laundry room progress ... and tips for selecting a great painter

To say the last 10 days have been crazy would be a huge understatement! Renovating in the middle of football season, I mean those two things are hectic in and of themselves... Add them together with all the other things that happen in life, and you have a very hectic reno! While technically, I was supposed to have 31 posts in the month of October for the "31 days challenge" - life happened. So, I will definitely complete the series, but more like by the middle of November! ha 

Anyway... The final details have been added and priming in the laundry room began yesterday! 

I absolutely love the contrast of the black window against the white walls and cabinetry. The countertop in here will be black as well, so the window and countertops will complement each other nicely. I am contemplating an awesome wall covering in here, too... more on that after my visit to the Design Center soon! 

future gift wrap station (right side of LR) 

hidden hot water heater and cabinets (left side of LR)

For the first phase of this renovation, we used "Painter A" - we needed the whole house, all walls, ceilings, doors, and trim painted - he came recommended and had the best price. For just painting, he did a good job and we saved a ton of money compared to the other bids we received... we didn't have any belongings in the house yet, so overspray wasn't really an issue.  Then...we had him come back to float and paint walls in a new bathroom and paint the screened porch. That was where we saw him trying to take short cuts and his quality of work was not what we saw the first time. Overspray was on the porch, porch floors, door, etc. We were glad when he left, never to return to our house again!

So for this phase, we are using "Painter B" - and we are so impressed with him and his crew! They have taken every precaution to prevent overspray on the walls and ceilings and other items in the laundry room, such as the hot water heater, which "Painter A" would have probably just ignored.  This crew takes their time and does the job right. Are they more expensive? Yes, but in the end it's worth it! Remember our motto "Do it right the first time!" I won't spend the next days and weeks cleaning up the mess that "Painter A" would have left behind.

The moral of the story, if you take a recommendation for a painter from a friend, make sure they painted the same items for your friend that they will be painting for you. A great wall and ceiling painter might not be a good cabinet painter - and vice versa. Also, did they paint before your friend moved in? Or after? Another great idea is for you to ask the painter what they will do as far as prep work before they begin painting - then you can point out any holes in their plan before they get started. 

Just a few little tidbits of helpful info after we learned the hard way!  

opposites attract.

You all know that we finally decided on a white for the walls , so now onto the doors.

The painter was painting all the walls and trim, so why not the doors, too? We wanted everything to look fresh and new. But fresh and new doesn't mean they have to be white! 

The pictures below caused me to fall in love with the idea of using contrasting opposites of white and black throughout our home. 

images

1 2 3 4 5 

Black doors, black windows, black built-ins. Oh my! Once I fell in love I just couldn't get enough! 

Originally we had planned to just paint the doors black.  Then, when those were painted and made such an impact, we decided to have the wet bar, pantry, and banister spindles painted black as well. Y'all. The contrast is amazing! 

So many friends have asked if we got all new doors because they can't believe that a regular 6-panel wooden door could make that much of a statement.  You should try it! But beware, your painter and contractor might think you are crazy. I got some weird looks in regards to what I wanted painted black, UNTIL they saw the finished product! And tell your painted ahead of time what you want to have painted black because they tend to think painting black is more difficult, so they may charge more. You'll likely want to know that up front!

The black we chose was Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black because it was the truest black, without red, blue, or brown undertones. 

You know I love my White Dove, but honestly white walls & white trim with white doors all throughout the house would have been too much of my new favorite color. The dark floors and the black doors make the white walls and trim really work well together! Now check out some before, progress, and after pics!

BEFORE 

DURING

AFTER

waiting for countertop installation

Which do you think makes more of an impact? The before pic? or the after?

You know what I think - but I would love to know what you think!

Do you prefer the contrast of white and black? Or do you have something you love even more?Do tell! 

OH! and make sure they spray. Don't let them brush. I'm serious about this.

The only door that was brushed was a pocket door between my office and the laundry room, on the day their sprayer broke. And I sure am glad it's a pocket door because you can see the brush strokes. When it's sprayed, it's perfection.

spraying interior doors

 spraying pantry shelves

paint 'em white.or die tryin'.

In case you are just joining in on the fun, read the articles from the previous 3 days to catch up! 

:: DAY 4 :: 
In my humble opinion, farmhouse walls should be white. At the least, please not the soggy yellow and dark orange of the walls when we took ownership of this one. Historically, walls of Farmhouses were white because farmers couldn't afford the more costly colors. Just trying to keep it real around here. 

Little did I know that wanting to keep it real with white walls would be the biggest headache I encountered throughout this entire renovation. Think about your house, every room has different light. Different Shadows. Different window placement. Lots of things you don't think about until you are selecting a whole home paint color. 

Y'all, the Hubs thought I was losing my mind. I bought 9 or 10 different sample size sizes of different "whites."  I went to the paint store 3 days in a row, maybe it was even 4. I lost track.  At one point I really thought I might not ever be able to pick a paint color. It was nuts. 

By the time I got upstairs, I guess I had narrowed it down a bit. But hardly. 6 of 9 is barely narrowed down.  

The problem began with the fact that the painter said he preferred Sherwin Williams. Well, hey, I am not a paint snob.  The paint brand wasn't on my list of "Non-Negotiables"... I figured that would be just. fine. Yet that's where the problems started. All 7 of the Sherwin Williams whites that I sampled had too much color saturation for our walls, whether it be yellow, grey, or cream.  

Now here is the kicker, I was trying to pick one white for walls and another for trim.  I was down to the wire, bottles and jars of samples on the paper taped kitchen counters. I threw in the towel for SW and headed to Benjamin Moore. 

While driving, I called my sister-in-law's mom, an amazingly talented Interior Designer in California, and told her I was losing my mind. In a total panic. She was so gracious and talked me down from the ledge, as she was prepping for an install. She also empathized with me and agreed that the Sherwin Williams whites weren't the best options.  Her go to white is Benjamin Moore's White Dove because it doesn't have undertones and goes with everything. That was the exact description I was looking for. Whew! She also suggested that I use the same color on the walls and trim, just different finishes. 

Y'all, I might still be testing paint samples if it weren't for her advice. She was so right. Benjamin Moore's White Dove was perfect. It was the warm white I was looking for, without being yellowish or full of cold grey. I used the EggShell finish on the walls, and semi-gloss on the trim. It. Rocks. And not just in the kitchen. It rocks in every single room!

If you are ever in a white painting pickle, just do yourself a favor and try it. We have received so many compliments on the color, and how perfectly it works with the flooring and door color. (More on that color tomorrow!) 

picking paint colors

Do you ever wish that picking paint colors was as easy as asking for:

"navy blue"

"gray"

"white"

I am constantly amazed by the vast amounts of shades, 

when it comes to just one paint color!

Yesterday, this is what I held up to the nursery walls and stared at...

I want gray walls...not too blue...definitely no hints of brown...

These paint decks/ fans are the way. to. go.

TOTALLY beats stashing 57 small colored pieces from the painting section

at your local hardware store, in your purse.
 Which I have definitely done before.

Done way too many times.

You just can't argue the ease of this method.

It helps the elimination process because you can immediately push out the ones that

are "too blue" "have hints of brown" and you're left with "good grays"

or whatever color you may be searching for.

Before I purchased mine, I assumed (which you should never do. i know!) 

that they were $20/ea or so...no idea why i thought that.

But when I went to purchase my own,

I bought both of them for $10!

steal.

And I think it's kinda fun to have,

for those rainy days,

when you just feel like looking at paint colors?

ha. 

I don't know. 

I just like them.

They're hip. They're cool.

They save you time and purse space.

Go get some if you are in the process of choosing a paint color.

You can thank me later :) 

2010 :: A Year of Learning & Experimenting in Home Decor

It's just hours away from 2011!

And so hard to believe that 2010 has already flown by.

So many wonderful memories from '10 and so much to look forward to in '11!

In the spirit of all things home, here are my favorite projects from 2010!

stripping and painting the breakfast room table.

painting the corner hutch

painting the Ikea curtains 

adding the c-list credenza

sitting back and enjoying my transformed breakfast room

beginning ::project office::

I am anxious to start new projects and finish others throughout 2011!
Stay tuned for what's to come! 

Sharing my 2010 recap with:
 Southern Hospitality, Savvy Southern Style and Shabby Chic Cottage

our home:: before and after :: breakfast room

in my post here you learned that when we moved into our house it was brown. 

all brown.

floors. walls. and most ceilings.

we have made some serious changes since then, but it's been gradual.

my sweet hubby gives me a decorating budget each month, 

but re-decorating is still a thrifty game! 

I personally think it's more fun than just having an unlimited amount of $$$. 

I love to come up with budget friendly, creative ideas that can transform a space. 

All of my new additions to the breakfast room have been posted,

and the room's updates are complete (for now) so

i wanted to show you the before, during, & after pics.

enjoy!

the original breakfast room.

b-fast room painted yellow (1st color we chose)

 with the newly painted red chandelier.

b-fast room painted "clothesline fresh" w/ newly painted chairs & table

addition of thrift store mirror and white plates

painting the corner hutch white

the addition of the credenza

painting the curtains 

the addition of my cali antique market rug 

drum roll please....

ta-da! 

our breakfast room ranks high on my list of favorites.

we've shared wonderful times as a family around that table, 

spent many evenings laughing with friends after dinner,

thanked the Lord for our abundant blessings,

and our little one has reached quite a few milestones in his chair.

i hope your breakfast room is a special place 

where you take the time to spend sweet moments with your loved ones, too.

{updated}
recent pictures as of 2/1/2011

the addition of rosemary topiaries & a burlap table runner

adds the perfect amount of natural elements and texture

fresh white roses with a pop of red hypericum berries

is a great wintertime centerpiece

now i don't usually prefer silk flower arrangements, but
this white hydrangea wreath hung on the church doors at our wedding.
love the wonderful memories it reminds me of!


sharing this space with miss mustard seed's 
copy me challenge