{ where I paint every day } The Living Room

There is a good chance if you stand still in my house for too long, I will paint you.

It's no secret that paint is the easiest and cheapest way to transform a room. But I also happen to LOVE painting interiors. Trimwork, especially. I don't tape; I delight in my steady hand and precision. There is surely some kind of obsessiveness that goes with this. I don't mind. I'm happy with my angled Wooster 2" and a cup of coffee in hand. 

I love that this house needs more cosmetic work than real reno work because that means Mr. Wooster and I get lots of time together while the girls are in school. 

For instance:

This was move-in day. The living room was blue. A lovely blue, perfect for a playroom or a nursery. For a few weeks I both loved it and loathed it.  Part of the problem is that it sits directly across the foyer  from the neutral grey dining room. The two did not work together at all other than to frustrate me on a daily basis.

They took turns laughing at me. "Who will you paint first, missy?"

I want to think that in 42 years I have learned to pace myself. For instance, when we purchased our last home, I rushed in and painted the laundry room a horrid color of green that I would need to repaint in less than 5 months. Jay still gives me grief over that one. 

I told myself to wait. To see how things felt. Let the rooms grow on me. 

And a couple weeks later, after things started filling in. I swear I could hear those rooms snickering at me.

The blue was still just too... blue. 

Last week, I decided to jump in and attack. Within minutes I was terrified that I was about to paint my living room LAVENDER.  Because grey is HARD, people. 

I had to keep reminding myself that the old blue was *so very much the opposite* of what I wanted, that this new color was not purple. It was neutral.  

I was very skeptical. Very. I kept texting my friend, Beki, pictures of my progress. Like this one:

Beki is sweet, talented, has a great eye, and is very honest. She'd tell me if it were purple. I think I had her just as confused. We both crossed our fingers.  Then I decided that even if it *were* lavender, I would like it better than the nursery thing I had happening on my main floor. 

Have I said grey is hard? Universally accepted as difficult. Add to that: north, west AND south facing windows in this room.  Trees outside with lots of green. Goldenish floors. Fall light changing.

And BLUE bouncing all over the eggsshell plaster. 

I kept thinking, "It's a good thing I like to paint. There is a decent chance I'll get to do this again next week. Sometimes you win; sometimes it's purple."

(I swear I could hear the rooms mocking me, by the way.)

It might be on the cool-grey side, but it sure as heck ain't baby blue. (And the dining room is a cool grey, so I'm really okay with this.)

 

In the end, I think it was the original paint that was throwing off my perspective. This grey ended up looking like a much lighter shade of the dining room's grey. Whew. I am no longer conflicted when I stand in the foyer. I'm sure you're relieved. 

Paint:  Valspar Signature Interior Enamel Flat (paint and primer) in Sandstone Gray 7004-18

Comments

[michelle]

I did love that photographic blue but the gray is wonderful! Nice job, Chris!

[erin]

looking good! love that gray!

[Alicia A.]

It's not PURPLE. It looks great!

[sarah]

gorgeous. that blue was throwing fits at the grey. this is lovely! and we paint the same way!

[Morgan]

Looks great!!!

[Kriste]

It looks great! My favorite gray is Martha Stewart's Bedford Gray, but it would have been too dark in this space. The gray you picked is perfect!

[Grace]

Good choice! The blue was just TOO BLUE. Even my very light blue is hard to live with and I'm so ready to paint over it. (Unlike you, though, I hate painting.)

[Julie]

I did the same thing with grey that looked peachy to me; I kept painting and putting the paint chip up next to it but I wasn't truly convinced until I was done. I am loving your new house!

[beki]

so not lavender! It looks great ;-)