Among Friends

[Shanus]

The contractors have a several weeks to go, but the painters contacted us to choose colors and finishes. Huh? We built this house 22 years ago, repainted twice using the original painter/colors and no decisions needed to be made.

We went to Home Depot, painters want to use Behr paint (1 coat) since a lot of the house is now a dark taupe. DH calls it "grocery bag brown". We're now going w/ a warm, very light greige. Guess how many there are? At least 50 "chips" to choose from under the whites, the greys, and the beiges. As an artist, I could see blue, green or pink undertones in most colors, so I looked for a color under the neutrals. That said, then there are different finishes for various rooms. What?!?!? 

The fellow in the paint dept. sat down with me and explained the flat/matte, satin, eggshell, etc. dilemma. I think I get it now. We have 10 huge buckets of paint stacked on plastic in the front hall. More to be delivered later. Each one is labeled in black marker where it goes. Some of the painters do not speak English, so when it's time for them to begin, their boss comes over to explain everything. At that point, it's out of my hands if mistakes are made.

I'm hiding out in my studio, plastic taped over the doorway until the work begins in here. My jewelry tools, stones and other supplies are already sealed in plastic & gas/torch/ tanks moved so can't get knocked over and explode. I'm at the other end of studio where I can listen to my soothing classical music, paint and the guys know where to find me with questions. I have my own bathroom, TV, Kerurig, "dorm frig." & a microwave up here, too. I'm set for the duration. Before this is over, I may need a wine frig., too. Lol 😂 

[Meowingkitty]

I'm glad every room in my house is off white semi gloss except the kitchen and bathrooms which are enamel.

[Shanus]

@Meowingkitty   They never mentioned enamel. Where does that fit in on the "shine scale"? They sold me semi-gloss for trim and doors.

[Mimi 1883]

@Shanus  Agree. Choosing paint is one the hardest things...that's one of the reasons I've been putting off renovations. That, and my flooring - just can Not make up my mind. Finding reliable and quality workers is another nightmare.

[Meowingkitty]

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@Shanus wrote:

@Meowingkitty   They never mentioned enamel. Where does that fit in on the "shine scale"? They sold me semi-gloss for trim and doors.

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It's shiny. We use it for bathrooms and kitchen because it's easy to clean. We use semi gloss for walls and trim in other rooms. Those two give some depth and texture to the walls where flat is well, just flat. 

[Shanus]

@Mimi 1883   It is difficult. We did hardwoods everywhere downstairs except the kitchen/sunroom/family room (one big room) which we did in one foot terra cotta tiles because of the dogs. Our bedroom on the 1st floor is carpeted, but we're replacing that with hardwood at the end of the year. The upstairs bedrooms and hallways are all carpeted to cut down on noise. 

We went with the pale greige because my decorator friend said grey was on the way out and beige/cream/off white is the "now" color. We have a lot of white trim, molding and French doors that all have that white trim, so had to go a few shades darker to be able to see a difference. It's also neutral and great for resale. When we down size, the new owners can keep the neutral palette or go nuts and paint the house fushia. I won't be living here to see it. Lol 

[just bee]

@Shanus 

For 25 years, our interior was a lovely cream that changed color with the light.  After the house fire, I let BH make most of the decorating choices.  He's a minimalist and he likes gray.

You're right about gray, though.  There's a big difference between the cool grays and the warm ones.  We ended up with a warm "Agreeable Gray."  And it is.  It's neutral and the ivory cabinetry helps to "warm up" the place.

Like the previous cream, the gray still changes significantly with the light.

But it's a very different house now that the interior is gray.  Whole different mood.

Not bad -- just different.

Enjoy the change! 

[BirkiLady]

I even like Agreeable Gray and have never been fond of grays. My BFF has it throughout her home and it's lovely. It's neutral enough that it shouldn't go out of style like most grays.

[just bee]

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@BirkiLady wrote:

I even like Agreeable Gray and have never been fond of grays. My BFF has it throughout her home and it's lovely. It's neutral enough that it shouldn't go out of style like most grays.

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@BirkiLady 

It's been a pleasant surprise.  It works with the new brick (had to replace all our brick when the house was rebuilt), the ivory cabinets, the white trim, white ceilings, white doors and blinds, and the light gray tile and gray "wood-look" vinyl planks.

Found flooring that is gray, but has enough cream in it to make it look like the house isn't all gray. 

[just bee]

@Shanus 

Some of the interior changes after the fire.