Color Scene: Winter White

Central Park Walkway/Image via: Bing Homepages

The weather outside is frightful! This post is inspired by the obscene amount of snowfall that New York City is enduring this winter. It makes you want to curl up with a big mug of hot cocoa and a good book and tell the civilized world sayonara until spring. If you are able to make it out before the snow is turned to "snirt" (snow and dirt) by pedestrian treading, the serenity and omnipresence of the snow can be breathtaking. Truly a white, winter wonderland.

Image via Apartment Therapy

Image via Decorpad

White decor can be intimidating, but it lends such a light and airy feel to a home and can really open up small spaces. Clean and ultramodern, it can be an instant upgrade to elegant and chic. If you're concerned about keeping your whites bright, Associated Content has five straight-forward tips to maintaining your white furniture:

1. Use a Slip Cover

2. Treat With a Stain Guard

3. No Food, No Drinks, No Shoes

4. Watch What You Wear (and read) - dyes and inks in clothes and magazines can easily transfer

5. Get Furniture Professionally Cleaned

From Bleak to Chic: Dining Room Cabinet

Inspiration: Mirrored Entertainment Center by Oly

I stumbled upon this amazing DIY home project that I just had to share. Rachel from Southern Exposure completely revamped a three-piece dining room cabinet that she discovered at a local store in her hometown of Burlington, NC and the results are stunning.

Dining Room Cabinet: Before (one of the two upper cabinet pieces)

Dining Room Cabinet: Before (base)

The original cabinet had antique charm, but was a little drab, and the glass panels displaying pictures of Greek gods aren't exactly the epitome of chic.

Dining Room Cabinet: After

After some white paint, liquid nails, super glue, and a few weeks of labor this was the end result! Quite the transformation, wouldn't you say? Rachel had the mirrors cut to size at Lowe's and used the super glue to attach the decorative molding (cut by her crafty husband) on top of the mirrors.

Hidden Treasure: Fold Down Cabinet Turned Bar

One of the cabinets folds down so she lined the back of it with some wallpaper that she had leftover from a previous project and added a bar! So chic and adds an interesting pop of color!

Rachel's Dining Room

The contrast of the glossy black and stark white in this dining room adds such a glamorous touch. The new cabinet really brightens up what was previously a pretty dark area. Mirrors can have a similar effect to windows in a room that doesn't get much light! This DIY project was definitely not one of the easiest to undertake, but the results are undeniably worth it and should inspire you to take one of your ordinary household items from bleak to chic!

Coming Up Chic-Day One!!!

Welcome to Coming Up Chic! A creative outlet to explore and advise on ways to upgrade your ordinary, everyday life from bleak to chic! (All while attempting to stay within an ordinary budget). The current obsession is home decor, but every facet of a chic lifestyle will be covered...from fashion to cuisine to travel...all things chic! Hopefully, you will enjoy this blog and be inspired to keep coming back. Like the song goes "Starting here, starting now Honey, everything's Coming Up [Chic]!!