beautiful colors
hello!
It has been a hot minute since i last posted and i decided to change that! Around the condo we have recently done some minor updates such as most recently this BEAUTY!
Since this is our first home together and neither of us really coming with quality furniture to the marriage, except of course my husband's college futon (gross), we have started accumulating pieces slowly. While we still have some major elements we need to complete our living room, I am still happy with how it is coming together. Slow and steady wins the race is for sure going to be the motto around Ontario Manor.
These are my confessions. (Usher anyone?) Moving on. i love color. i love how it warms a space and how it can change the way you feel in an instant. i also love the idea of painting. So my confession? i hate the act of painting. The first wall is fun and what not. There is the "ooo" and the "ahhh" at the first glance of color that you just knew would be right, but past that? No thanks. So it takes me much longer than most to actually complete a paint job in a room. It took me about three weeks (one day a week) to paint our back bedroom which is about 9'x10'. Oh yes that is correct. In my defense, there were many water breaks, potty breaks, and snack breaks. So, yes, naturally it took me that long to paint the one tiny room....
Since our bathroom already has blue tiles and we don't plan on removing them, we decided to go with a Santorini feel for the room. A location close to our hearts as it was one of the destinations on our honeymoon.
With inspiration from these photos we took, i utilized the blue tiles and added a stark white to the top portion of the wall. i spent a good while deciding on which white would be the best white and went into the paint store certain that i was going to use cotton ball. However, after looking at the color in the store and then also in the space, i realized it was going to be more yellow than i wanted. White is a tricky color and looking at them on the computer does not help because the resolution changes the color. In the store i decided on super white by Benjamin Moore. i had talked to a few friends who are professional painters and they said this is the best paint to be using. So, i said to myself, Self, you deserve the best and so Benji it is! I used the Regal line and i really liked it! The paint was thick and i really liked the coverage it had. Here is a before and after photo!
well, more of a "during". You can see the light gray that the bathroom used to be
and here is the after! We are so happy with how it turned out. The tile on the wall is handmade from a gentleman in Athens that we purchased on our honeymoon.
For our back bedroom which we use as our craftroom/office, i knew i wanted color. the search went on for the perfect blue green. The search was a long let me tell you. i went in thinking i picked the perfect color and that it would be one and done. WRONG. i was so wrong. i went through a few samples. i tested palladian blue and catalina blue which are both by Benjamin Moore. Palladian blue was way too turquoise for the space and catalina was way too green. Finally, i found Antique Jade. For me, it is the perfect mixture of green and blue. It is a calming color that still has life to it. It is nautical that tends toward the South Carolina coastal feel which has my husband happy. It works great against the white trim and the wood of the doors that we have in the space. Can you tell i am in love with the color? it makes me happy every time i see it. While i loved the coverage of BM, i was not about to spend another $53 for a gallon of paint. i went to our local ACE hardware and got a gallon of the Valspar Medallion and spent $36 on it. i was much happier with this price. As i said above, it took me about three weeks to paint the room but i am so glad it is painted and beautiful! Here is a before and after!
before: (ignore everything except the wall color...)
and AFTER!
We just love the transformation! The color is still a little funky in the photo but it is almost spot on.
Don't i have just the CUTEST little helpers? They are just the best! Gelato is on the left and O'Malley is on the right
And there you have it! That is what has been going on around our home the past couple of months. Next i have a couple of diys to share and a recipe for the most amazing chicken dish that we are now addicted to!
Word to the wise:
Don't be afraid to try the samples! They are only $3 at home depot and they will color match for you. The thickness of the paint will vary depending on which brand of paint you purchase, but spending the $3 on a sample is way better than spending $30 for a gallon of paint and then the color not working.
BUY A SHUR LINE! It is the most genius invention EVER! i didn't use tape in either of my rooms and it saved so much time! It was only $8 and a pack of replaceable pads are only $3. i reused the same pad for both rooms and only threw it away because i was too lazy to clean it off again for the next room i decide to paint. i did have to have a damp paper towel on hand because sometimes the paint built up and gooped a bit on the crown but it was so worth it!
Happy painting!
L
