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
Go for it! It’s totally personal preference and you just might love the look. And if you don’t you can always paint those honey doors but they sound so lovely that we bet you never will.
xo,
s
wow! you are fast haha! do you have any tips on where to stop painting white? do i simply paint just the trim, or do i continue inward and also paint the door jam? thanks! :)
If you’ll be painting the trim white we would definitely continue the white tone inside the door frame and to the other side of the door (where there also should be trim). That way it’s an all-white area of transition between rooms. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
shoot! i was afraid you would say that ;) definitely more work than just painting trim! thanks again!
I love your site & refer back to it often! We are beginning to plan a small update of our kitchen it is the only room on the first floor that isn’t done, it is currently painted white. The cabinets are staying & are a made of cherry but have a sort of orange tone to them. I’d like to extend the SW Versatile Grey from the dining room into the kitchen but I’m afraid that the grey-ness will excentuate the orange, which I’m not fond of. In a perfect world I’d paint my cabinets but the husband will not agree to it. We did change the door pulls & it looks way better now so I do like them now. Can you reccomend a color that is going to help down play the orange? Or should we just stick to white? There isn’t much to paint because the cabinets take up much of the wall space. The floors are recently re-done, slate tile but the counters and back splash are old formica blue with white trim. I’d like to update with soapstone & maybe white subway tile, but I’m just not certain yet. Do I need to figure out counters & back splash first?
Usually any tone of green (gray-green, khaki green, light lime, sage, celery, etc) looks great with orangy-toned wood. And the other way you can go is with tawny wheaty amber or tan tones. We’d suggest bringing a bunch of swatches home to hold up with your cabinets in both of those color families is the way to go. You’re right about the gray most likely accenting the orange in the cabinets and making them look mismatched in the end. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Thank you Sherry, I’m going to go get the colors you suggested & see what happens!!! Seriously did you get any formal training or are you just a natural at all this stuff? I just never tire of looking through your site! The best part is that you do it all on a budget so us real people can actually follow & use the same sources to get the same stuff! You amaze me!!! Keep up the good work!
Hey Erica,
Nope, we actually pride ourselves on not having any formal decorating training (although I did go to an art and design college in NYC which is where I believe I picked up my love of color and proportion and all that good stuff). We think it’s actually that lack of official training that helps us keep things doable (while keeping our budgets nice and low) so we love to tell everyone that we just learn as we go (and share all of our adventures along the way). And if we can do it so can everyone else! Happy decorating…
xo,
s
What color’s can I coordinate with a black living room? I want to paint my living room black w. white/lt yellow/god accents.
http://mynottinghill.blogspot.com/2008/05/black-walls-would-you-dare_26.html
ps: sorry I made a typo I meant “gold” accents.
The kitchen is off the living/dinning room btw.
Hey Jessy,
We love the idea of a bold black living room with white, light yellow and gold accents. As for what other wall colors can work with black (in those adjoining rooms) you can always pick the same soft yellow tone that you’ll be bringing into the black room to keep things cohesive. Or you can go for white for a nice stark contrast (and use black and yellow accessories in those rooms to keep things feeling connected so one room isn’t out of left field). Other tones that work with black are neutral tans, golden wheat colors, and bright canary yellow. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Tks so much. I had a feeling of adding a citrus yellow with white & black on to the adjoining rooms.
Currently we are tackling our HWFs. Last night we removed the shag carpet and the under pad has been a pain to remove. BTW previous owner had 13 cats and let them “go” anywhere on the shag carpet. VERY gross.
Hi there! i have been enjoying your blog for a while (just became a FB fan ;)). recently we moved into a house that has both wood trim and wood 6panel doors in a honey maple color. i REALLY want to update the trim and make it white but was hoping to leave the doors wood tone. what are your thoughts on wood doors with white trim? too crazy?