I’ve been saying for a few months now that I’m ready to re-fresh the whole house. I think I just want a change. Change is good, right? Although I have loved the colors I originally used in the house, we’ve been here almost seven years now and I just want to go in a little different direction.
Soooo, you all are invited to the new paint party at my house. Since we are doing so much of the house, we had to hire a professional painter and she starts in about two weeks.
Welcome to my party tray of paint samples!!! (All parties have serving trays…might as well serve up some paint)
This is what I have been doing all week. Carrying this tray around the house and brushing swatches of paint on my walls. (There’s actually something very therapeutic about this)
9 sample cans in all. You think I may be a little unsure of what color I want? You should have seen the look on the salesman’s face when I said I needed this many samples. Hey, it’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind.
Let me explain why you see a Sherwin Williams fan deck and Valspar sample cans.
We have a great Sherwin Williams paint store here locally and that’s where I buy all my paint. I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with Valspar, but I think Sherwin Williams is better and so does my painter. And, no, I’m not being compensated by them. I’ve used Sherwin Williams for a long time now.
A girl has to be frugal though. You all probably already know this, but Lowe’s samples are less expensive than SW and they can mix any SW color. When you’re buying as many samples as I did, you have to try to save some dough.
I’m moving from the two cards on the left to the two cards on the right.
The majority of my rooms are currently painted SW Blonde then Porter Beige Tellon (which is a lot like SW Practical Beige which I also use). Don’t ask where the Porter came from. That’s a whole other story! In the dining room and guest room I have SW Mannered Gold.
I don’t want to just jump on the bandwagon and paint everything gray. But I do want a softer, fresher, more subtle coloration without a lot of color tone.
There’s two philosophies that I’m subscribing to on the paint:
1. I’m agreeing with Suzanne Kasler’s mantra of keeping a light neutral background that let colors pop in the use of textiles and furnishings in the room.
2. I like greige. Yes, I do. It’s a nice compromise.
I’ll be posting a lot about paint over the next couple of months. I think this is going to be a long process. At least, I’ll be going room by room with lots of befores and afters. That should be fun!
What are your go-to colors? What are your favorite neutrals?
Au Revoir,
Kim
12 comments:
I think you are very smart to buy all those samples...rather a small price to pay to not paint a whole area and then hate it. I used greige in our bedroom/master bath about 5 years ago and I still like it. We are on the water so it changes colors during the day...but is a nice neutral. I use Benjamin Moore paints quite often but also use SW and Behr. I think all are good choices. All the woodwork in this house is painted BM Dove White and I really love the way it looks. Choosing paint is SUCH a big job, isn't it? xo Diana
I love Greige! It doesn't matter which way the colour pendulum swings next, it will work with your accessories! I'd prefer that you serve a nice French wine at the next party you invite me to! ~ Maureen
Well you already know my fav neutrals are the two left SW fan choices. : - )
I am completely in agreement about SW paint- it's the best out there as far as I am concerned.
I think you were brilliant figuring a way to acquire the large qty samples in a frugal fashion.
Can't wait to see your reveals as they develop! It's so exciting!
I can't wait to see your choices, Kim! Better to buy and put up the samples now so you don't have to redo anything later. When I painted our dining room at our old house I had 5-6 different shades of sample colors on the walls. It turned out that the one I liked the least in the pot wound up being my favorite on the wall!
I think you're going about it perfectly, Kim. Pretty colors, and neutral. Love the frugal part too. Can't wait to see your reveals as they develop.
I love those little sample pots! Although I primarily use them for DIY projects they are definitely the way to go when choosing colors for a room! I loved my home with a more Southern Living style of color throughout for years but the neutrals are so calming that I am slowly changing over. All those shades are lovely and grays look so nice with vintage things!
Can't wait to follow along with your changes, I know it will be beautiful! Kristy @ Hyphen Interior just did a few posts on greige colors & undertones, it might be helpful.
Great idea to do it like this. I have made the mistake (more than once) of buying paint for a room and then it turns out to be not what I wanted...Cant' wait to see what you decide and go with ulitmately.
This is going to be great fun. usually i can pick from a paint deck, but this last time in our master, (taupe) I tried about 7 different samples, it was nuts!
I also love SW paint! It is what we have in our home and I think is the best! You are doing things the right way by trying the several samples from Valspar. I can't wait to see what you decide. I know it will be beautiful!
Kim..thanks for the great tip on the samples...I never thought to do that..!...I am so looking forward to knowing what you have finally decided upon...My entire first floor is SW Blonde (except for Master which is SW Silvermist)..We recently repainted the Great Room due to having low profile coffered ceilings placed...so the great room paint will have to do for a while, but need to repaint the dining and sunroom...really want to go with a "greige" tone...Have fun with the decision, I know it will be a perfect choice!
This is going to be so exciting for you Kim. I can't wait to see the final reveal and choice.
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