A Fresh Look

We have been busy giving our new home a fresh look.
New ceiling fans, light fixtures,
even some new additions in the furniture department
have helped us to make this house a home.
One of the easiest ways to make a statement
is by painting.

Here is the living room when we bought the house.
The previous owners had a light yellow on the walls
and a bright orange on the fireplace surround.
This room doesn't get as much light as we'd like,
as the windows are on the north-facing wall
so we decided on a color we thought might brighten it up a bit.

So far, all the paint we've used in this house has been No-VOC.

This kind of paint is supposed to be better for the environment

and better for us, as it doesn't outgas like other paints.

The brand we used also contains a primer,

so one coat did an ample job of covering over everything.

The color we chose was Sea Wave.
We're going for a vintage/modern farmhouse look,
but this color just spoke to me.
In our last house we never painted,
so I had vowed that this time around,
we would paint every single room.
No white walls for me.

 

The color was striking,
but it's hard to know how it's gonna look on an entire wall,
much less the whole room.
We started cutting in first around the windows, ceiling
and baseboards and then filled in with a roller.
The fireplace wall is a shade darker,
so that it stands out a bit more dramatically.

It really went pretty fast.
With both Big K and I working,
we knocked it out in a few hours.

A couple of hints I'd like to pass on:
1.  use a screwdriver to poke a few holes in the top of the paint can.
This allows the paint to drip back down into the can
so that it doesn't build up inside the rim.
Paint isn't wasted and it keeps things tidier.

2.  instead of buying the specialty products the paint stores try to sell you,
simply cut the bottom off of a soda or milk bottle
and use it as your "cutting in" can.
It sits flat on any surface, and you can put as much or as little paint
as you need.
3.  refrigerate brushes when you need to take a break.
This saves from having to wash them out every time you stop painting.
Simply wrap them in plastic wrap or a plastic bag,
and place in the fridge.
We've left them overnight when we need to.
Just take them out 1/2 hour before you begin painting again
so that they can get to room temperature.

We're gettin' there.
We have a lot of tweaking to do
with furniture placement and hanging our treasures on the walls.
Once we get it all put together,
I'll write another post to show the before and after shots.
The new color motivates me to do more.
I love living in this new space.
It has so much energy and really makes the white trim pop.

Our project for August is the office.
We will paint and install something we've never done before.
It feels wonderful to be putting our stamp on this house.
So grateful to be home.

New House series:
The New Homestead
Moving Toward Bliss
Organized Downsizing
Fan-tastic