We’re back from our week at the beach and excited to dive back into things! We were so lucky to have great weather and even got to squeeze in some window shopping and a thrift store trip, so that stuff’s in the hopper. Other than that we were beach bums and pool bums just soaking up the sun. Allow me to keep it real and mention that there were three kids under the age of four, so there were also meltdowns and even a cookie-tossing incident, but it was a great trip. We really loved Destin!
Back to the salmon living room walls that are no more.
After rolling back the carpet and covering a few things with dropcloths to protect them from flying paint (doesn’t usually happen, but ya never know…) we ran around spackling all of the wall holes. Turns out there were a bunch. We just used Dap Crackshot and sanded it with a sanding block once it was dry and wiped/vacuumed up the dust before moving on to the priming step.
As is the usual for the painting duo that is John & Sherry, I cut in around all of the crown, trim, windows, and door frames while John rolled. In inside-out painting clothes of course. Here’s the primer coat going on:
Since this is just a colored wall that we’re bringing back to a lighter and more neutral tone, we didn’t need anything heavy duty when it came to the primer (no stain-blocking or oil-based stuff was necessary since it’s not like dealing with potential wood-bleed). So we just used what we had leftover from priming some of the blue and mauve doors and trim upstairs.
In fact this entire project was a $0 update since we decided to go with the same paint color that we used in our foyer (Edgecomb Gray by BM, which is actually more of a creamy greige tone than a gray) since we still had enough leftover to complete the living room – but more on why we chose that in a minute.
Thanks to the primer coat, we only needed one coat of paint. And since it was just the upper portion of the room that we were painting (along with the fact that there are a bunch of doors/windows/built-ins that cut into the “wall area” in here), we thankfully could rely only on our leftover paint.
It’s definitely not a risky choice, but it’s such a breath of fresh air to see something pleasant and neutral after living with salmon walls for the last two months.
The coolest part is how much wider the room feels now that the color sort of recedes instead of saying “hiiiiiiii!” like the pink walls did.
Here’s the other side of the room where we’d love to eventually create a nice wide doorway in the center that leads to the kitchen, with built-in cabinets on each side (sort of like the opening between the office and dining room in our last house). We’ll probably use an accent color on the back of the future built-ins, and since we plan to whitewash the brick on the other side of the room, there will be two nice “focal areas” going on (so we didn’t want the wall color to compete or make things too busy). We have even debated using a soft blue color on the ceiling between the white coffered beams. Should be fun to see where this room takes us!
And since here’s a little sofa shot, I thought I’d toss out another update for you guys since we’re always being asked how we like our Karlstad from Ikea. Still love it! After a few years with a dog and a kid it’s still going strong. We can’t vouch for any other type of cover (ours is the dark sivik gray) but it’s super durable and washable. Check out our poor console table though – we still need to shorten it and make it interlock correctly since we just sort of mashed it together from the extra long version that we had at our previous house (back when our sectional was configured to be a lot larger). Hence that earthquake-lookin’ crack going on behind the sofa.
But back to the living room walls…
… we’re so happy we devoted an afternoon to de-salmoning them right before we hopped in the car for our road trip. It was totally worth the time and leftover paint to come home to such a lighter sight.
Perhaps the most upgraded view in the house is this one…
We still have a lot of wood trim to paint and three different floors going on, but at least there’s one less room full of wallpaper, no more blue trim, and the living room has been de-pinked.
The funniest thing to us is how differently Edgecomb Gray can read when it’s next to wood trim vs. white trim. See how it looks darker in the foyer thanks to the contrast with the white trim? Meanwhile in the living room from this angle it almost looks off-white against the wood – so of course we’re more anxious than ever to keep on painting 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. You can also check out our round-up of experts’ favorite white paint colors.
Elizabeth says
Glad you liked Destin! I was in Rosemary Beach last week on 30-A. We went to dinner on Wednesday night and I was totally in awe when I saw you guys walk by our table! It is always strange to see people you “know” from blogs, TV, etc. in person! Wanted to say hello, but didn’t want to interrupt your dinner. I have always loved your blog-keep up the good work :)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, what a small world! Next time say hi for sure!
xo
s
Leah says
I love you YHL but the curtains and the geometric shape of the brick/color= way too clashing
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, it looks crazy right now! The middle makes no sense fo sho. We hope when we whitewash the brick and paint the trim it’ll start to come together. Who knows though!
xo
s
Lindsey says
Welcome back!!!
Glad you had a good time on vacation last week. I was going to ask you if you were planning a Destin post (as if you don’t have enough to-dos on your plate already, right?) but I skimmed the comments and saw that you have one planned! YIPEE!
Living room looks great. Can’t wait to see the rest.
BTW, I officially became a Bower Power follower on facebook last week. I’ve always followed Katie’s blog here and there, but last week it became official :)
Kirsten says
Hey guys!
Welcome back!! :) K.
Maria@The_Brooklyn_Fig says
Great choice! Even better that you had the leftover paint and it cost you nada- love when that happens :)
Leah says
Love that you stayed with the same paint color! I’m totally onboard now with your whole-house cohesion. We just moved into a new place that had a patchwork of greens and yellows in different shades. We’re slowly repainting the whole apartment in SW Kilim Beige with only the kitchen being different (SW Lime Granita). It feels _so_good_ to just have one color going on and let other things stand out.
That said, we did take some inspiration from you and painted the backs of our built-in bookshelves. They’re SW Lagoon, and the blue is so lovely with the Kilim Beige.
So, yeah, thanks! And rock on :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds so pretty Leah!
xo
s
Tish says
Welcome back! Do you mind saying where you got your curtain rod? I’m in the market for one around 150″ and they don’t seem to be the easiest to find. Just wondering if you have a secret for snagging one inexpensively. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
I think that was from Home Depot a while ago. Anyone else have tips? Ikea and Target and Lowe’s are a few other places we’ve been lucky with something in our budget.
xo
s
Amanda says
I bought all mine at Ross-I think we got 10 rods for less then $130, including one that was at least 120″ or 140″. You can always get 2 of the same type design and combine the center pole if they don’t come big enough for 150″. We combined 2 for corner windows like this and they worked perfectly. They look great, even if they are lighter (but who weighs them when they are on your wall right?). Ross will sometimes have lots and sometimes none at all, so just check back in every so often.
Tish says
Thank you both! I don’t have IKEA nearby (I know some things they’ll ship and some they won’t) :( but Ross is one place I hadn’t thought of.
Julie says
Crackshot has to be the greatest name ever for a product.
YoungHouseLove says
Amen!
xo
s
MeganL says
Here’s a question for John- how do you roll just the right amount of paint on to the roller? This might be basic for everyone but me, but a little video tutorial would be helpful. I’m always getting too much on the roller (then it slides on the wall) or not enough (not evenly coated on the roller). Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I’ll try to remember to make a video of him in action next time! I just asked him to describe his method and he said he errs on the side of too-little and then just uses extra pressure when making his little wall-Ws with the roller, so it eventually fills it all in.
xo
s
Kaetlyn says
It’s so inspiring to see how such a doable DIY can improve a space!
I’ve been smitten with Karl the couch since you guys first introduced him to us, and I’m glad to hear that he’s still holding up well. Does Clara do a lot (A WHOLE LOT) of couch jumping/gymnastics? I’m trying to decide if a Karl might be a good fit for our family, which includes two CRAZY boys/amateur circus performers, aged 1 and almost 3.
YoungHouseLove says
I’d give her a 5 in that category. There are definitely some jumps (off the arm, from the ottoman, etc) but it’s not an all-day-everyday thing. I’d guess Karl gets 10 good licks a day. Haha!
xo
s
Julianne says
Looking so nice & fresh….Welcome home!!! :0)
Lauren says
I love this color! I was so happy to see you use it in your entrance as I used it in my living room. You can see a picture here: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GODq23nBWIs/TwIqSoiFjlI/AAAAAAAAAIE/Sl4tMPFspos/s640/IMG_7844.jpg
But we have since put in a white built-in with shelves where the tv is in that picture. And we’ve added a green rug, picture frames and other accessories. BMEG is so versatile you can really pair it with almost any color, but we LOVE it with grass green!
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds so pretty!
xo
s
virginia says
Wow what a difference!! I can’t wait to see more transformations in this room!!!
Crazy how different the color looks in the two rooms!
Momlady says
Yay for vacations…I’m sure the beach getaway was just what you all needed. It’s amazing what a coat of paint has done for that room. It already looks larger. The foyer transformation just blew my mind. When you do the trim and beams in white along with whitewashing the brick it’s going to seem like someone magically expanded the room.
Sarah @ An Inviting Home says
Wow, it really does look different if the trim is painted or not. It looks lovely!
~Sarah
Laurie says
Really love watching the progress you two are making. I’m definitely on the ‘paint the woodwork white’ side of the fence. I think it will look much fresher. Especialy when I look at the picture taken from the kitchen that shows both the LR and foyer – the foyer looks like it’s a different house entirely!
Megan @ The Brick Bungalow says
I like the idea of painting it the saem color. You have so much stuff going on (especially from the last photo with the three different floors!) that using the same color again really helps keep things calm. But, you’re right in how it looks so different! It’ll look great once you paint that wood white and do something with the brick. And who knows, maybe down the road you’ll repaint it but at least you’re done with the salmon walls!
Courtney says
We are repainting our entire house as well and I noticed you don’t use painters tape to tape off the edges. What do you use so that you don’t have to do that? I am soooo sick of taping and prepping before we paint.
YoungHouseLove says
I just use a short-handled 2″ angled brush, and after 7 years of painting I have a pretty steady hand – but the short handle of the brush really helps! Gives me a lot more control.
xo
s
Kim a. says
Looks great! And forgive me for being a repetitive commenter but I can’t wait for you to whitewash the brick and hope that’s the next DIY surprise we see!! Yayyyy!
Mary | Lemon Grove Blog says
Excited to see how this looks with some nice, crisp, trim! Coming along!
Cree says
Btw, I love what you guys do. I am always eagerly waiting for your next post. But I just wanted to suggest something. Could you add bookshelves to both sides of the fireplace then knock that whole wall down that divides your kitchen? Just so it opens it up more and you guys can see Clara playing or watching tv. I know I always feel left out because our kitchen and family room are not one open room. Just a thought:)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Cree! We’re not sure how wide we can get the doorway into the kitchen before it structurally becomes an issue, but we’re hoping for a 6-8′ wide doorway so it should feel really open.
xo,
s
Lacey says
Much better, I like it! If you’re ever looking for another good neutral paint option, Shabby Chic by BM is a great color. We just did our entire living/dining/hallways in this color and we love it. We also have lots of white trim and white wainscoting below the chair rail.
I so enjoy watching the transformation of your new house! So fun!
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds gorgeous!
xo
s
Kim says
That pic of clara jumping needs to be blown up and made into a gallery wrap canvas, it’s such a great/beautiful pic.
Emily @ Life on Food says
I think it looks great with the wood trim. I cannot believe though it is the same color on both side in that final picture. Looks totally different.
mp says
So glad you only needed one coat of primer over the salmon paint! The owner of my first house sponge-painted the walls with a really dark blue, and it took my painter three coats of primer before the blue was banished.
That first house also had an open-concept great room and kitchen, so I became a fan of One United Paint Color (a custom creamy yellow in that instance). I like how y’all are using Edgecomb Gray in that role — it’s on my consideration list for when I repaint this house.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks MP! That sounds really pretty!
xo
s
jen says
Such an awesome job! You guys are amazing!!! Sorry if I missed it but wondering where the white ottoman is from? Thanks in advance!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks! It’s from Joss & Main around two years ago.
xo
s
Boulder Painting says
Looks amazing! Love the new color!
Jamie says
Welcome back!
It’s AMAZING what a difference one or two coat(s) of paint can make in your house! I have a love/hate relationship with painting. The progress so far looks great! We moved into our new home about the same time you did, but I’m jealous of all you have accomplished so far! :)
Nicky at Not My Mother says
I’m curious if the former owners are following along to see your journey? And if they are, I wonder if their reaction is “damn, look how easily they’ve changed that!” :-) Do you tell them about your blog?
YoungHouseLove says
Our buyers agent told their sellers agent but we don’t know that they read at all. We did hear from the former owners if our first and second house though, and that was so much fun each time.
xo
s
Summer says
The difference in the space is truly is amazing! It’s like a totally different room! And the curtains are to die for honestly. Where are they from?
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Summer! They’re from Ikea a few years ago but I don’t think they sell them anymore.
xo
s
christina @ homemade ocean says
Holy hotness! I am still in love with those curtains from the old guestroom….I love seeing them in a whole new light :)
Keri says
Can’t wait to see the white wash. Been toying with the idea of doing a lime or mortar wash on the outside of our house and your fireplace brick colors are the same as ours…those pesky black bricks drive me bananas!
caroline [the diy nurse] says
My eyes thank you! It looks fantastic and so light :)
Lisa says
Looking real good! Crazy how different the look is though against the wood trim.
Speaking of your update on Karl the sofa, how about an update on your Savvy Rest mattress? I stumbled on that post from your first house last week because hubby and I want to buy a new latex mattress. The one we have now was a cheap overstock.com one and it hasn’t held up. Would love to know how you feel now about your mattress investment.
YoungHouseLove says
We’re still loving it! Very comfy and still feels great (we don’t have any saggy spots or anything like that).
xo
s
Lisa says
Thanks for responding and updating on the mattress! We have a store not too far away that sells them so I guess we’ll be going to try them out!
Amanda says
Your wedding made a Buzz Feed appearance!
http://www.buzzfeed.com/elysiam/15-ways-studying-abroad-in-paris-affects-post-college-life
YoungHouseLove says
Isn’t that crazy?!
xo
s
Hilary says
The room looks great! I really want to upgrade our couch to the Karlstad some day. I can’t wait to see where the room goes :)
Betsy says
So my question is why not do all of it at the same time (priming the whole room) rather than having all that cutting in to do, if you already know you’ll be painting the trim? Wouldn’t that save loads of tedious work? Just curious how you break down your projects. (Love the fresh walls, btw!)
YoungHouseLove says
We never could have completed the priming step for all of the wainscoting, trim, mantel, and built-ins before leaving for our trip, so instead of doing them a quarter of the way, we opted to nix the salmon. We also will use stainblocking primer for the wood, whereas the wall just needed something lighter-duty, so it was a separate project in our minds. Hope that makes sense!
xo,
s
Keegan says
So glad to have you back! The new color looks great…the room feels so much more airy and open!
One thing to try if you haven’t done it before – instead of sanding after you spackle the nail holes in the wall, just wipe it down with a damp sponge. It takes all of the spackly stuff off the wall but leaves the hole nice and filled. This works especially great on the textured walls so you don’t have little spots of different texture hanging out. Plus, no sanding and dust!
YoungHouseLove says
Love the tip!
xo
s
Allie says
Question: I noticed in the photo that it didn’t look like you used painter’s tape. Is that the case? Do you ever? I would love to skip this step when painting because it adds to the cost and time and often rips of paint when it’s pulled up, but how do you edge so close to trim and not touch it without tape?
YoungHouseLove says
I just use a short-handled 2? angled brush, and after 7 years of painting I have a pretty steady hand – but the short handle of the brush really helps! Gives me a lot more control.
xo
s
Gwen, The Makerista says
that is so crazy how different the color can look depending on it’s surrounding elements! It’s all slowly coming together, isn’t it! Fun to see the steps you take to make a space your own. thanks for sharing!
Britt says
Love your creativity and inspiration for the rest of us. If I’m gonna try something on our house, I always think, “hmmm, I should check YHL for ideas first.”
Question for you… Our home is just a few years old and was a model. It’s nice but lacks character. The builders put in wood mouldings and doors that are a warm hickory. They too are lovely but difficult to work with color. I tend to lean towards the crisp white trim look, but I’m having a hard time convincing myself to undertake painting alllll the trim and doors.
What are your thoughts on newer homes with wood or white trim? Would the opposite work if the walls were all white and trim was wood?
YoungHouseLove says
I have seen newer homes with gorgeous wood trim and glossy white trim so both will definitely work- it’s just all about personal preference! I tend to love the crisp glossy look as well!
xo
s
Celia says
I’m torn. On one hand, I know perfectly well that the wood in there is going to get painted and it’s going to look very pretty and beach-like and add a ton of architectural interest to the room while at the same time opening the room up, both on the beams and the wainscoting. Also, considering the rest of the trim in the house is going to be painted, it’s more cohesive to paint it.
On the other hand, some of that wood looks very pretty, with the dark stain and the grain patterns and it seems a shame not to show it off. Maybe, when the brick is whitewashed, leaving the mantel stained in that color would be a good balance to all the pale colors? In any case, welcome back from vacation! I’m having fun watching you transform this space. :D
YoungHouseLove says
Painted wainscoting and slatted wood and trim just seems to be our preference (many rooms that we pin/tear out of magazines have that) so we’re sold on that look, but I always say never to paint brick or wood unless you’re 100% sure you want to go with that since it’s so hard to undo! Basically wait until you can’t stand waiting another second to paint it and only then should you grab a brush! We’re going to wait on doing our beams I think, just in case one we do all the trim and wainscoting we like the raw wood look on the beams to balance the wood floor…
xo
s
TJ says
It’s amazing the difference a coat of paint looks! I would have struggled with the salmon walls too – I bet the room feels much calmer now :)
Carly says
What are your thoughts on the wooden beams? We painted ours white in our last house, and I loved your gray in your last house…. any new ideas?
YoungHouseLove says
I think I’m going to leave them wood for a hot second after I paint everything else out just to be sure I don’t like them like that and then would probably go glossy white and then do a soft blue ceiling between them after we make them coffered.
xo
s
Angela says
Welcome home! Sounds like a great vacation and well timed :). I love your living room updates and can’t wait to see what you do with the fireplace. We have something similar here and I’m trying to decide what direction to take.
Steph says
I just… love everything you do. Can you come paint my house for me? I know it’s easy but I really dread doing it. Like the thought of having to paint makes me want to hide in my room. lol
YoungHouseLove says
Sure, I’ll be right over!
xo
s
Mamaw says
Am loving the Edgecomb Grey color! Great choice. So glad y’all took some time off for vacation. Y’all deserved it!!
Christine says
The living room looks great! And I’m so glad you made that little comment about the Karlstad. My boyfriend and I actually purchased the Karlstad sofa this weekend (and fit it into my little toyota corolla.. no big deal) and as we were putting it together, I was wondering if we made the right decision. Then Monday morning, I read your post! So thanks for the update!
YoungHouseLove says
So sweet! Hope you love Karl as much as we do.
xo
s
Kelly says
Um, did the priming and painting of this room really require two posts? The answer is no. No, it did not. Come on guys, the blatant stretching of blog material is getting a bit much. Like the SEVEN(!!!) posts on your powder room so far (or is it more??). That’s crazytown guys. Is there gonna be a dedicated post to hanging up a towel ring? Gosh I hope not. It’d be preferred if you just didn’t post instead of stretching things out so much. Or think up new topics to fill the void between finished projects! You could have made quite a few posts on the moving process, but you didn’t: packing, organization, moving tips, unpacking, etc. Even better, show us some DIY of unique, creative things deserving of millions of people seeing! I don’t need to read a blog to see neutral paint covering up ugly paint. That’s pretty standard. Or see a major overhaul of a big brick wall/fireplace with….wait for it…paint.
Sorry for being “mean” and “passive aggressive” and “rude”, but this is cold hard feedback from a ‘consumer’ of your product. I’m not the only one who feels this way. But you guys are cute and sweet and hopefully you can take constructive criticism and turn YHL around before you lose your jobs.
Kelly says
And guessing from your lack of response, that constructive criticism is going to fall on deaf ears. Ignore the haters, right? Too bad I’m not even a hater. I actually like you guys and I always enjoy John’s posts on how-to’s like running cable, installing new flooring, stripping a deck, etc. I get that you want to keep your blog going for as long as possible, but trying to squeeze as many posts as possible out of a small change, is NOT the way to do it!
YoungHouseLove says
We read every comment and always respond to those with questions. Check out last Monday’s post where we mentioned we were on vacation, but would stop in with a few updates. That Friday post about priming was just a sneak peek with one in-process photo while we were away, which is exactly like what we did a year and a half ago when we sneak-peeked our bamboo floors while in Hawaii and shared the full process when we were back.
xo,
s
Kelly says
So in other words: this is how we do things, this is how we’re gonna keep doing things, so you can take your constructive criticism and shove it. Sure helps, thanks!!!!
YoungHouseLove says
I know many other people would run this blog differently if it were theirs, but it’s ours. So yes, we have to do what works for us. If we changed things up every time someone else told us to, we wouldn’t have anything to blog about at all.
xo,
s
Kelly says
But what you fail to see is that you’re NOT doing what got you here anymore. The tone of your blog used to be so humble and personal. Now it’s holier than thou preaching. Even your replies to comments are drastically different. You might still call yourselves “DIY dorks”, but it’s clear that you now see yourselves as quite seasoned. The tone of the blog is also no longer “diary”, but rather “expert DIYer” advice doled out in tiny morsels in a calculated effort to keep getting page views and ad revenue for as long as possible.
“What are you planning for XYZ?” S:”We’ve got big plans for that so stay tuned!” Page views.
“Those polka dot curtains clash with the brick and rug and pillows in your living room” S:”The middle makes no sense!!!” Holier than thou. They clash. Sorry, but your design sense is not always right. Comments like “the middle makes no sense” and “100 different people, 100 different ways” come off as self righteous.
YoungHouseLove says
It’s more important for us to love what we do and move at a pace that works for our family than to make more money/gain more traffic by attempting to churn out crazy fast content or rush through our forever house. That’s kinda the opposite of chasing traffic and money (not to mention that we don’t do sponsored posts or accept freebies – both of which would make blogging more lucrative). Even if it means losing money, we just gotta do this for the love :)
xo,
s
Kelly says
You can’t use a blog as the full income for two people and then claim that you’re not chasing traffic and money. Of course you are. But I totally admire and respect the fact that you don’t do sponsored posts or accept freebies (but didn’t you accept a free crib mattress?). I’m pretty sure I never mentioned anything about churning out content faster or rushing through more projects. I’m just aware that you’re compensating for the slow pace by stretching small things to fill multiple posts, and it’s annoying to read. Yes? Yes.
Kelly says
I don’t care how fast or slow you progress as long as the content is interesting. Dragging out the content into miniscule portions to compensate for a slow pace is not interesting.
YoungHouseLove says
To answer your crib mattress question, we’ve had a no freebie policy since 2010. As for our pace, we’ve done 2 kitchen renos, 1 bathroom gut-job, and built a deck & laid a patio in the history of this blog. So in nearly 6 years those have been the big projects. The rest of our posts are just shopping, painting, planning, family stuff, hanging art, sewing curtains, etc. The little stuff is the “meat and potatoes” of this blog.
xo
s
Lisa E says
Wow Kelly, slow down. If you truly like them can you do this in a more loving way? When they don’t share the little things, people ask. Saying the middle makes no sense does not come out as holier than thou. That thought never even crossed my mind! It’s simply where they’re at in their project and they are just saying it will all make sense when it’s done. Again, if they didn’t share it, you can be sure, somebody asks for it. There are those of you that don’t like this pace, but if you read other’s comments, many, many others do. It is their blog and their home and they have to do what works for them. If we don’t like it, we can let them know why in a more loving way or choose not to read. They are always so gracious so I don’t understand why you would choose to be so critical.
Kelly says
Sherry, you really seem to not understand what my criticism even is. I never said do more big projects. I never said do things faster. I said it’s obvious you are purposely stretching small changes into more material. Of course you are. I don’t see how you could possibly deny this. If you can’t/won’t do more things faster (and once again, I am not saying you should), the only solution is to stretch out the small things in order to maintain blog content, and thus, traffic and income. This obvious stretching of material is boring and annoying. Solution is not necessarily to do more projects, but you could also either post less or come up with more interesting alternatives to fill in between.
The other criticism in my initial comment is that I’d like to see more projects that are unique and creative and deserving of millions of people seeing. Neutral paint going over ugly paint is not. That’s normal. White trim? Normal. Who needs to read a blog to see these things? Here’s an awesome example of something unique and creative: http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2011/12/found-a-built-in-bike-in-a-bathroom-160542.jpg
It would also be fantastic if you would quit posting in the future tense about projects you’ve already completed. Example: see the deck cleaning post from yesterday where John acts like you haven’t already stained the deck and then miraculously today it’s all done and refurnished! No one’s expecting real time – you can be honest.
Yes, some people like things the way they are. 100-200 comments of support out of the 160,000 people you say are reading your blog every day? You don’t think there’s anyone out there with the same criticism as me? You’re kidding yourself. Most wouldn’t say anything because you’re nice people. I am saying something because I like you guys and want to see you do better. Step up your blog game.
Kelly says
Lisa E: Why choose to be critical? Because I like them and want to see them do better. I want to keep reading this blog. That’s why it’s CONSTRUCTIVE criticism.
Kelly says
P.S. Sherry, LOVE how you’ve modified all your replies since yesterday!!
Lisa in Seattle says
Kelly, what on earth are you talking about? I read Sherry’s replies yesterday, and I’m reading them today, and they are the same replies. As for how you think they should change their blog content to reflect “more projects that are unique and creative and deserving of millions of people seeing”? The blog started out as just a little thing they did for themselves and their family as they started their new life together in their cute little house. And somehow, without your “constructive criticism,” they managed to amass a readership of millions and a book deal and sponsors – all while writing about the kind of normal DIY/decor challenges many of us face, such as primering and painting ugly walls. You must not have been around here for very long or you would know these things.
Lisa E says
Exactly Lisa! Their blog is just sharing what they do around their house. They didn’t set out to be experts or have to creative and unusual each time. In just doing “their thing” they have amassed a huge following. Why change what they are about?!! Therefore, this criticism is just that and certainly not constructive. If they set out to be a blog about all new ideas and such, I could see it. And Kelly, you can be constructive and be nicer about it.
Kelly says
Lisa in Seattle: Actually her replies have changed since they were initially posted and I replied to them. You must have read them after they had already been modified.
It doesn’t matter what they did to get here. Businesses that refuse to adapt, fail. Businesses that refuse to change their product because it’s what got them to where they are, fail.
Kelly says
What was not nice? I didn’t say “gosh you guys suck so much, your taste sucks, your house is ugly”. Not at all. And I don’t even think that. Giving not positive feedback is not mean. Only comments where people blow sunshine and rainbows up their bums are valid?
Lisa E says
The first posting wasn’t the nicest and accusing them of coming across holier than thou definitely wasn’t. But enough, you are entitled to your own opinion and I’m voicing mine. I’m done arguing. Have a great day!
MizLottie says
These yahoos who owned the home before you were just awful with color-that salmon pink only works in small doses, is ghastly with all that dark wood. Will you be painting the fireplace like you did in your first place? That’s what that room reminds me of.
YoungHouseLove says
We’re actually planning to whitewash it!
xo
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