We’re back with the after pics of our freshly painted built-ins. As we mentioned in the last post, we went with an inky blue color with hints of green called Dragonfly from Benjamin Moore’s Affinity line (color matched to Lowe’s No-VOC Olympic paint for the bambino). We only needed a quart, and since we used objects that we already owned on the shelves this entire built-in makeover only ran us $10.97. You can read more about how we planned the shelf placement here. Oh and here’s a poorly lit progress pic from last night, just for fun. Yes John’s shirt does say “Talk Nerdy To Me” on the back. I love it.
But here’s what you really care about. The bookcases all painted! Picture us twiddling our thumbs while we waited for them to fully dry so we could put the shelves back on and load them up.
Of course by then it wasn’t as bright in our north facing room (hence the slight color variation from the last pic) but we LOVE it. It’s bold and high contrast and nothing that we would’ve have the guts to do in our last house.
We’re enamored with the color because it’s super moody and it reads as greener or bluer or darker or lighter depending on the time of day and the angle that you glance at it.
And of course all of my white ceramic animals (and other not-kid-friendly-so-I’m-glad-they-fit-up-there treasures) really pop against the saturated background color (which also makes the cabinets look crisper and whiter by comparison).
These two pics are probably the most true to life when it comes to the color (but of course how you see them really depends on your monitor):
Mr. Rhino (and his ceramic twin on the other side) likey. And we do too. Especially for under $11. In fact we love the color so much that we plan to work it into other parts of the house when we can (you know, to try to keep our whole house color scheme cohesive but not too “yawn”). We’re thinking it might be the perfect color for the base of the future island that we’d love to someday add to our kitchen – and would even work on a bathroom vanity. Should be fun…
Psst- Learn how we made those two fabric covered boxes on the right side of the shelf here.
suki @ [Super Duper Fantastic] says
tall, dark, and handsome indeed! i love how that color looks! :) what a beautiful job.
Kayla says
Love it so much! Way to go taking a risk…I think it turned out wonderfully and it adds a lot of character to an already charming room! :)
JMB says
Really lovely!! Creates a sophisticated look indeed!
Sabrina says
Love that color!
Molly says
I love the color you picked! I never would have thought of that. Looks amazing, Sherry—-can’t wait to see what other projects you guys have up your sleeves!
If I sent you some pictures of my living room, would you have any time to help me out on some decorating advice? I know you are really busy.
Rebecca says
Can’t see the pics :-(
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Rebecca,
Hmm, that’s odd. Are you at work? Maybe they’re blocking them for some reason? Is anyone else having an issue seeing the pics? So sorry!
xo,
s
Heather says
Love it! Can’t wait for the rest to all fall into place.
Katie says
Beautiful!!!! I love the new look and boldness you are starting to go with in the new case. Can’t wait to see what you do with the rest of the house! I get so much inspiration from your site, haven’t decided if my husband likes it or not… ;)
Andrea says
I love it! Totally a different vibe from your other house, but in a really great way that still works with what you’ve got.
Katie @ J&K Homestead says
Looks great! Kudos to you two on a job well done! :)
Julie at www.velvetandshag.com says
Gorgeous color! In fact, it’s one of my favorite colors. Great job…as usual!
Kylee says
LOVE IT!
Rosanne says
Love the color it sure make the fun stuff on the shelves pop! Great job! It’s funny my niece just moved in a new house and when I asked what color she’s doing…she said “teal & brown” Really!? But I guess you and her are more up on the now. When I think if teal, I think of the color from the 80’s…and I say “no, thank you” But I do love this deep teal.
emily says
wow! that added so much depth. it is beautiful AND daring. nice work.
Alanna L. says
Looks great you guys! Excited to see you’re stepping out of your comfort zone in this house.
Did you do two coats on it? And just out of curiosity – do you do one or two coats on the walls you paint? I know painting is time consuming and have heard the painter + primer in one can allow you to get away with one coat, but I’m leery of that.
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, two coats always seems to be the trick for us! One always looks streaky. But we do like to avoid primer when we can (for the fumes) so two coats of no-VOC paint works for us.
xo,
s
Hilary @ My So-Called Home says
Lookin pretty fantastic. The color is so rich it almost looks like wallpaper. I love that you guys are taking risks and not simply copying your old house.
Angela S. says
Well done! When you first mentioned you were going to paint the wall, that is the EXACT color I imagined you using. Great minds think alike??
Laura@JourneyChic says
Love it!! Those are great built-ins, especially the way that they frame the door. It was definitely a smart move to remove some of the shelves. The color is fab – I applaud your daring! I painted an old dresser a similar deep teal and loved the results. It’s a great color in small doses (I’m not bold enough to try a whole room!).
Cait @ Hernando House says
Looks great, guys!
Tracy says
That looks great!! Stepping outside your comfort zone paid off!
Where did you find that cardboard rhino in the last pic? It’s so cute!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Tracy,
He’s from http://www.cardboardsafari.com. Love their stuff!
xo,
s
jill says
Gorgeous! Job well done! Now I’m wishing I had some shelves I could apply this to…
Jen says
Wow, looks amazing! Love it.
Btw, in your first paragraph, Olympic paint is sold at Lowes (not Home Depot).
YoungHouseLove says
Great catch Jen! All fixed.
xo,
s
Lauren says
Wow…..LOVE it!! It’s crazy how removing some shelves and adding a pop of color can make the built ins look even more amazing! Thanks for the inspiration and for yet again proving that you don’t have to break the bank for fab decor!
Anna says
Wow, what a way to add pop to the room! I love it and the color!
Margaret says
I’m proud of y’all!! I know you’ve always loved your punchy colors, but you’ve usually limited them to fabrics and accessories in the past- I’m the same way! As the hubs and I are still saving for a case of our own, I’ve started blogging about my furniture redesign projects, thrifty finds and decorating tips on my blog at http://www.sugarandspackle.com.
The new color looks amazing with all your existing stuff- Can’t wait to see what’s next!
P.S. How do you do color matching? Do you just take a paint chip to the Home Depot paint counter and ask them to match it in a particular paint type?
P.P.S. Do you use latex or oil based paint??
Thanks, y’all!
Margaret
Sugar & Spackle
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Margaret,
Yup, that’s exactly what you do. Just bring them the swatch and they’ll scan it and match it to any base (you pick the brand, finish, and size). Oh and we use no-VOC latex paint whenever we can (only use oil-based primer for things like wood paneling since water based can cause bleed).
xo,
s
Stephanie says
Wow that color is amazing and your shelf makeover is making me regret just a little ripping out all the built in shelving in our house over the last two months. Of course, we didn’t have anything nearly as nice as what you started with!
liz @ btb says
Fun! I love how the animals pop off the dark background.
Tony says
I think that contrast is nice. Looks very museum-ish. Come decorate my apartment when you get a chance.
Kasey at Thrifty Little Blog says
Looks like your color risk paid off. I love the results!!
Amanda says
Love the after. Looks amazing. I can see this color scheme is going to be a lot different.
Clare @ Fitting It All In says
AWESOME before and after! Your white ceramic pieces look especially beautiful against the dark background!
Casey says
No fair with the teaser post…I almost blew a gasket waiting for the after pics :) It’s absolutely gorgeous!! We just stayed at the Encore hotel in Las Vegas for New Year’s, and the dark color kinda gives off that same chic hotel vibe. Great job!
maggie says
Hey YHL, Could you tell me where you got the white box on the top right hand shelf? thanks,looks great!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Maggie,
That’s actually a stack of Ikea frames that we had laying around. Use watcha got, right?! We thought they looked like a stack of white books or a box so we went with it (since we didn’t have a place picked out for them on the walls anyway). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Charise says
We are big fans of rich, saturated colors on the walls at our house – so I love this look, and am excited to see what else you do with it in the new house! Looks great!
Lindsey says
Absolutely love.
My mother-in-law and I spent the summer brightening her terrifying dark-panel-and-orange-shag basement. We painted the back of the built-in bookcase a very similar color from Benjamin Moore Aura, and also used the color on an accent wall. We painted the paneling a sandy beige and the contrast is gorgeous. It was such an amazing transformation (plus a little furniture rearranged and refreshed), I was wishing I had a home blog–rather than a food blog–to share our success!!
Back of my mind was: Must Tell Sherry.
Kayla says
LOVE! Hm…..where could I put this color in my house? =)
Tanya says
I love how much the background makes everything pop. I can’t wait to see how you tie in the color with the rest of the house. Did you intentionally collect similar colored items or did all those yellow, white, and blue do-dads happen to match all on their own?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Tanya,
It all happened on it’s own! I mean I knew I had a penchant for white ceramic animals (and blue is one of our favorite colors) but it all sort of came together for us on it’s own.
xo,
s
Elisabet says
I really love this, looks so good! I also admire how bold you are using so much color in your house, I hope I can work up the courage to use more color in my home.
I was wondering if you could inform me how your shelves are stuck to the sides, or hung up? (if that is the correct way to say it) Your system seems really neat and I need ideas. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Elisabet,
There are little pegholes down the side of the built-ins and there are little shelf supports that can be moved up and down the pegholes. Then the shelves rest on those supports when they’re snapped into place. I think home improvement centers sell those little “tracks” with the pegholes and the shelf supports. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Brooke Buckingham says
I love it! And you’re right, that deep jewel tone really makes the white shelves pop! Fabulous choice!
Kristen says
Wow, it looks great! I’m so glad to see you guys take bolder moves when it comes to colors. This color is beautiful and really makes everything look so much brighter and really pop! Excellent job.
seansmom says
I’m proud of you for trying such a bold color! And I think it’s a great color too! Your shelves look great and it will really set off your new dining room!
Andrea says
Love it! I just did the same thing (and very similar color) to a Craigslist china cabinet:
http://ramblingsofawannabediyer.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/china-cabinet-overhaul/
It was a little bit out of my comfort zone as well but I’m glad I did it.
Carrie says
I love it! I am so in to the deep blue greens that are out now. I’ve never been that in to blue but with these colors that is all changing!
Also- I am ridiculously jeslous of your built ins!
Blair says
I’m in love with that color, and your bookcases!
Brianne says
LOVE IT!!!! Kuddos to you on breaking through to bold colors!!
Lindsey says
Wow, guys, I love it!
Mandy Ford says
Gorgeous! Seriously perfect color.
Lori says
Looks great, guys!
Also, random question – would you consider posting an update to your how-to photography post, using your new DSLR? I actually just purchased the same camera (seems to be a popular choice these days), and was wondering what tips and tricks you guys have learned on it so far, to get great house pics. I won’t be offended if you don’t, I know you two are busy these days :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Lori,
We’re not exactly expert enough to post our tips, but we like to use it on the A setting, and we usually try to remember to manually white balance it and adjust the aperture manually as well (John is much better than I am, hence my dark pic in the last post). We just read the manual and googled around a bit for tips. Still a lot of learning to do though!
xo,
s
heather says
Wow, what a gorgeous color. I would love to incorporate it into my home…somehow! Thanks for my daily dose of DIY inspiration. My day would not be complete without swooning over your latest project.
Tara says
I love it! I don’t know if I would ever have the guts to do it, but maybe you have inspired me!! :-)