True colors

You guys, IT IS ALMOST TIME TO PAINT. Confession: I have been looking forward to this since we started the project. I love colors, and living in an all-white rental house has made me perhaps obsessively excited about picking colors for our new house! Of course it is also a bit intimidating... so like any true nerd, I started playing around with ideas in PowerPoint. This is the current permutation that I am most happy with - BUT, the big bummer of sharing this electronically is that it's going to look different to every single person who views it because of variability in computer monitors (so if you think it's totally heinous, blame your computer!). I'm providing the closest match for each color from the Behr paint deck (the one I had on hand) - so if you are truly super duper into this project, you can grab some swatches and play along at home. I'll also try to give a verbal description of each color so you can hopefully picture it even if your monitor is much different than mine.

Downstairs: I wanted the whole open kitchen/living room/loft space to feel bright and cheerful, but not be overwhelmingly saturated with color. We are also going to have a multi-toned wood floor (more on that later - we're using flooring that was cut from barn beams from Brandon's grandmother's farm), and there are also the dark ceiling beams to contend with (although the decking between them will be white). To balance/compliment all of that wood, I decided to go with a bright greeny-yellow. The original one that caught my eye was a Benjamin Moore color (Fresh Cut Grass, 2026-50), but this is a really close match to the Behr color called Pear (400A-3). Loooove this color, and can't wait to get a sample up in the house to make sure it's as gorgeous on the wall as it is in the paint deck.

Because that color will be visible almost everywhere in the house (upstairs and downstairs), everything else had to go with it to some degree. There is a huge wide doorway into the dining room, so for there I needed something that would match but that would also be a bit more "formal." This color is tricky to describe, but I was looking for a warm (red-toned) neutral - kind of clay-y or taupe-y (I just sensed every man in my life rolling his eyes... sorry guys). The other colors downstairs are a bit easier to describe - I wanted a bright peacock blue for the guest room (inspired by this fantastic room from Young House Love - although ours will be a bit more turquoise), and a brick/terra cotta orange for the bathroom.

(You can click on the pic to make it bigger.)

Upstairs: The greeny-yellow carries upstairs to the loft walkway, so again I wanted something for the bedrooms that would match, but be a little more sedate and calming. The color I picked is another red-toned neutral, but it's a bit more gray and less brown than the dining room. For now we decided to leave both upstairs bedrooms the same color. I liked the symmetry, and we figured that for the most part we'll be using bedroom #2 as a walk-in closet, so it'll be nice to tie it all together. The two rooms are joined by the master bath, which I saw as another opportunity to add a fun color without overwhelming a large space with it. This color is just what it sounds like - a really deep but lovely plum.

So, that's what I'm thinking for now... Of course this could all change at a moment's notice! But, we just got word that drywall should be done this week, which means painting could start next week. The professional painter is going to do the two-story "great room" area (basically all of the greeny-yellow above), but we'll be in charge of bedrooms and bathrooms. And "go time" should be juuuuust before my mom and dad get into town for a visit next week... muahahaha.