So there's definitely not enough time to get all my painting done before we move in, but we can shuffle stuff around and paint one room at a time once we're there. So I've prioritized, and just got home from buying samples for three roooms.
1. Master bedroom - currently a pale lavender which is actually very nice but doesn't really go with our bedding which has deep browns, light greens and neutrals. Also my Mom has made us a king size quilt; here's a sampler of some of the fabrics.
So I was looking for a pale warm gray. I can't do tans or beiges but grays I love. I got a sample of Gray Owl (3rd from left.) We'll see.
2. Office - It's the second largest bedroom in the house and it will be the office/sewing/art studio which means it could be any color. So I went searching for inspiration, and found it at Modern Nursery:
I went with a slightly brighter blue since the room only has one window - Patriotic White (last on the right.)
Right now that room is the most heinous brown-orange which Ed actually likes - as soon as I heard that I realized I was on my own for design decisions. I love the anise wall stickers and am planning on getting them for the room as well.3. Girls' bedroom - right now it's a yellowy neutral color but I want a little more definition. Plus I want to do a section with magnetic primer so that will have to be painted over anyway. I saw a room in a magazine (can't find it now) that led me to pale yellow-olive greens, and I also went paging through my set of Ida Pearle alphabet cards I've been saving and planning to hang in the girls' room (hence the magnetic primer.) I found inspiration in the W card:
And got a sample of Pale Sea Mist, which looked a lot more like the W card in the store than it does on my screen...which is why we spend the extra money for samples!
The main floor - living, dining, kitchen - are OK for now but I plan on a major makeover at some point. I'm exploring wallpaper - it's making a comeback! - and could die I love THIS so much. But I mustn't be hasty!Basing expectations on experience, I fully expect to hate whatever I do and want to change it over and over and never be satisfied. And I can. Cause it's my house!
6 comments:
We painted a ton in our first house and when we sold it our realtor INSISTED we paint it all back neutral. I was bitter that we covered up all our hard work. So bitter that I have only painted one small strip in this house. But now I am officially bored with the plain beige (which I can't stand) walls. Your color choices look pretty, at least on the monitor. I am going to follow your lead and do sample paint this go round. It is much easier than repainting an entire room!
We are still waiting to paint our house. The builder told us to wait a year for the house to settle (and I am glad we did there are a few cracks that the antique whites really show) They will fix it in July and then we will paint away. I have already planned the girls room, I am amazing at the magnetic paint thing I never knew!! I am going to utilize chalkboard paint though! I have no idea what I will be doing with the rest of the rooms but I am sure getting one done will inspire! I am so excited to see the finished results! Because well... Kari is doing it .. and everything (IMHO) you do is amazing!
I just moved in today. I had NO experience painting (I don't know how much experience you have) and the painting just took longer than I expected.
Like you, I prioritized the bedrooms because those spaces will be less flexible once moved in.
I went BOLD (perhaps as a reaction to finally getting out of white-walled rentals). The master is now a deep blue--like navy. The boys room is a bright apple green, and Lily's room is an orange (not brownish!)--I wanted something that could be girly but not pink/purple. We have a playroom that had wood paneling--I painted the whole thing white and then did stripes, covering the wider panels in the same green from the boys' room. I really like the way it turned out.
The living room is going to be a golden yellow and the dining a grey/blue. The kitchen has some tile in it I won't be changing in the forseeable future, so I picked out some greys in it and am using that on the walls--they are quite similar to the greys you chose. On the wall, they look paler than I had imagined.
My house is circa 1930 and has gumwood trim throughout, so I tried to pick tones that would compliment that.
My only regret is the finish--as a novice, I took the advice of the paint gut who I told I had kids and he recommended Satin, so I got it for everything, but I wish I had done a flatter finish in my room. Oh well.
I refuse to decorate for the next owner, and (since I am exhausted from todays' move) do not plan to move again ever!
I like the IDEA of chalkboard paint, but am afraid of teaching the kids they can write on walls. Maybe when they are older.
Emily - awesome, i want to see pictures!!! i agree, no way am i decorating for the next owner. isn't this one of the privileges of home ownership, i can finally decorate the way i want?
i am NOT using chalkboard paint, that is a separate thing and i agree about not letting kids write on walls. i am using MAGNETIC PRIMER and then painting my regular wall color over it, so that section of the wall will be magnetic so i can put up the alphabet cards or kids' art or whatever else i want, using magnets instead of tape or tacks. i got the idea at someone else's house - they had a wall section between the kitchen and living room with art, homework, permission slips, flyers, etc. magneted to the regular-looking wall and told me it was magnetic primer. can't wait to try it (it's expensive though! $34 for a quart at Benjamin Moore which covers 16 square feet with 3 coats which is recommended. that's just the right amount for me.)
i love the magnetic primer idea. now you've got me thinking. i was going to put up strips of steel, but the magnetic primer would blend in so much better.
happy painting! have fun moving! how many moves in how many years of marriage are you up to now?!
Our new house is neutral tones throughout and I plan to paint at some point, but just don't have the energy/motivation now. I went all-out painting our Villa in Sharjah only to pay to have it repainted when we moved so I can relate to MiaKatie.
I'll be anxious to see what you do and file away some ideas for later :)
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