Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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How To Paint A Room

The office ceiling and walls are officially painted, which is good news because we’re at T-minus 48 hours until this baby’s scheduled delivery. Note: the trim is pure white in here (the same color as the desk in the middle of the room). No idea why it’s looking a little cream – maybe just the time of day/lighting?

Freshly Painted Home Office With Floating Desk

It’s still looking really stark in here (holy cow, who watched Game Of Thrones last night?), so we can’t wait to add:

  • a rug
  • window treatments
  • a fun pendant or two over the desk area
  • art
  • more storage along the left wall (and a craft table/photography zone)
  • an updated kid-desk area on the right
  • etc, etc, etc

But even though we’re only around 10% done, it has come a long way since its former days of blue-trim.

Before Photo Of Formal Living Room With Blue Trim Before Conversion To Home Office

And there’s nothing like some final-hour pre-baby hustling to get your blood pumping.

John Applying Paint to Ceiling With Roller On Extension Pole

In the past we shared this video where I demonstrated a few cutting in tips that work for me…

… and there were a bunch of requests on this post for video footage of John rolling a ceiling and a wall, so our office-painting update was the perfect opportunity to catch him in action. This is by no means the professional way to paint a room, it’s just what works for us. So without further ado – here’s how John rolls:

*We mentioned a few brands by name, but none of them were paid/perked, they’re just what we like (we curated color collections with Benjamin Moore in 2012 & 2013, but didn’t have time to do one this year – and never used them exclusively, were paid to mention them, or accepted free paint while we did). 

For those who can’t watch the video, here are a few highlights:

  • John likes to use a rod extender to take the strain off his back while painting ceilings
  • we don’t have textured ceilings so we use a roller that’s meant for “smooth surfaces” – usually by Purdy, Wooster, or Ben Moore (we’re not brand loyal, and usually just grab whatever’s on sale)
  • if this room were carpeted we definitely would have covered the floor, and if you have issues with splattering or just prefer to keep yours under wraps it never hurts to use drop cloths (pros would for sure)
  • watch the speed, amount of paint, and pressure you put on the roller – upping all of those things can be tempting to get things done faster, but keeping them all in check can contribute to more even coverage and fewer drips/splatters
  • higher quality paint is usually thicker, so it tends to drips less (we don’t use ceiling paint on ceilings, we just use good quality flat paint)
  • we skip the rod extender when rolling the walls, but otherwise it’s the same technique
  • our preferred order is for me to cut in so John can roll right behind me, then I’ll do my second round of cutting-in and John will once again follow right behind with the roller (that way the roller can get as close to the moldings and eliminate any brushstrokes that I might leave while cutting in)

We’ve shared a few time lapse room-painting videos in the past, so we thought those might be helpful to include here too. Here’s one of  us painting our old master bedroom in 2012. You’ll notice we used pretty much the same approach back then (I was less steady with cutting in along the ceiling, so sometimes we used tape up there).

And here’s another time lapse video of us priming the kitchen (along with the overhead beams) from 2011.

Now that we got the “how” out of the way – let’s switch gears to the “whys” of choosing our office wall color…

  • We wanted something light and refreshing (we’re both drawn to airy and bright offices)
  • The dining room on the other side of the foyer is going to be dark and moody, so we didn’t want another bold or dark room across from it
  • I was campaigning hard for a soft honeydew green, but John worried it could hinder the function of the room (we plan to photograph smaller projects in here on a craft table, and he thought too much green would reflect in our shots)
  • We had trouble agreeing on colors in here, so we grabbed four test pots (in Daiquiri Ice, Lime Froth, Palest Pistachio, and Tint of Mint)

Oh and one more tip is that when we applied those test paint pots (couldn’t get an accurate picture of them, but just picture four blobs on the wall in a few different places around the room) we painted them from top to bottom in alphabetical order, which helped us remember which swatch was which, so we didn’t mix them up. After a few days of debate we finally agreed on Palest Pistachio. It felt airy and light, wasn’t too green, and it didn’t hurt that it was named one of ten “Happiness Inducing Colors” by Remodelista. So here’s the room all done, in Palest Pistachio. It’s photographing a little bluer than it looks in real life – but it’s definitely a happy color that feels bright without being bold or neon.

Painted Office Wall Color Pale Pistachio With Framed Art And Colorful Magnet Boards

Don’t mind me, this is just my favorite picture ever.

John and Daughter Working At Side By Side Desks In Home Office

We have big plans to make a larger bulletin board above this kid-desk area, most likely from window to window, so that should be fun (the screens are open so the windows look crazy here – just pretend you don’t notice).

Daughter Coloring At Small Art Desk In Home Office

Feels good to have one more to-do list item checked off. You know, until a newborn comes along and the whole house goes to heck again…

Our 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: 

Psst- Wanna know where we got something in our house? Just click on this button: 

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Comments

  2. Jen says

    The office looks great! I just wanted to leave a note wishing you much luck for a healthy delivery and speedy recovery on Wednesday. I had two high risk pregnancies both with scheduled (complicated) c-sections. You can do it, mama!!!!! I’m certain that your medical team is prepared and will do a fabulous job helping you bring the barnacle into the world. Congratulations in advance!

    Reply

  3. Marianne in Mo. says

    Love the mini redo, I go nuts with blogs that have so much clutter that the content is weak.
    The office is coming along great. I think you will have a productive environment there with all the light and space.
    Good luck with the birth! It would be fun to see an interview with Clara on her thoughts between now and after the birth. I’m sure she would have something witty to say. Surely she is having a bit of anxiety over the changes to come. Best wishes to you all, sending prayers for a wonderful birth!

    Reply

  4. Estrella says

    What I love most about your office is the kids desk being in it :)
    Best wishes for the arrival of baby Barnacle!

    Reply

  5. Emily says

    Love it! I wish I had a space like this to work! We used Simply White in the brightest room in our house too, and it definitely looks Simply Off-White when the sun comes out. Go figure…Sending positive thoughts your way over the next couple days. Can’t wait to meet the little nugget.

    Reply

  7. Amelia says

    Looking good! I love that the Pinterest buttons when I hover over the photos match the triangles on your new header. It’s a subtle thing, but really adds that extra little touch. Also loving the light airy feel of the office! Peace and blessings as you wait for your little one to arrive.

    Reply

  9. Mary says

    Thank you for this reminder! I’m just getting started painting a room for my little guy.
    If you’re crazy bored with nothing else on your hands to do (like EVERYTHING to get ready for a kid!), Do you have to cut in first? Can you tell me why it seems you do that before rollering?

    Thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We prefer to cut in first because the roller then goes over that area as close (as it can like in the video) and smoothes it out so it’s the same texture as the rolled part of the walls. If you cut in afterwards it might look brushed on around the edges while the rolled parts look a little different.

      xo
      s

  10. heather says

    In the midst of foggy brain from multiple deadlines (I totally needed a break to read this) I COMPLETELY missed that baby boy is due this week! EEK! I’m sending you lots of love and hugs and happiness! So exciting <3

    Reply

  11. kara says

    You guys are putting me to shame! My babe is going to be 3 weeks tomorrow, and I totally took two weeks off before he was born to just relax and rest up mentally and physically. At least I can take heart in the fact that you admitted that your house will ‘go to heck’ once Baby Boy is here. I know mine has :) Hope all goes well with your new bundle!

    Reply

  13. Sue says

    I will chime in to agree that the walls look very blue to me. It is disappointing to not get photos that are true to color from a decorating blog. That’s kind of critical for someone who wants to either learn from you or replicate a similar color scheme. I know you have been receiving suggestions to take photography classes for a long time….. Maybe time to bump up that priority?

    To be honest though, I like the idea of blue walls much better than green! I recently tried to paint my kitchen green, but every shade of green looked (as my husband called it) “soviet block housing depressing green”. I gave up and picked a different color. Of course I can’t actually tell what color your walls are so I can’t comment on whether you managed to avoid that!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’ve certainly been working on our photography (we now shoot in manual and have come a loooong way from the photos in our archives) but there’s always more to learn! The funny thing is that we’ve had our houses shot for mags and even the pro pics have wonky colors sometimes – 2D just isn’t real life, so sometimes there’s less depth, nuance, richness, etc. Maybe searching the color on benjaminmoore.com to see their swatch will help (of course things like monitor settings can make any color read differently online).

      xo
      s

    • Robin W says

      I am always surprised that people take the time to complain about a blog that is so full of great content.

      I think you do above and beyond when you give names and brands of all your paint colors and are constantly answering questions about where you got what.

      So, thank you – and I love the look of the office and the blog changes. Good luck this week!

    • Alicia M says

      I used to work for a multi-channel marketing company and I can attest to the fact that you will never get a true reading of color for web images. J&S can color correct until the cows come home and one person’s monitor may read color different than another’s. Unless we all go buy expensive print production monitors/phones/tablets, etc…there’s no way to correct it for everyone. Thank you J&S for doing the best with what you’ve got! (And for being so very kind in your responses.)

  14. Becky says

    Loving the office as it’s coming together for you! Where did you get your filing cabinet/organizer? I’m looking for just that piece!

    Reply

  15. Darcy says

    I just have to comment how much I LOVE that picture of Clara and John! I bet that will be a favorite of Clara’s as she gets older too….I have a picture of me and my dad that my mom took of us napping when I was around 2 years old that I LOVE so very much — it just makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside when I look at it! I think this picture will do that for Clara! And I saw your comment that John made it his personal facebook pic, makes it even sweeter!! LOVE!

    I am soo excited that your sweet boy will be making his arrival on Wednesday….It is such an amazing phenomenon– The minute you bring that baby home, Clara will seem like such a big kid…like what happened, did she grow up overnite?!? That was the weirdest thing for me…I just kept thinking, where did my little boy go! I will be thinking good thoughts on Wednesday for you for an uneventful and safe delivery!

    Reply

  16. Larissa says

    So freaking excited for you and the new guy!!!

    I need to do some painting, which I am dreading, so I love all these tutorials (that I’ve seen before because I’m a loyal follower) in one place. Thanks for that!

    Website update looks fun! I wonder if readers who don’t like the ad on top are aware that it magically disappears when you scroll down like half a centimeter?

    We’ll be thinking lots of good thoughts for a happy, healthy Petersik family.

    Reply

  17. Alina says

    That last photo of Clara working at “her” desk is probably the cutest thing I’ve seen today! Such an ingenious set-up, especially when she starts real school and needs help with homework and stuff!

    Reply

  18. Sam says

    Loving the new website look – the use of white-space is great and the minimalist look is super pleasing for these eyes. Great job! And great job on the office too – it’s crazy how far it’s come since you purchased the house.

    Reply

  20. Teri says

    Sherry- The color comes off gray on my screen, but in the comments you said it’s not gray. Would you say it leans more towards gray, green or blue?

    Congrats on the new arrival.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So funny it looks gray to you and blue to some other people! Definitely some monitor stuff going on. I would say it’s right in the middle of green and blue. During some times of the day it looks more like pale pistachio green and others it’s like a light glowing robin’s egg blue.

      xo
      s

  21. Trisha says

    You lost me at 48 hours until Barnacle.
    The office looks great, but I just wanted to say good luck with your c-section. I hope it goes smoothly and you get an easy go around this time :)

    Reply

  22. Aoife says

    48 hours to go. How exciting!! I know you must be nervous. Best of luck. Newborns are just the cutest! Apart from my 5 month old of course-she is the cutest of them all. Ha!

    Reply

  23. Diane says

    John I was wondering why you don’t use a metal paint tray under the plastic liner. I feel it gives me a little more stability when rolling. Love the painting tutorials always pick something up I can use next time. Something as simple as the cardboard under your supplies that makes it much easier to move around instead of newspaper.
    Can’t wait for Wednesday!! Sherry you’ve been such a trooper with everything you have going on. Much luck and happy thoughts!

    Reply

  24. Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says

    I love the subtle yet new site update. It’s refreshing. The wall color looks blue but nice. So I like it although it might not look like it literally does? Did I dream that you had the baby and I missed the announcement? Yes I did. That and I also dreamt they bulldozed my kids school with me attached to the wrecking ball. (It’s been an embattled week last week…they are LITERALLY closing my kids school down and thinking of bulldozing it….tears… :..(….so I come here to be happy for a few minutes before I go off to the red tape central that is the Save Our School parent Facebook page I’ve been moderating since Thursday last week.) Sigh….I will keep you guys in my thoughts until the baby Bambino comes Wednesday. (I know you settled on “Barnicle” but he’s been “Bambino” in this house since day 1 haha.)

    My best, Lynn
    *and when are you officially cutting the cord so to speak on the showhouse? When are you released from that gig technically and can focus back on your place? I haven’t commented in a bit because I didn’t want to give you more work ;)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Lynn! The showhouse is mostly done (we are just documenting it for you guys in pics and a video walk-through) but this baby is pretty much the cut off :)

      xo
      s

  25. Meg says

    I love the windows in your study and it looks so airy and fresh. I know you mentioned it looks stark, but I think it looks great with minimal furniture and enough space for little ones to spread out on the floor if they want to. Please keep it stark- :))

    Reply

  26. Elisha says

    Love those beautiful green trees you have probably mentioned them before but what are they called? I am need of something green in my house.

    Reply

  28. Sarah B says

    random question…does anyone know the source of that pillow i can see as i stalk on instagram? mint/blue brushstroke-type pattern? would love to find:)

    Reply

  29. Carrie K says

    The larger images are great! I didn’t think I’d notice the missing hearts in the grey backdrop but I do. :( Sorry to read that some people are being hard about the change. It’s totally up to you guys! Love the shot of Clara + John working. Frame it (in about a year when The Barnacle Adjustment has fully taken root!)

    Reply

  31. katie says

    I’m a big fan, you are my favorite blog & the first I read everyday. First of all, I’m excited for you and the new baby coming soon! I like the update to the blog, mostly. I’m not a fan of the ad that is above your header, I think it detracts from your blog too much. Is it possible to keep the ads on the side? I do like the the clean look of the site though.
    Keep up the great blogging, and make sure you take some well-earned rest. You’ve been going 100- of miles an hour the last month.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks Katie! In an attempt to clean up our sidebar we’ve phased out 30+ ads over the last 6 months (and monthly sponsor shout outs). For the redesign we decided to put one ad at the top of the page, because we figure as soon as you scroll down to read the content it’ll be invisible (so our previous 30+ sidebar ads seemed more distracting and busy since they competed with the content area while you read). We don’t write sponsored posts or accept freebies, so hopefully five ads outside of the content area aren’t deal-breakers :)

      xo
      s

    • Kathy says

      Sorry, I agree, it’s too in the face – too harsh – and for me, sets a distasteful tone for the site. With them on the side, it’s barely a glance until I am ready to look at them. Not you “making” me look at it. Please go back to the side.

      Glad you got it painted, wish you would have put in a fun ceiling color though! Not a criticism, just an observation, your rooms tend to look like they are floating to me (not always, but often). Nothing to ground them…the darker ceiling like you did at the showhouse and some other places seems to cap things and help with that. A dark top on that desk could help, and I do know you’ve mentioned soapstone (right?), so I am anxious to see where you go with that!

      Prayers for a safe, happy birth experience for you all.

  32. Amanda says

    I was literally JUST hoping last week you’d do a site update soon! I love the new look, more fresh! Also, I’m buying my first house THIS WEEK! HOLY CRAP! It will be similar to your first house, any tips for choosing a color palette for a house? Or a list of “things you “have to do” before you move in?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      You’re so sweet Amanda! That’s so exciting! I always try to clean well before move in day (scrub the cabinets, etc) and getting stuff out of the way to move (ex: big weeds along the front walkway, shaky bricks on the front path, etc) help too! For colors, I would bring a ton of paint swatches in and see which ones you like and then put them all together to make sure they work nicely en masse.

      xo
      s

  33. Alix says

    Looks great, dudes! Keep up the awesome work. :)

    John, how did the Monument Ave 10K go for you? Record-breaking I hope!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      After running it twelve years in a row I cut my foot open at the showhouse the night before and couldn’t run. Sad day for me, but other relatives did great!

      – John

    • Alix says

      Oh man, what a bummer! And here I am rubbing some lemon juice in there for ya. :/ Glad to hear the family did well! Next year! :)

  34. Magpie says

    What a lovely makeover! My favorite things in this room are the big green plants and the way you placed the furniture in a kind of unconventional way. :)

    Reply

  35. Amy says

    I guess I will comment since I see so many others commenting about the ad at the top. I honestly did not notice it and had to scroll back up to the top to see what I missed. I totally see what was meant by “most people will scroll down.” That’s exactly what I did. It doesn’t bother me, in fact, I think I prefer it to the box with 5-6 images constantly changing every few seconds-that was distracting when reading from a PC. I am all for simplifing life, so kudos to you guys for making this change!

    Reply

  36. Avi says

    Looks great, and love the time lapses. I 100% agre with John, you have to take your time, and definitely no light pressure. If you push hard, not only are you likely to splatter, but also to leave streaks. And no body wants that.

    We settle on our new home on Wednesday, but we already picked our paint colors. And since it was national painting wweek, we took advantage on all the paint sales going on. So now we have 12 gallons of paint/primer just waiting to get on the walls.

    Going to be our first time trying to white wash brick, I’m sure we will be checking your video again.

    Anyway, I was curious, what do you use to shoot your videos? Do you have specialty equipment?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      More recent videos are usually recorded with our Nikon D3200 but older ones were with our computers (they could be sped up in iMovie to make them time lapse).

      xo
      s

  37. Meghan, UK says

    I popped in yesterday and saw the site update, and wanted to say how much I love it. It’s a great update, very clean and gives plenty of space to read the content, as well as the photos. The banner ad is jarring, but I definitely appreciate not having the other sidebar ads, and you forget about it as soon as you scroll!

    Anywho, enough waffle… GOOD LUCK for the Barnacle’s delivery. Wishing you and John a smooth delivery. Huge smooches from a long-time reader xx

    Reply

  38. Kristen says

    I’m liking the new website, even if its a small update. I like it when dead space can be used as much as possible and am loving the larger photos

    Reply

  39. Kayla says

    Just wanted to say how excited I am for you guys. Best wishes, good luck, and please take a bit of time the next couple days to just relax!

    Reply

  40. Heather says

    I’m confused as to why you would change up your logo – especially when your hook line and book feature the logo on the packaging/inside the book. Redesigning your site can be fun (I do it for a living) but constantly redoing your logo can be confusing to users/customers.

    I also agree with others that the ad at the top of the site distracts from your logo(yes, you can scroll down and it goes away but it is huge at the top of the site). As a site designer, I can tell you that ads at the top of a site are one of the things people hate the most when visiting sites with pop-up ads being the other (and you have a pop-up for oatmeal that comes up on this site now).

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I don’t think we constantly change our logo, we do a site redesign every few years (maybe three in six years). If we ever miss the hearts we definitely can bring them back, we just wanted something fresh. It has been awesome to hear from folks who are enjoying the new look, although we knew some people would like things to stay as they were :)

      xo
      s

  41. Lizzy says

    Good luck with the new baby! Two is a whole different story than one, and it’s a great one!

    Just a quick question… you guys do realize that that’s a paint tray liner, right? You’re supposed to put that inside a metal paint tray for easy cleanup??

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes thanks Lizzy, we have always used it with either a thick plastic one or just on it’s own but someone recommended trying a metal one. Will have to see how we like it!

      xo
      s

  42. Liz says

    1) The Banner add is not super distracting, I think it will just take people a little while to get used to something new. I love the bigger photos.

    2) I also never mind the posts on things you may have done before. On many occasions I have scanned a post thinking I wasn’t very intersted in it, only to get started on a project and go back to really READ the post, watch all the videos, and get myself back on track. So THANK you for always being so thorough.

    3) Hoping everything goes well this week with the new addition to your family. Can’t wait until we all get to virtually meet him! Best wishes to you!

    Reply

  43. Sapphira says

    In LOVE with the new blog design, especially those cute little “pin this” buttons! The office is looking so happy and bright with the new paint. I can’t believe it’s only two days until you get to meet the bun! It feels like yesterday I was reading the pregnancy announcement. Wishing you a safe delivery! Now go find John and treat yo self to a foot rub!

    Reply

  44. HeatherM says

    Sherry, are you nesting at all? Any urges to clean every square inch of the house- including behind the refrigerator? Praying you have a happy healthy birth experience Wednesday!

    Reply

  45. Shauna says

    I love love LOVE the new look. It’s simple, clean and loverly. Just like your home. And you guys! Can’t wait to hear about the newest addition to your family. Enjoy every little moment!

    Reply

  46. Leslie @ Oh, the Fun of It says

    Keep up the great work, YHL! Your posts are wonderful and the point is- you’re allowing us to follow you on your journey… which happens to include “painting a room” posts. So a big thank you for letting us tag along for the ride!

    Reply

  47. saira says

    Sherry i just wanted to wish you all the best for Wednesday ..and i love your blog…first comment ever:)

    Reply

  49. Nicole says

    I have been a loyal reader for about 2 years, with only commenting a couple of times. I just had to wish you all the best this week as you prepare to welcome your little babe. Seeing siblings and their interaction with each other will just melt your heart more than you could ever imagine. And, although you will be busier now, the reward is so much sweeter. And, with my 2nd and 3rd C-sections we chose to have the older sibling(s) come see me/baby when the time was right afterwards and so glad. It was a bit ‘scary’ for the kids to know mommy was at the hospital, so it helped that they saw me in a good, happy state when meeting the baby. From one Mom to another, enjoy the week and truly hope you heal quickly.

    Reply

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