The deed is done. Behold, our freshly painted foyer:
It feels about a foot taller and at least two feet wider than it did before. Ah, the power of paint.
This shot’s probably the most accurate when it comes to color. It’s definitely one of those soft neutrals that shifts throughout the day, but I’d say it’s one part sand and one part greige. Not too cool and not too warm. And pretty darn beautiful with white trim.
As for choosing the color, we mentioned a bunch of swatches we were loving in this post, and shared this little makeshift palette:
Can you guess who ended up in the foyer?
Good ol’ Edgecomb Gray. The funny part about that swatch is it’s not really gray (it’s warmer, like a soft milky tan). Another pretty hilarious thing about it is that it looked terrible in our last house, but here it’s gorgeous (it’s crazy how differently a swatch can read depending on the lighting situation, what direction your room faces, etc). So in a sea of paint chips it was an easy choice. Which is nice because it’s a pretty big commitment.
The foyer leads to four downstairs rooms as well as flowing up the stairs and into the hallway up there which leads to six additional rooms – so we knew that whatever we chose would have to work well with any other wall colors we’d be choosing for all ten of those spaces that will connect to it.
As for getting it up on the walls, first we filled in a few nail holes with spackle and then primed those spots as well as any areas that had raw drywall (from our wallpaper peeling adventures).
Then it was painting time. It thankfully only took two coats (as opposed to the trim, which took four). We went with an eggshell finish in BM’s no-VOC Natura stuff, so John got his roll on and I cut in – yes, around chair rail, crown molding, baseboards, and seven (!!) doorways.
As you can imagine it took John about one tenth of the time to roll that it took me to cut in around all of those edges, but it was totally worth it. I love the new wall color so much that I could do a musical number about it. (Seriously, don’t tempt me – I’m a terrible dancer).
It’s one of those colors that changes throughout the day and feels so airy and breezy, like the sky at the beach. Some moments it’s like the lightest part of a platinum cloud, and other moments it’s warmer and richer – like coffee with lots of milk swirling around in there.
Oh and after our paint job, we switched out the old yellowed outlets and switches for crisp new white ones. Such a cheap fix, but just like fresh paint, they go a long way in making the room feel updated.
Can’t wait to get some art going on. Oh yeah and paint the other fifteen rooms in our house (note to self: don’t think about that, just focus on your musical number).
It’s nice to have a pop of color in the door since all of the white trim and doors around it seem to temper it while the neutral walls and the dark floors and door hardware ground things. And you know the light fixture is on my ORB list.
I like this shot because the blue spindles leading up the stairs almost look black instead of periwinkle blue. Although I think we’re leaning towards white for those spindles (when we can work up the energy to do four coats on them) and eventually we’d love to ebonize the top part of the railing to go with the dark door hardware everywhere. Sort of like this or this.
In the meantime we’re just soaking up the victory of completing a whole lotta trim, doors, chair rail, crown, and getting some fresh paint on the walls in there.
Change is good.
Psst: Chop Suey Books is a great local bookstore here in Richmond, and they’re selling signed copies of our book for 10% off until the end of the week (they take phone & email orders and can ship overseas).
The foyer looks awesome, and I especially love the wall color combined with the crisp white woodwork and the ORB door hardware! After buying and trying out 6 samples of various gray/greige/sand paint colors, I ended up using Edgecomb Gray (color matched to Lowe’s paint, of course!) in my front two rooms that are open as you enter the front door. You are exactly right – it varies so much with the light and is never boring! I LUUURVE it. I’m excited to see what you do in the connecting rooms since I have yet to paint mine. I’m considering Revere Pewter and Gray Owl.
I think I heard that foyer sigh in relief with the new neutral paint colors! Seriously, it looks great.
LOVE*#SIGH… just beautiful.
I think yes to the musical homage to paint. don’t underestimate your talent, you never know where this could lead. Broadway possibly:) you never thought your little old blog would lead to all it has today, right? So go big or go home!!
On a more serious note, I can’t wait to see how much refreshing can be done to that grout. I like the slate, obviously the grout leaves a little to be desired. and I’ve been wondering if you’ll have some professionals come in and steam clean it or DIY clean and seal it. Or use some refreshing product. Anyway, your foyer is really coming along!
A breath of fresh air! It looks fantastic!
A question: are your ceilings white? It is so hard to tell in photos. I’m deciding if I want to do white ceilings in my house, or if I like a pale color. I usually go for white, after having a bedroom with the same color on walls and ceiling with no crown molding, and feeling like I was sleeping in a paper sack. (The color was “luminaria”, so there ya go.)
A comment: suddenly your light fixture in the entry looks totally on-trend and I can see it ORBed already!
Thanks Maura! We haven’t painted the ceiling yet, so it’s hard to tell in the photos but it’s sort of a yellowed cream color. We are still debating what color we’ll do the ceiling but we’ll keep you posted as we go for sure!
xo
s
Is this close to the color that you painted Clara’s playroom? It’s hard to tell from the pictures, but it looks similar!
It does feel somewhat similar! I would describe this is a little darker (Clara’s room was so light it was almost creamy white in some lights, but this has more contrast with the white trim I think).
xo
s
Love it guys! Can you expand a bit on why you’ve been more recently using BM products? I remember you used to use Olympic Non-VOC (which I imagine is a lot cheaper). I know Behr also sells non-VOC now too. Is BM really worth the extra $$/hassle in your experience? Also, do you always use eggshell finish on interior rooms? (Getting ready to paint over here too!)
We’ve tried almost every brand of paint over the last 7 years (a lot of Glidden in the beginning, then Behr and Valspar, and then Olympic which was followed by Benjamin Moore). I think we go through phases, haha! Although BM is more expensive, many commenters told us that once we tried it we’d never go back. It has great coverage and awesome colors (along with a No-VOC formula), so it’s just the one we’ve liked best for the past 3 years or so (we used it a lot in our previous house and loved how it went on and held up). As for interior rooms, we like eggshell these days (it’s wipeable but not too shiny). In bathrooms or kitchens I’d probably do satin just to give it a little more scrub-ability.
xo,
s
What finish do you use for wood trim and doors? Sometimes I go into houses and its obvious that the trim/doors/cabinets have been painted with the “wrong” kind of paint… but I’ve never figured out what the “wrong” kind is for those surfaces? It just looks and feels wrong and/or poorly done. Does anyone know what I mean? Am I a crazy person?
I always use semi-gloss for those (easy to wipe down, looks nice and glossy, etc).
xo
s
I just painted my family a VERY similar color this weekend! I can’t remember the name off the top of my head but I do remember it has the same gray-in-the-name-but-not-in-appearance issue. Ha! Same color shifting, light and fresh feeling going on over here – makes me SO happy – so I know how you guys are feeling today.
So far, I’m loving your choices for this house! Personally, I thought your 1st home was breathtaking and this one seems to be a little more like it than your 2nd home so far. Beautiful!!
I love the look! We’re wanting to paint out trim throughout our living area instead of spraying it because there would just be waaaay to much to tape/cover up if we did that. Even after a few coats, does it look like a seamless paint job, or if you get close, can you tell it’s been painted? I’m just checking. We had that issue when we painted the trim in the bathroom, and I’m thinking we just painted coats too thick. Would priming help too?
Thin and even coats definitely are key, and using a thin coat of primer helps with adhesion. Good luck!
xo
s
LOVE LOVE LOVE that color! It looks so much more open and bright…..but I am dying to see this dance number :)
Love it! And so nice that is coordinates with Burger!!
I have to say, your new door knobs look really fantastic with the updated paint. The foyer looks great!
Wow this looks so awesome!
I just knew today’s post would be a freshly painted foyer! Looks fabulous! I am in the process of picking paint colors for mine as well. I’m going with two tone and not so light and airy, much to my hubby’s chagrine, but it’s not set in stone just yet. I feel your pain. We moved in our house 2.5 years ago and painted every room except for the hallway because I got burned out. Part of the reason, 9 doorways, which includes one linen closet. Ugh! My hubby hates to paint so I’m sure this will be my project alone and although I can’t wait to have it done, I dread doing it! Great work as always! Such a MAJOR difference!
yay! do you feel (a little) relief that one room is (almost) done! its so close to complete! i cant wait to see what art gets put up. i’m seriously in love with this bright and air space! also cant wait to see what happens to the floor!!
I could totally see a piece of artwork from the same artist that did “It’s a lady” in your old kitchen. It would look great on that wall above the console.
Burger is kinda Edgecomb Gray, isn’t he? He almost disappears into the wall but for his cute little face. And big yes to the ebonization of the stair rails!
He totally approves of the color pick since he thinks he’s the inspiration. Haha!
xo
s
Wow, what a change. It looks pretty awesome. It must feel like a load off walking into that room now. ALso, I love that color.
High five to the both of you! The foyer looks beautiful, and I love the plans for the banister and spindles!
<3
Tabbitha
It is amazing, all of these small changes are making this look more and more like a newly built home but with the charm of an older place. It looks great!
http://www.fromragstonorthrich.blogspot.com
Also, I can’t wait to see how you style the console table in here. It’s the perfect greeter when you walk in! Where will you put your gallery wall of white frames? We are all dying to know!!!
Thanks Diana! As for the frame gallery wall, we’re not sure where those will end up, but we will definitely keep you posted as things come together! Every day we have different thought swirling around in our heads…
xo
s
Ooooo, I love it! You need to hook up with more paint naming gigs because I swear these companies have it all wrong. Wasn’t the blue in your last kitchen supposed to be a grey too? As always, your painting clothes are SWEET, Sherry. ~Ethne
Yes! It’s like “gray” is a buzz word so they put it on colors that aren’t gray!
xo
s
I think they can put “gray” on anything that has any amount of black and white added to the other colors so technically it does have gray in it just not nearly enough to show through and cause anyone to look at the color and say “that’s gray”. I also have to agree with Sherry when she says it’s like the new buzz word so they are adding it to colors that obviously shouldn’t have gray in the name.
I love this look its so simple and elegant ! You two did an amazing job :) I am super curious about what kind of light fixture you plan to hang in the foyer ? Something textured and woodsy maybe something clean crisp and straight or even something light and airy? Any way much love to your amazing little family!
Looks great! Where did u get the ORB doorknob?
https://www.younghouselove.com/2013/06/come-and-knob-on-our-door/
xo
s
It looks wonderful!! The change in trim and paint colors totally makes the floor look much more gray than they did before! The blue undertones are pretty much gone! I love it!
The ebonized stair railings will look terrific. How will you accomplish it? Paint or stain?
Not sure yet, but once we get there we’ll share all of our thoughts/steps!
xo
s
Wow what a change! Geez, it is looking beautiful!
Behold the power of PAINT! Wow.
Looks great! What a bright and airy foyer you have now. Question – are you going to do something about the colour of the grout? In your pictures it often looks dirty, I think because it’s a warm colour and the tiles are cool… Anyways, loving the new house updates!
Oh yes, we have to refresh the grout for sure, and deal with a few damaged slate pieces. Will keep you guys posted as soon as we figure out a fix!
xo
s
Beautiful. The slate floors look great now that everything around them is fresh and loved. I think you should pop that art that was hanging by the front door in the old house over the green buffet onto the wall above that little console table…at least for now.
John said that too! We’ll have to see how that look there.
xo
s
I’ve considered edgecomb gray for our foyer (we try to do all BM historical colors for the downstairs of our 97 year old house…) but haven’t committed yet…
Now you just need a gorgeous runner for that hallway… (I’d personally go with a traditional Persian or oriental rug…)
It looks beautiful! It’s so amazing what paint can do to transform a space.
Looks amazing… and empty. This flat needs a soul. You should immedietly add some art here :)
Did you spackle the raw dry wall before priming it to help smooth it out? Or did you just spackle the nail holes? We had a similar mishap in our master bathroom, and we’re trying to figure out what to do about it. Thanks!
We just used spackle for nail holes or any other deep dings or dents, but otherwise we just painted and it all looks good! A non-glossy paint choice (like flat or eggshell) hides more imperfections than something shiny does, so that’s a tip if your walls aren’t perfect.
xo
s
Amazing what the right paint color can do. Looks fantastic!
I love the neutral beauty of this color! You will be able to do so much with accessories and playing off the colors of the connecting rooms!
Love it!! We have Edgecomb Gray in our guest room/office and its a great neutral color. That room opens up to our foyer (SW Aloof Gray) and also the great room (SW Sea Salt) and it goes well with all of those colors. I also have both of those stair inspiration photos pinned. My staircase is all white and I think the black would look fantastic! As well as hide all the grubby hand marks on the rail.
What a beautiful transformation! You have a great vision for decorating!!
I love the lightness of the foyer. The paint choice was perfect. I think using the black on the stair rails would look tremendous..anchoring it to the other trim. I never would have thought of black but it does look crisp.
The foyer looks wonderful! You guys have been such an inspiration to me. My foyer, living room, dining room and upstairs hallway have been sporting the same kind of blue trim for 20 years. I started converting mine to white back in February but it’s still a work in progress.
Thanks so much for the tip on how many coats of paint it takes. I tried one coat of primer and three coats of semi-gloss. Still didn’t look like it covered. Then paint and primer in one which was also not really good. I think the 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of semi-gloss will be my ticket to completing this project.
Can’t wait to see what you guys to next.
Good luck Carol!
xo
s
The foyer looks amazing! I totally love the blue door. I think black spindles would look amazing too – you know if you wanted to spare the 4 coats of white. (Below is a link to pictures I pinned from the web)
http://pinterest.com/joanimal63/stairs/
Your spindles are so similar to the first image.
White or black – I can’t wait to see it come to life.
JoAnne
Aw thanks JoAnne!
xo
s
How high are your ceilings? I love the crown trim. I am debating how thick of a crown to do in my house.
They’re standard height (8 ft). Hope it helps!
xo
s
Looks lovely! How does this color compare to Alaskan Skies? I just used Alaskan Skies in all the common areas of our new-to-us house. I loved how you described it in the playroom of your old house and that’s what made me pick it :)and I LOVE it. Is your new foyer color even more gray than that one or is it pretty close?
I think it’s pretty close! I’d say that Edgecomb Gray might be a smidge darker (there seems to be a bit more contrast with the white trim) but it’s similar for sure!
xo
s
The paint job looks so awesome! It IS amazing what paint can do to transform a space & make it actually look larger! Amazing!
Gail
P.S. Keep up the motivation- your posts are so fun to read. :) A little respite in my days! Hugs!
I thought of you as I painted window trim outdoors over the weekend…
How do you go about cleaning up after all that painting?
The worst part is cleaning up at the end when you’re all sweaty and tired but we remind ourselves that we’re too cheap to ruin our brushes – so we force ourselves to wash them well along with anything else we used so we can keep on using them instead of rebuying stuff. With a three year old around it helps keep us on top of our game too (anything we leave out could be a disaster when she runs in…haha!).
xo
s
Maybe you can do a blog post about this too. How you prepare, clean up and store everything before and after a DIY job?
That would be fun – I’ll add it to the post list!
xo
s
Love how the new, muted paint color lets the door be the star of the show. I’m definitely getting an airy, beachy vibe which is lovely. The door color feels tempered but still a focal point.
It looks so fresh (and so clean clean)! Nice work!
Looking good you guys! How about your “All you need is love” picture in the space for now? Keep up the great work!
John voted for that there too! We’ll have to see how it fits.
xo
s
Absolutely fantastic!
I am a novice at painting, and this might have an obvious answer, so please excuse my ignorance. You painted the trim before you painted the walls. Is that the order you are supposed to go in, or it was just convenient for you? I have only painted one wall so far, with chalkboard paint, and the paint speckles got all over the trim, but I figured it would be easier to paint the trim later (may be that’s not supposed to happen in the first place? And I did something wrong to begin with?). So please guide me O’ DIY Gods! :P
We have found that it seems slightly easier to do trim and then walls rather than walls and then trim (we haven’t had speckle issues though, maybe chalkboard paint was just really thin and splattery?) but we’ve done it both ways and neither one is too terrible. Hope it helps!
xo
s
It looks beautiful!
I’d spend a lot of time in that foyer just feeling the peace of those freshly painted walls. We painted a good portion of our first floor last year and I found myself just STANDING there, staring.
I was a little bit worried with the first couple of photos – it read as a dirty yellow on my computer but the photos further down were MUCH better. Now I want that colour in my house somewhere! Gorgeous and I just love seeing how different it can look with mostly a different paint job (which sounds so easy when I am not the one painting miles of trim and cutting in for miles around it!). Are you going to put a rug down in the foyer? Can’t wait to see what you put there.
Oh yes, we have our eye out!
xo
s