Just when you thought we were all painted out on Monday, I’m back with another painting update. With this bun of ours arriving in five short weeks, it’s lighting a “paint all the things!” fire under my rear. I know that being laid up with a c-section will mean staring at all of the not-done things on the ol’ to-do list, so humming through a few of them before the little man is here will hopefully put my nesting slash home-making mind at ease. So we set our sights on the upstairs hallway.
It connects so many rooms (the nursery, our room, the hall bath, Clara’s room, the guest room, the laundry, etc) that we thought it would be a nice “bang for our buck” spot in the sense that we walk through it ten million times a day, so we’d notice a nice fresh paint job.
You know, instead of seeing the same over-sprayed edges from painting the trim back in May of last year (has it really been that long?!).
It also connects to the stairwell that we painted back in November, and the foyer that we painted last July. So when we picked that color for the foyer (Edgecomb Gray, which reads more like a soft tan “greige” color in our house then an actual gray), we selected it knowing that it would travel up the stairs and eventually grace the hallway up there as well. We like that it’s a simple and light neutral, so it won’t make the stairs or that interior hallway feel dark, and it allows us to use a bunch of other colors in adjoining rooms without worrying that they’ll clash. For example, we have coral, blue, red, and soft pink on the walls (and ceiling) of Clara’s room…
… as well as a deep moody blue in our bedroom.
Meanwhile, the walls of the guest room, laundry nook, and hall bathroom up there have yet to be painted… so we also like that the hall color leaves those wide open.
You can actually see where our stairway paint job ended in this pic. Elegant, eh? Look at that line we just randomly painted on the ceiling. That thing cracked me up and irked me all at the same time.
The hallway is sort of like two or three rooms of its own. It’s 33 feet from the laundry nook to our bedroom, and there are a whole lotta doorways (eight) and lights (three) to cut in around. I don’t usually mind cutting in too much though. It’s tedious, but it makes me feel accomplished if that makes sense. As I go I’m all “three doorways down, five to go – turtle power!” I also ponder things like why mashed potatoes and milkshakes have so many calories while things like celery and water have virtually none. Or why there’s not one cheat day each year when everyone can magically consume anything they want and not gain any weight. My pregnant mind clearly puts a lot of thought into food.
Clara also got in the action. Not by painting, but by lending positive vibes, singing various Frozen songs, and dancing around with a giant piece of ribbon like a tiny color guard.
All told, it was around five hours of cutting in across two days (it took two coats) and John swooped in to do the rolling, which also took two coats but went quite a bit faster (maybe three hours total across two days?). I thought of a few painting tips from Chester County painting contractors to share with you guys as I went, so here they are:
- Even if you can reach up and roll the high parts without an extension pole, it’s a lot easier on the ol’ back if you break one out.
- We painted the ceiling the same color as the walls since it’s a light color and we wanted that seamless look instead of accenting the ceiling as a separate plane in this case (we also tend to do that in bathrooms).
- Try painting with some tunes on to make it go faster (or news radio, or a book on tape, or a tiny dancing preschooler, or some other auditory form of entertainment).
- A short handled 2″ angled brush is my favorite cutting in weapon. Seriously, read the comments on this old post of yesteryear to see how many people commented that it changed their life. I promise I’m not exaggerating – it’s a huge time saver.
- We don’t use a dropcloth over hardwoods because seven years of painting have made us pretty neat, and we’ve found that the occasional floor drip is easy enough to wipe up if it’s wet or even pop off with your fingernail if it’s dry.
- Stop thinking about food. It’s weird.
And if you wanna see some of this rolling in action, we made a video of painting our office:
And here’s our wahoo-it’s-done result:
It’s a pretty dramatic update from what it looked like back when we bought the house.
Here’s the freshly painted result from the other side (with my back to the bedroom). Ugh, I can’t wait to rehang some doors to block our dark little laundry area in the back.
But the view of pretty much everything else is looking a whole lot fresher…
… so we’re really glad we knocked it out pre-Barnacle.
For anyone looking for a tutorial on changing out your outlets, John did a giant infographic about it here. And for here’s a how-I-cut-in-without-taping-most-things-off video, from back when we were painting our guest room:
Before I go I thought I’d share all the paint colors we’ve used in our house to date (along with four that we’re thinking about adding). It’s fun to compare it to our first whole-house-palette post for this house to see how many are the same, how many are close but not exact, and how many have changed since that was just a bunch of guesses about where we thought we were headed last July.
Here’s the key to what’s what:
- Our Bedroom (Black Pepper)
- Our Kitchen (Nelson Blue)
- Foyer/Hall (Edgecomb Gray)
- Possible Nursery Accent Color? (Grassy Fields)
- Nursery Built-Ins (Senora Gray)
- Nursery Walls (Going To The Chapel)
- Clara’s Door (Cinco De Mayo)
- Clara’s Ceiling (Pink Cadillac)
- Clara’s Walls & Half Bathroom (Simply White)
- Clara’s Raindrop Color #1 (Tranquil Blue)
- Clara’s Raindrop Color #2 (Milano Red)
- Clara’s Raindrop Color #3 (Pink Cadillac)
- Front Door (Blue Lake)
- Our Closet & Sink Nook (Revere Pewter)
- Sunroom Ceiling (In Your Eyes)
- Possible Dining Room Color? (Knoxville Gray)
- Possible Guest Room Color? (Sparrow)
- Possible Office Color? (Polar Lights)
* not pictured: possible colors for the hall bathroom, the laundry nook, and the unfinished storage space since we don’t have a clue about those yet
Other Favorite Paint Colors
If you’re having trouble picking the right color to paint your room, check out these detailed deep-dive posts about our favorite paints:
Nancy says
Do you have a second, back staircase? If so, I’m very jealous.
YoungHouseLove says
I wish! A lot of the homes in our neighborhood do, but we don’t have a finished second stairway. That’s just an unfinished plywood one that leads to the attic (that whole area is just studs and no insulation, so there aren’t walls or anything).
xo
s
Paddy says
Has anyone ever told you that you sound a lot like Mila Kunis?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, I get that (and Natalie Portman a bunch). I can’t hear it but apparently there’s some truth to it since so many other people say it!
xo
s
ETB says
We’re expecting, as well, and I’ve decided that all of our bedrooms need different colors, though we just painted them in 2012. Pregnancy makeovers for the win. Luckily, one of my friends loves to paint and is very reasonable so I am just hiring her since neither my husband or I like doing it!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s awesome. She’s a good friend to have!
xo
s
Jamie says
I absolutely love the new look! We just painted our future nursery a greyish blueish color. I did the cutting in using your technique – which I love! Thanks to you guys I feel like a pro! No tape and no mess and clean lines, it’s amazing.
And speaking of mishaps – when we were painting our master closet, we forgot to ensure our cat was out of the room and when we turned around we found her sitting on the paint can top. Her entire behind and part of her tail were covered in paint!! Thank goodness it was the Olympic No VOC stuff – we rushed her to the tub and it washed right off. Poor thing, she looked so shocked! We learned our lesson and now close off whichever area we’re in before painting – which she hates.
What do you guys do with Burger? Does he stay clear of the paint?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh, the poor cat! Burger is skittish around most things that involve long roller poles and the shifting of ladders, so he tends to steer clear of paint. The only time I’ve blocked off an area to make sure he didn’t get painted was when we did a stencil on the floor of our master bathroom/closet and when we painted the floor of our sunroom. Thankfully there has been no paint-can-top sitting though!
xo
s
Bethany says
Cats are always so helpful with home improvement projects! ;)
Reenie says
Ahhhh ~ so fresh and purty and it’s got to feel oh so good getting it all done. :)
Melissa@TheChicDream says
I bet it feels so good to get that job done. I can’t believe you’re due in five weeks! It’s crazy how something as simple as painting a hallway can be so rewarding. Sometimes when I have lived with a half-finished project for so long, I get used to it and I don’t mind not having it done but once it is I realize how much it sucked before!
KarenH. says
Oh very nice!! I really liked the yellow (I can’t help it; I love yellow :D ) from before (especially with the white trim), but the new color is much better. I’m very jealous of your painting prowess; I looked like I’d had a paint bucket tossed at me after I painted my basement!
Martia Livingston says
Looks awesome!
I remember when I was pregnant with my last one, I had that last minute spree of knocking out projects (or my husband did!) so I wouldn’t be staring at all the open items! So exciting…!
Question: How on earth does John roll the ceiling without it creating splatter all over the floors? I have never been able to do that no matter how careful I am. I can roll without drips, etc. when I am careful but I always get a lot of fine spray that goes all over everything when I do the ceiling, which leads to my covering every inch of a room before I do the ceiling. I use the right roller cover, I load an appropriate amount of paint on the roller (I think), I just don’t know what it is.
Any tips?
YoungHouseLove says
Lots of people have been asking that so I think sharing a video of John rolling with tips in a future post about painting another room could definitely help. In summary we’re thinking textured walls might be trickier, but we have flat ones, and John tries not to put too much paint on the roller, not to roll too fast, and not to put too much pressure on the roller (when you press it against the wall hard or go super fast there can be more drips/splatter).
xo
s
Alex says
…Every time we catch another glimpse of that dresser in a photo I fall more and more in love! Swoooon! It’s so pretty. Maybe someday I will finally break down and order one! You still love it, right? And angels sing and little Disney birds tweet to you when you open the drawers, riiight?? I have to live vicariously through you!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes I love it! My only beef with it is that for a few weeks it smelled really new inside. Like the drawers were so, I don’t know… strong smelling, like it was just built. I aired them out and put charcoal bags in each one to absorb the odor and it was gone pretty fast though. I think I might just be so used to hand-me-downs and secondhand furniture that I am thrown off by “new furniture smell.” Haha!
xo
s
Alex says
Ha! Okay, good to know! I feel the same way (but I have to admit I’m usually seduced by new car smell…). I think I might take the plunge with that 2-drawer vanity! Oh my gosh, soooo pretttttty!
Rachel says
Looks great but my favorite part of the post is TURTLE POWER haha that is awesome!
Richelle says
Looks so good, you guys! We still have 11 rooms to paint (ugh) but each time we finish one, I love the fresh, clean feeling it has… it’s like getting a new room. :)
Autumn says
What brand do you use for paint? We’re going to repaint our new house and I love the color In your Eyes for the accent wall in our Master bedroom!
YoungHouseLove says
We usually use Benjamin Moore (all the colors in the board are theirs).
xo
s
Dawn says
Good natured snark: It’s time to take the question mark off after Nursery on your floor plan. Highly unlikely you’re gonna use that for a sun tanning room now! :p
(I tried to think of ridiculous room uses and that’s what I came up with, ha).
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahah! How about a hot tub TV room? That’s what I want someday. Two of them, so mine can be hotter, but the same big screen TV so John and I can soak and watch TV at the end of a long day. He’s less on board with this concept though…
xo
s
Amy says
I’m definitely a “paint-all-the-things” kind of gal. Our next big project will be our attic master suite (once we finish all the drywall!) and I’m still on the fence. Part of me wants to do a really cool cloud mural (when I was in high school my mom painted my room like that as a surprise and I loved it – she’s a fantastic artist), but I’m worried that it won’t turn out right, or that I’ll think of something better three days after I’m done.
Dawn says
Oh – and love the wall color!
April says
It’s so bright and happy looking in there! Love it.
We’re on our own little painting bender. First on the list is our daughter’s room which we are painting a really really pale gray with kind of purply undertones called April Morning. My husband likes to laugh at it because my first and middle names are April Dawn! A little serendipitous, haha!
YoungHouseLove says
So funny about the name!
xo
s
Liz B. says
We just bought a house recently, and although we aren’t dealing with blue trim (!), we did have some awful pastels… mint chip green and baby blue in the living room and den! I am lucky in that my mom ran her own painting and wallpapering company for over 20 years, so she is an amazing and fast painter. She just did our stairway, foyer, and hallway upstairs in Silken Pine, by Benjamin Moore. It’s a soft gray green that I thought was almost white when she opened the can. I had second guessed that decision but I am falling in love with it more everyday now because it’s so bright and light. Good luck with all the painting!
Allison says
Ohh! Silken Pine! We painted our living room/kitchen in Silken Pine and I love it — especially in the daylight. It is the perfect green =)
Angel p says
I am amazed at your energy levels so close to your due date. The hall looks so fresh now. I love it! I have been working on sewing tons of curtains before both sets of our parents come to visit us. They haven’t been here since right after we moved in and I’m wanting them to see some progress when they show up in a few weeks. Finished the last panel last night. Now to get the hubby to hang the uber long curtain rod so I can hang them up.
Anna says
The first thing I thought when I saw the picture of John painting without a drop cloth was “whaaaat? No drop cloth??” I’ve painted almost every room in my house and several of our rental properties and am so messy. I am notorious for ending up covered in paint. I gotta admit, I am pretty jealous of your painting skills.
lisak says
Only one free eat-whatever-you-want-day A YEAR? How about one EVERY WEEK? That would be more like it!
YoungHouseLove says
I’m down with that ;)
xo
s
Lisa E says
Oh my gosh, that was exactly my thought! Must be the name,ha!
Lisa | Winter Heights says
I am exhausted thinking of all this painting you guys have done! Lovely results though. Your house seems to be moving at such a fast pace!
Random question that I might have missed, are you still planning on painting the nursery closet door that beautiful green? It won’t break my heart if not, but I certainly have been chomping at the bit to see it. :))
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Lisa! We are still debating some sort of accent in the nursery, although with the bold curtain color and the abundance of color on the changing table, we’re not sure a bold door makes sense in the middle of those two things. Will definitely keep you posted!
xo
s
Lisa | Winter Heights says
Gotcha, that makes sense. Either way you guys should take a break from the paint brush anyway. ;)
Stephanie says
I really like the seamless look of the walls and ceiling. Are you planning to add crown molding in the hallway?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, we’d love to do that down the line. Although while I was cutting in I was thinking about how many cuts it will be… might be a pretty big job. Haha!
xo
s
robyns says
I’m trying to psyche myself up to paint using a stencil. but I’m super skeered. you know, so fearful I can’t even spell things right. But hopefully it will be awesome when it gets done.
YoungHouseLove says
It will! You can do it!
xo
s
Emily says
When my friend had her first C-section, (emergency as well) she had a horrible time recovering. Weeks and weeks later, she could still barely move. This second time, the hospital gave her this velcro belly band thing that went around her waist. She said it made a HUGE difference, gave her support and helped her feel better. She was up and walking around a lot faster, and while she was still really sore, had a much easier recovery. She got to take it home with her and she wore it until she finally felt normal again. If you haven’t heard of those, look them up, ask the nurses about them and if the hospital doesn’t have one, order it off amazon so you have it before you get home!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Emily! I had one of those last time (I was pretty beat up so the hospital gave me one) and it did seem to help! Will have to break it out again for this go-round.
xo
s
Rosie says
I feel the need to pop in and tell Sherry that scheduled c’s are so much better than emergency or unplanned. I had an unplanned (though not exactly emergency) section after 12 hours of labor with my first, and a scheduled section for #2 (and 3). Recovery was easier on both scheduled sections. Good luck!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Rosie!
xo
s
Cate says
All of these wall/trim painting posts have definitely motivated me to make progress on our master bedroom reno!! We don’t necessarily have an impending deadline other than the fact that we want to start having kids in another year or so (yes, we are another that will need to gut our kitchen before then)… plus with the spring right around the corner, I know we’ll be back outside doing yard work with no time to do indoors renovations. Love all these posts.. they are exactly what I needed!
Melissa says
please spray paint those lantern lights in hallway. They’d look so great red or blue!
YoungHouseLove says
That was originally going to be the plan, but we’ve realized that one of the stems is broken, they’re all crooked, and one is actually a different size from the other two. So we’re not sure painting them will be worth it (we’re leaning towards donating them). Will keep you posted!
xo
s
Kelly says
Your hallway looks fantastic, especially compared to where you started. Very nice.
I am on a painting bender, too. There’s no baby deadline or anything, but we’ve added onto our house and choked at the $9,000 painting bid (for the new spaces as well as other affected rooms), so we are doing it all ourselves. I just got back from picking up some Simply White because I’m taking this opportunity to repaint all the trim in our house a brighter, fresher color than our previous off-white, which we had trouble matching anyway.
Emily says
Forgive me if you’ve answered this one before, but do you have any opinions on whether supposedly ultra-washable paints like Benjamin Moore “Aura” are worth the extra expense? With a big, drooly dog running around, the idea sounds great…but I’m not sure how much of it is marketing hype.
YoungHouseLove says
We like painting with Ben Moore paint because it’s nice and thick (great coverage) so it’s not thin and drippy – and it also is really durable/scrubbable. We have heard that from a bunch of readers as well (it’s what made us try it out a few years ago) and also have heard great things about Sherwin Williams and even super fancy lines like Farrow & Ball.
xo
s
Emily says
Perfect, thanks! This makes me feel better about committing to repainting the entire place in Benjamin Moore. :)
Amanda says
I really love that Edgecomb Grey color. We are planning on painting all the common areas in our house one neutral color this summer (since right now we have a red kitchen, yellow foyer, green living room and beige hallways) and I like this color because it’s not “in your face white” but it goes with anything!
Michelle Z says
Everytime I see this commercial I think of yall painting and prepping everything for Barnacle’s arrival. Hopefully he likes the color! :) http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7ZjZ/true-value-hardware-crying-baby
YoungHouseLove says
That’s HILARIOUS!
xo
s
Bethany says
Thats great! When I was a baby my nursery was seriously that exact shade of yellow. My mom read somewhere that bright colors are good in a baby’s room to help stimulate them (I guess? No idea how accurate this is). I think she literally picked the brightest color possible, haha! Thankfully that room is no longer that color.
Sally says
Nice! I just bought the famed “Premium XL Tight Spots 2? Angle Short Handle Brush” at Sherwin Williams on Saturday. (I couldn’t find it at first because it was on a display on an end cap to an aisle, rather than in the aisle with all the brushes). I painted my front door on Sunday and was definitely pleased with the brush. I still taped the windows on the glass, but I tried freehanding the trim on the doorframe and was impressed.
Question: I watched your cutting in video…do you usually paint out of the can or use another container? Also, I was having trouble with paint getting too far up the brush when I wiped…then drying before I was done painting.
YoungHouseLove says
Lately I have been using a paint cup (a little red plastic one from Home Depot that was a buck or two). It’s nice because it has a magnet thing that hold the brush so it doesn’t fall into the paint if I’m climbing a ladder or something.
xo
s
Sally says
Actually, I think I have the same one. Any tips for not getting paint too high in the bristles?
Oh, I’d I’ll ditto the request for post on John’s paint rolling technique!
YoungHouseLove says
I use sort of the dip and scrape technique in the video. It definitely helps not to get the whole brush in the paint (scraping off each side if that happens against the can or the paint cup you’re using can help).
xo
s
Sally says
Thanks!
Amanda says
It’s painting time around here too! For two educators on spring break we are installing baseboards, repainting all the trim and doors, installing new knobs and hinges on all the doors and trying to keep three children occupied because they’re bored. Hopefully we will be finished today so we can get out and have some fun!
Krista says
Look. At. That! What a *huge* improvement since you moved in! You color pallet is inspiring me… Especially the Black Pepper color in your bedroom. The colors we chose for our house were all (coincidentally) food-named colors, so it will fit right in! ????
YoungHouseLove says
So funny! Food named colors sound delicious to this pregnant lady…
xo
s
Dusty @All Things G&D says
I can’t believe the big day is only 5 weeks away! How exciting!! The hallway looks gorgeous, and I’m bowing down to you for all that cutting in. Daaaamn, girl! Love all the paint colors in your house. Clara’s door is my fav!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, thanks Dusty! I’ll be texting you from the hospital with various nervous emojis. Haha!
xo
s
Emily says
I’ve always done a flat ceiling paint and eggshell or satin wall paint. When you paint the ceiling the same color as the walls, do you use the same sheen? If you use something other than flat on the ceilings, do you get any glare from the lights?
I’m considering breaking my long time mold of flat white ceilings in every room.
YoungHouseLove says
We used eggshell on the walls and ceiling and it seemed to go on easily and looked good when dry. Things like semi-gloss might be too shiny for a ceiling (you could see roller marks or imperfections) but I think eggshell would work well.
xo
s
Catherine says
A video of spatter free roller technique would be very helpful. Maybe someone with a stucco ceiling could volunteer their ceiling for John to paint! :)
Your palette of colours reminded of a game I’m currently addicted to (and really bad at) called Blendoku. I bet you guys would be really good at it.
YoungHouseLove says
So funny! Will have to check it out!
xo
s
Sally says
Love that game!
Joy says
I have been on a painting spree since last September that started with the bathroom and kitchen and am itching to get started again as soon as it’s warm enough here in Michigan to get some windows open so I can tackle the living room, dining room, bedroom, spare bedroom/office/media center.
My perfect little house became a little less so nearly three years ago when I got married and my husband doubled the contents by bringing all of his stuff in. We’re not in a position to buy a larger house at the moment so I’ve been on a mission to make the space we have as functional, comfortable and liveable as I possible.
Your blog and book have been inspired a lot of the improvements we’ve made lately and I have to thank you for that. The Hubs’ eyes boggle a bit when I start talking about all the things I want to do but so far he’s let me have free reign and has liked the results (especially your Pantry makeover just a few weeks ago — we bought the over the door rack and under the shelf baskets and really upped the potential of the coat closet I converted into a pantry to compensate for the sad lack of space in the kitchen).
We’re in the early planning stages of making our partially-but-not-really finished basement more comfortable and functional and there will be even more painting fun when that happens.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Joy, you’re so sweet! Happy home-making!
xo
s
Erin says
The Biggest change is the light switches! You should do a post on how to do that for beginners! :)
Luckily, I have an AWESOME father who replaces everyone of our almond switches and outlets with white flips and grounded outlets, but even I could use a good tutorial on how to do it if I ever find myself needing to replace them again!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, those can be a pain. Here’s a post John did a little while ago completely with tons of pics.
xo
s
Sheila says
Hi – I am new to your blog – from the photos above, I see you repainted all the trim (seems it was blue) – how difficult was it to repaint? Do you have to sand the old trim paint or just prime it?
Thanks so much!
Sheila
YoungHouseLove says
We used a paint sprayer on the trim before we moved in since we had the carpets ripped up and didn’t mind getting paint on the subfloor. Here’s a post about that for you. We also do it by hand a lot and it’s tedious but it works. It’s generally just using a brush to apply primer and paint (and sanding and deglossing if it’s shiny first).
xo
s
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
It looks like this is a hallway in a different house. Really has come a long way. You have given me some ideas for our Sunroom & Bathroom colors. Lovin your #10, 13 & 15 colors. Now if I can just pick a color at least for the bathroom and just paint it already. It’s only the upper half of the wall, so I should be done really quick. ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Jen!
xo
s
Grace says
Love your paint colors!
I am getting ready to do a complete overhaul on my 5 year old’s room in 24 hours, including paint, painting furniture, making curtains, the works. Apparently we watch too many design shows around here, because she asked for a big reveal.
As crazy as it seems, I am getting so excited to see what I can do in one day!
YoungHouseLove says
So funny!
xo
s
Lisa says
Wow, it’s crazy how much better the hallway looks with some paint and new floors! Are you guys planning on switching out the light fixtures?
Also, I think about food all.day.long and I’m not pregnant…so it’s completely normal to do that…at least in my mind ;)
http://fabulousfarmlife.blogspot.com
YoungHouseLove says
Glad to have a fellow food thinker! Haha! And yes about those lights. Can’t wait!
xo
s
Cher says
I know you’ve used Benjamin Moore colors before, could have done an homage in the post title “Paint, Paint, and Moore Paint”
tee hee. I’m not pregnant but my brain behaves like it is aready (FOOD! and weird things to ponder! and FOOD!)
YoungHouseLove says
Ha!
xo
s
Evangelia says
While my kids are at my parents place for the week for their March Break, my husband and I have finally decided to tackle the stairwell and hallway upstairs. I just finished sanding the walls down where we filled the holes, I have the areas taped down and we’re ready to paint it. I also decided to take the ceiling fan down and give it a fresh paint colour, it’s a very light blue called Sea Lily. Gives a nice fresh look to an old looking ceiling fan. Love your updates, keeps me motivated to continue to do our home renovations – we’re also in the middle of a massive home theatre reno in the unfinished basement. Can’t wait for it to be done!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Evangelina! Good luck with everything.
xo
s
Rebecca says
Looks great. Love knowing what all paint colors you use.
We are getting ready to start building our home and I am trying to find a color that will go with lighter hickory kitchen cabinets and not wash the room out. We want something light to keep it airy looking and not make the rooms look small. Plus its open concept so this color will be for kitchen, dining, family and hallway. Thinking maybe something with a grayish tone. But if you have any suggestions, I would love it.
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, we have loved Moonshine and Edgecomb Gray as well as Revere Pewter. You also could do a light gray-blue like Quiet Moments. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Carly says
Thank you! I love seeing them all together and it gives me ideas for my house. We have a very similar floor plan and it’s hard for me to visualize all of the different colors I want to use and being cohesive. Everything in our house is the creamy/yellow color too and it’s driving me nuts.
Do you think it’s easier to pick your house’s neutral color before picking the room colors? Even taping the swatches up I can’t really decide. I want my new hallway/foyer color to look good with the adjoining rooms. I know it’s not a permenant commitment but I have 4 rooms on my list for the summer so I want to get it right the first time. I need to make a paint board….. hmm
YoungHouseLove says
That’s a good question! I think sometimes a neutral color comes first and other times I fall in love with a deep saturated color (like Dragonfly in our last house) and then I go from there.
xo
s
Rosie says
I’m so jealous of your painting bender! We moved into a new house last month, and while it needs very little work (its only 8 years old, and the previous owners went with some nice upgrades where it really counted while building) the need for paint is driving me crazy. EVERYTHING is flat, builder basic beige, even the ceiling (cause getting white ceilings is an upgrade that runs about $2000 while building). I’m DYING to get some color in, but still waiting for inspiration. Plus we’ll have to save up to have large portions of the house done professionally, since we have a 2 story foyer, hallway and family room.
Danielle says
We’re on a DO EVERYTHING NOW bender at my house – laundry room reno = 2+ weeks without a washer (also = some creative wardrobe choices!)
Love the colour selection you have.
Also:
1. Your sunroom paint colour gave me a Peter Gabriel brain worm!
2. Frozen is the best Disney movie in recent years and is in fact the only movie to receive 5/5 stars during our home movie night. I will not comment on the sophistication of our rating system.
YoungHouseLove says
So funny!
xo
s
Stephanie says
I know this is a paint the walls post, but I just used your tips for painting a bunch of extra storage cabinets. I painted them this pretty coffee brown, but for some reason there are still a bunch of little areas where I didn’t quite get a good coat on (despite three coats of paint!). I’m talking about the little grooves of the cabinet face and the edges. Should I use a foam brush to get in there? The 2″ brush was really too big, and I felt like when I painted one edge of the cabinet it would wipe off some of the paint from another party, which probably accounts for these areas where you can see the wood or primer poking through.
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, that sounds like a nappy roller (one made for textured surfaces) might help. I’d try that!
xo
s
Renee says
Love all of these painting tips. I’ll be painting my son’s room soon, so these will come in handy.
I was wondering what you all would suggest for picture frames if you have dark furniture in your living room. We’re moving and the living room is painted a soft green. I have a ton of different colored frames and thought maybe I could spray paint them all one color to be uniform to one another.
YoungHouseLove says
I think wood ones would be nice to go with the furniture – or black. I have also seen a bunch of frames in one color (like orange in a sophisticated foyer) and it looked amazing! So if you have a hue you love (ex: navy, putty, deep emerald, etc) that could be really fun!
xo
s