Tuesday, April 10, 2012

43 Ooops, I Painted Again....

Doesn't that title make you want to start singing some Britney?

OK, so I am just going to throw it out there....

I painted the playroom.  Again.

I know, I know.  I change paint colors more than Jennifer Lopez changes husbands.

And let me just say, it's not easy to admit to you all that I made a bad initial paint choice.  OK, let me rephrase, I LOVED the color.  But it just wasn't right for us or our space.

Let me explain.

If you look at our lower level floor plan, you will notice a couple of things:
  • The playroom, family room and studio are all open to one another, creating a U shape around the stairs.
  • There are zero windows in the family room or studio, meaning little to no natural light.

Long ago, our entire lower level used to be a pretty, warm green color...

{super old photo alert!}

So when we began renovating it {due to a lower level flood} , I knew it was the chance to make some updates and play with a new color.  I had grown tired of the green and was hoping to make the space a little more current.  I knew without hesitation that I wanted a gray blue.  What I didn't realize until all of the walls were covered and I saw the color in all of the different rooms in different lighting situations, is that what I was getting was more of a blue blue gray...


The hardest part for me to swallow is that I made the first choice far too quickly.  This is what happens when you are under the gun to get a paint job done for some major life events we had happening last summer {nothing major, you know, just HGTV and a vow renewals...}  Yep, we were in a rush, and my walls paid the last minute decision price.  Seriously, shame on me, I know better than that!

And don't get me wrong.  I LOVE the blue in this photo of the playroom, and I know in my heart it would be awesome if it were only in a single room.  But as I mentioned, it flows to the lack of light family room and studio, making those areas even darker and all in all, it is just a lot of blue to look at.  For the last year, I have been struggling with making design choices to go with all of that blue and making everything flow nicely between all of the spaces. 

So I did it.  I just said, enough is enough, I am going to make this right.  I had swatches taped up by the trim for days and watched how they changed tone with the changes of the light throughout the day.  Then, the Mr. and I both weighed in and voted on the one we liked best and took our time selecting the color this time!   This is what should typically happen in the first place.

So, two hours later we went from a blue blue gray room, to a gray slightly blue room!


The new color is Behr's Reflecting Pool.   Love. 

Of course, it's always a challenge to photograph the exact color of a wall, but the photo above is fairly accurate.  Some of you noticed the color when I shared the changes we made to the entertainment center...



The color is a subtle yet a welcome update to the space.  Now, I feel like I can play even more with colorful toys and accents since the walls are much more muted and make for a nice backdrop to the fun that comes with a playroom.

We are Craigslisting one of the white clipcovered chairs and moving the other to our upper level {where we are also saying goodbye to the two brown slipper chairs}.   The playroom seating wasn't ideal for three kidlets or for mom and boys wanting to snuggle up to read.  So now to brainstorm new solutions to that and keep rolling with finally calling the playroom complete.

Here is what is left on our playroom wish list:
  • Updated light fixture
  • Window treatments
  • Seating
  • Additional toy storage
  • A fun wall treatment
  • Photographs/Artwork


So there you have it.  My big giant paint oops and a playroom update.

Who else has made a paint or design "oops" recently?

43 comments:

  1. I did the exact same thing too! I jumped the gun to get the living room painted wanted a gray and got the blue and depending on the light sometimes it even looks light purple! Not the "gray" I was looking for! Great color choice! Looks awesome!

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  2. My husband and I painted our kitchen orange and brown. The colors look okay, but I really wanted to paint the cabinets white and put a softer color on the walls. The current combination seems a little seasonal to me...think pumpkin! I have hopes of repainting it, but it might take some convincing...he is a fan of the orange!

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  3. I am terrible about picking paint colors! I recently painted our laundry room, and in order to keep costs down I picked up a gallon of paint off the Oops table at our local hardware store, and started painting to discover that in that rook, the lovely yellow actually looked more like newborn baby poop. Thus started a long string of picking colors, bringing home a sample size, and painting a swatch before deciding it wasn't right. At one point there were actually nine different colors on the wall, my husband was beyond frustrated, and I was ready to be done. It was not a shining moment of mine, definitely!

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  4. My grey wall in the living room I am beginning to think was a mistake. Its better than color that was on the wall before, but now that we have moved into the house and got our furniture in I don't think its the color I want to set the tone and mood for my room. So back to the swatches I go. I love how your room turned out though!

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  5. I love your new paint color! I have a question for you that I can't find the answer to in your past posts about the basement. What kind of flooring is throughout the basement? I love the look of it and was just wondering if it was real wood or something else. Our basement is a walkout that gets lots of traffic especially during the summer with a pool in the backyard. So sometimes the traffic is dripping a bit while running to the bathroom no matter how hard we try to have people dry off first! Thanks!

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    1. I too was wondering what the flooring is. It is pretty. :)
      As for an oops painting color - my Scrap room. It was a paint color we had here that we used upstairs. I want a lighter color. It's a Behr paint. Can't remember the color. But at night and when the sun moves around in the afternoon, lighting sucks. I want to brighten it up in there. http://momma-paparazzi.blogspot.com/2011/07/my-scrap-room.html

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  6. I love the paint color. I especially love the "toys" above the cabinet! Can you tell me the best place you have found to buy letters? I would love to do something in my kitchen like "bake" or "eat".

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  7. I am really really loving this new color. Its subtle but makes an impact.. Would love to paint my bedroom this color.. Thank you for sharing :)

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  8. Love the new gray-blue look. Very pensive

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  9. I recently painted my master bathroom Tiffany blue...only I didn't exactly mean to. I envisioned more grey...less blue...but when it got on the walls it was definitely not grey!! I actually don't hate it (my husband isn't a big fan) but it's not what I envisioned. We won't be painting over it for many years tho so we have to learn to live with it. I have added lots of brown and white accents and it looks nice. I do love color on walls..dark, saturated color and I can get myself in trouble. I am the queen of quick decisions when it comes to anything home! Even buying a home! Ha!

    We are finishing our lower level and I might use that color you mentioned, I need something light because there isn't much natural light.

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  10. Do you happen to know the name of the "Very pretty green" that used to be on the walls of the first floor? My husband and I settle on our first home the end of next month and cannot agree on a color for our basement. It has similar carpeting and I think would look pretty with the color you've chosen.

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  11. I too, have done the impulse paint color choice. And it was a mess. No more! Those paint samples stay taped to the wall until I make the final decision! Love the updated color!

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  12. Gray can be a hard color! A year ago we painted our master bedroom a gray that ended up being much darker than we hoped for. We had just moved in and made a quick decision too. I like the room on a sunny day, but otherwise it can look more blue gray, which doesn't go with the bedding or green accents. We've been busy completing other projects in the house, but I think we will be repainting again very soon! You're not the only one to have an oops moment with gray! :)

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  13. It looks great! You may have mentioned this elsewhere, but where did you get the woven basket to the left of the media center?

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    1. I found it on Zullily awhile back as one of their flash sales. I have also seen them on Wayfair.com {search utility basket} and on other flash sites like One Kings Lane and Joss & Main.

      Hope that helps!

      xoxo,
      Jen

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  14. Jen, you are the BEST! I was up until 12:37 a.m. last night trying to figure out what color to repaint (3rd time is a charm!?!) my family room focal wall and surrounding walls. The downstairs rooms all open up to each other, much like your lower level floor plan. A decision was made and I am sticking to it. (At least for now;) It is changing from a dark taupe to creamy off-white. We are striping the focal wall with high gloss and flat paint in the same color. Your blog is a breath of fresh air. I can relate to you so easily because you are so genuine and honest in your writing and decorating! Feel free to pop on over to my blog at www.home-with-heather.blogspot.com to check out the upcoming painting progress:) In the meantime, thanks for being such a wonderful inspiration and always making me smile!!!

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    1. Hi Heather!

      Thank YOU for the sweet comment! I am glad to share in my trials and errors as well as triumphs because we are all human and we all learn from our mistakes. :) Excited for you that you decided on a color! Hope third time is a charm for you!

      xoxo,
      Jen

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  15. I have an oops paint moment but not on walls but rather furniture. Ack. It must of been my pregnancy hormones but all the sudden I decided I wanted to go for a beachy cottage style in my bedroom (I typically gravitate toward more contemporary modern styles so that should have been my first clue) So I refinished my dresser in a "spa" green and distressed it. It came out great.... if your into that style. Few weeks postpartum I was just staring at it wondering what on earth got into me. All I can think of is all the work I put into it and I dont want to do it again. But it definetly does not fit my style so I am either craigslisting it or repainting it eventually. Live and learn! :)

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    1. Such a bummer you can't make it work, it sounds lovely. I think I had that same pregnancy hormone skewed idea of what I loved as well, only I did it to my entire kitchen {cottage country color on the cabinets - totally not me at all}. You are absolutely right, live and learn!

      xoxo,
      Jen

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  16. Question: Where did you get your rug for the toy room?? Love it!!

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    1. Hi Kristin!

      It's from IKEA: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60050172/?query=600.501.72

      Thanks so much!
      Jen

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  17. Oh, I really like the new color. I know exactly what you mean though. I copied my sister and did a blue blue gray in our bedroom thinking it would be more of a blue/gray {there is a major difference!}. Have yet to touch it. Great new color and you're right . . it will be nice backdrop for the toys and fun pops of color.

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  18. Hi Jen, I have been reading/loving your blog for about 6 months!!! Thanks for the great ideas/inspiration...you are sooo talented. Loved your spot on HGTV. I just had to share that my family and I were on the receiving end of an entire basement makeover compliments of HGTV last spring. It was an incredible 3 day experience!!! If you are ever in Knoxville please come by and check it out!! The show was Run My Makeover episode 103. I still feel like it was a dream. Blessings, Kelly Masters.

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    1. Wow, that is AMAZING! I can only imagine what an incredible experience that was for you! I am looked at HGTV's website and couldn't find any after pics, bummer.

      I would heart to take you up on your offer! ;)

      xoxo,
      Jen

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  19. I just painted my kitchen the same blue color and I love it! When we first opened the can, I was afraid it wasn't blue enough, but it's perfect on the wall. It's got just that hint of blue, but still reads as a neutral. Great job!

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  20. I can't wait to tell my husband about this post! We are also updating our downstairs area into a playroom. I loved the color of your room, so I drove to multiple stores and eventually a half hour away to find the exact shade in Behr paint. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was too blue for our space too and ended up choosing (you guessed it!) Behr's reflecting pool! I'm waiting for carpeting and laminate flooring to go in so I can decorate! Thanks for sharing your paint re-evaluations. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one!

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    1. That is so funny! Glad the new color worked out for you! I know I am loving it! <3

      xoxo,
      Jen

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  21. I just recently found your blog and have been reading - I love it! So many inspiring ideas - thank you for sharing :-) I just wanted to comment b/c I have been there with the paint oops. Our living room was a beautiful yellow - until we painted the room that opens up to it and suddenly it was pastel baby yellow against the new color. So we had to repaint the living room 2 months after painting it the first time. Should've thought through all the color choices rather than jumping in one room at a time. Glad to know I'm not the only one!

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  22. Love the new color!! I am semi-debating repainting our not-so-long-ago-painted-living room, but I can guarantee the hubs will try to put a veto on it.. We are planning on moving soon though, so maybe I'll have to just wait for the next house :(

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  23. I like the blue in the first photo, but I can see that it got a bit too dark in certain lighting in the other photo. I agree that the new color will work better. My husband and I have NEVER painted and loved the color. We just pick a tiny swatch at the store and get paint, so basically the problem is that we are doing it all wrong!

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  24. Oh, I'm having the "to repaint or not to repaint" debate with myself right now. It actually wasn't my paint job originally... my husband has a habit of getting bored and deciding to make big changes. One day when I was at work he painted our then spare room with some leftover paint from my parents' house. A rich, deep dark blue.

    I love the colour, but now that I work from home the dark colour in a room that gets very little natural light throughout the day is really not working. Another point against keeping it is that he used the last of it, and since it's been rearranged so often there are a lot of chips and dings in the paint now, so getting paint mixed to the exact right shade for touch ups could be tricky.

    On the plus side, working from home SHOULD mean no more surprise paint jobs... unless I need to go on a business trip!

    That type of grey with a hint of blue looks really lovely, I'll have to keep that in mind when I eventually decide what I want to do!

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  25. Loving the new colour, but also REALLY loving your TV entertainment unit... it is so fresh and wonderful, and not something expected in a basement, which is often where furniture goes to die. (Or the cottage???)

    Great job. :) P.s. Iove the colourful graphics on your blog. Awesome work!

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  26. I have been trying to find a light gray and currently have tried 9 different paint samples. Our room has very little natural light and most blue/grays look very blue. The current front runner looks almost white on the paint chip. I even tried the Behr Reflecting Pool but it just didn't work in our room.

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  27. Jen -

    I want to say thank you for your awesome blog. I stumbled upon it through pinterest and now I look forward to getting the updates in my email all the time!

    I actually went the other way with a paint color recently. We just moved into a new place (yay for new possibilities!) and I wasn't going to paint our bedroom because I hadn't taken the time to choose a color yet. But we had my father-in-law in town to help us out and he was on a painting kick. So when I bought paint for my daughter's room and our kitchen, I made a quick decision and got Behr's Spring Green for our room. I was really nervous about it (especially since I hadn't shown it to my hubby AT ALL), but when I got home from work to see the newly painted room I LOVED it! It was perfect. I'm so excited to finish the rest of the room, but for now it's so nice to not be in a boring room. And as a happy bonus it's almost the same color as the very first room my husband and I had at our first apartment together!

    Thanks for all your inspiration!
    -Carin

    P.S. If you get a chance, visit my blog. I'm leading up to the reveal of my daughter's room which was a huge project for us.

    ducksinpurple.blogspot.com

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  28. This looks great, Jen!! I totally did the same thing...and with the same shade. We were shooting for a grey with blue undertones. Our "sterling silver" was a whole lot more BLUE than silver. We have the grey fix-it cans in the garage waiting to go on the walls :) Sometimes it just takes a little trial and error to get to 'just right' :) Your room looks great!!

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  29. The room looks fantastic. You somehow managed to keep it light and fun for the kids, but still organized and pretty. A room even adults would want to show off. The TOYS above the entertainment center really pulls everything together.

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  30. You have such a gift for design - it's amazing! Both colors look great to me, but I understand what your saying - not great it all lighting situations. I *wish* I made a design mistake of some kind. I haven't gotten to it. My biggest problem is I'm afraid of making a mistake. As you've taught me here - it's okay!

    Thanks for sharing!

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  31. emcarlton@wi.rr.comApril 20, 2012 at 5:26 PM

    Jen - is this the same color as your guestroom upstairs? It looks similar and I couldn't find the name on your home tour page. It looks great!

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    1. emcarlton@wi.rr.comApril 21, 2012 at 7:43 AM

      I found it on an older post! I love all of your paint colors!

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  32. I buy several sample size colors I think will work in a space and paint sections of the walls and look at them in daylight and evening light. I have been 100% successful with colors now. I use all the sample cans as first coat.

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  33. Jen, I just found your website, and I am in love with your playroom. Thanks so much for giving a step-by-step for the seating! I actually love the color you originally painted, but I can't find the color on your blog. Do you remember what the original blue gray is called?

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