I’ve always known that a gallon of paint is the most cost-effective way to change the look of a room, but with this house, it was a complete transformation! Check out the power of paint in our new home!
Normally, I repaint the house myself, room by room. But here, I knew I wanted all of that golden oak trim painted white, and the foyer is way too high for me to reach. So, I called my favorite painters, and they came out to give me a hand. 18 gallons of paint later, we have a completely different house!
Before Painting
Here are some befores from Day 1:
Our Paint Colors
My goal with this house is to have a cohesive color palette of light, cool grey & white, with accents of navy & other neutral colors all throughout the space.
The main areas of the house were all a light tan color, and we decided to lighten and brighten with Benjamin Moore Bunny Gray. We used Ultra Spec in Eggshell all throughout the main areas of the house: Foyer, Formal Living & Dining Rooms, Den, Playroom, Stairwell, Hallway, Kitchen and Master Bedroom.
For the trim & doors, we went Benjamin Moore Decorators White in Satin Finish, using their Advance Base which is a self-leveling water based alkyd. Perfect for trim & doors!
After Painting
Sofa: West Elm & Chairs: West Elm, Coffee Table: I.O. Metro, Lamps: West Elm, Tray & Bronze Vase: Home Goods
It was very important to me to find a light gray that didn’t lean purple, green, blue, or brown. When I put all of the swatch cards side by side, Bunny Gray was the only one that didn’t seem to lean. On the walls, it leans a bit blue, but if its going to lean any way, I’d rather have it lean toward a soothing blue (that’s my favorite color). Decorators White is THE perfect pure white for the trim. I love it! The old trim had some cream in it, and when it’s painted over with Decorator White, its a MAJOR difference. It’s like the trim & doors are taking a fresh breath. I love it!
Poufs: Target, Lamps: West Elm, Chair & Ottoman: Crate & Barrel, Table: West Elm, Fan: Amazon
We still have bedrooms to paint, the laundry room, the bathrooms and the garage (its gross!), but having the main areas painted and eliminating all of that oak trim made a HUGE difference! I love it! It looks like a totally difference space!
What’s Next
These rooms are by no means finished, but they are getting there! We have grand plans for that railing in the playroom that we didn’t paint (it’s going away and getting replaced with something more functional), we need rugs and window treatments and new floors, new light fixtures everywhere, and much much more. Just having all of this painting done has calmed down the emergency-status of getting everything done right this minute…somewhat.
What do you think? What paint colors are you looking at to refresh your space? Do you have any favorite paint colors of all time that you can share? Any painting tips and tricks you want to share? Tell us in the comments!
Check out all of the Stacy’s Savings Total Home Makeover posts here!
Steve Miller says
Trying to find kitchen cabinet color that goes with agreeable grey walls, blue ridge polish countertops and light brown floors. Leaning toward bunny gray. Trim and backsplash is white. Suggestions?
Stacy says
Hi Steve,
The thing with color theory is that the undertones all have to match. I believe Agreeable Grey is a warm toned grey. Bunny Gray is a cool toned gray, it’s almost light blue in my house.
You really need to match the undertones in all of your colors, even the white, to make sure they don’t clash. Find some chips that are all the same undertones, get some samples and paint them on white posterboard, then carry them around your house in different places in different light to see what works best in your space.
Hope that helps!
~Stacy
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Sammie says
Stacy, I am trying so hard to find a light grey that leans blue, but not pastel, like in a nursery. This looks really pretty. We live in northern Idaho in a tri-level home. I a really need a grey that can bright during winter. Plus on the lower level the natural light is a bit dim.
Stacy says
Grey is a hard paint color to just tell someone “this color is what you’re looking for”. They all look different in every space. The best way to know is to get some test pots and put up squares all around your house so you can see what it looks like in different rooms at different times of the day with different lights.
Good luck!
~Stacy