Farm renovations: Part 1 - Picking Paint Colors
If you haven’t heard yet, we’re planning BIG renovations at our farm in Alamosa, CO. Between updating our house and picking paint colors, plans to build our new production facility and planting our Dahlia flower beds there is a lot going on. And of course, I am excited to share the process with you in hopes that you might get some useful tips or feel inspired to tackle your own home projects.
It had been a dream of mine since I was a little girl to build my own home. So, when Matt and I built our house at the farm in 2008, it was easily one of the happiest times of my life. We had three kids and wanted to build a big enough house for our family and something that offered enough space for their friends to be there as well. We wanted a place to entertain and to create memories. So, we stretched our imagination and our budget to build the largest house within our means.
But you know what I never once thought about, not one single solitary time? What would it be like when it came time to renovate our home?
I never thought about me having to make all these same decisions over again. Someday, you'll have to pay for all this again. Hmmm....maybe that’s something I should have thought about with the initial planning?
Twelve years ago when we built our house, different wall treatments were in style. The one I was absolutely in love with was a painted undercoat with a stain treatment over the top. Guys, I am crying and laughing as I write this because I styled my ENTIRE house with this ridiculous treatment. It took FOREVER! It was designed to make it look aged, yet still modern. I can't even believe I thought that looked good.
If you follow where I am today — focusing on quality, simplicity and timelessness — I enjoy staying on top of current trends, but I don't feel beholden to them any longer. As we began our recent renovations, I was faced with the dilemma of a new wall color. Deciding on farmhouse paint colors can be hard. Being on a farm already kind of pigeonholes you into a certain style, although I know I always buck the trend with my pink nails and lipgloss. I like to think that living on the farm doesn’t always have to be a house of all neutrals.
But looking at my inspirational Pinterest board, I noticed I liked one common theme, a neutral wall with color splashes brought in through accessories. It was soon clear I would be spending my time trying to figure out what the perfect white would be for the walls. I already have White Dove in the foyer and on my kitchen cabinets. It's a great neutral white.
At the beginning of this process, I found experts who shared tips on how to pick paint colors and they all shared the same sentiment: Greige. Go with greige. By greige, they meant a paint color that has a gray and beige undertone to it. By all means, do not do anything with a pink undertone. That is outdated. So off to the paint store I went for some samples.
I quickly discovered though that because I have a house and a farm with buildings in brown, tan, and deep yellow, I was finding these greige colors were lacking the warmth from the outside. I would need a white that created some level of continuity from the outside on the farm to the inside of the house. I needed to find a white with some warmth, no gray, and no pink undertones. I also needed a slightly darker version of whatever that white would be for some laundry room cabinetry.
So here is what I came up with for the walls: Benjamin Moore Creamy white
I love the way the creamy white looks next to the white dove and I love the warmth of it. Actually, overall I think the warmth of this color fits our home much more than a greige would. For the first time since our renovations started, I am actually enjoying the process and look forward to seeing how our timeless home takes shape.
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