Pretty much from day one (even before we learned that the bean was actually a beanette) I was dreaming of painting the nursery walls a fun pear green while taking the ceiling from bland ol’ white to a light aqua color. But somehow saying “green walls with a blue ceiling” conjures up all sorts of scary Trading Spaces episodes so even my dear hubby wasn’t getting my “vision” until we broke out the paint swatches and I was able to explicitly show him what I meant. There’s a tip for you ladies: many people (especially guys who don’t speak “interior decorating”) are visual creatures. So saying something like “I want to paint the side tables black” can be a lot less effective (ie: scary for a dude) than showing your man an image of a room with black side tables that you know will calm his nerves about the whole deal.
Sure enough, as soon as I whipped out a soft celery-pear-ish tone for the walls and showed John how sweet a subtle and dreamy aqua would be on the ceiling (especially with the white crown molding between them to really set them off) he was on board. Then we just had to get into our trusty painting clothes and finish clearing out the room so it was ready for the big transformation (and speaking of big, check out that belly- it’s quite a feat with four more months of baby-carrying left).
But back to my favorite subject: paint. Just like we did in this old ceiling painting post, we taped all of our potential ceiling paint chips on the actual ceiling so we could see how they would look in that light (colors look different on ceilings than they do when you hold them up to the wall since light reflects differently off a horizontal plane). We decided the swatch on the far right was too bright, the swatch to the left of that was too light and the swatch to the left of that one was juuuuust right (while the swatch on the far left was a bit too muddy). So that’s how we honed in on our final ceiling color after hunting through a bunch of swatches and taping up the ones we liked best. Oh and the winning swatch was called Regency Pale by True Value by the way.
As for selecting the wall color, that was pretty simple. I’ve always loved Celery Sticks by Glidden (it has happy golden undertones and so much personality without overwhelming or sucking the light out of a small space). So of course I was giddy about finally having the perfect opportunity to use it to create a fun and cheerful nursery thanks to the little person that I’m busy growing.
We also decided it was time to take some Mythic paint for a spin- not only because I’m knocked up (and shouldn’t be painting with anything full of chemicals and VOCs) but also for the sake of the baby (since regular paint can off-gas for one to even three years after it’s applied!). Sure it’s $40 a gallon (while a lot of the cheaper Lowe’s and Home Depot stuff is around $25) but it’s known to be the cream of the no-VOC crop thanks to the great coverage, the wide range of amazing colors, and their completely non-toxic and mommy/baby friendly formula. So we hit up EcoLogic (one of our favorite local haunts for all things green) with both of our pre-selected swatches in hand.
We figured we’d hold them up to the Mythic paint deck to select something as similar as possible in both colors but we had no idea that Mythic could actually do color matching (but not with a machine, they store a plethora of other brand’s formulas in their database for easy replication- without the VOCs). The only catch was that our swatch from True Value was one of the brands that they didn’t have in their system and Celery Sticks by Glidden was too new (just introduced a few months back) so it wasn’t yet in the database. Not to worry, we actually found two extremely similar (if not identical) Mythic colors in their deck. For the ceiling we landed on Adanna Aire (in a flat finish) and for the walls we ended up with Autumn Bloom (in an easy-care eggshell finish).
When we proudly returned home after purchasing our new nursery paint we remembered that the kind folks at Frog Tape had actually sent a few rolls our way so we could give it a try. We’ve heard so many good things about their mad scientist tape (which has a patented formula that creates a “micro-barrier” on the edge of the tape when paint comes in contact with it, which seals it and makes bleeding a virtual impossibility). Isn’t that some Bill Nye The Science Guy technology? We were intrigued to see what that magical green tape could really do…
We’ve always been fans of cutting in with a brush (specifically, a special little brush that I love) but we must admit that taping the crown molding off didn’t take very long…
… and it really made painting the edges of the ceiling go a lot faster than it would have if we were carefully edging by hand with a brush.
Oh and we interrupt all the tape talk to bring you our sad little nursery closet. We’re actually very lucky to have this pathetic little enclave since this room was originally a dining room so the fact that we could convert it into a bedroom (thanks to an already existent closet) was great. Too bad it looked like this. Wop wop.
We took off the door before we started painting (we’re planning a cute little closet facelift complete with a curtain that we can push to the side since the door swings out into the room and interferes with the main door to the nursery- grrrr).
And it was actually John’s fabulous idea to take the light aqua color from the ceiling and add it to the inside of the closet for a bit of fun. Isn’t he smart? The whole time he was painting the closet I was watching in awe and telling our baby girl what a decorating genius her daddy is (yes I talk to my stomach just as often as I talk to our chihuahua).
Here’s a sneak peek of the closet in progress, but we actually have to add a ton of baskets and bars (and the closet curtain of course) so stay tuned for another closet post when we get to that stage of the ol’ nursery makeover.
But back to the Frog Tape. After we finished painting two coats of soft aqua on the ceiling and in the closet it was time to remove the tape around the molding (we’re all about removing tape when the paint is still wet so it doesn’t peel any dried paint off with it when it comes down). And ladies and gentlemen we can definitively proclaim that we saw a sincere and amazing difference between blue painter’s tape and Frog Tape. It really does create a much crisper edge with zero bleeding or stippling. Seriously, it was such a clean line that it looked like we painted the ceiling before adding the white molding (which is always the goal). In short: it definitely would have come in handy for the horizontal stripes that we added to our half bathroom a while back and we’re extremely glad we had a chance to test drive it for our little nursery paint project.
So here’s the room after we removed the tape. Isn’t the soft blue ceiling sweet? But it’s only halfway there.
John was on a taping roll so he decided to keep going. Within about ten minutes he had taped off the bottom of the crown molding and also around the windows, doors, and baseboards. Then it was time for some warm pear green paint…
Ta-daaaa! Isn’t it a sweet and playful combination?
Oh and it bears mentioning that this photo was taken at night without any natural light (and wasn’t color corrected or anything)- so it’s a bit harsher and less subtle than it is in real life (especially in natural light). You’ll have to stick around for some daytime pics to really see it in all of its green and blue glory. Once we layer everything into the room (furniture, art, playful patterned curtains, a rug, a chandelier, etc) the walls will be the perfect cheerful-but-not-too-scary backdrop. And we love that it works with the rest of our home’s color palette thanks to the blue ceiling (which really relates to the soft gray-blue in our bedroom and kitchen) while the green ties into everything from our guest bedroom’s bright green headboard to our more-neutral-but-still-taupey-green bathroom. We like to think of our home’s newly defined color scheme as “sea glass inspired” since it’s full of soft creams, sandy neutrals, serene blues, and a variety of greens- all colors of old weathered glass that can wash up on the beach.
So that’s a little update on our nursery progress. And we’ll toss in this sneak peek of a few of the fun accessories (fabric and a cozy area rug) that we snagged to layer into our freshly painted space. Stay tuned for those details coming soon.
And since everyone seems to love seeing our house when it’s messy, we snapped this photo of our living room’s console table which was bogged down with everything that used to be in the nursery (namely the nursery closet). The good news is that it has all since found a new home, but we know you love seeing our house all crazy-like, so enjoy!
And while we’re on the subject of painting, we’d love to know what color you guys gravitate towards when it comes to nurseries. Whether you’ve already painted one (or five) or just dream about whipping one up someday, we’d love to know what hues tickle your fancy. Pale pink? Brown and blue? Bright rainbow stripes? Spill the beans.
Caroyln says
The room already looks bright and cheery! I guess seeing other folks messy areas makes you guys easier to relate to. Afterall, everyone has messy areas in their homes once in a while. Thanks for keeping it real!
Amy says
I love that you painted the inside of the closet! That’s something I’d love to do in our closets someday.
Megan S says
I just bought my first roll of Frog tape last week and I’m SO anxious to use it. We had such horrible luck with the blue painters tape when we were painting our kitchen cabinets that I’m hopeful we’ll see a real improvement with this product. You introduced us to it and I’m glad to know you’ve had a positive experience! Thanks!
Briar Oak Wife says
This post is so timely for us as we are right in the middle of painting our house, including many ceilings. I have heard great things about Frog Tape, and now I am going to go out and get some for our next painting project as you have me fully convinced. Love the nursery and you are adorable pregnant, Sherry!!
Connie says
Wow, beanette is growing!
The nursery is off to a great start. The room looks great! Can’t wait to see the end result.
megan says
Love the colors – very similar to our nursery! Can’t wait to see what’s next!
Mike and McGee says
Very nice! We like the blue and green together! We painted Meredith’s nursery walls a pale shade of blue called Glass Bead by Behr. We liked the color much that we left it up for Alex’s nursery!
Christine says
There’s a reason they paint every classroom in America pale green and blue–they’re the most restful colors. I love the floral–it will mature gracefully.
Taylor says
Beautiful blue ceiling!
Random: Are you able to predict pretty well which posts will get a lot of comments and which won’t? Sometimes I notice a post will “only” get 20-30, but then ones like these are super popular!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Taylor,
Your guess is as good as ours! Sometimes we know posts like our baby announcement or our big bathroom reveal will most likely be popular, but then posts like this one totally surprise us!
xo,
s
Emily V. says
I love the color combo! Sarah Richardson did a kids room in the same colors. Check it out, I always go there for inspiration. http://www.sarahrichardsondesign.com
YoungHouseLove says
We love Sarah Richardson! Off to check out that link…
xo,
s
Sara says
I love the colors you chose and that fabric is just gorgeous. I can’t wait to see the finished room.
Our house sort of has that “beach glass” color scheme too, although our living room is a bit darker green than I would like.
Megean says
Too cute! I love the color-scheme. You will have one chic little bean. I’ve know you’ve mentioned your plaster walls before, but it just occured to me to ask about their condition. My plaster walls are actually pretty uneven and show a few cracks (very slight in the ceiling, but still) – do you have this problem?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Megean,
We’re lucky that when we purchased our house every room had been professionally painted (so they repaired any cracks or inconsistencies in the plaster walls before getting started). Of course they painted all the trim a terrible peachy-yellow color and the walls were boring old white but at least we could get in there and repaint everything without having to patch anything!
xo,
s
Ami says
hi!! I love your blog – and I LOVE THE NURSERY COLORS!! I just know this is going to be gorgeous for your beanette! I have a favor/question… i’ve been searching and searching, and cant seem to find the post where you recommend paint colors from the different color groups… I remember reading it back in May/June 2009ish, but can’t seem to find it… is there any way you could post or email me the link to that topic? I would really appreciate it, since I’m terrible at determining what a paint swatch will actually look like on the wall – they always end up being 2 different colors… thanks in advance!
Ami
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Ami,
Here you go: https://www.younghouselove.com/2009/06/email-answer-picking-the-perfect-paint-color/
You can always track it down by visiting our How To page and looking through the links under Paint Projects (it’s labeled as “Pick The Perfect Paint Color”). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
{postscripted} designs says
Sherry, you are the epitome of a beautiful preggy woman! I never would have thought of those paint combos- but I absolutely love it. John, so smart of you to trust your wife’s vision for the room! ;)
Jen Z. says
love the colors together. My bathroom has similar colors. I love the soft greens & blues together. I can’t wait to see this room finished.
Charise says
With several pregmamt friends setting up nurseries right now, I’ve had time to think about what fun color combos I like even though it’ll probably be a couple more years til we get that far. I’ve decided I love a Robin’s egg blue with dark cherry red accents and white wood furniture. Turns out that’s a lot like the nursery makeover you featured the other day!
Ashley @ SouthMeetsSouth says
Wow! You look great, Sherry! And so does the nursery!
Our nursery is painted LAVENDER with off-white/ivory color wainscoting. We still have a few details to finish up but for the most part we are just waiting for our little Lily Ann. Only one more week to go… if I make it that far!
Carole says
Great color combination! I’ve never painted a ceiling anything but white, but maybe it’s time I did! I love the fabric, too.
A good tip for color-challenged people (like me) is to choose a gorgeous, patterned fabric like that one and pull the wall/trim/ceiling colors from it. The fabric designer does the hard work for you!
Deanna Divino says
Sherry! It’s GORGEOUS and I am on my way out to buy Frog Tape! We’re selling our townhome and desperately need to paint a few rooms. We’re horrible at cutting in. I mean HORRIBLE. Frog Tape might be our saving GRACE! We (my 6 year old and I follow your blog. Well, I follow yours, she follows Burgers) love the colors of beanettes room! You are looking wonderful as well!
Kelly says
I love the colors you picked! The nursery is going to look so cute!! Speaking of cute- Sherry! You look adorable!
I can’t wait to see the room all come together!
Happy decorating!!! :O)
Kelly says
Me again! :)
I wanted to also add that John looks very handsome especially with the paint roller. He is definaly a proud daddy! You two are going to be wonderful parents! :O)
YoungHouseLove says
I totally agree! John never looks quite as handsome as he does when he’s holding a roller (well, you should see him with a hammer!).
xo,
s
katie says
I had my little girl Olivia in July. I was super preg. when I painted her nursery also!! anyway, I wanted something bright and fun, different than what I would do in the “adult” areas of the house. I finally settled on coral and mustard, with lots of black and white original artwork. you can see it here!
http://blueeyedfreckle.blogspot.com/2009/08/olivias-room.html
Melanie Letot says
I LOVE IT!
And you are so right about the Trading Spaces type of bright colors and blue ceiling, LOL. This is lovely :)
You are so cute Miss Sherry!
All my best, MEL at Hand on Hip
Laura@JourneyChic says
The colors are adorable and the fabric matches so well!
I can’t believe how big you are already! I’m due at the end of June and just “popped” and started to use belly bands with my regular pants this week. I’m a petite person like you, and am surprised I’ve lasted in normal clothes for so long. BTW, baby likes it when I read YHL – he/she just gave me a little kick! :)
Brant says
Awesome start to the nursery! And thanks for showing a close pic of the frog tape/finished line. My wife and I have been avoiding the blue tape for cutting-in specifically for the reason of bleeds. We’ll definitely try this tape now!
Side note: we’ve found that at times when the paint has dried before we got the tape off, running a utility knife/sharp blade where the paint meets the tape reduces those paint peeling situations!
Good luck with finishing!
Brant
robin says
when we were expecting our baby, i also chose green walls with an aqua blue ceiling. we didn’t know the baby’s sex until she was born. now that adorable baby is 4 (or 4 and 3/4 as she reminds me) and the room has adapted well to her big girl status (though there is a bit more princess pink now too). enjoy this precious time. congratulations!
Kelly says
I think it is great that you guys went with something other than pink, and I think your choices are totally cute and appropriate for a little girl. I also love that fabric- gorgeous.
Here’s an interesting link about “pink overload” that little girls today face: http://www.feministing.com/archives/013100.html.
I can’t wait to see the rest!
Annalea says
My next nursery/little boy room will be . . .
Bright, clear, jazzed-up baby blue walls with clean barely-off-white trim (the color of raw almond meat). Plenty of rich brown accents in furniture and brown & blue bedding, with pops of rich, intense red. (Really, a lot like the Skip-Hop-inspired nursery of a few days ago, but with more red & brown.)
I’m not sure what color I’d make the ceiling yet . . . I don’t know if I’m brave enough to change it from white! lol
Can’t wait to see how your nursery shapes up!
Heather says
I did use pink and green but with a LOT of white accents. We live in a home build in 1900 so the rooms are huge with high ceilings. They can take color, so I choose BM’s Deco Rose. The room theme if you will is vintage/modern. I choose Bananafish’s Lily bedding from Target. With a vintage chandelier sprayed white, the room is bold, girly, modern and fun. I love it!
Maureen says
I always loved the idea of painting the ceiling to look like the sky since babies spend a LOT of time on their backs the first months. So when we found out we were expecting, we painted my son’s ceiling a soft blue and my husband added white, fluffy clouds. It turned out so cute!
I have to try that frog tape for our next painting project…whenever that may be! Thanks for testing it out & sharing w/ us! :)
Michelle says
SO…we’re actually adopting and have no clue WHEN our baby is coming or WHAT the sex will be. Because of the when factor, the nursery couldn’t wait, but it had to be gender neutral…and I would NOT do yellow. It was over done.
We actually…gasp…painted the walls back to white. There was one wall of terrible wood paneling which is now a beautiful white and black strip panel! I made a quilt for inspiration with all kinds of fun black and white prints and a touch of red.
The room really needs some color now, which I will pull in with curtains on the three large windows. I would love to do a black and whtie large damask print if we end up with a girl, and maybe circles or strips if it’s a boy. As much as I want curtains and wall art now, I really think I will hold off until baby comes because of wanting to make it more fem or masc.
Any suggestions or thoughts? You can see my current pictures here…
Painting thus far: http://babysuereth.blogspot.com/2009/12/so-far-so-good.html
Recovered rocker: http://babysuereth.blogspot.com/2010/01/making-room.html
I REALLY like the idea of the curtain in the closet…more color and prints!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Michelle,
It all sounds great! Definitely send us pics when your room is completed!
xo,
s
Sara says
Are you ready to reveal where you got the rug? I searched the comments and didn’t see it. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sara,
That’s the next nursery post. Stay tuned!
xo,
s
LoriSF says
The wall and ceiling colors look great! I can’t wait to see the room when it’s completed.
Even though we knew we were having a boy, we knew we wanted a gender-neutral nursery. The colors we chose for the walls and ceiling are very similar to the colors you chose… except ours are a bit brighter. I don’t remember the name of the colors (this was about 5 years ago!) but I like to refer to the green as “spring green” and the blue as “sky blue”. Very fresh and fun! We used white and lightly stained furniture, Babar the Elephant art prints, cream colored carpet over hardwood, and blue/green/white drapes that I made myself.
Now our daughter is sharing the same bedroom with her big brother and we haven’t had to change much at all (so glad we went gender-neutral!). We are now incorporating some dark blue, though, so that it looks a little more grown-up (son is 5-1/2 and daughter is almost 2).
Sarah @ Dream In Domestic says
Yay! I just had to say that because I saw an inspiration photo a while back of a living room with a very similar color scheme (pale green on the walls and light blue on the ceiling) and I wanted to see this in a real home. Now I get to! It looks amazing – I can’t wait to see it finished!
sara @ it's good to be queen says
LOVE the first picture of you two! So sweet! What a great memory to have for your little girl. :)
Felicity says
I just painted my office, which will be a nursery (if all goes as planned) in the next year or so. We chose a pale gray with bluish undertones that matches the rest of our house. I’m going to go with red accents with lavender if we have a girl, turquoise if we have a boy. For now it looks just fine with my desk and books.
Kelley says
We did ours in a burnt orange color. We didn’t know the sex so we wanted it to be gender-neutral and cozy. Here’s one shot on our blog before the window treatments were hung. (We added espresso brown bamboo shades.) http://kellandchen.blogspot.com/2008/11/one-shot-of-nursery.html
Bri says
We just finished up our nursery and also painted the walls Celery Sticks! It really is such a lovely color. It’s cheery without being too obnoxious or bright.
I sure wish I would’ve just tried out the Frog Tape. We painted horizontal stripes on one of the walls in the nursery and had to tape and caulk each stripe because of our textured walls. What a pain!
Are you having bedding made with the fabric? Or purchasing bedding? I couldn’t find just what I wanted so I picked out a bunch of fabrics and made my own. I love the way it turned out!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Bri,
Stay tuned for the big fabric reveal in the next nursery post early next week!
xo,
s
anne says
Sherry, you look absolutely adorable!! The paint colors are great too.
blueloom says
Hi guys
Your nursery will look great,love the combination of colors and the fabric you selected. We don’t have kids but like:
-pastel yellow with green accents or pastel green with pink for a girl
-white, pastel green and brown accents (furniture, baskets, etc) for a boy or girl
our friends bought a great crib that converts to a bed later – costs more but you keep it for many years.
Can’t wait to see the complete transformation.
Good luck with your project :)
K & J
Rose says
tee hee….your crazy photo is just way scary….NOT!!!!!
Wait till beanette arrives – well actually wait till she’s about 6mths then show us your crazy messy photos….
Hmm momeee…love to eat your flower arrangement of the month and let me see if I throw mom’s white porcelein ornaments what will it sound like? or the best I’ve found is my son’s “mood boards” on my walls. That’s my advice to (for want of a better word????) control freak DIY’ers (of which I am one) it can be fun to let go…..create a simple space where your child can add their own personality. It was really cute to watch my two year old write all over my blueprints for our new build…at first I was angry but when asked what he was doing and he said he was drawing a special room for me with a big door I was so damn proud.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Rose,
Well we love to redecorate and we love a challenge! We’re actually looking forward to seeing all the ways our house will change and evolve as the beanette grows and our family expands. And of course we’ll share all the details on the blog!
xo,
s
leah says
kay, i’ve got a paint question for you. i always here that same tip (to remove the tape while paint is still wet) and can never figure out… if your doing more than one coat do you remove while still wet on the second coat? re-tape between coats? just do a single coat? please help!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Leah,
The key is just not to let the paint set for too long, so even though we did two coats we did them one right after another (not days apart) and peeled the tape off right after we completed the second coat. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kelly@TearingUpHouses says
different, fun, soothing — great paint color choices!
kelly
Sarah says
Hey Guys,
The colors are adorable! Question, I need to find some cute area rug options for our toddler bedroom that we are designing for our little guy (3 years old). Didn’t you used to have a rug store or something you promoted on your blog? If not, any advice for where to look aside from PBK, and Land of nod? I am tapped out on those two spots right now.
Thanks so much!
Sarah ?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sarah,
Here’s a post with all of our favorite rug sources: https://www.younghouselove.com/2010/01/our-go-to-list-of-go-to-sources/
Happy hunting!
xo,
s
whitney says
Sherry! Look at your cute baby bump!! You look amazing! I can’t wait to see the complete nursery :)
Melissa says
I’m not sure if you’ve chosen a mobile yet, or if you will DIY, but I found these on ETSY and thought they were so pretty. Not your typical stuffed animals floating in a circle mobiles.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=38895751
We are also expecting a baby girl (in June), so I have spent hours online trying to find ideas for her nursery. Thank you for sharing your ideas & tips! And thank you for telling us (especially those of us in Richmond) where you buy your paint, etc.
Love everything you do!
YoungHouseLove says
Adorable! Thanks for the link! They remind us of our wallflowers (seen here: https://www.younghouselove.com/2009/06/push-it-push-it-real-goo/ )
xo,
s
Heather H says
Looks great! We also have a girl nursery that is gender neutral (we chose to wait to find out her gender til she was born). I’m so glad we did that because now that we are expecting baby #2, we don’t have any huge expenses because EVERYTHING in the nursery except her clothes will be reusable for the next one even if we have a boy. We went with a green and brown palette. Green stripes on the walls with a brown chair rail and trim. Because I was never fully in love with the green stripes (even though I spent HOURS painting them by hand), we are going to paint over them with a light tan color and let the bedding stand out more.
Jamie says
What an adorable paint job!
Sadly we’re in a rental, so our little man (due mid-May) gets boring beige walls. Thankfully they’re a very warm, oatmeal-ish beige. The decorations in his room are bright blue and celery green with burnt orange & black touches. Which is way cuter than it sounds, I swear.
Looking forward to more inspiration for our nursery-in-progress :)
Yulia says
Question about painting: I noticed in the photo that you didn’t use tarps to protect the floor. How do you keep paint splatters from ending up on the floor? When I paint I always seem to get tiny splatters from the rolling process all over the floor.
LOVE your blog!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Yulia,
We always have a few paper towels on hand to catch any drips (since our hardwoods are nicely poly’d they don’t absorb any paint so as long as it’s wet we can easily wipe it away). We’re pretty clean painters for the most part so we don’t really have an issue with a lot of little splatters or anything. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Andrea says
Love it! My son’s “nursery” (loosely used as he is almost 2 and a half) is the same color just by Behr. It’s called Celery Sprig. We did white trim and a white ceiling (yet I adore the aqua idea!!)and then added Blik Organic in white (http://www.whatisblik.com/shop/explore/blik-organic) to give the room some pop.()
Can’t wait to see the rest!