First up... paint!!! (nat)

So it was a few weeks before I even thought about paint... its overwhelming. And this is like a REAL house, not that our townhome wasn't a home... but it was old, people had already painted before, we could try things and know we weren't going to be there forever so it was ok. So painting was totally intimidating. Plus so many of the walls connect so I had to be 100% sure and committed to whatever color I chose. So I did a lot of research, a lot of searching online, a lot of buying samples and even then- when the color first went up-- I freaked out. I am so used to everyone who just paints their whole house beige and goes from there- so I worried that putting color up wasn't neutral enough and I'd regret it- fear of commitment!

I thought I really wanted Silver Sage when we moved in because I had seen it here... and loved it, but just goes to show that colors look totally different in different spaces- Sea Salt for sure!

top-foggy mist (SW) sea salt (SW)
bottom- the best lowes could do at matching the swatch from my card(aka... not very good) and silver sage (RH)


I knew I wanted the perfect blue/gray- but with green in it! I wanted it to be neutral but still be color. The only thing I could rely on is the subscription insert/card that was in all my cottage living magazines. I've been holding on to that little card since I re-did our Master bedroom in our last place and wished I would have used this color instead. It's just the perfect color! So I used that card to find the perfect color! I took it to Sherwin Williams and Sea Salt was the match! And oh how I miss Cottage Living-- sad, sad, day


on to some before/afters!..... family room before anything!
furniture (oh and ceiling fan... thanks to randy and paul!) and samples--- Before
After- or at least getting there- that wall to the right is painted now too and so is the kitchen
Entry before
Entry- 1/4 done! Ugh... its completed now but it was a lot of work- poor Paul had to slave away on the 2-story+ entry and do two coats! I KNOW he's glad its done!
I have a few pics of it totally completed but that shows the next project.... stripes! And I don't want to give it away--- so until the next post..... oh and I just have to say that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the color. It really is neutral, but a color and it's exactly what I've always wanted! Phew!