Stairwell Upgrade - Molding Details

Our stairwell received an upgrade just after the painting was finished. Of course, that timing was completely wacked because I should have done the molding before the painting. Whoops. As a result, I did a lot of painting of the new trim in the evenings but it went pretty quickly so it was worth it.

Here's our stairwell before.

This all started because my brother added beautiful molding to his stairways earlier this year. It looks amazing and after visiting them (and our new niece!) I decided that we HAD to it too. Handy Hubby was ready to break out the miter saw so we dug into it the following weekend.

And here's the finished stairway. I LOVE it. It was really worth Handy Hubby's hard work. I really only painted it so all of the credit goes to him.

That mirror was a great clearance find from Target last summer.

Paint: Walls - Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter; Trim - Sherwin Williams Toque White

New Paint Reveal - Finally

We had the house painted over the summer and I have spent a lot of time rethinking a lot of things in my house since then. Everything is painted Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter, perhaps the most overused color in the blogosphere but it's a fabulously versatile color. Here's the long overdue reveal. Apologies for the sometimes not so great pictures - these were taken on a gloomy, rainy Sunday. Also, I cleaned up the major clutter but the toys and kitchen stuff is the stuff that is always on my counters and I chose to leave thing as they are so you can see how we really live (sort of - it's usually way messier!!).

Pot of chili bubbling on the stove on a rainy, cool fall Sunday afternoon - nothing better.

And our family room which is the hardest room to photograph in the house. So many windows and views into other spaces. I never put the curtains back up and I still love the open feeling, especially on the back doors.

Here's the living room. The color really works well with the wheat colored furniture and brass accents. I would love to replace the coffee table but haven't found the right thing. I may change out the art over the fireplace with another piece that I already have.

Perhaps my favorite shot of this reveal is this one of our front door. The new paint color really sets off the painted front door. I loved it before but now I love it even more. This is also a very accurate depiction of how the color looks in person, in case you are considering it for your own space.

"We can either paint or move. You pick."

I uttered those words to Handy Hubby a few months ago. He quickly said that painting was a good idea. Of course he hates moving and I know that so it was a slam dunk (and, no, I really don't have any desire to move). I love yellow but I was just tired of being hemmed in by a somewhat specific color (although if you like warm colors then it's a great, versatile option). I felt it wasn't working with the direction my decor was going, and I was feeling bored.

I sampled a ton of paint thanks to the generosity of friends and clients with lots of gray and taupe paint samples. I finally decided on Revere Pewter. Actually, it was an easy choice. As soon as I put the sample on the wall I liked it so it quickly became a contender. I also liked Sherwin Williams Alpaca and a few others but Revere Pewter had the right mix of gray and tan, and it also worked really well with blue.

I also felt like it was a color and not just a variation on white which was my goal. Although I do like white... maybe my next paint job.

And here's how it looks today.

It has been 2 weeks since it was finished and I love how it came out. I am so glad we made this change. It has also been a great opportunity to rethink my art choices and various accessories. Any time you take everything out of a space, it's an opportunity to think again about how you want your rooms to feel. This time my dad put the blinds back up but I decided to leave the curtains off for a while and see how I feel about it. The curtains were weighing the room down and who needs a heavy-feeling room in the summer? 

Of course, this has led to several more projects. More to come!

Repainting - What the what?!

So... I'm seriously considering repainting the main areas of our house. I have had the same color in our house for literally 12 years and I'm ready to make a switch. I convinced Handy Hubby by saying that I was feeling a bit bored and maybe we should buy a new house. He nearly filed divorce papers so I suggested repainting and magically he was on board! #aimhigh This also solves the nail pops which have appeared out of nowhere in the last 3 months - likely because it has been so $%^&-ing cold. 

Now the major question - what color. We currently have 90% of our home painted Sherwin Williams Ivoire. 

So now it's down to what direction do I want to take it. The obviously choice is a gray neutral or "greige" color. I'm sure that's where I'll end up but I'm considering all sorts of things. Fortunately the furniture is generally neutral so I don't need to make any radical changes there. I may paint the dining room furniture. (Don't tell Handy Hubby). I also may add some wallpaper in the dining room to freshen it up further.  

Here are some of my favorite colors currently in the running - 

Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter

J. Hirsch Interiors

But I'm a little worried about the slight green undertone. I am banishing green from my house purely out of boredom and no other reason.

Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray

Young House Love

But maybe a little too tan still and a little bit "not a color" - know what I mean?

Benjamin Moore Valley Forge Tan

Martha O'Hara Interiors

But maybe a little dark and possibly green. I think it would be amazing in my kitchen and family room but might be a little dark in our living room. Could be amazing in the family room with all the white trim. Hmmm...

Benjamin Moore Gray Owl

I also love this color. It looks really different in different lights and works well with white molding. It has so much going for it. Definitely a front runner. 

I guess I need to pick up some paint samples soon!

New Front Door! And New Colors!

I absolutely loved our original wood front door. It was pretty and let light in without giving up too much privacy. But our beloved Angus destroyed it due to his absolute hatred for our mailman. Sadly, Angus died about a year ago, but that meant that we could get our new door that we needed desperately.  We had it installed by a contractor who worked on our addition - we loved his finish work so we knew he was the right one for the job.

Handy Hubby then did a bunch of coats of paint on the front - we ended up with Sherwin Williams Loyal Blue (after a brief stint with SW Bosphorous which I did not like at all).  And here she is looking all pretty for fall. I love how the orange and gold pop against the blue. So pretty!

But on the inside, I decided to jump on the painted door train. Wow. I'm glad I did!

It's the perfect way to introduce a bit more gray into our living room.  The color is Sherwin Williams Serious Gray (which we also used in my son's room). Also, that entry rug is from HomeGoods! 

Chalk Paint Trial - Silver Storage Chest

Happy Day After Labor Day!  (not)  I know there are a lot of Fall lovers out there and while I enjoy the change of seasons and the new clothes and accessorizing opportunities that brings, I truly detest winter.  Last winter was a horrible winter in DC so I am really not looking forward to it.  And we have had the MOST beautiful summer that almost anyone from this area can imagine.  We have had very few days in the 90s which is so unusual.  I kind of like the 90 degree temps though.  Weird, I know.  But, my youngest starts kindergarten today… {sniff}.  Makes me feel a bit old actually - no more preschoolers.  But, life marches on and so shall I!

Back to the blog business…

After years of reading about the glories of chalk paint, I decided to take the plunge.  I won some sample canisters of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint at a local craft show so I decided to give it a shot… This stuff is awesome.  I'm tempted to do my entire dining room set!  (Handy Hubby might murder me though…)

I started small.  Here's my silver chest.  Really traditional and just wasn't working for me any more.  If the chalk paint couldn't save it, it was headed to the yard sale pile.  It was a wedding gift though and it served its purpose so I didn't want to totally abandon it just yet.

First, I removed the never-engraved brass plate on top.

Next I taped off the edges of the velvet interior.  I'm thankful the interior is brown instead of bright blue or red.  Then I started painting the whole thing.  I used a regular Purdy paint brush and brushed it on as I would any other paint.  I did not sand the wood first.

Then I sanded mall of the edges down a big.  I should also note that I painted the hardware since it would have required removing the interior velvet liner. No thanks.  I just painted it.  Then I waxed it all with some regular old furniture wax (not Annie Sloan's - sorry Annie, had to use what we had around already).  And here's the result…

It's not perfect with the lamps but both are going to stay for now.  Still a major improvement from the original!