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Finally! After 4 years -- new paint!

last month
last modified: last month

I've posted before how I hated my kitchen paint. I love green, but I chose the wrong green. After 4 years of looking at this mood-killing, depressing, greyed green paint, I did a complete 180 and love it! No it's not the most exiting or creative paint job you've ever seen, but it's neutral, non-offensive and most importantly to me when I walk into the kitchen in the morning it's energizing rather than gloomy.

The color is BM Moonlight White (one down from Simply White on the paint strip). These pics were taken in the morning, some green reflection from the outside but most times it just looks like a soft, creamy white. Ceiling is Simply White.

From this:



To this: (IDK why the ceiling looks so dark in the pic, it is a very crisp white)







I just feel so much better with this change, like a heaviness has been lifted, strange as that sounds -- it's really something how color can affect mood.

There is a design question in all this -- is the bird painting over the staircase okay? I didn't have anything else to put on that wall and it's a lot of white, so I grabbed this from elsewhere and am trialing it over the stairs.

P.S. IDK how I want to style the sideboard, yes I know it looks unfinished.

Comments (28)

  • last month

    It's great! I understand about the wrong green - we are at the end of a full renovation on my mother's next house and we chose a similar sagey green for her bedroom, but it really fell flat in the space. After sitting with it for a couple months while other renos were done, I'm repainting it deep cream shortly.

    I love the owl painting but for that spot I'd prefer to see something round (mirror?) or sculptural art that come off the wall dimensionally. With the dark frames on the art and the dark framed windows, it's a lot of dark-edge rectangles at eye level in a row.


    porkchop_z5b_MI thanked Julie S
  • last month

    NICE!👍🏻

  • last month

    The white looks great. would you be open to switching the art over the buffet with the cow? i think the sizing would be better in proportion. id probably leave the spot over the stair blank. it looks a bit like its floating with the void below.



    porkchop_z5b_MI thanked wsea
  • last month

    "would you be open to switching the art over the buffet with the cow? i think the sizing would be better in proportion."


    The prints are exactly the same size (30 x 30); the finished size is different because of the framing but not by much -- 35.5" square for the cow, 34.5" for the flowers. It's probably just the camera angle making the small difference look greater than it is.


  • last month
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    Wow ! the cow looks rectangle (wider than tall) . the camera angle is really playing with my mind here :) do you have a wider horizontal piece to try over the buffet?

    porkchop_z5b_MI thanked wsea
  • last month

    Ok looking again, i still might try switching the two pieces. the cow is a bit heavier in feel and might balance the buffet better than the lighter art currently above it.



    porkchop_z5b_MI thanked wsea
  • last month

    Paint color looks good and more important that it feels good!

    Re: sideboard, did you have lamp (s) there in the past? Esp since you don’t have a chandelier, I would want lamp light.

    I’m ok with the birds in the stairwell.

    porkchop_z5b_MI thanked lisaam
  • last month

    Looks SO nice - enjoy! ✨

    porkchop_z5b_MI thanked la_la Girl
  • last month

    "i still might try switching the two pieces. the cow is a bit heavier in feel and might balance the buffet better than the lighter art currently above it."


    Wouldn't hurt to try, the size is interchangeable.



    "Esp since you don’t have a chandelier, I would want lamp light."


    Agree. Have been looking for a lamp but can't find anything I like that fits the vibe of the house (nothing modern, nothing glass, nothing shiny and a lot of "rustic" lamps are too...cabin in the woods or themed). I'll probably stumble on something when I'm not actively looking -- isn't that the way it always is :0p

  • PRO
    last month
    last modified: last month

    Cow over sideboard.

    Something other than art for stair wall. Comes in three finishes...maybe the black for your house?

    https://www.wayfair.com/decor-pillows/pdp/ivy-bronx-metallic-flock-wall-decor-w001427453.html?piid=1476440297&auctionId=8df4403a-316e-44ec-a7e6-b8b27f2e18b5&trackingId=%7B%22adType%22%3A%22WSP%22%2C%22auctionId%22%3A%228df4403a-316e-44ec-a7e6-b8b27f2e18b5%22%7D&adTypeId=1



    In this photo, I like what was done to top of sideboard. Think it will great with the cow.

    Green plant, light tone pottery...







    porkchop_z5b_MI thanked oncape
  • last month

    The white brings new life to the space!

    porkchop_z5b_MI thanked grapefruit1_ar
  • last month
    last modified: last month

    Hmmm....I do have an antique scythe in the barn, I could clean that up and see what it looks like over the stairs. Except...maybe a little too grim reaper? Antique farm tools is an interesting idea, though -- easy enough to find stuff at an antique shop.

    The birds can go back to the bedroom, no big deal. I realize the buffet looks bare but I think once I find the right lamp and doo-dads to style it the painting won't look so alone and unbalanced.

    I won't change the frame -- it was custom job, pricey, and most importantly I very much like how it looks. Here's a close-up showing the detail which the distance photo didn't: (eta: click to enlarge)



  • last month

    It's funny -- when DH re-hung the pictures after the painting, he hung them opposite with the cow over the sideboard and I told him to switch them back to how they were. He doesn't really have much of an opinion on anything but maybe that was his subconscious telling him (and me) something. :0p

  • last month

    Congratulations on the happy paint job! Nice to see our friend Bossy again.

    porkchop_z5b_MI thanked amystoller
  • last month

    "Nice to see our friend Bossy again"


    The cow? Or me? LOL!

  • last month

    When we moved in to our new build, it only took a few days to realize that I didn't love the color I picked for most of the main rooms. Loved it in my mother's house, but not in mine.

    I lasted 3 weeks before I started repainting myself ... and I have 12 ft ceilings!

    Why did you wait so long? Life is too short not to be 100% happy in your own home!

    porkchop_z5b_MI thanked chispa
  • last month

    Bossy the cow, of course. Moo!

    porkchop_z5b_MI thanked amystoller
  • last month

    I like the newly painted walls! I would choose to leave the space above the stairwell blank. The colors in the framed floral art over the buffet coordinates with the beautiful color of your kitchen backsplash.

    porkchop_z5b_MI thanked Laurie
  • last month

    "Bossy the cow, of course. Moo!"

    LOL!


    "Why did you wait so long? Life is too short not to be 100% happy in your own home!"


    DH didn't want to repaint. I finally wore him down. He's quite adaptable and is not complaining about the refresh.

  • last month
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    For lamps I was wondering about the House of Troy lamps they sell at Room and board - (serena is larger, monarch is smaller) they have clean lines, but the ceramics lend a nice natural feel


    porkchop_z5b_MI thanked la_la Girl
  • last month

    it's really something how color can affect mood


    Amen to this. I think it is one of my motivating forces behind my interest in design. The colors of my space entirely change my mood. Cows help too. Mooooo-d enhancers. Yours pic is adorable.


    Congrats on the total transformation.

    porkchop_z5b_MI thanked Kendrah
  • last month

    It looks wonderful. I like the cow painting over the sideboard because you can see "it's a cow!" from far away. In contrast, the flower abstract is best appreciated up close.

    porkchop_z5b_MI thanked apple_pie_order
  • last month

    What a transformation, well done! I understand it's still being curated but I'm also seeing a lot of squares and rectangles between the art, window panes, furniture, barn door, etc. It may be the camera angle but it seems like the artwork above the buffet is hung a bit high? Lastly, the majority of surfaces seem hard and smooth. Again, I understand it's still early in the decor phase.


    I'd consider a re-set of the artwork by removing the piece above the buffet and the owls. You have lovely texture and dimension outside your window, bring it inside. A round mirror above the buffet with a large vase and greenery layered in front to break up a solid reflection, along with wall light sconces are possible ways to bring dimension in and keep your buffet surface open (it seems you like minimal decor). A tall plant in the corner of the pony wall, a simple table runner and bowl and either chair cushions or a rug can provide a touch of softness.


    I really enjoyed seeing the before and after, thanks so much for posting.


    porkchop_z5b_MI thanked JT7abcz
  • last month

    I agree with Laura. The more art, lamps, decor, etc, you add to the dining area the less you need art over the stairwell. In simplynatural's rendition I like the bird art in the dining area, but for me the farm implements in the stairwell are overkill. Love your white paint!

    porkchop_z5b_MI thanked doods
  • last month

    She doesn't look very bossy; more contempletive. What a great job in your paint redo and your house is lovely. Your post and the commenters are better than an expensive pysch visit. I love the way all these strangers want to be helpful and want the best for you.

  • last month

    I love whites, do thumbs up from me!

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