Master Bath Reno: Part 7-Paint Selection

The master bath is really coming together this week.  Great advancements were made with selecting our new paint color, and painting the room.  I chose to move forward with Benjamin Moore's Wedgewood Gray HC-146.  I wanted a moody blue gray with a bit of depth to it so that the room would not be washed out by all the white cabinets, white doors, white molding, white cermanic tile, and then now the newly installed creamy/tannish  marble flooring.  I went with an eggshell finish in the Eco-Spec line as this is their no VOC paint.  The ceiling is painted Benjamin Moore Decorator's White in eggshell (Eco-Spec), and the molding is Benjamin Moore Decorator's White in semi-gloss (Regal line).

Before we could get the paint on the wall, the walls needed quite a bit of work.  The previous owners had painted this room themselves, and let's just say they did not give the TLC it needed.  Dried paint drips were plentiful as well as brush marks.  Therefore, we spent lots of time sanding and prepping the walls.  There were also the huge holes in the walls where the old brass Hollywood lights were located.  So after about four hours of prepping the walls, we were able to paint. 

Before

After

I hope the above photos curb your enthusiasm for the final reveal coming in the next week.  I am just so excited to finally be able to use this bathroom again.  It has been about two weeks of showering in the basement bathroom which isn't all bad, but that extra flight a stairs when you are pregnant can be a bit annoying at times.

Paint Colors: Wall- Benjamin Moore- Wedgewood Gray eggshell finish-Eco Spec; Ceiling- Benjamin Moore- Decorator's White eggshell finish- Eco Spec; Molding- Benjamin Moore- Decorator's White semi-gloss- Regal line.

Nursery Update- Paint

We made one giant step in our progress in the nuresry.  It is now painted.  I had difficultities selecting the right color of yellow which delayed the process for a about two weeks.  I finally decided upon Hawthrone Yellow by Benjamin Moore.  I had entertained using Lotus Yellow too, but it seemed a bit too bright, and I also considered using Yellow Lilies, but at times this seems like it might be too pale.  Therefore, Hawthorne Yellow was just right.  We used Benjamin Moore's Eco-Spec paint as we did not want to pollute the air with any VOCs.  All the moldings in the room were painted Decorator's White in semi-gloss by Benjamin Moore, and the closet was painted Decorator's white, but in an eggshell finish.  I went with an eggshell finish with the Hawthrone Yellow too since this will be a child's room.  As for the ceiling, we went with 1/4 of the recipe for Glass Slipper by Benjamin Moore.

Before

After

The lighting is not great since it has been a bit cloudy, and we do not have traditional lighting in here right now.  Better pictures to come in future updates!

It maybe hard to see in the picture, but the ceiling has a small tint of blue to it.  I am considering adding crown molding for a higher impact.

I am hopeful the crib will be arriving in the next week or two.  I am considering adding some red stripes to the wall behind where the crib will be, but since we do not have the furniture placed in it's final resting place, it is hard to commit.  Also, I am not sure if the stripes would be too much. 

I am also wrestling with what type of window treatments to add.  I am considering installing Roman shades in red, but I am thinking long term it might be better to add 2 inch white faux wood blinds, and then pairing these with gigham curtains in red.  Any advice would be appreciated.

I Saw the Sign....

Vintage signs are all the rage these days, and I thought I would share a sign I am really loving right  now.  I spotted it in the lastest LL Bean Home Catalog.  I love that it can be personalized to whatever location you pick.  I am toying with making the sign myself, but at $29.95, it might be worth ordering it (read: I am lazy).  I think the sign might be a bit too cottagey though for me, so I am considering revamping it to look a little more like the subway signs everyone is duplicating on blogland.

So what do you think?  Should I bite the bullet and buy it or should I be ambitious and make one?

Earsing the Past Can be Daunting

I finally tackled a project I have wanted to complete since last March when I painted our kitchen. You see, I was a bit of a novice when I painted our kitchen and did not realize I should have painted the molding BEFORE I painted the kitchen walls. It could have been easy peasy, but I sometimes like to do things the hard way. Not so.... I should have planned better.

 This is the best pic I have of the before color of the kitchen.... It was taken right after I had 10 inches cut off my hair to donate to Pantene's Great Length Program...

At any rate, when we purchased our home in May of 2008, I immediately had a love hate relationship with the very dark olive green color our kitchen was at the time; seemed more like a cave than a kitchen to me. It took me a few months to find the right paint color. Our granite countertops were very neutral with lots of creams, khakis, browns, and a bit of black specks. Therefore, I choose to paint the walls Bittersweet Stem by Sherwin Williams. After finishing two coats of primer, and two coats of paint color, I was in love with my new kitchen, and never wanted to paint again.

Then, I saw it.... The past was staring me in the eye all over the kitchen. The old owners did an awful job when it came to protecting the molding during their painting projects. Depending on where you were, you could see shades of olive green, country blue and bright yellow shining on the dingy white molding. I have quite the eye for detail which has turned into a curse at times for me. The paint “vomit” was driving me nuts, but I was a bit intimidated with taping off the molding, and repainting it. I didn't want to harm the walls that I worked so hard to paint. So I waited, and stewed, and waited some more until I could not handle it anymore......

Evidence Pic #1

Evidence Pic #2

Evidence Pic #3

Well, the wait is over. This past weekend I got the confidence to get the job done. I hit up Lowe's and purchased some Frog tape (I was giddy to try it since its praise has been all over blogland). Initially I thought about free handing my molding project, but I didn't trust that my hand could be that steady.

Anyhoo, I sanded down the parts of the molding where paint had chipped, and filled in some areas that were a bit dented with some wood filler. Then, I spent some quality time taping off the walls where the molding met the wall, and were the molding met the wood floor. It seemed like this took forever, but in all honestly, it took about 1.5 hours.

Once the tape was up, I got to painting. I used Benjamin Moore’s Decorators White in semi-gloss. I applied three coats of paint just to be sure that I was able to cover that olive green paint up. After two coats, it looked like it was covered, but I wanted to be sure because I did not want to have to do this project again.

I am allayed with the results. The molding looks so crisp and clean, and I am so happy to be rid of the past. My husband was a bit skeptical of the worthiness of this project, but once it was complete and all cleaned up, he realized that the crisp white molding was the final touch for the room. Needless to say, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief in the kitchen because I finally got this major project checked off.

Although, I think I created a bit of a monster now….. Now I keep thinking, perhaps I should repaint all of the molding in the house. Next up, the foyer and main hall walkways…..

My opinion on Frog tape…. Not sure if it is worth the extra money. All and all, I didn’t see much of a different between blue painter’s tape vs my use of Frog tape. The semi-gloss paint bleed through in about 4-5 locations on the wall that I will need to touch-up. Therefore, I am just not sure about it….

Be Our Guest, Be Our Guest.....

Once upon a time, our guest bedroom was not a very welcoming place.  The walls had numerous and very large holes in them that marked where the former owners had hung various pieces.  As you can see, I got a bit ahead of myself, and forgot to take a pic of the room before I stripped the old items out.

 Before Take 1

Before Take 2

I went ahead and painted the room a wonderful robin's egg blue.  It is called Woodlawn Blue by Benjamin Moore.  I just absolutely love this color!!!!  Also, I gave all the hand-me-down furniture a new fresh look with the some black paint from Benjamin Moore (you will have to forgive I am not listing the color because I am too lazy to walk down stairs and look).

Getting closer to a final product...

Almost there....

Another shot of getting closer to the final product...

Final product as the room looks today.... Take 1....

Take 2.....

Take 3....

Take 4.... You might remember this little side table I sanded down and repainted awhile back...

Take 5.....

So there you have it..... It took about a year to put this room together, but I am happy with the results.  There are a few things that I would like to add (crown molding and a chair, but in due time we will add these items).  My goal was to provide a restful retreat for our guests, and I think I have done exactly that..... So often we rush rooms, and repent in leisure.  I am glad I took a slow approach to putting this beauty together.

For those that may have missed my paint mention above, the paint color is Woodlawn Blue by Benjamin Moore in a satin finish.  It is just the right robin's egg blue color.... Can't get enough of this color!

Mirror, Mirror Leaning on the Wall....

Spray paint sure is a girl's best friend..... I found the below mirror when I was stalking Craigslist a few months back.  If I recall correctly, the mirror was about $25ish, and I thought that was decent for a 35 inch mirror.  I know some of you might disagree, but I thought it was a worthwhile investment.  I was not a big fan of the light wood finish so I decided to take the mirror out to the back yard, and give it a little TLC with Heirloom White (I forgot to take a painting pic this time; opps!)

And there you have it..... This beauty now calls my living room home, and it thanks me every day for giving it a new lease on life..... How do you all like it leaned up against the wall?  At this point, I am digging the look, but I am toying with the idea of hanging it on the wall.  Your advice would be swell. :) 

Sidetable Gets Its Groove Back

This is a classic story of giving a good piece of furniture another life with a little bit of elbow grease.  Below you will find a traditional sidetable that has seen better days.  It has great bones, but has been loved a little too hard.  However, it has major potential.  All it needs is a bit of sanding, primer, paint, and poly.

Before:

Mid-procress: Half-Sanded

After:

The sidetable is back to its regal self.  I gave it two coats of primer, three coats of paint, and three very thin coats of poly.  It now has a wonderful home in our guest bedroom.  Perfection!

Making Heirlooms Work for You

My husband and I received an old family picture of his Great-Great Grandparents from Hungary.  It is a wonderful pic, but the gold frame was not working for our home decor.  We struggled with finding a place to hang the picture for months.  Initially, I wanted to preserve everything about this picture.  However, the frame was the frame's golden tone wasn't working, so we just did not have anywhere to display it.  Then, one day I decided to grab a can of silver spray paint, and spray the frame. 

Before:

After:

I am just tickled with our result.  The frame looks great, and now hangs proudly in our dining room for everyone to see.  It is a great conversation starter, and I am so happy we were able to make this heirloom work for our home decor.

Color Me Beautiful.....

As you can see, I didn't take a “before” pic of the dining room (I got ahead of myself a bit with this project). Below, you will find pics of the blank slate before the paint was applied. This presented me with a great opportunity to make the room my own.

The room had never been painted (just builders paint on the wall which is crazy since the house was built in 1997), but had major potential with the crown molding and the molding boxes on the bottom of the walls.

                            

You may notice that the white color inside of the molding boxes looks a shade different from the surrounding moldings. I had recently painted the inside of the boxes white (they had been a dark khaki color). I used the same color white the molding had been painted, but since it had been painted a few years ago, they read a bit different for a few months. Now, they blend in just fine.

     

The color I selected was Woodlawn Blue by Benjamin Moore in an eggshell finish. I just love a Robin's egg color with dark wood. The china cabinet, table and chairs have an expresso finish.

 

I absolutely love how it turned out!

Now all I need to do is replace that fugly brass chandelier. I have the below oversized equator pendant ready to install from CB2. It is quite a steal at only $199 compared to other pendant lights I found.

                                          

So what do you think?

Yeah for a New Bath!

I must apologize for the delay in this posting.   Life has returned to a more hectic schedule with me working again. Therefore, it takes a bit longer to finish a project with my new 9 to 5 gig….

First, let's remind ourselves what he used to look like in his old wallpaper skin with gold brassy ornaments.

Without further adieu, I would like to introduce you to our NEW half bath on our main floor. He has endured quite a face-lift, and is so happy to be sporting a new look.........

A second...

A third....

So what is new?  Let's start with the foundation of what stayed...the toilet and pedestal sink.  The new items include: the mirror, faucet, toilet paper holder, Kohler quiet toilet seat, toilet handle, towel holder, light, the artwork, and cabinet.  I decided to go with a brushed nickel finish for all of the accessory pieces.  The paint color is Glass Slipper by Benjamin Moore.

You might be wondering what a "Kohler quiet toilet seat" might be..... It can be translated with one word "Heaven".... For all practical purposes, the seat is just like any other toilet seat you may have sat on in the past.  The big advantage to the "quiet toilet seat" is that when your Y chromosome friends put the seat down, the toilet seat slowly closes with no noise resulting in silence.  :) 

I spent quite a bit of time contemplating what mirror to purchase.  I really liked the Vintage Oval pivot mirror at Restoration Hardware (see below), but at $285, it was a bit of a splurge for a bathroom mirror.

Therefore, our bathroom went mirrorless for a few weeks until I could find a different option.  Luckily, a Christmas miracle occurred at Menards..... I spotted a very similiar, but totally affordable (on sale for $52) pivot mirror by Moen (see below).  The moment I spotted this wonderful mirror, I heard a church choir singing "Alleluia" in the store aisle.  I picked that mirror up as fast as I could (it was the last in the aisle), and sprinted to the check-out counter.

So there you have it, this is is how my bathroom lost it's brass.  Here is one more photo for your viewing pleasure.

One more thing, do you think I should hang a picture above the toilet/below the wall cabinet? Initially I was going to hang the cabinet a bit lower, but then I realized there was a chance my very tall husband might hit his head on the cabinet. I couldn't have that happen, so I decided to raise the cabinet resulting in room for another picture. Let me know if you think I should hang something, and any suggestions you may have.