Oh, painting. Why do we always get fooled into thinking it’s going to be a fun job? It’s just like wrapping a ton of Christmas gifts. You do it so infrequently that when it’s time to do it again, you’ve forgotten how much it really…well, isn’t fun. At all.
At first it’s exciting. Oooo, pretty colors! Fresh supplies! You’ll blast some of your favorite tunes and turn this blank slate into something beautiful that everyone will enjoy!
But then. Mistakes happen. Supplies run low in the middle of the job. It takes way longer than you ever thought it would and by the end of the day you’re so tired of crawling around on the floor you can’t believe you EVER thought it was going to be fun. Lesson learned. Until you forget again, that is.
In our new place, every single surface had to be painted. Every. Single. One. Every wall, every piece of trim, every interior and exterior door. All 2200 square feet of finished living space, in every room, every hallway, every nook and every cranny.
See, the previous owners (oh, those pesky previous owners!) they did SOME painting. (Some. Until they obviously got tired of it, sometimes before they even finished the wall right in front of them.) And by some miracle we didn’t even hate all of their color choices. But it just wasn’t done very well. Drips, rough edges, blobs all over the ceiling. It had to be redone. We couldn’t stand it. Plus most of the trim, baseboards and door jams, and all of the interior and exterior doors were still in primer – that is, never painted at all.
While normally we’d just strap on our worn-out, yucky painting jeans and just go after it while quietly cursing every stroke of the roller under our breaths, this job proved to be too large for us to handle. And, as much as it pained us (Cheap does not even begin to cover it, for realz), we decided to go ahead and leave this one to the pros. So, we were handed a book of swatch samples the size of an unabridged dictionary and told to choose.
We spent hours wandering our empty house trying to decide. One of the toughest jobs ever. If you do it yourself, hey, it’s just paint and as annoying as it would be to redo an entire room after you decided you hated the color, it wouldn’t sting so bad. But when you’re PAYING someone (handsomely *ahem*) – there is tremendous pressure to get it right the first time.
When I think about the colors I want on the walls in my home, I get the warm fuzzies. Good thing Eric and I are on exactly the same page when it comes to this stuff. 🙂 (I knew we were made for each other!) We like neutrals that are rich in cozy hues, greens that are decidedly more yellow, and reds and golds that match the fiery flair of my spice cabinet. The frosty blues and aquas, steely grays and silvers, and cooling lilacs and purples that seem to be so popular these days just don’t do it for us. So much of the year is cold and gray around these parts, it’s hard for me to imagine bringing that vibe inside. With a toasty, cozy color pallete, we’re sure to have summer year round.
So the blues and grays are out and yellows and greens are in. The painters arrived and they didn’t leave for almost three weeks. THREE WEEKS. That’s a long time to be side-stepping around a work zone in your own house.
Good news though! It was worth it. LOVE. Every thing looks great, exactly like we hoped it would. All colors are Sherwin Williams interior. Here’s what we ended up picking:
From left to right:
- Red Cent-SW6341
- Beeswax-SW7682
- Hinoki-SW7686
- Muslin-SW6133
- Netsuke-SW6134
- Garden Sage-SW7736
Pics of swatches vary from what the color looks like on the wall. Obvs. 😉 But you get the general idea.
That saucy, spicy terracotta red ended up in the kitchen. It makes me hungry just looking at it. It’s also in the downstairs half bath.
That bees-knees honeycomb gold keeps our small, cozy den warm and inviting. It will look great next to a roaring fire and a steaming mug of hot chocolate. We also used this one to gussy up the the guest bath upstairs and bring the sunshine into one of the bedrooms.
The rich but neutral tan is in the main living room, as well as the downstairs and upstairs hallways. It’s the perfect blend of understated and vibrant.
The lighter, slightly green tinted shade is much softer in person. It lightens up our master bath perfectly. With its dark vanities and textured tiles swirled with milk chocolate brown and slate gray, this shade makes our bathroom modern, yet cozy. It’s also in a bedroom.
The next shade over is the previous shade’s neighbor on the color swatch. They are like BFFs. 😉 It’s just tad darker and richer. We put this on the walls in the master bedroom and it flows perfectly from the bathroom. The fourth and final bedroom was done in this shade as well.
The sage green is my favorite of the bunch. Naturally, as green is my favorite color! In person, it’s earthy and warm and a lot less drab. It makes the bay windows in the front of the house pop. It highlights our lovely headboard and double door entry in the master bedroom. And it breaks up the tan as an accent in loft that’s open to the living room. Oh, and it’s blanketed the laundry room. If I have to do my least favorite chore, at least I can be surrounded by my favorite color while I’m doing it! 🙂
So, the painting is done! YAY! We’re slowly but surely making the house our own and I’m anxious for things to get back to normal. Boxes, boxes everywhere! Eek!
In food news: The kitchen is open once again! YAY! I spent hours (days?) organizing my kitchen and I think I’m finally back in business. It’s going to be a great place to create and share deliciousness with family, friends and all of you. I’ll be celebrating with a GIVEAWAY! Yes, a fabulous giveaway coming at ya this week. Just in time for my third (!) blogiversary which just happens to be this Saturday!
So! See you all in a few days with a new recipe and a fun surprise. I’m SO ready to put the food back in this food blog! 🙂
One Year Ago: Shrimp and Sausage Boil Pizza
Two Years Ago: Chicken Marsala Pasta Toss
Milk & Honey 