Living Room Makeover: From White-out to Warmed-up

When we bought this house, the previous owners had pretty much taken a paint sprayer and gone through the entire place with an antique white paint. (Complete with drips and other paint job don'ts). As we've lived here and gotten a feel for what we want, little by little color has taken over the majority of the place. The main living area upstairs was one of the last to go. 

These windows had tiny white vinyl blinds when we moved in, and one of the first things we did was replace them with these 2" wood blinds in a light finish. Now with warmed up walls, they look revitalized! (Good thing, cause they cost a pretty penny and aren't being replaced!) 

We are keeping white trim and ceilings throughout the house, but color on the walls really makes a difference.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with the color white--but too much of it in a space with a lot of rock and wood can be devoid of warmth. I wanted to warm up the living room and hallway and make them feel more inviting. Did we succeed? I think so...

Hard to tell in this shot, but in the before, the rock entry looks more greenish, and darker. After, it is really warmed up. The front door pops, as well as all the trim in the stairwell. Definitely looks more inviting to me!

The paint is an earthy gray, almost the color of the mortar in the fireplace, but instead of bringing out the mortar, it seems to just soften the entire fireplace, which I love. It looks less stark and more inviting. In the light of day, it's very light. You can see how the corner by the china hutch is not a whole lot darker than the white ceiling, but at nighttime, it takes on a whole different look. (Note that the "golden eyeball" lights are still there. Those are being replaced next week.)

The hallway feels more closed in, because now the bright white doors and trim stand out, but looks much improved. All the walls in the living room, stairwell and hallway got two coats of Valspar Ultra in Colonial Woodlawn Gray. The doors and trim got one coat of Kwal Ambassador paint (so rich and thick it only required one coat) in glossy bright white.

Now my kids are all asking me, "What are we doing with the carpet?" The short answer is "I don't know yet." Still thinking on that one. (And that could take awhile!)