Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Painting Our Foyer Edgecomb Gray

The deed is done. Behold, our freshly painted foyer:

Painting Foyer4

It feels about a foot taller and at least two feet wider than it did before. Ah, the power of paint.

Foyer Before1

This shot’s probably the most accurate when it comes to color. It’s definitely one of those soft neutrals that shifts throughout the day, but I’d say it’s one part sand and one part greige. Not too cool and not too warm. And pretty darn beautiful with white trim.

Painting Foyer10

As for choosing the color, we mentioned a bunch of swatches we were loving in this post, and shared this little makeshift palette:

New House Paint Colors

Can you guess who ended up in the foyer?

Painting Foyer6

Good ol’ Edgecomb Gray. The funny part about that swatch is it’s not really gray (it’s warmer, more like a greige). Another pretty hilarious thing about it is that it looked terrible in our last house, but here it’s gorgeous (it’s crazy how differently a swatch can read depending on the lighting situation, what direction your room faces, etc). So in a sea of paint chips it was an easy choice. Which is nice because it’s a pretty big commitment.

Painting Foyer12

The foyer leads to four downstairs rooms as well as flowing up the stairs and into the hallway up there which leads to six additional rooms – so we knew that whatever we chose would have to work well with any other wall colors we’d be choosing for all ten of those spaces that will connect to it.

Painting Foyer9

As for getting it up on the walls, first we filled in a few nail holes with spackle and then primed those spots as well as any areas that had raw drywall (from our wallpaper peeling adventures).

Painting Foyer1

Then it was painting time. It thankfully only took two coats (as opposed to the trim, which took four). We went with an eggshell finish in BM’s no-VOC Natura stuff, so John got his roll on and I cut in – yes, around chair rail, crown molding, baseboards, and seven (!!) doorways.

Painting Foyer2

As you can imagine it took John about one tenth of the time to roll that it took me to cut in around all of those edges, but it was totally worth it. I love the new wall color so much that I could do a musical number about it. (Seriously, don’t tempt me – I’m a terrible dancer).

Painting Foyer11

It’s one of those colors that changes throughout the day and feels so airy and breezy, like the sky at the beach. Some moments it’s like the lightest part of a platinum cloud, and other moments it’s warmer and richer – like coffee with lots of milk swirling around in there.

We have a devoted post all about this paint color if you want to see more photos of Edgecomb Gray in our house & read why we love it so much. Oh and after our paint job, we switched out the old yellowed outlets and switches for crisp new white ones. Such a cheap fix, but just like fresh paint, they go a long way in making the room feel updated.

Painted Foyer New Switch

Can’t wait to get some art going on. Oh yeah and paint the other fifteen rooms in our house (note to self: don’t think about that, just focus on your musical number).

Painting Foyer 14

It’s nice to have a pop of color in the door since all of the white trim and doors around it seem to temper it while the neutral walls and the dark floors and door hardware ground things. And you know the light fixture is on my ORB list.

I like this shot because the blue spindles leading up the stairs almost look black instead of periwinkle blue. Although I think we’re leaning towards white for those spindles (when we can work up the energy to do four coats on them) and eventually we’d love to ebonize the top part of the railing to go with the dark door hardware everywhere. Sort of like this or this.

Paintedfoyer22

In the meantime we’re just soaking up the victory of completing a whole lotta trim, doors, chair rail, crown, and getting some fresh paint on the walls in there.

Painting Foyer18

Change is good.

 

More Of Favorite Paint Colors

If you’re having trouble picking the right color to paint your room, check out these detailed deep-dive posts about our favorite paints:

Comments

  1. oh Holland says

    Your foyer walls nicely compliment Burger’s complexion. Very tasty.

    And I wholly endorse the white spindle/ebonized bannister idea. That’ll be gorgeous.

    Reply

  2. Alice @ Just Alice says

    Foyer for the win. Love that color, especially with the door and the white trim. As for your foyer table, I can imagine all sorts of Pottery Barn-esque arrangements on there. Like that Easter one they did with the tall branches and lovely little Easter egg ornaments hanging off of it. Seems that space is perfect for it. Also, I think the first photo in this post needs a giant “NAILED IT” sticker. :) Love the color. I think I’ll try a swatch of it in my laundry room. Exactly what I was looking for.

    Reply

  3. Emily says

    Having spent Sunday (and many other Sundays) spindle painting – thought I would sugget trying the roller mitts Home Depot carries. We are working on a deck so much different texture, but after trying many methods that, and following behind with a brush appears to work best!

    Reply

  4. Stacey says

    Off topic but I just have to say.. I’ve gone to 2 local big box hardware stores and they’re both sold out of ORB spray paint every time I go! I wonder if there are a lot of YHL readers that are buying up the stuff. I’m really trying to hold out because it’s such a pretty color, but I want to get to paintin’.

    Reply

  5. Jessie says

    Beautiful! The transformation is already amazing me. You guys are so good at seeing a house’s real potential.

    Jessie
    mymessielife.com

    Reply

  6. Lauren says

    I love how fresh it all looks. You two make a great team!
    How do you get jobs done with your three year old around? I have so many diy projects on our to-do list but it is hard to do them all when the kiddos are sleeping!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Almost everything we do project-wise is done while Clara naps or sleeps for the night (we can write posts and edit photos and answer comments while she’s awake and playing nearby, but we just have found that actually doing projects is a lot less frustrating when we don’t have to split our focus between Clara and the project). Hope it helps!

      xo
      s

  7. Vickie M says

    I love the paint color! That being said, I think the front door would look so sophisticated and gorgeous in a glossy black. But I’m definitely in the minority as everybody else really likes the blue door.

    Reply

  8. Erika says

    WOW, firstly, hail to the victors of much painting! This made me feel better after reading of your “only took one coat” ventures, because my place has taken MANY. And oh my how gorgeous it looks! I love the colors with the floor! What a great update! And love the white trim with the soft wall too. Well done!

    Reply

  9. Kristin F says

    Call me crazy but I am actually digging the gold on the light fixture now. Add a few gold accents on your table, maybe a heavy gold frame, and it will give a real luxe feel to your foyer. I’m a lover of ORB too, but like mixing my metals when possible.

    Reply

  10. Leah McDonald says

    I was looking around on luvocracy today for whale bookends and a picture popped up of the cutest whale bookends that are holding a copy of your book. Cool, huh?

    Reply

  12. Jamie B. says

    Soooo pretty. Oh, man, changing out beige light switches and outlets for white seems to take forever (so many of them!) but is such a huge improvement. In my 60s rental apartment, they changed the plates to white but didn’t bother with the actual switches or plugs. They look constantly dirty in comparison. Gross.

    Reply

  13. Britney R. says

    It looks wonderful! I think your house is my house’s Virginian sister! Seriously, my house had blue trim just like yours when we moved in. That also needed 4 coats of paint. And we had all sorts of wallpaper, though I am jealous at how easy yours came off. And we painted Ben Moore Ashwood, which looks really similar to your paint color, and the inside of my front door is a deep aqua. See? Sister houses. :)

    Reply

  14. Amber says

    After deflowering my 3 different floral patterned wallpapers in our kitchen using BOTH the hot water spray bottle and the steamer method- I too painted crown molding, chair rail and baseboards ( bottom wall stayed white with the trim) then came in and cut around it to paint the top half of the wall- so kuddos to you guys too! I know the feeling, it’s hard work but SO worth it when you are done ;)

    Reply

  15. cassy says

    hey Sherry…. when are you going to ORB that gold light fixture?!?! im wanting to do my 2 outdoor patio lights and waiting on your next post so i can refresh myself on all your spraypaint pointers!!!!!

    Reply

  16. Megan says

    So I’m reading this at work today as this is the first moment I’ve had to myself! Feeling a little silly at how excited I was to have the moment (and that I actually knew you were going to update us on the foyer today). We’re in the process of saving up for a down payment and I’m kinda obsessed with house renovation right now.

    Reply

  17. Heather O. says

    So bright and airy! Whenever I see major changes like this in any house whether here on your blog, HGTV, or somewhere else, I always wonder if the previous owners have seen the changes and are smacking their foreheads thinking “Why in the heck didn’t we do something like this instead of what we were living with all those years?” Especially paint which is such an easy but dramatic change that so many never think about.

    Reply

  18. Kim says

    Love the look! And you are right, it is fresh, like being at the beach. The door is the water, the walls make up the sand and the trim is the sea foam… great transition of color!

    Reply

  19. Peggy McKee says

    New wall color looks great! I have a couple of questions:

    1. For the ceiling do you use flat or egg-shell?

    2. On the BM website, Decorator’s White is in your palette–but I notice you have Simply White on your recent post. Did you change? Did the name change from Decorator’s to Simply?

    Many thanks, Peg

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We prefer flat for the ceiling and as for white tones, they read differently in every house (so we preferred Decorators White in our last house but it looked almost blue in our current house so we liked how Simply White read in this lighting).

      xo
      s

  20. karen says

    it looks like the console is blocking some of the entry to your office. i don’t think that’s good feng shui. maybe a table that’s rounded off would be better.

    Reply

    • Jo says

      You and I must be the only ones this bothers – I just read every comment and no else seemed to pick up on it. I’m not into feng shui, but it’s bugging me so much that the console is over the door! I don’t know why I’m so worried about someone else’s interior design, it’s not like I have to live there! Lol. The console itself looks lovely, but when I got to the pic that showed how it went over the office door, something in my head screamed “noooo!”

      I do love the paint colour though, I’m glad you went with something soft like this, I was expecting you to do a simple white, and I think it would have made the floors look cooler.

  21. Laurie says

    I know you’re the one living with it and my opinion doesn’t count but I have to say I’m not loving the blue door on the inside. I’m predicting once you start painting other rooms it will be changed out. But that’s the beauty of paint right?

    Reply

  22. Christina says

    Hello! It must be the first time i ‘m leaving you a comment but i have to say i absolutely love your blog and all the work you do with your homes. This Saturday me and my husband painted our kid ‘s room so i know exactly how you feel Sherry. Doing all the edges especially if the color changes between the ceiling and the walls is tedious but really worth it. I spent most of the day on the ladder but I’m willing to do it again soon (getting strange looks from my husband).

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think the salmon living room is rising to the top, along with stripping and restaining the deck and whitewashing the fireplace in the living room.

      xo
      s

  24. Yael says

    What a transformation! How beautiful! You’re right, it looks at least twice as big now. It’s incredible what paint can do! I love those paint colors, thanks for letting us know what they are. The dog is cute too :)

    Reply

  25. Mallory W. says

    Looks amazing! I love that you two see so much potential in what others might turn away from. We are refreshing our baseboards this week (just another coat of white); I was a little overwhelmed by the task before we even started, but then reminded myself of all the BLUE baseboard you guys had to paint over and felt better. :)

    Reply

  27. Andrea says

    I like the new walls but I find the blue door distracting. I think it would look more peaceful if it was white like the other doors and trim, but to each their own!

    Reply

  28. Kim says

    Also, quick, random question… I think you’ve mentioned it before, but I can’t seem to find it. How many square feet was your first place versus your second and new places. I remember you guys saying that your last home and this home are about the same in terms of square feet. I’m curious because my husband and I are house hunting (just a few minutes ago, we were outbid on the second house we put an offer in on). I feel like 1600 square feet is an ideal size for us and a good size for resale value in the neighborhoods we are looking in. We’ve seen smaller homes that looked way too cramped in my opinion (about 1300 square feet). I’m wondering if it was just the way the current owner had the furniture laid out or if that size really is cramped. Obviously the layout of the house plays a big part in this too, so I’m sure it’s nearly impossible for you to give any advice if the square footage is cramped or comfortable without seeing the house. On the flip side, we are closing on our current condo in 2 weeks, which is 700 square feet, so anything bigger than that should seem roomy, right?!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Our first house was around 1200 square feet and our second and current house are around 2500 square feet. I definitely think it’s all relative to what you’re used to (our 1200 house was a palace since we were coming from tiny NYC studios but once we had a kid and both started working from home and had lots of friends and relatives coming to stay with us, just having one full bathroom was really hard to juggle).

      xo
      s

  30. Linda says

    If you’ve been wondering if you should do a tutorial video on painting spindles, then my vote is for yes. I have to paint our brand new spindles soon. I have a whole basement to paint actually. :)

    Just this morning I was wondering how to paint them best.

    Your foyer looks great

    Reply

  31. Felie Hempfling says

    Wow! What a transformation! It’s amazing how painting a room can make it feel larger and so open! I was looking at that before photo and wow such a HUGE difference. I bet the previous owners are reading Young House Love thinking to themselves “why didn’t we do that!?”

    Reply

  32. Melanie says

    Is it ridiculous that as I drove in this morning I thought ‘smeh smeh it’s Monday….WAIT the Petersik’s are going to show their newly painted foyer in today’s blog! YES!’. It’s the little things….and I LOVE the new color :)

    Reply

  33. Katie says

    Looks great! Where did you get that large brown basket with braided handles that is underneath the black table in the foyer? I’m looking for something like that to hide my shoes!

    Reply

  35. Robin @ our semi organic life says

    Since you guys paint a lot, question: do you guys, Clara, or burger ever forget the walls are wet and accidentally rub something up against them before they’re completely dry? Are there lots of touch ups involved? I’ve personally never painted a wall so have no clue the drying time or if kids & pets or accidents are a big deal.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Can you believe that’s never happened! They seem to dry pretty fast (by the time we’re done doing the first coat and we’re back around it’s dry and ready for the second coat) – Burger’s generally really skittish (he’ll avoid an area where we’re working the entire time) and we usually do bigger painting projects while Clara’s napping or sleeping for the night, so by the time she’s out of her room we’ve cleaned up and things are dry for the most part.

      xo
      s

  36. Emily @ Life on Food says

    I have been using this website to keep an open mind as we looked at houses the last few months. This weekend an offer was accepted! Yikes! Now these projects take on a whole other meaning. The living room is pink! Paint and I will be best friends.

    Reply

  43. Gena says

    My foyer is the same color (was here when we moved in last year), and it looks so different with white trim! All the trim, crown, etc in our whole house is also edgecomb grey, which we have been changing over to Simply White room by room, to brighten things up. Your photos make the wall color really pop — maybe I’ll keep it!

    Reply

  44. Cindy Roberts says

    We used Edgecomb gray in a house we renovated and flipped in Florida. It was our favorite color and used it throughout the house. Your entry looks so much bigger. Renovating a bathroom in Williamsburg now. Will send photos.

    Reply

  45. Shelley @ Calypso in the Country says

    I love it! I am especially excited to see the color in photos because Edgecomb Gray is one of the colors we are also considering for our foyer! Our foyer is currently Bone White but I wanted to go a little different this time. Your whole foyer looks gorgeous and I adore the door color too!
    -Shelley

    Reply

  49. Ginger says

    I think that the flooring is a factor in how the walls look. I feel that the walls reflect off of the floor differently or something to make the same color look differently in different places. It is beautiful!

    Reply

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