A Case Of The Blues - Part 2

Ice Anne is back.  With my brand new invention... 

And by new invention I really mean REinvention of Holden’s room.  Same thing, no??  (Sidebar: I may or may not have made a home video in my younger years of me rapping to Ice Ice Baby.  PLEASE let that tape be destroyed somewhere!)

When we last left off, Phase 1 wrapped up with the removal of the cornice boards, the 6” oak shelving, nail/screw hole patching, and priming.  Things were looking up, but we still had a way to go.  






PHASE 1:
• Remove cornice boards
• Remove 6” oak shelving
• Patch all the holes on the walls from shelving as well as other misc. holes I spotted
• Prime

With phase 2 on deck, it was time to finalize a paint color.  This part is always hardest for me but I’ve learned the importance of collecting multiple paints chips and taping them up on the wall to really help you see how the colors look in the space you have as well as seeing the next to other similar colors.

It’s funny because I was initially leaning towards two specific colors right off the bat when I was at the hardware store under their lovely fluorescent lighting, but in Holden’s room they looked so very different.  After staring at the 42 paint colors for FAR too long and re-taping them up on another wall within Holden’s room that got a bit more light - which can make something look totally different -  I narrowed down the selection to two colors – the two tops colors on these two chips.  Please forgive the less than stellar iPhone pics:

I opted for the one on the top right – the light blue-green tone called “In Your Eyes” by Benjamin Moore.  It was the 5th chip on the initial picture of six.  I wanted something light and airy feeling while still infusing color onto the walls. 

So I purchased my gallon, set up Holden in the guest bedroom for a few days, and got busy.  He was quite the trooper sleeping in the guest room while his room was being worked on / aired out.  Sebastian was most jealous about Holden’s new sleeping digs more than anything else!  Don’t worry, grasshopper, your room is on my hit list so you’ll be camped out in the guest bedroom soon enough. 

Here’s how Phase 2 initially looked:

PHASE 2:
• Paint
• Remove old blinds (they were just getting old/dingy and were a mauvy color that I didn’t love)
• Install new 2” faux wood white blinds
• Add some new DIY artwork
• Add re-homed floor lamp I just found in garage that was stored in the depths of our old basement (score!)

I ended up moving the artwork bullet point to Phase 3 since I’m not quite done with it, but added one in its place:

• Spray paint vent covers white (previously a creamy/bisque color)

With my paint in hand, things moved pretty quickly.  There’s nothing much to write home about here.  The only small noteworthy piece is that I ended up having to do a small second coat of about a three foot tall band along all of the walls.  Basically, I gave a second coat along the walls where the darker blue - now primed – met the upper white.  It just needed a little bit more in that section to really blend it well.  It took all of 15 minutes to do that which was well worth it.  And similar to priming, I free handed the areas touching trim, doors, baseboard, etc. 

While I finished cutting in with my paint brush, Eric got busy with removing the old blinds and installing the new ones.  We went with these ones from Home Depot.  They look SO much better.  And equally as important, they really seem to do a much better job blocking out light at nap and bedtime.

With the blinds up and the walls dry, I put the outlet cover plates back on as well as the newly white spray painted vent covers.  Here we are with Phase 2 complete:

Dinos are the name of this decor game

She's got a way to go, but we're making progress at least:

And then there was light.  Not only is the lighter wall color doing wonders for the amount of light in the room now, but the removal of the cornice boards really took it home.  And it's tricky to notice in the far back corner, but there is a tall floor lamp now as well and the amount of light it gives the room when it's nighttime is amazing.  150 watts compared to our previous 60 watts?  Yes, please.  

Here’s what’s left:

PHASE 3: (date TBD, probably a couple weeks)
• Add new drapery rods above windows
• Add new curtains
• Add a cozy seating area for reading books; maybe a fun small bean bag or mini arm chair?
• Spray paint floor lamp a fun color?
• Add some new DIY artwork – NEW TO THIS PHASE
• Replace bisque electrical outlets with white ones – NEW TO THIS PHASE
• Add new pulls to closet doors to match whatever finish we go with for drapery hardware – probably ORB (oil rubbed bronze) – NEW TO THIS PHASE

Total Phase 2 Project Cost: $101
Benjamin Moore “In Your Eyes”, semi-gloss sheen: $31
Paint rollers: $0, already had them
Disposable paint tray liners: $0, already had them
2” angled paint brush: $0, already had it
Two 2” faux wood white blinds - $70
Rust-Oleum’s White spray paint, semi-gloss: $0, already had some

Phase 1 Cost ($17) + Phase 2 Cost ($101) = $118 total

It never ceases to amaze me the transformative powers a little work and a coat of paint has.  Holden’s room is getting there…slowly but surely.

♥,
Anne