Painting: Before + After

We did it. We painted our whole house. We were motivated by the $4k painting quotes we received, and I'm so glad we went for it. It felt good to save thousands of dollars and do something that requires more patience and inconvenience than skill. Here are some before and afters of our "masterpiece." It's not perfect, but it's ours. That's exactly what makes it so special. Mark and I made quite the team since he likes rolling, and I like taping and detail. Boom. We rocked it over the course of two weekends maxing out at 4 hours a day. See? It really wasn't that bad. Call me crazy (because I know this sounds bonkers), but I thought there was something romantic about listening to good music and making our house a home with my husband. Cannot wait to move in soon...!

Formal Living + Dining

Before: Yellow and even brighter yellowy orange | After: Sherwin Williams Sea Salt

Sunroom

Before: More Yellow | After: Sherwin Williams Jogging Path

Master Bedroom

Before: Pale, pale blue (which I actually didn't mind--a very pretty color! I just wanted "white space" in our bedroom) | After: Sherwin Williams Pearly White (walls) Sherwin Williams Anonymous (doors)

Guest Bedroom

Before: My mom called it "flesh." Up close it was tan/pink/nude all rolled into one. A weird color. | After: Sherwin Williams Sea Salt

Guest room interior doors (all Sherwin Williams Anonymous) in progress

Hallway

Before: (You guessed it?) YELLOW. | After: Sherwin Williams Pearly White

Our hallway is my favorite!!! I love the contrast of pearly white with the dark doors. I cannot wait to get a gallery wall up along the biggest wall.

Not pictured...

Kitchen/Laundry/Mudroom: (The one room we didn't paint! It's light gray. :))

Den: Before: Yellow (duh) | After: Sherwin Williams Jogging Path; Brick Fireplace: Sherwin Williams Pearly White

Nancy's Nursery: Before: "Flesh" | After: Sherwin Williams White Dogwood

Bathrooms: TBD...we'll get back to you on painting pink tile and sanding a billion specks of glitter off of the walls...

Aaaand done! The look of success at the end. Since this was our first "go" at painting, I didn't know if this experience was going to make us want to strangle each other or not. Fortunately it was a project we both enjoyed and felt proud of! 

Also -- a big shout out (and thank you!!!!!) to my sissy for being Nancy's babysitter. We couldn't have pulled this off without dropping Nancy [and bottles full of pumped milk] off at sissy's house before painting each weekend. Cheers, sista!

Past Posts:
Think Before You Paint: 7 Thoughts to Consider
Painting our QC Home

Painting our QC Home

After a morning meeting with my designer yesterday (aka my MAMA!), we nailed down paint colors for our Queen City home. It was quick decision time...before the 40% off sale ended at Sherwin Williams. We got it done, and boy was it exciting! At least to me. I stinkin' love this kinda stuff! Hubby and I are planning to do most of the painting ourselves for the first time for the love of saving a few [thousand] bucks. Here goes nothin'!

I took the above picture straight from our meeting venue: our butts on the kitchen floor surrounded by 13905315 paint swatches. So fancy but so necessary because of the natural light. You'll see some old favorites (Jogging Path and Sea Salt) and some newbies (the rest of them!). 
Here's the breakdown:

In my humble opinion, the computer images of the colors only go so far in terms of mimicking reality. They're all a lot lighter in real life. But just for imagination's sake, here's where each of these colors will go!
Sea Salt: Formal Living, Dining Room, Guest BedroomThis is the second time I've used Sea Salt. It was in the guest bedroom (and almost Nancy's nursery) in our Wilmington home. I believe it to be the perfect combination of gray, mint, and blue all rolled into one perfect neutral.
Jogging Path: Den, Sunroom, Guest BathroomAnother old favorite, this is the third time I've used Jogging Path in our main living areas. It is hands down the perfect "greige" in my book. I'm really excited about using it in the guest bath. Why? It's going to cover up pink tile! Did y'all know you can paint tile for a temporary quick fix instead of gutting the bathroom? Goodbye pink (on the walls and floor), hello Jogging Path! Thank. Goodness.
Pearly White: Foyer, Hallway, Master Bedroom, Brick FireplaceI chose this color completely inspired by the walls of my sister's new home (which are Benjamin Moore China White). I knew I wanted more "white space" in our next home, and this was our pick! Yay for white!!! (Even though the above image doesn't make it look white at all. Oh well! Silly computers.)
White Dogwood: NurseryOkay. Mom and Hope had to talk me into this one. If it weren't for Mallory's most recent One Room Challenge using this color, I probably would've kept my foot down with keeping Nancy's nursery Sea Salt. So...light pink nursery...here we come! Eeeek! And confession: the fact that this paint color is called "white dogwood" totally helped. A) The word "white" is in the color, and B) Dogwood is the North Carolina state flower! So fitting for my tiny southern girl, right? :)
Anonymous: All interior doorsI've used SW Urbane Bronze in the past (which I still love!), but mama talked me into changing it up and using Anonymous. She said it's what she'll choose in the future, so I'm just going for it. She's a pro; I'm sure she's right about this decison. (I still love you, Urbane Bronze!) Anonymous still makes for a dark door--and I love dark doors always--so I'm sure I'll love it.
[Omitted: Kitchen, Mudroom/Laundry, Master Bath]The kitchen is currently light gray, so we're keeping it that way. Same for the mudroom/laundry. Our beautiful master bathroom has royal blue tile and light blue walls with silver glitter...we are just going to live with that special combo until we save up to gut the master bath. I'll just pretend I'm a unicorn in a land of sparkles in the meantime. For the future, I'm daydreaming of light gray walls or a geometric wallpaper (maybe it would be better to not sand the glitter?) and lots of chrome hardware with whites/grays in all finishes.
If you read all of this, God bless you. I love interior design, so this post is thrilling to me while to others...it might be like watching paint dry. ;) Nonetheless, I am so excited to jump back into home decor posts and updates soon! Can't wait, y'all!
...And a blast from the past to remember:THINK before you PAINT: 7 Thoughts to Consider

THINK before you PAINT: 7 Thoughts to Consider

1. Looking to buy? Never judge a house by its paint colors.
Any loyal HGTV viewer knows this simple rule because it really is true. If you are buying a home, tell your eyes (and your brain) to look beyond any paint colors that don't strike your fancy. Paint is an easy fix and can immediately transform the aura of a room. Always look past the color of the walls!

2. Choose a color palette that's "you."
Think about colors you to which you gravitate. Are they pastels? Bold colors? Cool colors? Neutrals? Do you have a favorite color combination like blue and yellow or black and white? Get to know which colors you love.

Don't know where to start? That's okay! Look in your closet, your [past/future] wedding color scheme, your furniture, or your pins! Whether you realize it or not, I bet there is a palette you love the most.

 This is my palette: "seaside neutrals" (as I like to call them). These colors flow throughout each room in my home.

3. Go beyond the walls.
There is more to painting a house than merely the walls. Also consider the trim, doors, cabinets, and ceiling.

Trim is most commonly white. You can also match it to your wall color or do something funky and unique. It's your preference.
Don't forget doors! Even though I love light colors in general, I LOVE the contrast of a darker interior door.
Cabinets with builder's grade oak grain? Paint 'em! It's much easier on the eyes (and in sync with your color scheme!).
Look up at the ceiling! If there is a special room in your house, consider adding a P.O.C. {pop of color} to the ceiling. Envision light blue on your sunroom or porch ceiling, light pink in your baby girl's nursery, or maybe even a painted pattern above your home office. The possibilities are endless!

Left: Don't be afraid of the dark! Dark doors make a regal statement--especially when paired with light colored spaces.

Right: Look at the difference some paint makes! The kitchen hasn't been touched except for painting the cabinets and walls. What a change!!! (And just think...this will look even better with some fresh counter tops and shiny hardware! Oh, and painting the outlets too. Which leads to my next tip...)

4. Don't forget the electrical outlets and switches!
These little guys are all often neglected and remain the same color as when you purchased them from Lowes. Don't be afraid to paint these too! It's a little move that makes a big difference on a wall.

5. Professional vs. DIY
Know your budget. Decide what works best for your family. If you're the boss, great! If you hire someone, great! Be sure to check in often if you hire a professional. They might have questions you didn't think to tell them beforehand. And--if you're like me--you enjoy popping in unannounced to make sure everyone is on task. Time is money in this case...make sure the job is done smoothly and steadily! Know where your dollars are going. Try to keep track of what the house looks like at the beginning and end of each day (and in the middle if possible). You'll feel better knowing what work is (or isn't!) accomplished in a day's work.

6. Light Types
The truth is, it's very difficult to envision a paint color from a swatch...even with the larger swatches. If you are hesitant about a color or set of colors, pick up some samples from your preferred paint store. Paint portions of the wall -- it's okay! It won't matter since you're going to paint over them again anyway.

The paint color will look different throughout the day. Know that. Depending on how much (or how little) light is in the room, the paint will appear lighter or darker. Additionally, turn on a lamp. Surprise! Your paint "changes color" again with artificial light.

Image Source

7. Save colors you love.
Write them down, file them, back them up in an email...do whatever you need to do to make sure you keep record of the color of each room (company, name, and numbers). You might have some wear and tear that needs a little paint fix up over time, or if you move one day, you won't have to reinvent the wheel if you've already found what you love!

Happy painting!

Frankly, my dear...you should pop over here to visit my sweet sponsor, Jenni!