Watching Paint Dry
As I type this the walls are drying in the 2nd bedroom after what I can only pray is the final paint project in unifying our house with a consistent color scheme. A couple of months ago we noted how the warm, neutral wall colors in many model homes inspired us to tone down the rainbow theme we had going on. Especially since we had read that repeating colors in a small house can really help make it seem larger.
So, as of just about right now, our house painting is officially done…for a while at least.
We decided to use that fancy floorplan we created using Floorplanner to demonstrate the change. Oh and these colors are taken from Glidden’s digital swatchbook so the color on your computer screen is only as accurate as your monitor.
Color Scheme: THEN
I know, I know. It looks fun and cheery – but it was a little schizophrenic. In fact, the only color we repeated at all was the bold turquoise color in the 3rd bedroom (which was the dining room at the time) and the 1/2 bath. Now we understand that in a small house you want continuity and rooms that feel like they flow- and not like they’re chopped up with different color schemes.
Color Scheme: NOW
Only the master bedroom and the sunroom escaped the repainting massacre, and while it may not look exciting on screen – it totally made the house feel bigger, more connected and a lot more grown up. Here’s the final report on the paint colors, in case you’re looking for some inspiration yourself:
Ok, now I’ve gotta go wash some Sand White off my hands. It feels good to be done. Although a homeowner’s work is never really done…
And speaking of paint, here’s one of our favorite books when it comes to picking the perfect colors for your entire house. There are so many fun ideas we wish we had more rooms…
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Comments
You really can’t go wrong as long as you paint one space at a time and follow your gut as you go. One possibility is that you can paint the top and bottom of the chair rail the same color, but you can also slide up or down a paint chip to get two tones of the same color that complement each other and the other rooms so everything feels cohesive. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Beautiful renovation on your place. My boyfriend and I bought a condo a year ago and have been taking a year to renovate it. I painted it 2 colours and now im not liking it at all, my question is should I paint the dining room and kitchen the same colour they are only separated by a wall or should I do two separate colors? Also our kitchen has no window so its not very bright, we put black granite in stainless appliances and darker wood cupboards, I was thinking of painting both rooms a sand colour, what do you think might work well? I’m not the best decorator lol were both younge as well and are on a tight budget but I’m not loving the cream colour that is already there.
Thank You!
K
Definitely go for a soft tan color in both rooms. It will make them feel more cohesive and expansive and you won’t have to worry about finding two colors that “match.” Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hi to you you both, I took your advice on the paint colour and got right to it yesturday, needless to say since i’m not the best painter, It took me a while but I already love it and your right, it feels more expansive. I’m feeling more confident about this renovation after finding your site. Some great tips you have and thank you so much, I’m so happy we stumbled upon your site one day when looking up renovation pictures, we live in Canada and have become of your ideas on homes.
Thanks again,
Krista
My husband and I recently moved into a gorgeous old Spanish bungalow that surprisingly needed very little TLC (!). However, the paint (a gorgeous warm, light cream w/some texture, which is consistent throughout the entire house) is chipping in some areas and definitely needs some touching up.
Problem is, we have absolutely NO idea what the color is, and we don’t have a good relationship with the prior owners – it was a contentious sale – so we can’t go that route. I planned to redo the living room with Glidden’s Toasted White, which I thought was probably pretty close to the original color. I’m worried, however, that by just doing the living room — which is attached to the dining room and kitchen by barreled doorways without actual doors — the difference in color will be just perceptible enough to be off-putting. (It’s late, so I’m rambling — I’m sorry! :)) Would you recommend redoing all of the rooms in Toasted White?
Thanks in advance! I’m such a devotee of your amazing website :)
Holly
Hey Holly,
You actually have two choices. You can go with the Toasted White and see how it looks (worst case scenario is that you’d slowly repaint all the rooms to match if they look drastically different, which we wouldn’t imagine would be the case). OR you can remove something with paint on it and have Lowe’s or Home Depot color match it for you for a definite match (got any painted baseboards or molding you could pop off? you can even cut a tiny square of drywall out and plaster it up afterwards for the perfect matching paint sample). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I read your blog at least twice a DAY!
My husband and I just bought our first home, we close in 3 weeks and next week is deemed “project color scheme.” I love Wishes, actually used it in our current place that we remolded for our landlord. But, we want to use the same color in the hallways, dinning room/living room combo and I am afraid that wishes may just be too light. We live in Florida and the living room/dining room combo has three sliders to the backyard. My naturally tendency is toward bright colors since I am from Key West. So would you recommend just going with wishes and accenting or would you uses a little darker color, we have cookie crumb in our house now, which I think is a little do caramely! By the way we are going to use the ready mix white for all the trim.
Thanks
Dawn
Hmm, I would try Glidden’s Water Chestnut and see how you feel. It’s a little darker than Wishes and the perfect tan backdrop for lots of pops of color. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
i’ve been loving reading through your blog… and would love some advice.
We recently bought a new house and i’m anxious to start painting it, but i’m unsure of what colors to go with. i’m quite indecisive(it’s possible that i might have every single paint chip from lowe’s and home depot in my house and/or purse right now) and with a little baby around i don’t have time to paint and repaint like i have always done in the past.
The first floor is very open… when you walk in the house the entrance/hallway opens up into the living room and kitchen (not separated at all. the dining room has two entrances (from the living room and hallway) and the entrances are 5 foot wide arches. Also, the 2 stairwells going upstairs are also open – so i’d like to continue the hallway paint on the stairs. I was thinking of painting the LR and Kitchen the same color, a different color for the dining room, and a neutral (tan/cream for the hallway/stairs)? or will this look too crazy? but if i do the same color for the 3 rooms will it be too boring? as for colors, I’d love to have a warm yellow in the dining room, and i’d also like to have a blue/green color in the kitchen dining room, but i’m think that again it might be too much together? any ideas you could pass on would be great.
Hey Mary,
Here’s a post all about our favorite paint colors that should definitely help you narrow down all those possibilities: http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/06/email-answer-picking-the-perfect-paint-color/
It’s basically a collection of our favorite paint chips in every color (so you can easily find something that really speaks to you). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I absolutely love your blog! I wandered upon it about a month ago while searching for diy info on painting concrete floors. Thanks so much for all the helpful information. I have a dilemma on which I was hoping you might be able/willing to advise. I just bought my first house – yay! I’m almost ready to paint, but all of corners are rounded (we live in Arizona and it is quite common out here). It becomes a problem to paint rooms/halls different colors, because everything just flows. I have seen people try to mark off the rounded edge and paint two different colors and it looks a bit silly. Our indented corners are 90 degree angles, so I could always just use those to guide where I use different colors, but I was hoping you might have other ideas…please? I don’t want a house that is one color throughout!
Thanks,
Emily
Hey Emily,
Good question! We know you don’t want a house that’s all one color but we agree that taping things off to make false boundaries does look silly to us as well. Our idea would be to paint the more private rooms with right angles different tones (bathrooms, bedrooms, etc) and then keep the common area all one color so things look cohesive and intentional. If you have an accent wall that isn’t curved you can also bring in another color there (so that might spice things up while the shared walls stay the same color). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hi guys! I just got a sample of Sand White, but before I take the plunge I wanted to see if you could describe how Water Chestnut compares… it’s a little tough to tell from pics since (as we know) each room’s light can affect how it looks. :) Is one lighter than the other? Do you like each one for different reasons? Love your home and your blog… :) …and Burger.
Hey Erin,
Sand White is a cooler tan with more gray undertones in it while Water Chestnut is warmer and more chestnuty as the name suggests. Neither one is really lighter than the other, we just like that one is crisp and cool (Sand White) while the other is a bit warmer and more creamy (Water Chestnut). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hi guys!
Love the site :-) My husband and I are buying our first house (closing tomorrow!), so your site has been a god-send for figuring out how we want to decorate our new place!
One question: Our house is tiny (850 sq ft)and the downstairs is all communal living spaces–living room, dining room, kitchen. There are no walls between the living and dining rooms. We had been planning on having one cohesive color scheme (blues, tans, creams) throughout the level and vary it up by painting the living room tan and the dining room blue, but I see you guys talking about painting a small house the same color can make it seem bigger/airier. What do you think of our plan? Should we switch and paint both rooms the same color?
Thanks!
~Harmony
Hey Harmony,
How about keeping all the walls that open up to each other the same color (ex: tan) but creating an accent wall to differentiate one area and add interest (ex: the back wall of the dining room). That might be a nice little compromise so there’s still tons of flow and openness but a bit of interest and definition as well. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I love your paint colors! I once wanted to paint every room a different color (red, blue, tan, orange even!) but you’ve inspired me to choose a cohesive and more neutral palette. It looks so open and airy! Thanks for all the ideas!
Hey there! I just got a 8 oz sample of Gentle Tide at Home Depot, and it looks greenish gray. I was expecting more of a blue gray, since that’s what it seems to look like in your pictures. Just wanted to ask if that sounds right? Maybe the colors got mixed wrong in my sample or something? I just wasn’t expecting it to be green and wanted to ask.
Hey Sara,
It’s definitely a blue-gray with a hint of green- a lot like Restoration Hardware’s Silver Sage actually (which is what inspired our choice). In some lighting situations it does look subtly green and in others it looks straight blue-gray, but we’re sure once it’s on the wall and dry with two coats it’ll look pretty much like it does in our bedroom and kitchen photos. You can always do a little test spot and see what you think (with the option of returning it if it’s not the color you expected). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hey there!
I love what you guys have done with your house! You are so creative and have some amazing ideas! My fiance and I are actually in the process of fixing up some things around our house. He is currently laying tile and I am trying to decide on some paint colors.
Right when you walk in the front door, we have a long room from left to right which used to be a porch, but the previous owners enclosed it. There are a total of seven windows and right now, it’s almost like a waste of space because we aren’t sure what to do with such an akward area. Not to mention it has light wood paneling on it which i want to paint but I am having a hard time deciding what color to choose.
To give you a better idea, our house flows from one room to the next. You can see the kitchen-which is at the opposite end of the house right when you walk in the front door.
When you walk in, from side to side you have the enclosed porch, then is the living room and there is nothing separting the living room from the dining room except for two ledge type walls. From the dining room, there is a little hallway (and i mean little) and on either end of the hallway is a bedroom with a bathroom inbetween the two.
The house is very small and all flows together and i have been having the hardest time with choosing the right paint colors and deciding how to decorate it so that it is very open feeling but also has some excitement!
Currently the living room is painted a color called Hanging Moss which is a pretty green color, and the dining room is painted Iced Mocha which is a light tan. My fiance absolutely loves the colors but like i said, the two rooms flow together and are only divided but a wall that comes out like a ledge on either side. I am not sure anymore that was a good way to paint them…and the paneling somewhat flows into the green so I am not sure what to paint that.
I am sorry this is so long! I am just having such a frustrating time with making this house an exciting and comfortable home. Any suggestions would be VERY much appreciated!
Jaynie
Hey Jaynie,
If it was us, we’d paint both spaces (including the paneling and those wall ledges on either side) all the same tone. And if you choose something warm and light, both spaces will have great flow and feel open instead of felling broken up and choppy. We looove Glidden’s Water Chestnut (it’s a soft sandy tan tone that looks amazing with crisp white trim) so that would be our recommendation. Or you could paint the other space Iced Mocha to match the other side for a similarly seamless effect. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hello,
I recently stumbled upon your blog, and now read it religiously! My husband and I bought a house in May and could not figure out why several walls in the house were not textured and had what looked like seams on the walls. Well we eventually figured out that the previous owners painted over the boarders and wallpaper. Since it would be a painstaking and time consuming task to try to remove the painted over wall paper and boarders, and that fact that I’m not even sure that it could be done, my question to you is do you have any tips, ideas, or recommendations for fixing this problem or retexturing the walls?
Good question! Painted over wallpaper and borders are the worst- and the true solution to them is to strip them entirely and start fresh. We do understand how that could seem like torture to you though, so instead you could try retexturizing the wall right over them or even skim coating things to get back to a smooth finish. Just visit your local hardware store and see what products they recommend for the job. You want to be sure that over time whatever you apply over those borders and wallpaper doesn’t just flake off (which would definitely be even worse than stripping things and starting fresh from the get-go). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
First, congrats on your little pink to-be-named!
Second, I just bought a home in Richmond (what can I say, the city sucked me back in) and need some paint help. The floorplan is fairly open and I’m taking your advice to not make it schizophrenic. The colors are gray-neutral, a shade or two darker than that highlighting the fireplace wall (fireplace is white), and a plum smoke for the dining room. The kitchen is not open to anything, but the family room is directly behind it and I would like to paint those two the same color – maybe, I dunno. I’m stumped! My kitchen is black, cream, purplish granite with light cherry cabinets and here’s my couch in the family room:
http://www.ashleyfurniturehomestore.com/catalog/product.aspx?group=&id=62700S1&ref=search-t
Thanks!
Hey Erin,
You color scheme sounds perfect! We love the idea of a neutral gray with a darker gray wall to highlight the fireplace and a plum smoke in the dining room. As for the kitchen and the family room, we definitely endorse the idea of keeping those the same color for maximum flow (perhaps a softer pewter color to tie in with the other grays- we love Benjamin Moore’s Light Pewter). Here’s a post full of all of our favorite paint color suggestions: http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/06/email-answer-picking-the-perfect-paint-color/
Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hello!
Just came across your site today, and I love it!
Quick opinion question…we live in Ohio and our currently in contract for first home. I love the house but…….(there is always a “but”) all of the trim in the house is oak wood. For many that may be a good thing but for me I really like the idea of white trim/molding. I would really like your opinion on whether not we should change it??? I know this is more of an opinion question but I really just need someone with your design eye to give me an opinion.
Thanks,
Alisha
Columbus, Ohio
So glad you found us! Our house had a lot of oak trim and we painted is as soon as we moved in. It’s totally personal preference, but for us it made the whole house feel decades newer and more current and crisp. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Do you have any similar colors you would recommend in the Behr line? I grabbed a bunch of chips but I don’t know if any of them look right–I’d like to take advantage of the rebate this weekend!
Just have them color matched to Behr paint! It’s free and you’ll get our recommended colors in Behr paint (plus that rebate!). Oh and you can check out a slew of other colors we love here:
http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/06/email-answer-picking-the-perfect-paint-color/
Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Love everything you do, you guys really are an awesome team! I am struggling with a paint color for my bedroom. I have a seaspray, pintuck duvet from West Elm which I love and very large brown-cherry canopy bed, and absolutely no idea what color to paint the walls. I would love any help or direction you could give, thanks!
We would go with a soft blue-greeny color (Restoration Hardware’s Silver Sage would look amazing). It’ll both tie into the bedding and complement the brown-cherry canopy bed. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hi again! Just love your site and your advice! Do you have any ideas for a tri-level house? It’s almost ALL off white right now and we REALLY need some color. I’m all for keeping things airy and open but am at a loss. The kitchen, living and dining room are basically connected and you can see the rooms all at one time…do I need to paint them the same color? Or can I switch it? Do you have any resources or websites that specifically address multi-level homes? I never knew this would be so hard. Thanks!
We would actually keep all the connected rooms the same color so the flow isn’t interrupted but that’s totally a personal preference thing so you should do what you love (after all it’s your house!). You can also slide up or down on a paint swatch to go darker or lighter in each room but keep everything within the same family so it still feels cohesive. Then for the other floors (since you’re dealing with a tri-level layout) you can choose colors that complement the tone (or similar tones) that you chose for the kitchen, living and dining room. For example, if you went with a soft neutral tan for those three spaces, the floor with the bedrooms could be full of richer mochas and cozy golden wheat tones and the third level could be airier with creams and a few soft greens and blues to tie into the other floors without feeling disconnected or random). Just bring home a bunch of swatches and see what tickles your fancy. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hi Young House Love!!
My sister recently sent me your website and I’ve been addicted ever since. My husband and I are buying a 1963 ranch style home in Charlotte, NC. It’s not in terrible shape but there are two rooms that I really want to work on: the den (which has complete paneling on all sides) and the mudroom/laundry room which is now painted orange and blue (I guess the previous owners were Gator fans). The den also has one window which I’m afraid doesn’t let much light in and has an antique honey stained molding/trip around the windows and ceilings. Any thoughts on paint colors to brighten it up in there. There is also a fireplace in the den which we want to possibly do stone veneering.
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Megan
Ooh use the naturally light and airy colors that stone veneering will bring into your space as inspiration. In fact, why not bring a bunch of paint swatches to a stone veneer vendor and hold them up to find a nice restful and soft palette for those rooms? For example, the den could be a soft platinum gray color (like the bottom of a white fluffy cloud) while the laundry room could get a nice neutral sandy tan tone. It really will help to see what types and colors of stones you’re drawn to, and then you can pick your favorite paint swatches (which of course you should take home and hold up in your rooms to see how they do under that lighting situation). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hey, hey! My boyfriend and I bought our first house together! Before we move in we’re trying to plan some updates (so as not to live through the painting/construction). Two quick questions… 1) I’m looking at Benjamin Moore’s manchester tan for paint color, but I really like your Glidden Sand White. I saw all your paint fan decks so maybe you can tell me. I’d like a color that’s more brown/tan then yellow/tan (if that makes sense). Which one do you think is more brown/tan? (I have identical floors to what you had previously and would love to have them refinished to be darker. I’m getting an estimate on Thursday so hopefully it’s not too expensive.) I also have a black leather couch and a beautiful dark stone fireplace so I’m thinking a white area rug would lighten it up some. 2) Crown moulding. The house has none and I’ll like to put it in. If I’m going white with the ceiling, should it be painted the same color (flat ceiling white)? Or should it be painted gloss white (like the trim around the windows)? BIG Thanks!!
Well, lighting definitely changes the tones of a paint color, but in my lighting sitch the Sand White swatch is a lot less yellow than the Manchester Tan (and Glidden’s Water Chestnut is also a nice brown tan option too). As for the crown molding, definitely go semi-gloss white for wipeability just like the trim (while the ceiling gets flat paint to hide imperfections). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Girl, you’re quick! :) Thank you! Did you have wood doors in your original home? Did you paint them white? I have flat wood doors (no panels) on all the bedrooms, closets, etc. and they’re wood colored similar to the original floor. Since I’m thinking of darkening the floor, I wonder if I should attempt to darked the doors or if painted white would be better? (And should this too be semi-gloss)? Which did you do? Thanks again! So excited to have found your blog.
We painted ours semi-gloss white (they were flat hollow cheap-o wood doors to start with) and we love the look. It’s crisp and current and it allows the floors be the real star of the room. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
you’re going to have to update this now with all the painting you’ve been doing lately!
This is my first time commenting, and I just want to say that I LOVE LOVE your blog! I just bought a home built in the 50s and reminds me of your before pics. Your blog is oh, so helpful! And I love that you’re living in Richmond…I grew up in Midlothian. I have a dilemma…What do I do with dark brown/black carpet, wood paneling, and a dark fireplace (which covers most of the wall)?? I’m planning on painting the paneling and brick, but I’m worried that it will totally contrast with the carpet! PS We have a dark greenish sectional too…Any ideas??
Hey Jenny,
Good question! Do you know what’s under the carpet? You might be able to remove it to reveal wood floors and even raw concrete can be painted to instantly update the space. Home improvement stores also run all sorts of recarpeting specials with free installation so keep an eye out for good deals. Bringing in a nice tan colored berber would be great. Even if you have to live with the dark carpet there’s no reason not to paint the walls to brighten things up. We have dark floors all over our house with light walls and we love the contrast. You could also bring in a nice tan area rug to offset the dark sofa from the dark carpet for some nice layered and inviting style. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Forgive me if you’ve answered this question a million times before. Which kind of paint do you recommend for walls? Flat? Eggshell? Satin? We have three big dogs who have the run of the house and while I love the look of flat paint, it constantly needs to be touched up or it looks dirty. Thanks!
We used to use flat paint in every room except for the kitchen and the bathroom (where we used semi-gloss) but we recently tried eggshell paint in the nursery and we love it. It’s still not super shiny but it’s easier to wipe and care for. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hi… I just stumbled upon your blog today… love it! Can you tell me the name of the granite you used in the kitchen? I am replacing our countertops and cant seem to find a light colored granite that looks uniform. I love yours! Thanks for sharing.
mary
Hey Mary,
We got our granite through the Home Depot (it was called Pashmina at the time). They sadly no longer offer it but if you go to any local stoneyard and ask them to show you a light colored granite that’s white and gray with marble-like veins and garnet flecks they should be able to show you the exact variety that we have in our kitchen. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hey Youngsters,
You all inspired me with this post to try to make the color scheme in our house a bit more cohesive. I just finished repainting our family room and would like to move on to either the hallway or the kitchen next, both of which are adjacent to the family room. The hallway and the kitchen have a chair rail while the family room doesn’t, and the hallway leads to the stairs and upstairs hallway, which doesn’t have a chair rail. Hope that’s not too confusing.
Anyway, I think the hall and kitchen should probably be painted the same colors since they’re connected with no door frame, but should I pick the family room color for either the top or bottom and then a different shade for the other side? And then continue the upper color up the stairs?
Thanks for any help!
Amy