Feel free to sing the title to the tune of the famous Dolly Parton song. Or our new favorite version by SNL. Anyway, painting our living room yesterday sure was quite the task of endurance, especially given various breaks for Clara-tending and blog-tending. In fact, it took us exactly 12 hours, from 9am to 9pm to fully complete the project. Good news – the living room is officially Moonshine’d. Better news – so is the hallway (what can we say, we were on a roll).
But the day got off to a slow start. Between Sherry squatting the first blog post of the day to answer a bunch of questions, Clara needing some breakfast, and me clearing / taping the room, it was nearly two hours ’til we even cracked the first paint can open at around 11. Here’s the post all about how we deemed Moonshine to be the perfect gray for our house, and it bears mentioning that we chose to get it color matched to Olympic No-VOC paint in a satin finish (which we have found to look extremely close to flat paint with a lot of added durability & kid-friendly wipeability – really it doesn’t look wet or glossy at all, much to our surprise).
Thankfully things got rolling (literally) once Clara napped like a champion (from 11 to almost 1- which she never does!) and we gave ourselves permission to focus on applying color to the walls instead of approving & answering blog comments (no offense to you guys of course). Sherry wasn’t even slowed down by the splinter our floor kindly drove into her left cheek. And I’m not talking about the one on her face. Ouch. She’s a total trooper. And she learned a valuable painting lesson in the new house: not to scoot around on her rear while cutting in baseboard. I realize this sounds like she was painting nude, but she was fully clothed. It just went right through her yoga pants. No lie.
Sherry has always been the cutter-inner (edger) of our relationship and I’m the roller. But she also does extra credit stuff too. In this case she took the time to fill a bunch of gnarly holes in our extra-craggy brick wall – like these right near the trim – with paintable DAP caulk for a much more finished looking result. Love that girl. Even if she is a little obsessive.
Once Clara awoke from The Nap Of Her Life (capitalized as it was truly an event to be remembered), we had to switch off when it came to baby-duty (and drop in on the blog every once in a while too for comments). So our productivity dropped a bit, but it was nice to take staggered bean breaks. As the day wore on, the diminishing sunlight made differentiating the white walls from the wet paint a bit challenging, but we charged on (taking breaks for things like a second blog post, diaper changes, lunch, dinner, and putting Clara down for a less-than-champion worthy afternoon nap). By around 5:30pm we had applied two coats to the living room (all it needed) and started on the two hallway vestibules. And by the time Clara was in bed for the night at 8pm we’d cracked open our second gallon of paint to finish off a second coat in those two hallways. By 9pm we were cleaning up and ready to collapse on the couch that was still clustered next to the TV in the middle of the room and zone out. Btw, it was funny to watch some tube at the distance that we were used to from our last house again.
Being too dark for a photoshoot last night, we waited to take these “after” shots this morning for ya:
We’ll be the first to admit that it’s hard to see much of a difference in the pics. But in person we were both shocked at how much warmer the room looks. We assumed gray would look cooler, but the previous white walls were so stark that the soft silvery gray is nice and cozy by comparison. Kind of like you’re inside a cloud that’s glowing thanks to some sun shining through. In short, we’re both in LOVE with Moonshine. And for those wondering why we didn’t go crazy bright or dramatic with the wall color, we want to bring in some bold textiles (like big dramatic curtains on those sliders) along with some colorful art and maybe even some painted furniture – so we don’t want the walls to compete with that. We even have plans for a large charcoal sectional, so we’re definitely getting away from the white-slipcovered-sofas-and-breezy-white-curtained look of our first house. A lot of the rooms that have inspired us lately don’t have super dark or bright walls, but still definitely read as “colorful” and “bold.” But we do have a few spaces (like the hall bathroom & guest bedroom) that we plan to paint an extremely rich and saturated color, just like we did on the backs of our built-ins. So there will be some o’ that too.
We also thought when one of the walls was brick, a bold color (like deep teal or emerald or plum) might look a bit odd, since it’s more common to see brick painted in lighter tones like white, cream, gray, etc. And we wanted that wall to feel the most unified and un-odd so the whole room felt connected as opposed to disjointed. Oh and we did consider leaving just the fireplace bump-out white while painting the rest of the walls gray, but in the end it looked too unbalanced so we painted it and like the cohesive effect a lot more. We figure we can always add color back into it down the line (like a rich charcoal paint) if we’re feeling crazy. We’ll just have to see how the room shapes up.
Oh yeah but we can’t forget the hallway. The results in there boosted our confidence even more that Moonshine was the way to go and the change will be much more dramatic in the living room once it gets the white-trim treatment. See how soft yet defined it looks with crisp white accents?
This close up is probably the best demonstration of the silvery gray color we ended up with (and how it plays off that glossy trim):
So the next thing on our to-do list is to paint the trim & baseboard in the living room (which is why the furniture is staying in a nice little island formation in the middle of the room until that’s done). Oh and we’ve decided to leave the ceiling beams unpainted for now. We’re definitely gonna see what the rest of the room looks like before making any decisions about what to do with those. Sherry has this crazy new idea about staining or painting them a rich charcoal color. Could be cool. And we’ll probably photoshop it before taking the plunge and share the madness with you. But before we get to that we’ll hopefully have the finished trim pictures to share next week. Fingers crossed for record-breakingly-fast painting luck and another one of those Naps To End All Naps from Clara.
Psst- The repair guys came out to fix our new washer amid the painting chaos and eradicated the annoying whistle issue. Happy happy joy joy.
Psssst- We announced this week’s giveaway winners, so click here to see if you’re one of them.
Paula/adhocmom says
So glad grey owl was a contender. Our bedroom is grey owl and we LOVE it.
Diana says
Did you guys also paint the future dining room or is that still on the list?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Diana,
Not yet, but it’s on the list! We’ll probably tackle the trim first and then get to that room!
xo,
s
t says
looks great!
XOXO,
http://outfitidentifier.com/
Kymberly says
Any plans on painting the ceiling?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kymberly,
Maybe someday, but with my charcoal beam idea we might leave it white so they’re “the stars” of the room. We’ll see where we end up!
xo,
s
Megan says
I am so confused, you two. My living room is very similar to yours, right down to the warm wood floors and exposed ceiling beams! After spending weeks obsessing over colors, we painted the room light/medium gray (specifically, Behr Castle Path) a few months ago and BOY does it look terrible. It feels like the cool gray fights with the warm floors. We’re mustering up our courage to repaint the room in a warmer color (like you, we also have a small child to wrangle) but it would be nice if we could make everything “work” by just adding a chartreuse throw or a ceramic pig or something. Any ideas? Did we just choose the wrong gray?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Megan,
We’d bet it is the undertones of that gray. Just a bit too cold. You could try to “change” it with accessories but in the past when we’ve tried to do that it has felt like a waste of time and money to try to adapt something we don’t like when we could just repaint. Good luck!
xo,
s
Cori @WhereYouHangYourHeart.com says
Wow! I love your blog. You two remind me of me and my husband. We got married about a month before you did and had our baby about the same time as you had yours! I love the gray. You’re right, it really makes the white trim pop and look very crisp. We are contemplating gray for our bedroom. Keep up the good work!
Kelly says
Looks great and very sophisticated.
Mary @ stylefyles says
glad to hear you got the washer-whistle repaired (even if washer-whistle makes for some sweet alliteration). By the way, got a good chuckle when I went back to that link and read the comments…. everyone wondering if poor Sherry could reach the controls, haha. The comments of that nature never seemed to cease!
By the way, I looooove the gray you chose, and definitely can tell a difference in the pics!!!
Cheryl says
Wow!! I have never really liked gray, but seeing it in you hallway has changed my mind. It looks fabulous!!
Jamie B says
Yeah, that last picture makes it look great! Really looking forward to seeing what other colours you add.
Fiona @ Jackadaw says
Last year I painted my master bedroom, formal living room and formal dinning room a very similar shad of grey with white ceilings and trim. I adore it. The formal living room is now my favourite room in the house with it’s pale grey walls, deep red art deco club lounge and dark charcoal carpet. It’s serene and elegant yet not at all bland.
Kim says
You don’t have to confirm or deny this (hahah), but I think maybe you’re considering the Karlstad sectional. If so, I just wanted to throw this out there. We had been searching for a new couch since May and just bought the Karlstad sofa after lots and lots and LOTS of research on-line and asking around. We were still kind of skeptical the day of purchase (can you say analysis paralysis??) but after having it for 2-3 weeks, we love it! It is comfy and looks great, all for an amazing price!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Kim! Good to hear!!!
xo,
s
Jessica J says
I’ve been trying to find a pretty gray to use in our house for years! I attempted to paint our guest bath a nice gray a few years ago and it ended up looking like a battleship. it was AWFUL and I’ve been scared of the color every since. :( This post makes me hopeful to use it again.
Heather says
The gray walls look great! My husband and I have gray in our bedroom and just love it! Very calming!
Steph at Modern Parents Messy Kids says
You guys are some painting machines – getting ANYTHING done while a little one naps is impressive!
Amanda says
Looks great! I’m really curious to see how you are going to paint the baseboards and trim, like which brush/brushes you will use and type of paint, etc. My husband and I need to tackle this job in our house (our WHOLE house) and I’m scared! We also have an 8 month old. My husband needs a little motivation. That’s where your blog post will come in! :)
Shawna says
The Moonshine is great (the paint not the beverage :-) )! Once the trim and base boards are painted that gray is really going to pop!
Elsa says
Gray is EXCELENT! My bedrooms/bathrooms are a gray (can’t remember the name, something by Behr. Just a tad darker that your new coat.) I am getting ready to redo our living/hall another shade of gray- definitely a big fan! I hope for the best for yall in finding just the right gray sectional, a biggy on my wish list.
Cindy says
I love the gray. I’m looking for a color to paint our master bedroom and I would consider it after seeing your pics. We recently moved into an older home and are changing things room by room. Do you have any advice for painting rooms with angled ceilings? Our room has a lot of funky angles and there’s no clear division of where the ceiling ends and walls begin. I’m thinking I need to paint it all one color…maybe a grayish or icy blue might be nice. There is light gray wall to wall carpet as well. I’m not inlove with the carpet, but since it looks brand new we’ll keep it. Any advice on the ceiling/walls? Thanks :)
YoungHouseLove says
We always recommend painting those rooms all one color. On the walls, peaked roof, ceiling, everything! It’ll keep it from looking as chopped up and just feel lofty and lovely!
xo,
s
erin says
are you guys planning on keeping the parquet flooring?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Erin,
Yup, it’s made of pretty hardwood, so we hope to refinish it to tie it into the other hardwood floors in the house.
xo,
s
Emily @ Merrypad says
Hey there – in the last photo posted, the doorway to the left looks like it opens to a brick wall. What’s that? Closet with an open door (or removed bi-fold)? I didn’t see an answer to this anywhere above but sorry if you already answered this!
Emily
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Emily,
See the 4th pic down? It’s that doorway (the angle makes it look like it opens into the brick, but it’s just nearby).
xo,
s
Sally G says
Wow. Just wow. I never would have expected grey to look so lovely. You’re right, the white trim makes it look so elegant. It’s such a different neutral than I’ve ever considered before.
Cynthia says
Oh I totally see the difference! Not so stark :) Perfect choice. I love love the hallway with the white trim!!!!!!! Are you planning to do this as well with the beams and trim in the living room? It would look so lovely and airy.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Cynthia,
Yup! You can check out the post for more info on that (I have a semi-crazy idea for the beams). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Virginia says
I have ceiling envy. That wood trim, Faboosh!
paige parkhill says
hey guys! you probably already know this but i just saw you on apartment therapy right here>>
http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/inspiration/closet-envyyoung-house-love-137272
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Paige,
Wahoo! So excited. Thanks for the heads up!
xo,
s
Stephanie M says
Hey guys. Saw your post on the yellow bathroom and then thought of you when I saw this curtain. I like the bold floral print and think the color palette would probably work although it is hard to tell in pictures. Good luck with all your projects in the new house! Keep the updates coming, I love it! here is the link.
http://www.potterybarn.com/products/florian-palampore-blackout-drape/
jennie says
It looks really good! We took a cue from Jordan & Landon and chose a Valspar gray – Bay Waves. It’s very similar and we love it!
KatelynMiller says
Hello, I love your blog! I have nominated you for the blog Style Award!
The award is kind of like a really fun chain letter. There are 4 duties to perform to accept the award:
1. thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award
2. share seven things about yourself
3. award ten great bloggers
4. contact these bloggers and tell them about the award
Happy Blogging!
Katelyn
Natalie says
Oooh I love it! You guys definitely made the right color choice :)
Mandi says
Since you’ve used a couple of different no-VOC paints in your experience, is there any honest difference between them (other than the price tag)? We’ve used Mythic in three rooms in our new house and absolutely love it-that we can paint with our kiddo home, how it has an almost delicious look-we just love the colors. However, we recently found out we are having twins so our budget for painting/refinishing the rest of our house has been refocused elsewhere. As we still have our living room and the new nursery to paint, we’re stuck and going back and forth on what to do-splurge on the paint (we’d need at LEAST five gallons-pricey!) on what we know and love, or go with another less expensive paint? We just don’t want to be taking a “step down” I guess-we’ve not bought any other brands so we’re kind of not sure!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Mandi,
I would describe our love of Olympic Premium No-VOC paint as slightly slighty (we’re talking a teeny tiny bit) less than our love of Mythic. But for the price reasons that you mention, it’s what we plan to use in our entire new house. It’s just as pure (not only is the base no-VOC but the colorants are as well) and the smell dissipates the same way. The slight difference is that it might have a bit less coverage, but even when we used Mythic, our plaster walls we needed two coats which is the same thing they call for with Olympic so it takes the same amount of time in the end (and they both look great). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Melissa says
The new color looks awesome, especially with the white trim! Way to go! I’m in the process of picking new colors for our living/dining room and kitchen (all connected — SO hard to design all three at once!) and leaning towards white(s) but you’ve got me second-guessing now, that maybe it’ll be too ‘stark’? Also wondering how a major re-paint will go with a 15-month-old kiddo toddling around, ’cause there’s no way we’ll do it in one day. Anyway, do you guys know anything about recycled paint? I saw some today at the Habitat for Humanity Restore and was wondering how it compares to the mainstream brands.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Melissa,
The only thing to remember about paint is that once it’s frozen and thawed it’s pretty much dunzo (it messes with the formula and separates) so you never know if that stuff has been in someone’s garage and has frozen so it’s past its prime. Our advice would be to either take the chance (since it’s so cheap and you can test it on the wall before painting the whole room) or check out the “oops paint” at Lowe’s or Home Depot, which is usually deeply discounted since someone bought it and then returned it. As for the too stark white thing, there are some warm whites and some cool crisp modern whites so there’s definitely a way to do white walls very well. Sometimes it just has to do with picking the right one (and having the right furnishings to keep it interesting and warm. Good luck!
xo,
s
Kelly Myers says
The question is… were there any cuss words involved in that whole splinter incident? Or did Sherry manage to turn the other cheek… ?? Ha, Ha! I’m working on cussing less in 2012 myself. :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kelly,
Haha, the word a$$ might have been thrown out to describe the “afflicted area” but none of the big four letter words came out. So proud!
xo,
s
Erin L says
I adore your parkay floors! Every picture you post of them I just love! The paint color looks great too.
PS I just noticed there is a smiley face on the bottom right on your page. :D
Autumn says
You guys are so inspiring! I agonize over decisions and you just go for it and it ends up looking fabulous. I was planning to paint my living/dining room gray (was looking at a bit darker – Benjamin Moore escarpment) but really want crate & barrels lounge couch in pewter corduroy and thought that might be too much, but it sounds like you guys are going for that so that gives me more confidence. My only concern is we have beige berber carpeting, a fairly neutral beige, is gray a bad choice when we have beige carpets? I’m worried it might make it look yellow. I would like to do dark hardwood in there but that will probably be in a couple of years time.
I would love it if you brought back the custom mood boards, I’d hire you in a second to do my whole house!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Autumn,
Layering a rich gray couch with softer gray walls should look gorgeous, even with beige carpeting, as long as you bring in other warm colors to balance the cool gray to warm beige ratio. Does that make sense? If the gold or tawny sand tones from the carpet also are seen in art or curtains or other accessories, the carpet won’t look like the odd man out and everything should work together beautifully.
xo,
s
Heather says
Hey guys! Well, my Baby Led Weaning book finally came in the mail and lemme tell you, I’m a fan!! It just makes SO much sense. I have a super picky 2 1/2 year old, and I was so apprehensive to try solids with him (he had cleft palate issues too, but I still could’ve tried more.) He was the puree king! But my 8-month-old girl LOVES solids – pretty much anything she can get her hands on. Wish I had heard of that book the first time around!
Oh, and I love the gray! Just painted our bedroom “Fieldstone” by Ben Moore — saw it at Ikea! Love that they tell you the colors! I’m so visual, so I need to see it HUGE. Sherry, I envy you picking out colors right from that little square (and being right!!) : )
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Heather,
So glad to hear you’re loving the book as much as we are. Clara is definitely into feeding herself and happily gobbles up everything we put in front of her. Sure it might have just been her personality from birth, but we also attribute it to the whole Baby Led Weaning method. Good luck with your 8 month old!
xo,
s
Jamie says
Just wondering- is one side of your TV stand painted white?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jamie,
That’s so funny. It does kind of look like that in the pic. It’s just a shiny espresso finish, so it’s reflecting light in that photo so the side of it sort of looks white. It’s all brown though.
xo,
s
Kelly says
When I first read your paint colour choice was grey, I had visions of that horrible, cold decor from the 80s. But they grey really does look great… lovin the hallway!
caroline says
Love the idea of the beams in charcoal – but you will have to do it at the same time as you lose the fans and do new light fixtures I think.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Caroline,
Those things are definitely on the list, but we just try to do one thing at a time to keep from getting crazy overwhelmed!
xo,
s
Anita says
Crazy! I just painted our guest room silver gray. Love the way it turned out too! Do you plan on keeping the exposed beams?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Anita,
Check out the paragraph at the bottom of this post to read about our plans for those beams. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jac says
Just an odd detail… i know in the last photo it’s just the wood on the walls showing through the doorway… but in terms of colour, doesn’t that burnt orangey/rusty colour look great with the pale grey and white trim? Loving the grey walls (we painted ours kitty grey, a very similar colour, only a little while ago).
susan says
How come it took 2 guys all day to paint my tiny, tiny bathroom? They even had to come back because some pencil marks showed through the paint! You guys are amazing. susan OK, they did have to take wall paper off the wall:)
Sara says
I LOVE how the Moonshine paint color turned out! And the whole splinter episode (the way it was written) literally made me LOL (although I’m sure it was a little painful, sorry Sherry)! So, what are your plans for the living room and hallway floors and where in your time line will that take place? (I apologize if you’ve already mentioned this in a previous blog) Oh the potential!! And glad to hear the dryer got fixed!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sara,
We love that the parquet floors are real hardwood (and not laminate or faux vinyl) so we plan to refinish those down the line (not sure when) for splinter reasons and also to tie them into the other hardwood flooring in the house for a nice cohesive feeling.
xo,
s
mypatsyann says
P.S. I’m liking your floors, too. I’ve always loved the look of wood parquet. The wood tone looks great with your crisp white moldings and gray walls. MMMM yummy.
mary W. says
Looking silvery and light and bright and dreamy and fantastic! That is the world’s fastest painting job for sure. So since no one else asked yet (I don’t think) wondering if I can have your couch once you upgrade to a charcoal one? We are not too far away and obviously I will pay for it :-) Also loving the contrast with the beams! That room is really a fantastic layout with great potential with you guys designing it!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Mary,
Sounds like a plan! We’ll email you when we’re selling the sofa (and will share the craigslist post with everyone else who might be interested as well).
xo,
s
Nicole says
I love the salt lamp beside the tv!! I have 2 and LOVE them!!
Leeza says
We even have plans for a large charcoal sectional
What do you think of these options for a gray sofa:
http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=522838&CategoryID=35419 in vintage
http://www.havertys.com/Product_11046?curIndex=0&resultCount=22 in linen
http://www5.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6E.aspx?deptid=70752&catid=70829&grptyp=ENS&itemid=18e16d3&dep=FURNITURE&pcat=Living+Room&cat=Sofas&refpagename=XGN%252Easpx&refdeptid=70752&refcatid=70827&cmAMS_T=XGN3&cmAMS_C=FEATURE&cmAMS_Z=XGN3ABOVEPAGINATION&CmCatId=70827 in atlantic
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Leeza,
We actually picked something already and we’ll be blogging about it soon but thanks for the links!
xo,
s
Jody says
I LOVE LOVE your blog! YOu pay so much attention to detail and it pays off big! I feel like I NEVER have time to do the samallest decor tasks! How do you manage your time and work a full time job!?
YoungHouseLove says
We just try to steal moments here and there and get stuff done. We definitely end up working nights and weekends (and even holidays) but it’s what we love so that keeps us going!
xo,
s
Emily @ Merrypad says
Ooh yes, I see now how it’s just the angle of the shot! Photography mind games.
MelissaG says
Just curious..do you think you’ll keep the parquet floors? Our home has them in a few places but some of it is water damaged and we haven’t decided what to do yet.
I love your ideas…I am STILL having a heck of a time figuring out what to do with our tri-level home. You two make it look so easy! Thanks for the inspiration!
MelissaG says
Sorry, just read your answer for the floors….I don’t often have the time to read through a lot of the comments. Sorry about that!