When Jay and I went house shopping, over twelve years ago, I thought I wanted an old home. It gets better. I actually thought I wanted a fixer-upper. Keep in mind, this was before kids, so aside from my love of transforming spaces, I was young, energetic and ambitious (not to mention foolish.) Honestly, I have so much respect for people who can live through a home renovation without losing their minds. I wish I could do it…but I don’t think I could. The midstream chaos would absolutely drive me nuts, nuttier than I already am on a good day. So needless to say I’m happy that we ended up with a new home twelve years ago.
The bad news is this…fast forward twelve years, and ironically, my wish has come true: suddenly I have what feels like an “old” home just without the charm of built-ins, arched doorways, or exposed brick. Now, don’t get me wrong, I realize a twelve year old home isn’t truly old…but I also realize that many areas in my home are definitely in need of some serious freshening up. And other areas…well…they could use a complete renovation.
From years of magazine reading I’ve learned that one of the fastest ways to freshen up a home is with paint. So, I’m getting ready to do some (serious) painting. Our master bedroom and bathroom were the first rooms we painted in the house, and let’s just say my taste has changed in the past twelve years. Actually, my taste changed 12 minutes after putting the first brush stroke of paint on the wall in the master bedroom. I knew it was a mistake right then and there. But staring at the five gallon paint bucket filled with over a hundred dollars worth of periwinkle paint, I bit my tongue and just kept on painting. Little did I know I would live with this mistake for twelve years.
The other room in our home that desperately needs a paint job is the hallway. It still has builder white paint on it. Try not to picture that…twelve year old builder white paint that has survived two babies, two toddlers, and now two big kids, along with the abuse of three dogs (not all at one time), and two adult humans. Uh…it isn’t pretty.
After twelve years of living with a paint color in my master bedroom that I don’t particularly like, you might say I’m a bit gun-shy about selecting a new paint color. I really want to get it right this time…and well, that added pressure is verging on perfection paralysis.
The best thing to do when you’re feeling paralyzed is to take some forward action. So last weekend, I combined a couple of ideas shared with me by Jean, a friend of mine who I met in our online workshops. Jean loves to discuss paint colors, which is really helpful when you’re like me and tend to become paralyzed by such decisions.
Jean showed me this blog post which talks about the importance of coordinating paint selection throughout your home. While on the surface this seems to complicate things even more, in reality, this thought process will help ensure I’m happy with the colors I select for my bedroom, bathroom and hallway. If the house flows well color-wise I just know I’ll like it all the better. (Maybe that’s been the trouble with the periwinkle all along?)
The second idea Jean shared was that she paints a piece of poster board to test paint colors before putting them on the wall (and buying five gallons of paint!) This allows her to view paint in a variety of lighting conditions (morning sun, evening sun, etc.) before deciding on a specific color. After the paint selection fiasco of 1997, I have done something similar, but instead of using poster board I used drywall. Poster board is much simpler solution, and best of all, this idea combined with the floor plan idea mixed together in my mind to create this:
I loved the idea of creating a floor plan with paint color swatches, but I wasn’t keen on the idea of doing it digitally. I’m a low tech girl at heart, and I wanted to be sure that the colors on my floor plan were accurate. The colors on my monitor are a bit off. So I thought why not use real, leftover paint? This would ensure the color was accurate and it would make for a portable color swatch. I could take my floor plan paint swatch to the paint store with me when selecting paint colors for the bedroom, hall and bathroom. And I can take it along on any other home décor shopping trip. (Heaven knows my purse is big enough to accommodate this.)
I found a piece of heavy white chipboard, left over from some sort of Russell and Hazel product. It’s shiny white, kind of like the baseboards and trim paint in my house. So, not only can I see all the paint colors in my house, and the flow from room to room, I can also see how the paints will work with the baseboards.
If you’re considering your own painting projects, this is a remarkably satisfying little project that takes virtually no time at all. To make mine, I took a photo copy of our house floor plan and placed it on top of the chipboard. Then, using an embossing tool I traced the outline of the home and the various rooms. Next, I went over the indents from the embossing tool with a Sharpie and a ruler, creating a rough floor plan on the chipboard. Finally, I painted each room in the home using leftover paint from each painting project and a small paint brush. And quite revealing…I didn’t realize I had such a thing for pastels. Interesting…
So now what? Well, I think my next step will be to find a new quilt for our bed. If you know of any great bedding out there, or if you know of any cool websites that carry bedding or modern quilts, I’d love to hear about them. I think once I select a new quilt or comforter cover… I just might be ready to make the big paint decision.
I started compiling a colour story with paint chips as early as my first apartment. I love it when colours have the same tonal value to create a cohesive yet colourful look. I love the idea of the floor plan though.
One tip I often tell people about picking paint is, natural colours are a LOT more grey than what we think. So if you like a colour at the store but worry it may be too bright, pick the same colour from a chip lower down on the rack. I have had people comment on what colours in my house they love and when they look at my chips, can’t believe how subtle the tones appear.
Years ago when I bought my first house and was contemplating paint colors, an interior designer friend had a similar piece of advice…which helped me tremendously. When considering the colors in your home – find a painting, a chachki, a vase, a something that you love…that you love the colors. Use that piece as your inspiration and compare all choices to that piece.
We like sage green and cherry wood tones, so I found a Yankee candle holder that had the best colors…all warm tones…and we used it for every room…makes the house feel cohesive even though we have taupe, brick red, sage green and brown. 🙂 Good luck and be brave!
Also, this time, buy a quart first, try it on the wall, live with it for a week, THEN buy the 5 gallon bucket. 🙂
This is a great idea- love it, i always just purchase the paint. Can’t wait to see what bedding you choose. Look at these sites for cool color combination and fabrics,
http://www.nochintz.com/themes.php
http://www.mainecottage.com/Fabric.aspx
Ikea has some really nice white duvet covers that are not too expensive. Paired with a nice afghan or blanket at the foot of the bed makes the bed look fresh and its easy to change the colors.
AS someone who has always had trouble choosing colours, the piece of advice from a friend (whose decor colours I love) was: for bedrooms, pick your duvet cover/quilt cover FIRST, then match the curtains and paint colours to that. Doing it the other way round is next to impossible (you have wall colour and curtains that go, and then can’t find a bed covering…. I know this is true, I’ve been there more times than I can count).
Good luck with your decorating!
My gosh, I could have written the exact same post (except for the periwinkle -our first bedroom mistake was purple and then we did a small bedroom vibrant yellow. We need to paint pretty much all the way through, and this time we have chosen Dulux’s Fair Bianca half tint. That’s pretty much half of white. We’ve well and truly learned our lesson! Wendy xxx
I got a beautiful comforter set at overstock.com but my washing machine destroyed the decorative ribbon. I’m partial to duvet covers anyway; so we are back to those. Like a pillowcase for your blanket or comforter. Ours is from Bed Bath & Beyond, but you can find them everywhere-and best deals I’ve found are places like TJ Max and Overstock.com Ours is burgandy, and I’m considering getting a spring green one so I can switch them with the seasons. Duvet covers are a dream (especially with a down comforter inside from Pacific Coast Feather company), but they are usually very simple looking and not as fancy/decorative as I’d like. That could be solved by making one from flat sheets or pretty fabric. I’d better get looking!
Oh yess, I second the Ikea idea for cheap but nice looking covers. If you can though I’d look for one with a high thread count or more importantly get a set of nice sheets in a high thread count 400 or more. Luxery! And I have found queen sets of sateen 400 count sheets at TJ Max for $12. Sometimes they are closer to $20.
Oh My Gosh! I can’t believe you haven’t painted your house in 12 years. We’ve been in ours 10 years and every single room has been painted twice. Kitchen/dining/entrance is just getting ready for the 3rd go round.
You have to get a tester or even a few chips and put them on each wall in that room. Sometimes a few spots on one wall – one where the light will hit, one where it one, one up high, one down low. Then you have to look at that paint morning, noon and night. Then you will know if you truly love that paint all the time. Then it’s time to go buy a few gallons of paint.
Remember paint is the cheapest way to transform a room. Quicker and easier than renovating or purchasing new furniture.
I am doing a reno right now and I just keep telling myself “it will be worth it when it’s done” repeat, repeat.
I really do love this blog. I have made a sortof homework hub, you inspired me so. I am hoping when I move back to my own house I can use some more ideas too.
The floor plan with paint swatches is a great idea! I was in paralysis mode choosing paint colors too. I had watched soooooo many HGTV shows and I loved the bluey-greys and tans. Well, 15 varying paint sample pots, lots of squares painted on various walls, and I still couldn’t commit. The cost of the samples was more than a couple of gallons of paint!
I gave up and went through model homes. They are professionally decorated to make you want to buy the home so why shouldn’t I steal…erm… take influence from their work?
I found a home that I loved the colors. I tried to match colors on a huge paint deck that I purchased. When I couldn’t find the exact shades, I asked the sale reps and they were able to find and tell me the exact paint color.
I was still nervous, but I had to remember that I saw it on the walls of a home and how I felt in the space. I am in the process of painting now and I am happy with it thus far.
I just need the way to paint larger swatches so that I can match the paint when looking for fabric.
I also love the idea of the mason jars for paint (in the pictures). Wow – I am happy that I found this site.
I bought a brand new house and I have some quart cans of touch-up paint, but I do like the ideas of the jars better. Neater and I can see the color quickly. Plus, it will make more sense than holding onto a large gallon can that only has a little bit of paint in it, but I don’t want to throw it out, but I don’t want to store the can either.
Wow! This is such a great idea to use poster board to test paint colors before putting them on the wall. Though I had some idea regarding color combination flow, I hadn’t heard about the other one. I’m designing my new place so I’ll surely consider this tip while choosing the colors for painting. Thanks a lot for sharing!