Well, I finally took the plunge and painted my living room yesterday. Good bye beige! This is what me living room looked like almost 2 years ago (I guess I should update the pictures). Yuck, I really don’t like that room. And here’s a little video tour I shot yesterday before I started painting. It’s funny how your taste can change so much. For a while now, I’ve been wanting the space to look a little more modern. I did get a new chair recently (which I LOVE) and I have plans to change out a lot of the accessories. I new sofa and rug are not in the near future, so I’m going to work with these pieces. They are both neutral, but are starting to show the wear and tear of 3 kiddos and a hubby (I take absolutely no responsibility for any messes).
So, I painted the room WHITE. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while. I knew I wanted to keep the walls neutral, because I love to change colors and accessories often. I didn’t want another beige or khaki or taupe and almost all the other rooms in my house have grey walls. So, I went with white. I blame my Swedish heritage on this choice (my Grandpa was Swedish). The Scandinavian clean, crisp white called me.
These aren’t the best pictures, but here it is white!
I started by repainting all the trim and moldings in the room. They were scuffed and tired and needed a fresh coat. That took me a good part of the day. And if you have windows from 1920, then you feel my pain, so much taping and painting in little grooves and crevasses. Then I tackled the walls, by then Lon was home from work, so he helped me move along at a faster pace. I painted the walls the same white as the trim, just in a flat finish (whereas my trim is a semi gloss). The white a used is a custom color, but I would describe it as a warm white. Not a cool, blue toned white and not off-white, just slightly warmer.
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| The Beige Before |
Last night, when we had paint on a couple walls, I started to regret my choice. Ahhhh, was it too much white? Was it going to feel like a hospital? And then I was sad that I couldn’t see my nice wide trim and moldings anymore. They just blended in. Yes, I did think through all of this before choosing white, but seeing it for real and seeing it in your mind are two different things. I shared my thoughts and worries on instagram last night, and I’m thankful for the encouraging comments and suggestions. Sometimes you just need someone else’s opinion. And then we I got up this morning and……… I LOVE it! It’s so bright and cheerful in here. I’m really glad I went white. I’m loving having everything off the walls. I think I’m going to hold off hanging things for awhile. I’m not sure it it will all go back up and I might like to add some new pieces.
And you can see that I have a lot to accomplish. I refuse to put back all the electronics, toys, books and magazines until I have some sort of stylish, practical organization. This is just embarrassing!
So, are you a fan of the the all white? Any thoughts on the loss of my trim? Stay tuned, this room is headed to a fresh new look (on a budget – always).
I did all white in our living room and loved it, but it wasn't a good fit with our kids being so young. Their hands and feet prints and all kinds of marks drove me crazy enough to repaint the room several months later. BUT, B.U.T. I can't wait till they are older, because you best believe I am going to go back to some white walls! I love white, always have. I think it's so crisp and clean, and bright. Even on a gray day a white room can look bright and airy. 🙂 I think you did a great job. can't wait to see what accessories you incorporate!
I actually wanted the paint in an eggshell finish so that I could wipe kiddos hand prints off, but the paint store mixed it in flat and I didn't notice till I had most of the room painted. Ahhhhh, I guess this white may only last a year or so. Thank goodness for magic erasers.
I think I'm really going to love the white though. The room is super crisp and clean and it definitely seems brighter!
The white looks beautiful! I love how it gives you a clean bright palette to work with. You already have such good home bones and furniture/art, it looks wonderful!
I've been dying to repaint our apartment, we're renters suffering for the weird choices of previous tenants: http://jadeandfern.com/2013/07/18/the-living-room/
It's funny what you said about tastes changing, mine have REALLY changed in the past few years! I used to drool over vintage kitsch, and now I am much more drawn to a modern aesthetic with touches of vintage. This is bad news for my wallet. 🙂
Thanks for your kind words. I really love my house as well. It might be small, but it's got character! I want to play more with colorful accessories and patterns now that I have the clean, crisp backdrop.
Oh my, your lavender trim is tough. But really you've made it look totally stylish and cool.
Tastes really do change. I'm with you, I still love vintage, but just very picky about the touches of vintage I include. With everything off the walls, I kind of just want to leave it that way. It's calm and uncluttered. That's kind of relaxing.