We’re back to share phase two of our big sunroom makeover with you guys. After painting the dark daybed white and bringing in our old guest room dresser and mirror for the first phase (which we affectionately refer to as our work-with-what-you-have phase) it was time to add two things to accentuate what we already had going on in the room. Paint and curtain rods. Let’s delve into the paint category first. See, we had been dying to paint the sunroom ceiling an inviting aqua color for a while, especially since it’s a tradition in the south to have a light blue ceiling on your porch (and we figured we’d enjoy the color even more in the sunroom). Here’s what we started with – a ceiling that was the same tan tone as the walls in the sunroom since the day we moved in:
When we’re selecting a paint color, the first step for us is always to tape a few swatches on that plane (in this case the ceiling) so we can look at them in different lighting situations. After staring at them a few mornings, noons, and nights in a row we decided that Tide Pools by Behr was the one we liked best (it was semi bright but not too heavy and there’s no way it would be mistaken for white no matter what the light was like in there). So we grabbed a gallon of it in exterior satin semi-gloss paint (since the sunroom is an indoor/outdoor room that isn’t heated or cooled and we wanted a glossy pool-like effect).
I was actually on baby duty so John did this whole project on his own. All it took was some Frog Tape around the perimeter of the room to keep the wall color from bleeding onto the molding along with a small stepstool, a paint brush (for the edges), and a roller. Note: using a rod extender can ease the strain on your back but John must have been feeling unstoppable so he opted to rely on his long limbs instead.
Here’s the room after two coats of luscious semi-gloss paint (again, we used Tide Pools by Behr). We love the sheen and the pop of color. And the room looks sooooo much bigger and airier since it literally feels like we removed the ceiling and are now looking up at the big blue sky.
Oh and our tip for a nice crisp perimeter would be to remove your painters tape as soon as you finish your last coat of paint (if you used any- I prefer to edge with a brush but since John went it alone he didn’t trust his hands so he taped things off). Removing the tape right away ensures that nothing dries and pulls when you remove the tape, therefore resulting in a cleaner edge. And don’t forget to firmly press your tape down as you apply it since paint can easily bleed and seep if you don’t have a nice tight seal.
But now it’s on to the curtain update that we tackled. This is one of those why-the-heck-did-we-wait-so-long things. Look how crisp and polished they look:
A while back (waaaay back) we mentioned that John had McGuyvered the curtains (Vivan by Ikea by the way) into each corner with some twine and a few nails (scroll up to the first picture in this post to see how they appeared to float in place). But we knew hanging dark streamlined rods around the room would not only add some handsome hardware and tie into the deep color of the door frames, but they would also bring in a ton of function (for example, we can now pull the curtains along the rods, which comes in handy for diffusing light when we’re doing things like shooting Clara’s weekly photo).
All it took were some simple curtain rods from Ikea (these, but we didn’t put the finials on, so they have a much cleaner look). Of course they weren’t long enough for the 20′ length of the room, so we just mounted two of them right next to each other so they’d meet in the middle of the wall to create the look of one continuous rod.
And as for how we made the corners feel uninterrupted, we simply mounted two rods so that they could be extended a bit past the bracket to touch each other and mimic the shape of the corner.
Once we extended them so they touched and pulled the curtain panels along with them, it created a totally seamless corner curtain panel (here you see two curtain panels hanging, one on each rod):
Oh and one last thing on the agenda was to hem those Vivan panels from Ikea, since they were all waaaay too long and sloppy looking on the bottom. See? Messy.
We prefer not to use Ikea’s hem tape (the curtains come with some that’s webbed) so instead we spend a few bucks at Michael’s for the iron on hem tape that we love – which is called Heavy Duty Heat N’ Bond. It’s important first to wash all of your curtains and dry them so you know how much they’ll shrink up (quite a bit usually- be sure to follow the washing and drying instructions). Then hang them on the rod and note what length you’d like to hem them. We like when ours aren’t hugely pooled but they’re not hemmed right above the floor either (so they graze the ground for a nice breezy and casual effect).
So there you have phase two of our three phase sunroom mini-makeover. The greatest thing about our transformation is that so far we’ve only spent around $20 on ceiling paint and $40 on four extra long curtain rods from Ikea since everything else was stuff that we already had lying around.
Of course we still have phase three up ahead, which is definitely going to be the most major change in the room so stay tuned. We can’t wait to spill those beans…
And speaking of phases, are there any mulit-phase projects that you’ve taken on or that you have on your to-do list? Sometimes breaking things down into nice bite-sized portions is a lot easier and less stressful. Do tell!
Psst- Don’t forget to check out our post over on BabyCenter today. We finally figured out the alphabet magnet situation for the magnetic wall that we created for Clara in the office/guest bedroom/playroom. Check it out here!
lana @ make a house a home says
hi sherry and john!
we just had a mudroom makeover and figured out how to deal with the seamless curtain rod dilemma. We just did a post last week: http://joeyandlana.com/joey-and-lana-home/2010/8/16/mudroom-makeover.html
it was really simple and super cheap and we loved to results!
Nicole says
I love it! I do have a question, where did you get your white stackable chairs? I have been shopping for some (for the dining room) and would love to here where you got them!
c says
How pretty! That ceiling color is so tranquil and calming…. I love it! So I have two comments/questions: I have had the worst time painting the trim in my home. Every room looks sloppy, no matter how well I tape, how careful I am with painting – I even used a tiny art brush to go around the trim in the bathroom and the color still seeped under the tape. So do you think it’s the tape? I’m using standard blue stuff. Also the Ikea curtains- funny you mentioned the hem. I had a terrible time using their “easy” hemming tape and ended up throwing out the curtains altogether! UGH. Have you had better luck with the other stuff? Theirs even stuck to my iron! Sometimes the easiest projects become the hardest for me. Oh well thanks for the post – enjoy your new dreamy sunroom! :)
YoungHouseLove says
C- We definitely recommend Frog Tape because it’s a lot cleaner and more error proof than the blue stuff in our experience. And yes, we definitely like the other hem tape that we mentioned better, which is why we use it instead of going with the Ikea webbing. Good luck!
Nicole- We got those from eBay a while back (they were wood colored and we painted them white to go with the pedestal table we built). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Denise says
We just did a master bedroom makeover and did a very similar blue on our tray ceiling. I LOVE waking up to it! The color very much changes with the light and time of day, just like the sky. We used Jade Bath from Lowe’s. I just love the turquoise colors that are so popular right now! thanks for sharing your room remodel!!
http://pinkpostcard.blogspot.com/2010/08/beach-bedroom-makeover.html
Maya says
Love the makeover! I’ve noticed that ever since Clara, you have started using more bright, fun colors in your rooms… and I LOVE the new looks. Would you say she’s influenced your design sensibilities? :)
YoungHouseLove says
Absolutely! In fact we were just saying that we needed to write a post all about how much color and adventure her arrival has brought into our home. We’re loving the new playful look!
xo,
s
Karen says
Hi Sherry and John, I only recently discovered your blog but I have quickly become addicted to it! I’m loving all of your ideas and your home is just divine!!! You guys are truly inspirational and have already motivated me to tackle a few DIY/makeover/decorating jobs around my home. I’ve even started my own blog which i’m finding so much fun. My only problem is that I don’t have access to a lot of the shops you guys shop at since i’m in Australia. Luckily the pics of your home are enough to keep me happy. I love love love your sun room, especially the view out of the windows and the (now) matching day beds. I would get NOTHING done if this room was in my home as I would be in here ALL DAY LONG. Keep up the great work guys x
Stephanie says
LOVE the sunroom updates! Makes me wish I had one to decorate :) Thank you SO much for listing your curtain rod source. I have been on the lookout for a rod that could cover a wall of windows I have in my living room (it’s not literally a wall, but its 110+ inches so it feels like it!). I’ve been to Ikea a dozen times but never noticed those. How could I miss them?! I’m not a huge fan of the finials, so if you don’t attach them is there a hole at the end of the rod? In the spot where I would put them, you’d definitely be able to see, so I’m wondering if there are any other non finial options if there is a hole? Keep up the great work….you guys are really inspiring!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Stephanie,
They actually cone with little block end caps in vase you don’t use the finials (which we used- perhaps you can see them in some of the close up pics?). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kate says
honestly, it kinda looks like the golden girls could use it as their set.
Miranda says
Love the blue! We painted our master bedroom ceiling a similar shade a few months ago. Now I want to go back and paint over the white ceilings in every room!
Lindsey says
Random story that is slightly connected to your post: I work at a church in Tennessee and we’ve had problems with birds nesting in our “front porch” and pooping all over. One thing that several people suggested was painting the ceiling light blue. We didn’t because our building is historical, but people swear by it.
Your makeover is looking great by the way!!
Natalie says
So many lovely little changes to the room! Subtle, yet definitely noticeable.
Randomness: I noticed that you’ve been injecting more color into your home recently. Do you think your tastes are changing or does this have something to do with all of the color that babies bring? :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Natalie,
Absolutely! We were actually planning a post on that very subject since it’s so interesting to see how our taste for color and pattern are evolving as our lives change!
xo,
s
Rachel Wiles says
I just discovered you guys and am ecstatic. I’ve spent my morning “touring” your house and looking at all of the fantastic visuals. I’m so glad to find a new daily read. I love, love the sunroom. It may be my favorite room, but it’s up against the beautiful den. I can’t decide, but both are wonderful and inviting. You can certainly tell that you guys love the house and that it is loving you back. :)
Melissa @ HOUSEography says
Looks great! I used the same hardware on my porch but included the finials. The curtains add a ton of style and privacy. Looking forward to enjoying the 80 degree temps this weekend out there! Check out my porch curtain project here – http://houseography.blogspot.com/2010/06/its-curtains.html
Rachael says
The story of the blue ceiling paint:
In many Southern cities, but especially in Savannah, Ga, yellow fever (carried by mosquitos) was an epidemic. Rich, poor, everyone was dying and no one knew how to stop it. The only people who weren’t getting sick were the slaves & servants. It turns out they believed in ghosts (or “haints”) and practiced voodoo. They would paint their ceilings “haint blue” to ward off the evil spirits. It turns out the paint was made with lime, a natural mosquito repellant! Now it’s a southern tradition!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that story!
xo,
s
Amanda says
Similar to others, while on a tour of a plantation outside of Atlanta I was told that the porch ceilings were painted blue to fool the bees and wasps into thinking it was the sky so they wouldn’t make nests there. Didn’t hear the ghost or witch thing though…
Kara from Kara's Korner says
Hey YHL! On my to-do list for home improvement projects over the Labor Day Weekend was to paint our pool deck area’s ceiling blue. The hubs and I are awful at picking out colors together, so I was THRILLED when your post came out. I heard angels singing in my head. I emailed him over your post, and we both decided it was love at first sight!
We painted the ceiling this weekend in the same exact color. Here’s the post if you’d like to check it out: http://mekhart.blogspot.com/2010/09/pool-deck-makeover-part-1-painting.html
Thanks so much for the inspiration! You saved us LOTS of time in the paint chip isle!
wendy says
Hi there!
Love your sun room makeover. On the Ikea curtains, how are you able to pull the curtains across for the whole length of the longest wall in the room? I have a similar dilemma in my house where the standard store bought curtain rods aren’t long enough and I don’t want to get anything custom made. If I joined two long rods together and pulled the curtain panels from each side, there would still be a middle bracket on each of the rods stopping the curtain from reaching the center. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, we also have that middle bracket, but the curtains are just for softness and to block the sun from certain spots during photo taking. So they don’t have to slide past that bracket in our case. If you need yours to you’d probably have to spring for an extra long rod (we have heard that JC Penney sells extra long rods and even rod extender pieces). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Sandra says
thanks for sharing! your work is what i’ve been thinking of – so at last i can take the risk knowing that you totally made it work!
Jen says
I have been so confused what to do with my corner windows. Thankyou!!!
Anna says
I love this sunroom and especially love the couches/daybeds where did they come from I didn’t see that in the post?
YoungHouseLove says
The daybeds are from West Elm a while back (one was a wedding gift from John’ God Mother) and the pillows are from Bed Bath & Beyond on clearance.
xo,
s
Brandi says
I’m hitting a wall (pun intended) on coming up with a color scheme for our sunroom/3-seasons room and I love the blue ceiling in yours. What color did you use on the walls/trim? Our room is 3 walls wood panel and 1 wall brick and I am just scratch, scratch scratching my head to come up with a look that works!
YoungHouseLove says
Those were already there, so we don’t know the color. It’s a sandy brown tone though, like Ashen Tan by Benjamin Moore!
xo,
s
ruby says
Hi, I absolutely love this room and everything in it!! Where did you get the sofas/daybed??