Transform Your House with Sherwin Williams Paint

50 Shades of Gray Should Really Be About Paint

When you start the home buying process, it can be overwhelming – there are so many things that you may want in your first home that finding the “perfect” house may seem impossible. However, you need to remember not to sweat the small stuff. Paint and decor can be easily changed by putting your own touch on things.  Don’t let wall colors scare you and keep in mind that new paint colors can really transform your whole house! 

Once we finally got the keys to our new house, it was important that we make it feel like our home. The fastest and easiest way to makeover any space is with a fresh coat of paint. But with so many different options, where do you even begin? We looked at several paint brands – Behr, Valspar, and Benjamin Moore, but ultimately decided to go with Sherwin Williams. 

My husband and I are not paint experts and this was the first time either of us ever had to make a decision as to the type and colors of paint to use on our walls. We thought of paint as an investment – it is something we have to look at every day after all. With so many brands to choose, price can definitely become a factor when painting the interior of your house. I would not recommend opting for a less expensive paint just because of the price – you want this paint to last on your walls for years to come. Coverage is key and not all paints provide the same level of quality. 

We ultimately chose Sherwin Williams because of the quality and reputation. There was a store right down the street from our house, the staff was knowledgeable, and the color selection was more in line with the vision we had for our house.

Neutral colors are my favorite. There’s nothing worse than when I’m watching HGTV and I see a bold, obnoxious color on the walls and I can’t help but wonder: what were those people thinking? By going with neutrals in our home, I knew it would make our rooms appear even larger and more modern.

I wanted to share a peek of what a difference painting can make in your home! Whether you’re a first-time homeowner or are just looking to transform your space, neutrals are a great way to go and can make a big difference! All colors featured are from Sherwin Williams and applied using a semi-gloss finish.

Open Living Area (Dining Room, Living Room, Kitchen)

Our house has a very open floor plan, so picking out the right color for this area was important. We wanted something that would compliment each room, while also giving us the ability to go with whatever decor we chose. Ultimately, we decided to go with Realist Beige in these areas.

It’s light, clean, and compliments the white trim/blinds, wood cabinets (any color), and granite countertops very well. This color also contrasts nicely with the neutral colors we used in other rooms (see below) and was just what we had envisioned. 

Realist Beige is a beautiful color that will make even the most open of spaces feel even larger. You can literally pair/use any color decor, furniture, or artwork you want next to this color. The versatility alone makes Realist Beige a great choice for any room! 

Guest Bedroom

We get frequent visitors, so I really wanted to make the guest bedroom feel cozy, yet stylish, while having a fun, modern feel (with a feminine touch). Our guest room has large windows that let in a lot of natural light which helps brighten the space and allow for pops of color to shine through. Because of that, we chose Sherwin Williams Light French Gray for this room.

I LOVE this color. It’s the perfect shade of gray – not too dark, but not too light and drastically different from the beige in the rest of the house. This color compliments the dark wood furniture and also looks great on the lighter wood color floor. Light French Gray is the perfect color if you want to give your room modern, yet timeless look.

 

Bathrooms

We had no idea where to go with the bathrooms. I love using white towels to give it that spa feel and I felt like tying in another gray was the right way to go.

We chose Popular Gray for both of our bathrooms. This is a calmer, softer gray compared to the Light French and it compliments floor tile, shower tile, tub, cabinets, and countertops perfectly. Plus, it makes my white towels pop!

I liked this color for the bathrooms, because of how it makes these smaller spaces feel larger than they actually are. 

Our bathrooms don’t have windows, so it may look like two different shades in the pictures below, but that is just due to the lighting.

Office

For the office, we wanted a warmer beige than what was in the living area. This room is technically a bedroom that we converted into an office, so we wanted to define it differently than the master and guest bedrooms.

The color we chose for the office is called Natural Linen. Our plan is to have a white office desk to compliment the white plantation shutters (stay tuned for this project). This choice of wall color will really make the white in the room stand out while giving it a clean, finished look. Whether you are working in the middle of the day with the natural light pouring in or at night with the lamps on, Natural Linen is a great choice for any workspace. 

Master Bedroom

Our master bedroom is fairly large, so I wanted to go with a similar, but slightly different color than the living area. We also needed to find a color that would compliment the lighter bedroom pieces but didn’t want the colors clashing with one another.

Greige seemed like a reasonable choice, but it was much too dark and we felt that the room would appear smaller. 

We decided to go with Modern Gray in the master bedroom. Despite the name, I think it brings in more beige tones than gray and it looks great next to light beige colored furniture. It was a drastic difference from the purplish gray that was on the walls when moved in. Modern Gray has really opened up our bedroom and made this already large space feel even larger!

Laundry Room

I admire people who use bold colors, but I just know what I love – neutrals. But, I did want to try to incorporate some sort of color in our house, so the laundry room seemed like a safe bet. It’s not a space that you necessarily show off, but I thought that by giving it some color it would give the room its own good vibe. 

We chose Sea Salt for this space. It offers a serene, clean feeling and appearance. For us, it’s a great transition color from the garage and looks great next to the washer and dryer. It was just the pop of color that I wanted without going too bold for my own liking. I don’t think I would put this color in a main room, but it could look nice in a small bathroom (or laundry room).

We didn’t have time to get several pictures of the laundry room before it was painted, but there is a picture showing the contrast of Sea Salt against the dark brown that was on the walls originally.

Bubbly Wife Tip: Keep in mind that the paint chip samples that you can take from the store are actually lighter than the color that will appear once you apply the paint to the wall. Once you have a few colors picked out, I recommend buying samples from the store and applying them on the wall in the room you’re going to paint. You’ll be able to see the difference and can make the decision as to which color you like the best!

Finished products of each room will be posted as they become complete! I hope you enjoy my journey in making my house a home. Are you a fan of neutrals or do you prefer bold colors? Share your comments below!