Moving into our new house in Memphis, I knew I couldn't wait to paint. Painting is one of my favorite home projects. I think its because I enjoy the immediate reward of the before and after. Paint can truly change the entire feel of a home or room. Our new home was almost double the size of our last house, so I knew I would have to take it on in bite size pieces. The laundry room was begging for a little TLC. The ceiling had obvious been repaired at some point without a paint refresh afterwards. The cabinets were a dark wood, which isn't a bad style, but its not really MY style. I love wood pieces and woodwork but I prefer lighter cabinets and wanted to trade out the khaki walls out for a lighter brighter color. This is the before photo below. You can see where we were testing out paint samples to decide the best route to take.
Our house was built in the 2000's and from what I can tell hasn't been painted since it was built. This was extra obvious in the laundry room. We tried out several wall colors on the wall before going with Navajo White by Benjamin Moore. It was bright and light without the stark white feel. We needed to repaint the ceiling and I decided to go with Sherwin Williams Creamy in flat, the same color we were using for the trim paint and cabinets in semi gloss.
When I began the makeover, I started with the ceiling. Anytime I do a room I always start from the top and work my way down. This is my fool proof way of painting. I don't have to worry about drips or mess ups. I painted to ceiling with an extension pole and Sherwin Williams Creamy in Flat. I rolled it once really thick and cut in around the fixtures. Then, I moved to the top trim in SW Creamy Semi Gloss. Afterwards, I moved to the walls in BM Navajo White in Satin. This color reads two ways. In natural lighting its a true neutral cream almost cool. At night with artificial lighting it reads warm and creamy. Both are pretty, but you need to evaluate your lighting in your room before choosing this color to know how it will look. It looks best with lots of natural light.
Next, I moved to the cabinets. Their finish was really smooth and glossy. I considered sanding, then painting or chalk painting. Im experienced with chalk painting and decided since this was the first time I have painted built in cabinets I would choose the chalk paint path. I create my own chalk paint anytime I do a project. It allows me to have any color I want and if Im using it for a base it will match the finish color. I mixed 1 part water to 1 part plaster and added it to 2 cups of Sherwin Williams Creamy flat paint. Adam took all of the doors off for me and I created a paint station in the garage on two foldable tables covered in plastic. I lightly sanded everything to be extra cautious, then applied two coats of chalk paint on everything.
My third and final coat was in Sherwin Williams Semi Gloss Creamy. If I had to redo this project I would have sanded the cabinets and painted them. I essentially painted the cabinets inside and out three times and could have just painted them once or twice, but you learn as you go. Im thankful they turned out beautiful. We finished them with iron handles we ordered from Amazon.
When I finished painting the trim I moved to the tile grout. The biggest transformation I have seen with the least amount of money is painting grout. It immediately updates a room and feels like you did new flooring. Our grout was really dark and our tile was a light tan or cream depending on the lighting. We chose the tile paint brand from home depot in Linen. I originally tried the Antique White in our bathroom and it was too light. Linen seamlessly blends in with our tile.
We topped it off with new white wall plates to replace the old beige ones. If you have a house that has beige outlets, a trick is to lightly paint them white and then they will blend when you add the new covers. The end result was exactly what I wanted.. light, bright, and creamy. Now when it comes to decorating, Im all about sentimental pieces. Im not not the girl that is going to buy random stuff to fill a room. I believe when you fill a room with things that are sentimental or things you truly love it makes it timeless, so it never goes out of style.
I chose one of my plants my grandmother gave me with a green and blue ceramic pot base to add a pop of color. I propped it up against a printers tray I found at an antique store. Adam's grandfather chose a career with the Army and when he was a young man he bought a box in Honduras while he was down there that he gave us recently. Its wooden with a beautiful little hand painted picture on the front. Its designed to hold keys, but I chose to use it for looks. I placed it right above the light switch as you walk in the door. Its beautiful. We have a laundry sign designed to hold clothes and I added a piece of artwork above the sink. My doberman, Dobie, is always photo bombing my pictures with his handsome face, so I guess he's a part of this makeover as well. He's always around to give out lots of love and support and never leaves my side.... even when im painting. Normally he is laying right beside me on the floor sleeping.
The box Adam's grandfather gave us from Honduras
The Laundry Room after photo in dark lighting.
The laundry room after photo with bright lighting.