Windsor Terrace Reno

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January 16, 2008

The power of paint - part 3

For those sick of seeing paint related post, I think this will be the last one so rest easy. But I feel obligated to show the rest of the color choices since it was a big deal to me.

I made a specific effort to keep the downstairs colors neutral because so many other elements like furniture, fabric, appliances, etc..get added in living/dining/kitchens. Since the upstairs is essentially bedrooms, I wanted a little bit more color while still being a relaxing scheme.

(Ignore the blue border - that's painters tape)

The hallway space got the same color as downstairs - pale gray on the walls, china white ceiling, bone white trim.

The tiny little nothing room got a color called "Silver Marlin" It looked pretty green on the chip but is very blue in person. Very pretty and doesn't look too baby blue. I really like it.

Our master bath got a muted blue-green called "Quiet Moments". It always seems to come out darker in the photos than it is in person but it really works nicely with the green accents in the floor and the grey veining the vanity top. Its really soothing and I love it.

The master bedroom got one shade darker than the bathroom which is called "Beach Glass".

When I first saw it, I was convinced the painters must have made a mistake because it looked weird and dark. Then I realized it wasn't the color but it was the finish. The whole room was painted in semi-gloss. It looked very intuitional because the walls had a "washable with a fire hose" type of look. More importantly, every tiny imperfection was practically glowing b/c of the sheen. The painters realized their mistake and repainted it with the extra "Silver Marlin" paint they had from the tiny room. Its not the color I originally selected but there was no point wasting that extra paint for a tiny shade difference. (The extra semi gloss Beach Glass is what got used in repainting the poo bathroom).

The guest bedroom got a medium sage green color. I'll admit I don't really love this shade. I didn't love it on the chip and I don't love it on the wall. I sort of wanted a green but I couldn't find the right shade so I just picked something that wouldn't be too offensive. At the last minute I ended up going with something called "Saybrook Sage". Its one of Benjamin Moore's historical colors so I figured it wouldn't be too annoying. And its totally fine.

And finally came the little room that will be all mine for my various crafty activities. I didn't want such a soothing color in there. I seriously considered doing some kind of silver leaf treatment on the walls but that was ruled out because its too complicated and expensive to do properly. After much back and forth, I finally settled on a bright teal blue. (I also used this color for the inside of most of our closets)

Love how this turned out. Its quite bright but that was the intention. I have a lot of black accents in here so I think its a nice color to pop.

So that's pretty much it for the paint colors. I'm so glad to have those decisions made and behind me.

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Comments

It's coming along beautifully. Paint colors are just the toughest thing to choose. It all looks great. We also have Quiet Moments in one of our bathrooms and love it. I agree that picking greens can be tough. One tip: think about some accents (duvet cover, curtains, cushions etc) in the red/pink/orange family. Those colors really pop against green and somehow inject a lot of energy. If you're too quiet with the furnishings, the softer/grayer greens can tend to look drab.

One question: Did your contractor have to do a lot of prep on the doors and trim? I'm wondering if you had your doors stripped down to the wood. We didn't which I now regret -- but perhaps you had less build up of old paint.

Posted by: guest at January 16, 2008 2:10 PM

We didn't have it in the budget to strip all the doors and such. So no, we didn't strip them down.

We didn't have a lot of coats of paint b/c the person who lived here before hadn't painted in decades. There was some prep work in some spots (since in many cases the paint was dropping off in chunks off the door due to the fact there was no heat in the house and the doors had contracted and expanded over time). By no means is the finish perfectly smooth even with the prep work. That doesn't bother me too much - I like old houses and part of living in an old house is often an imperfect finish on painted surfaces. In person, its very obvious that our doors and moldings are not new.

On a few of the doors and moldings there is a very noticeable "crackle" texture under the paint. To fix that would have required a total stripping and since that wasn't in the plans, we've left it that way. I don't know if I would have wanted that if I had my choice but it does have its charms.

Hope that helps.

Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at January 16, 2008 3:17 PM

Your house looks really good. I know reno can be painful, but it looks like its all worth it.

I'm loving your color story and bathroom. I also have the double sink and know its the shiz-nit.

Enjoy your home!

Posted by: guest at January 16, 2008 3:32 PM

Fantastic color choices, especially on the last picture. I chose a similar color for a few walls and as accent color in my 1910 house and while doing prep scrape and sand (previous occupants chose to texture-sponge-paint splotches of red, orange, and yellow all over everything) found the almost exact same blue-green color underneath.

Posted by: 1910 at January 16, 2008 4:01 PM

looks great. would you mind posting the exact paint color for the trim in the last photo?

thanks!

Posted by: guest at January 16, 2008 4:19 PM

Thanks Guest@419. The color on virtually all of the trim is called Bone White. Its one of the premixed colors Benjamin Moore sells off the shelf. Its a very creamy white - it looks white when by itself but looks cream when put next to white.

Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at January 16, 2008 4:53 PM

Beautiful house, great renovation.

I cringed though, when you said that the walls in the master bedroom were painted in a semi-gloss finish.

As an interior designer who does very high end renovations, we always specify flat on the walls, except in kitchens and bathrooms and occasionally a kid' s room, I'll specify a satin.

Semi-gloss for doors and trim.

Keep painting.

Posted by: guest at January 16, 2008 6:05 PM

I love this post - I will definitely be stealing some of your ideas - please post many more ideas I can steal and quickly!

Posted by: guest at January 16, 2008 6:52 PM

Beautiful! Love it and thanks for sharing and giving me some ideas.

Posted by: guest at January 16, 2008 10:12 PM

To respond to the decorator, I'm not a fan of using flat paint absolutely everywhere but bathrooms and kitchens. I myself choose eggshell because it's not shiny in appearance but it's smooth enough to stay a bit more clean, and will take a cleaning successfully when it does get dirty. I can see a master bedroom being painted in flat paint I guess, but for high traffic areas like hallways and living room, I think one would be repainting everything again in a couple years, if someone uses flat paint. In Brooklyn houses, the rooms are smaller, the hallways are narrow, so all the walls take more of a beating than in spacious suburban houses or in Manhattan lofts or prewar apts.

Posted by: guest at January 17, 2008 11:06 AM

In case anyone is curious, I used flat for all the walls except for the bathrooms. I just don't like how the sheen of even eggshell looks. Benjamin Moore's flat finish gets good reviews for its washability (although Ive never been one to scrub my walls frankly) so Im hoping for the best. Im also hoping people have the good sense not to put their hands all over the walls because I don't why anyone would.

Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at January 17, 2008 12:37 PM

mrs. L, beautiful reno. would you be kind enough to share what type of shower fixture is in your master bath.
thanks

Posted by: guest at January 17, 2008 1:15 PM

Its an exposed thermostatic valve shower made by Sign of the Crab. I believe we ordered it from wwww.signatureHardware.com but Ive since seen it elsewhere.

Waterworks makes a much nicer model but I think its about $6K - very much out of the budget for me.

Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at January 17, 2008 4:08 PM

Thank you. We are redoing our bathroom this year and I love your showerhead. Best of luck with your renovations.

Posted by: guest at January 17, 2008 11:20 PM

Hey if you want a great sage color take a look at Dill Weed (benjamin moore) - it's really pretty - and you can take it a shade or two lighter if you like. But generally it's a perfect sage color.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 5:42 PM

I would recommend using a flat paint that cleans easier than most. Higher end paints really do make a difference, I like Pro Vinyl by Porter Paint.

Posted by: guest at January 19, 2008 12:33 AM

Just one question about the blue tape everywhere: Do your painters assume it's faster to re-coat this way? I haven't seen too many younger contractors work without it. Makes me believe no one has good enough hand to eye coordination anymore to just "cut it in"!

The only places I do that is where the client wants a sharp, hard-edged line (new moldings). I use clear caulking as a gasket under blue tape to prevent paint bleed through when it's required. (It really helps to wipe the excess off with a dry rag too.) When working in older homes with slightly wavy walls such taping up of a laser-straight line inbetween surfaces can make you visually crazy without knowing why for a while.

Posted by: akryeguy at January 20, 2008 2:34 PM

Thanks for the paint suggestions but as you can see, the painting is done so the polls are closed :)

Akryeguy: I was a bit surprised they used the tape too. I always thought painters just cut in. But really, as long as they do a fairly neat job I don't care how they do it. I know it wont be perfect but as long as its visually pleasing, they could use a toothbrush for all I care.

Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at January 21, 2008 11:55 AM

Hi MrsL - can you state exactly what color you used for the wood casings/trimings/baseboards etc. I love the look. BTW - you are one classy lady - in how and what you've done! You inspire me...

Posted by: guest at January 21, 2008 7:42 PM

Is there a Wondsor Terrace house tour? If yes, when you're ready, this house has gotta be on it. If no, you should take steps to start one!

Posted by: guest at January 21, 2008 7:45 PM

The color on the trim is bone white. Its premixed by Benjamin Moore and is stocked on the shelf in that color.

There isn't a WT house tour and I doubt there ever wood be. While I love going on tours, I'd never want to be in one. Its one thing to show photos of my house's renovation but I wouldn't want strangers trapsing about once all my stuff is in there.

Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at January 22, 2008 7:54 AM