Tag: painting

Bathroom, Sneak Peek

I said when I returned the bathroom would have painted walls, and here I am, true to my word!

Painting such a dark color over white took three coats. For those of you who missed the inspiration board, I used Arboretum by Behr in eggshell. It was very quick since it was a small space, and the transformation is totally worth it.

Bathroom, Painted

Although the color is super saturated, due to the white cabinet, toilet, and shower curtain, plus the ivory countertop and shower surround, the room does not feel dark. I am so pleased with the transformation, especially considering how quick it was to make a big difference. Someday I would love to change out the vanity/cabinet, and replace the light fixture. For now, I feel that the dramatic color elevates the existing pieces. It looks even better in person. I really ought to figure out how to manually white-balance my camera. Any tips?

Bathroom, Painted

Can’t wait to return with true “after” photos! I have some finishing touches to add (many of them are finished, but I’m waiting for an art print to come in the mail) and I’ll be ready to show ya!

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Open Your Eyes

If you’re reading this, I assume your eyes are open. What I’m really talking about here is something we really should have done to our home waaaay back last fall when we painted the exterior. Painting the wood sections between window panes.

Here’s how it used to look:

And after the exterior was painted (above picture from last September, below picture from last November):

I don’t think you can tell unless I point it out, but all the wood in between the window panes on the front three windows (and all over the house if we’re being honest) was still painted maroon. Burgundy. Whatever color you want to call it, it certainly wasn’t doing much to make the windows stand out. Which they should, because they are pretty cool!

So, finally we painted all the wood in between the frames with Olympic exterior white and let me tell you– it took forever. I don’t know if it was the paint or what, but each window took like three coats which was sooooo time consuming. I’m talking like a season and a half of Parks and Rec. Yes, I even primed beforehand to attempt to prevent the burgundy coming through, but to get a nice even look, it still took three coats.

Anyway, here’s the house now (in blaring sunlight)… doesn’t it look like the house’s “eyes” are wide open? Also, our flower bed is out. of. control.

With the bamboo blinds down, it looks most dramatic. What an update! And I don’t know if it’s a placebo effect or not, but having all that extra woodwork painted white makes it feel like more light streams into the house than before, when they were dark burgundy.

Isn’t it funny how something minor like that can make a big difference? The maroon is now banished from every square inch of the exterior. Preparing a house for sale can sure light a fire under you to take care of long-neglected details, can’t it? 

Let There be White, Part 2

Okay. The other two rooms took longer and took more paint, but this is the real dramatic improvement. The hallway.

What once was a two-toned, navy blue tunnel of sadness…

has turned into a white tunnel of not-quite-as-sad-ness. The ridiculous plaster effect cannot be dealt with, but at least with white on the walls it isn’t bad. In fact, my MIL says it looks like cake frosting–which is true, and actually makes me want to relive the success of my chocolate cake endeavor.

Here are some progress shots:

Yes, covering the blue was UH-HAWFUL!

So, several coats around the edging, two rolled-on coats of paint (with a high-nap roller to get into all that texture) and a bazillion hours of brush work (my fancy term for poking the end of the brush into all the little holes and crevices) the hallway officially resembles cream-cheese frosting.

Breaking up the grey tones of the two bedrooms with the white hallway actually makes them look lighter and less intense, making my decision not to paint those rooms much easier. With lots of white and light-colored accents the darker rooms will still fit into the cohesive “look” I’m hoping to incorporate throughout the house.

Has anyone else painted an extremely textured wall? Commiserate with me in the comment section.