After!

By | May 20, 2013

You guys!

Today, I’m finally going to release the much-sought-after AFTER photos of our Sherwin-Williams Transformation Project!

It’s been a long time coming, and I hope you’re ready for a serious influx of photos. Earlier, I shared how I wanted to find the perfect combination and balance of cheerful and peaceful tones. Taking the room from drab to fab–I think we succeeded.

 

After!

After!

 

Yay!

Using the Color Visualizer and the ColorSnap Studio™ for iPad, we decided on a lovely palette of grey and white with pops of coral and aqua blue. To get into the specifics, we used Gray Matters, Snowbound, Quite Coral and Leisure Blue. We chose Cashmere® paint in a satin finish, and guys, it is everything you could hope for in paint.

After!

I’ve always thought painting to be an extremely exhausting exercise. Not that it’s “easy,” but when I went to have my first go with the roller, I was surprised at how effortless it was to get a smooth coat on the walls. My painter-brother explained to me that that is the difference between paint and quality paint. Our Cashmere paint was definitely quality stuff.

We only had to do two coats, and the effect was just gorgeous. Cashmere goes on so much richer than your typical satin finish.  It goes on like buttercream frosting.

The first phase we tackled was cutting in with angle brushes on the ceiling.

 

After!

 

Unfortunately, my parents have that horrid popcorn ceiling that is a beast to remove. Oh, how tempted I was to tear the stuff down! If we had had a bigger budget, and more time, I would have done it. However, my time frame was three days and popcorn ceiling is no easy feat. Someday, I will claw the stuff out with my bare hands. But for now, it is a minor detail that goes mostly unnoticed in light of the gorgeous room.

The next stage was taping off the stripes. Oh my. In case you are wondering, painting stripes is no easy task.

 

After!

 

There was a lot of math involved–which of course freaked me out. Thankfully, I have a savvy sister-in-law who is infinitely smarter than me in numbers and measurements. Between her and my brother, the stripes were set for 16 inches apart. There was a great deal of discussion about which direction the stripes should go. Initially, I thought vertical was the logical way. Thank God Candace convinced us otherwise!

If you’re going to do stripes–go horizontal! I had no idea how flattering the effect would be. Horizontal stripes absolutely enlarge the space. If we had gone the vertical route I believe it would have just drawn attention to the rather low ceilings–not a good plan.

After!

Several people have already asked how we got the lines so straight. First, they measured, then they used a chalk line to get super straight lines. Next, they taped off the lines and went over with a roller. When the paint was dry, we were able to easily wipe off the chalk and have a perfectly seamless design. No, it was not easy. But we all agreed that the stripes were worth it.

While the stripes were going up, I was working my tail off at this tricky little bookcase. My great-grandparents made it, so yah, it’s legit. It’s also a pain in the rear to paint. But when it comes to room makeovers you should never skimp on the details. Taking the time to repaint an old piece really pays off in the end.After!

The devil is in the details.

After!

We also painted the two bedside lamps, a Goodwill lamp, and some shelves.

After!

After!

 

My dad contributed to the project by creating a custom headboard out of scrap lumber. We had looked at some repurposed pallets and dad drew up a plan for his own design. We wanted the woodgrain to show through, so dad watered down the blue paint a bit to use it as a stain.

After!

I cannot believe how gorgeous it turned out! We’re trying to decide if we’ll put any additional decor on it. We thought of a monogram, a wreath, or maybe candle sconces to hang in the center. What do you think?

We bought the bedding at Target, and it is in their new Threshold line. I love all the Threshold products–the colors fit perfectly with our Sherwin-Williams palette.

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The gigantic vanity mirror was replaced by a great find at TJ Maxx HomeGoods. We wanted the stripes to shine out from behind, so a smaller mirror was in order.

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As you can see, the cabinets have been painted in the same Gray Matters and Snowbound colors. This paint is so versatile–it went onto the cabinets beautifully.

I totally splurged on this little dear of a chair from World Market.

After!

Going along with this idea of the room being a retreat, I felt that a little reading chair was necessary. We put some of the older, more beloved children’s books on the bottom shelf of the coral bookcase. Already the chair has been used for “special” reading time with the grandkids.

In my earlier post I wrote about how this room is a special hub to the family. I feel like now it is even more special to all of us. Everyone rallied to contribute to this room makeover. Those three days of work were extremely labor intensive, but also so fun. What a wonderful feeling to see something beautiful unfold from the collective labor of a family.

After!

In the end, mom shed a few tears. It’s not just a beautiful room–it is a room full of love.

After!

 

 

For a chance to win a $100 Sherwin-Williams gift card, share in the comments below what room you would like to makeover in your home?

 

No duplicate comments.

 

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

 

  1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
  2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
  3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
  4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

 

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

 

The Official Rules are available here.

 

This sweepstakes runs from 5/20/2013-6/10/2013.

 

Be sure to visit the Sherwin-Williams brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

 

 

90 thoughts on “After!

  1. heather c

    Very cool! I think the room I’d tackle first would be what I want to be the library. It’s an open den right now, but I’m taking steps to transform it!

    Reply
  2. tom montella

    I really like the colors that you picked out! very modern and classy! here is to you and great colors to Sherman Williams!

    Reply
  3. diane Baum

    I need to replace my family room walls paneling with a nice bright paint color

    Reply
  4. Christy Rosander

    I just love the colors and the soothing feel to the room. I can’t think of a couple that deserves this more! Such a beautiful living space.

    Reply
  5. Debbie B

    i tweeted here: https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/341241391160107010

    Reply
  6. angie lilly

    I tweeted here: https://twitter.com/MsTofuFairy/status/344136009149198338

    Reply
  7. Cynthia C

    Tweet
    https://twitter.com/clc408/status/338320927995621376

    Reply
  8. Amanda

    I tweeted about it too! https://twitter.com/ANelson726/status/336531524461658114

    Reply
  9. Cynthia C

    I haven’t done anything to the bedroom since I moved to this house. It needs a fresh look.

    Reply
  10. Margaret Smith

    I tweeted: https://twitter.com/peg42/status/338066167191175168

    Thanks so much.

    Reply
  11. Erica C.

    I love your headboard.

    I’d like to makeover our dining room…needs some color!

    ericacarnes(at)gmail(dot)com

    Reply
  12. kala winter

    I would paint my master bedroom for sure! It is begging for a new color

    Reply
  13. Stephanie Larison

    I’d love to makeover my daughters room. She’s not a little baby anymore, so I’d like something a little bit more kiddish looking. Something that would look good as she grows older.

    Reply
  14. window blinds

    In this regard mention has to be made of the wooden blinds

    which grow in their physical looks with the passage of time.

    Strangulation deaths of children prompt recall of Lewis Hyman roll-up blinds and roman shades.

    Some drapes are heavy and tend to be black out and heat resistant.

    Reply
  15. Kelly D

    I would like to makeover our computer room, it needs some color and organization.

    Reply
  16. Claire McKeon

    I tweeted
    https://twitter.com/Mosaic317/status/342759385870770176

    Reply
  17. rachel

    Gorgeous room!! I want to paint our living room…the previous owners painted it two different colors.

    Reply
  18. Cyndi Frith

    Looks wonderful! I need to paint a couple rooms in our home soon!

    Reply
  19. Aleta

    Oh WOW! AWESOME JOB!!! I love the horizontal stripes, but would never be so brave to do this. And the headboard – cool idea. The colors remind me of a spa – nice, relaxing, soothing – perfect for the bedroom ????

    Reply
  20. Eli@coachdaddy

    You can just see the life and your touch bringing the room to life. It’s amazing what transformation you can make when you add your character to a room. I think the bedroom needs the attention the most for me!

    Reply
  21. Emily

    Way to go hill it looks great! Your mom and dad deserve a room to retreat to!

    Reply
  22. Liz

    I love everything about your makeover– the grey and mint, the wide horizontal stripes. So lovely! I’d love to do the same stripe effect in my downstairs powder room with the Sherwin Williams gift card!

    Reply
  23. Shelley

    Your room is gorgeous. I love the stripes! I would love to redo our guest bedroom ????

    Reply
  24. heather c

    Tweet – https://twitter.com/ilovetoclap/status/343817994973106176

    Reply
  25. Shea Balentine

    I’d like to swap out our laundry room and 2nd bathroom =)

    Reply
  26. steph

    https://twitter.com/DesMoinesDealin/status/340111051293089794

    Reply
  27. Kathleen

    I tweeted– https://twitter.com/Sparklezstars/status/343089052049895424

    Reply
  28. Christian Alejandro

    tweeted! https://twitter.com/lieutcrunch17/status/344194673323151360

    Reply
  29. Kelly D

    tweet
    https://twitter.com/Kellydinpa/status/336664584427565056

    Reply
  30. Tara

    I would like to makeover my son’s room

    tara.huff(at)gmail(dot)com

    Reply
  31. Anne (@notasupermom)

    Oh my goodness, that looks amazing!

    I would makeover our bedroom too. It’s so plain and really needs freshening up.

    Reply
  32. Marcia Goss

    Our kitchen is so dated and could desperately use a makeover!

    Reply
  33. kerri

    Wow! I have been wanting to re-paint our bathroom, and I think I am just going to go ahead and choose Gray Matters as the color! Thanks for the Cashmere recommendation! I had never heard of it until you mentioned it in this post. Everything looks amazing. ????

    Reply
  34. In between.

    […] you see yesterday’s post? There was a whole lot of hype and angst after I first published the “BEFORE” post. […]

    Reply
  35. angie lilly

    Right now, my bathroom is the most dire in need of a makeover. We had this bad leak that caused us to have to take down all the drywall around the shower and in behind the toilet so that basically 1/2 of the room needs all new drywall. Would be the perfect time to change other things in the room too!

    Reply
  36. Michelle Hagewood

    Tweet: https://twitter.com/JustMarriedMom3/status/343534061928726528

    Reply
  37. Anne (@notasupermom)

    I tweeted! https://twitter.com/notasupermom/status/338794219722383360

    Reply
  38. Kuleen @ thedisneykids

    I REALLY like the bathroom cabinets where the base is one color and the drawers/doors are another. I have wanted to paint my kitchen cabinets since we moved in 12 years ago. I would use my Sherwin Williams paint to redo the kitchen.

    Reply
  39. Natalia

    It looks fabulous, girl!! I love the stripes, it really looks so good. I can imagine your mom was so excited & happy to see it all done!!

    Reply
  40. cassandra mccann

    For a chance to win a $100 Sherwin-Williams gift card, share in the comments below what room you would like to makeover in your home? my dream would be to make over the kids room star95011atyahoodotcom

    Reply
  41. Solducky

    I adore the headboard! I would like to make over our little reading room/ office.

    Reply
  42. Anastasia

    I’d love to re-do my bathroom! It’s the room that gets the least attention around here ????

    Reply
  43. Betty C

    I’d love to makeover my bedroom and I love that Cashmere. That’s definitely a color to consider for my bedroom walls.

    Reply
  44. Lisa

    The bathroom needs a makeover! It is old fashioned and looks messy because of it.

    Reply
  45. BusyWorkingMama

    I love the finished project! It looks amazing. I would love to spend some time decorating my finished attic – very dull color scheme!

    Reply
  46. Christian Alejandro

    Very nice! I would love to update my living room! You’re more than welcome to stop by and lend a hand! ????

    Reply
  47. Amanda

    Goodness, it looks amazing!! My living room could really use a makeover. The wall color is similar to a Hershey Chocolate bar. Too dark. I want so badly to lighten it up and bring some life into that room!

    Reply
  48. Margaret Smith

    I’d love to makeover our livingroom into something more stylish.

    Thanks so much.

    Reply
  49. mickeyfan

    We just finished week 7 of a 5 room renovation. I’d love for any ONE of them to be done!

    Reply

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