock by ClimeMET. It was perfect. It had a dark, night-sky face and just like a regular clock, indicated what time it was [out of a 29.5 day cycle]. The moon phase clock was one of ClimeMET’s only clocks that didn’t have a gold / brass finish option, but I was not at all deterred so when it arrived, I carefully taped over the glass face and gave the frame three coats of gold spray paint. It turned out pretty perfect.

I’m so happy with our moon phase clock. It’s exactly what I was looking for, is completely silent [n case anyone still has nightmares from noisy clocks] and very accurate. I would adore to put aside more of my side-hustle income and look at buying their Traditional Forecaster Dial because Canadian weather is a real struggle. Not only that, but hello, it has a solid wood surround and brass plated details. Beautiful.

This is in no way a sponsored post. I just really, really like astronomical gadgets.

#DarkRomanticLuxe

2019 Interior Design Trends (they’re whatever the fuck you want them to be)

Maybe it’s because as I get older, I care less about what others think. Maybe it’s because I’m tired of mind-game algorithms. Or maybe it’s the universal push against social media I’ve been feeling in recent months, but having another set of ‘rules’ to follow creep into my timeline at this time of year is feeling like the last straw. Or maybe it’s because so much outside is overwhelming and all I want to do is create somewhere wonderful at home.

I know they’re not rules at all but guidelines and opinions set out for the year ahead, but imagine if the 2019 Interior Design Trend predictions were Whatever You Like instead of mass consumerism, and Pantone’s colour of the year was Whatever The Fuck You Want It To Be?

Since starting my blog in 2008, the more involved I got with blogging, connecting with others and diving into what was trendy, the more I wanted to add those popular trends to our home. It took a while, but I realized I don’t like a lot of what is popular, and I began phasing them out. I’ve been spending less time mindlessly online recently and more time focusing on what I actually like. And surprisingly, a lot of what I like [design-wise] is a mix of dark Victorian style [Dark Romatic Luxe] and as odd as it sounds, 90’s comfort that brings me back to my childhood. I’m talking Mr. and Mrs. Wilson’s house circa Dennis the Menace and the McCallister’s house in Home Alone; over the top curtains, patterns on patterns, overstuffed sofas, walls littered with frames, warmth and a more carefree feel to being at home.

I’m hoping 2019 is the year when for the most part we’re less rigid about what is and isn’t stylish. If you want to wallpaper your doors, wallpaper your damn doors. If you want to sponge paint your walls, sponge paint them. I’ll be right there cheering you on. Do whatever the hell you want! Fill your home with whatever makes you happy, regardless of whether or not it will look good Instagram or to other people.

Sponge paint those walls.

[For the record, I find sponge painted walls nostalgic.]