Paint Color Paralysis

I was pretty confident in my color selections a couple of months ago, but I realize now that I made a rookie mistake.  I didn't live with the colors on the wall first.  Paint chips only tell a very small part of the story, not to mention the changes in light from room to room and time of day.  The dining room and living room were in my mind a soothing blue gray color, the dining room a slightly deeper shade then the living room.  I am afraid that the rooms will be a bit cold with the cool blue tones, but really want something that will compliment the rich floors which I thought that tone would do well. 

So, I went and got samples (under $3 a piece at Home Depot), lots of samples.  I have applied them to the walls in each room to live with for awhile.  I also grabbed a few warmer shades in the yellow family to see if I prefer a warmer wall color.  Here is where we are at - your thoughts and opinions are very welcome!

Dining Room Back Wall - My blue/gray selections. 

Dining Room Side wall under stairway (ignore the clutter - still unpacking!)

Living Room - Warm and Cool Palette

Living Room - Warm and Cool with Deeper Accent Colors
that will be used in a special project involving book cases

My initial thoughts are that the yellow colors too similar to our furniture color and there won't be enough contrast in the room.  I'm thinking that the warmer fabrics will offset the cooler wall color if we stick with the blue tone.  As a side note, that horrible trim color is getting painted a white semi gloss.  You can see where I started around the door frame.

Moving Day

I know that I have been a little absent this week.  We are preparing for the movers to come tomorrow.  I can't believe that we are going to be in the house tomorrow night.  I have so many updates to share with you including a new floor in the office and spare bedroom, a hardwood floor update, progress on the mudroom and kitchen floor.  For now though, I am going to leave you hanging becuase I have to get back to packing!  Look for updates SOON!

T

I am thinking about this rug for the dining room.  What are your thoughts???

Tomorrow



 Tomorrow is the big day.  We close on our house at 1pm, and then we will officially be home owners.  We already have our laundry list of things that we want to do to the house.  Here are some of the first projects that we are going to tackle in the coming weeks.

1. Refinish the hardwood floors in living room, dining room, 3rd floor.
2. Paint the entire interior
3. Paint kitchen cabinets
4. Lay tile on kitchen floor and backsplash
5. Install powder room on first floor
6. Install bookshelves in living room from Ikea - but doctor them up so they look custom
7. Address mud room ceiling, paint, add storage/countertop

It is going to be a very busy month for our little family. Once we close tomorrow, I will be at the house prepping for the hardwood floor refinishing job that I will be doing on Wed and Thurs this week.  I'll post some before and after pics of the hardwood floors, as well as details on the job.  So far, I have picked up all the materials from Home Depot except for the drum sander and edger which will be rented on the day of.  This is what I have so far...

Minwax stain - Dark Walnut 2 quarts
Polyurathane Fast Drying Gloss 1 gallon
Pole Sander
220 Grade Sand paper for sanding in between poly coats
Mineral Spirits to use after sanding the floor
Roller to apply stain
Paint tray for stain
Rags to wipe up stain (old t shirts)
Lambs wool applicator for Poly
Ventilator mask to wear throughout the process (only $24 at home depot) 
Exhaust fan for the window
Plastic to tape off doorways

I also purchased the Dremel 3 pack which basically has a million uses.  I know that this little tool is going to prove very handy for all of our little projects.  The main purpose I picked it up yesterday was because it has a sanding attachment that will help me reach areas that the edger wont get to.  I also am going to be sanding down some outdoor patio furniture that I picked up at a garage sale a few weeks ago and this will come in handy for that project as well. 

So, the next time I post, we will officially own a home!