Hello Spring!!

  I love to wake up...go outside and spring just hits you bang in the face...from the warmth of the sun to the sound of birds chirping! It's so refreshing...and this refreshed spirit gives me the urge to "spruce" things up.  Although projects never stop at my house, the urge is always deeper in Spring.

Our spruce started in December, with the beginning of the kitchen reno. Now that the cabinets are done, we are on to the next phase: painting the entire downstairs. Our color scheme is always very neutral, I love subtle colors that can be found in the outdoors. Our style is a mix of french farmhouse, and coastal chic with southern flare. The downstairs currently has creamy shades of ivory, with burlap accents and touches of lime green hydrangeas in every room. I want the walls to still be neutral, but with a hint of color. 

Inspiration began with these pictures...

          

I have painted many times in my life, but finding the perfect green is one of the toughest colors I have had to work with.

After many cans of samples and  color spots on every wall  in the downstairs, I have finally found the perfect paint colors for the downstairs.  Benjamin Moore Morning Dew OC 140 and Gray Owl OC 52  (of  which I colored matched in a Home Depot paint...of course!...the joys of being married to a Home Depot man!)

Paint is a very easy and inexpensive way to "spruce" up a room, but picking the perfect color can be the exact opposite, so here are a few tips that I took away from this experience.

Tip 1: paint a sample on every wall that you are putting the paint. Look at the sample over a few days. Every wall can look different with the same color on it, and the color changes throughout the day as different light hits it. 

Tip 2: if you are looking for a hint of color, look at the off white colors. (Benjamin Moore paint has it numbered with an OC before each number)

Tip 3: When you buy paint samples, buy them with a primer in them, so that you get the true color that you want instead of what it appears to be when it is painted over your existing wall color.

Tip 4: When looking at paint swatch cards, all the colors can start to look the same. So focus on the darkest color on the card. It has the most pigment in it which will show you a better example of the tones in the colors for that paint card.

Tip 5: when picking out a paint color for your ceiling that is a color other than white, always go one shade lighter. Ceilings cast shadows and will appear darker. 



Happy Painting Y'all!

***I would love to here about any projects that y'all are doing this spring***