Ready for the reveal?
In my previous post, I was toying with three beautiful Sherwin-Williams colors:
SW 6483 Buoyant Blue • SW 6469 Dewy • SW 6476 GlimmerAnd they all would have been beautiful for a Beach Home concept.
But I decided to keep it as light and subtle as possible. So I went with SW 6476 Glimmer.
And, oh, it’s a pretty shade.
But before I get all technical, let’s check out the room!BEFORE:
AFTER:
Isn’t it soothing?
I’m so in love with the color choice. This room makes me smile as I walk by.BEFORE:
AFTER:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
and there’s a whole lot of other stuff in between….
I sorta wish this was my room.
Here’s what we did…For this project Sherwin-Williams asked me to try out their top-of-the-line Emerald™ paint.
And it is beautiful, thick and creamy, it rolls on lovely, and really looks gorgeous. And the beauty of Emerald™ is it’s paint and primer in one, which is great when you’re painting over a darker color.
Deciding on a light color can be tricky unless you look at the deep tones it originates from. When I’m selecting a pale shade, I look for the darkest color of the paint chip first to find the shade that goes with my room aesthetic and other furniture I have in the house. When I’ve narrowed that one down, I move up the paint chips until I find the perfect lighter-shade complement to that dark one. This keeps you from ending up with a color that’s “too blue” or “too purple-blue” or “more of a green gray”…or whatever unforseen undertones and colors you weren’t expecting.
The other great way to select your paint is to use the Sherwin-Williams color tools. They have a variety of cool options. And you can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube for painting tips and design ideas.
For this project I used the Chip It!® tool (which is seriously rad) because I wanted the paint color to match our fireplace tiles downstairs (read more about it in my other post). And it totally does! I then used the ChipCard and quart-size samples to paint on the wall and determine my final color.
But the funny thing is–without even realizing it–I had selected the exact paint chip that also matched the dark tones in the room! Look at the dark shade on the color spectrum above. It matches the birch tree painting perfectly!…a painting which I made a few years ago.
I knew that with SW 6476 Glimmer, I was on the right track.
It coordinates with all the dark colors in the room, and it has a very airy vibe.
Don’t be fooled by how light-colored the paint looks in the can. I’ve learned over the years that paint looks slightly darker when it dries than when you’re rolling it on. And even subtle shades can make a soothing impact in a room over plain white walls. So don’t be scared to go light!
Okay. With my color selected, and painted, and looking fantastic in the room…I needed to decorate.
And just like writing a school essay, the hardest part with a new room is finding that thesis statement–or that special piece that gets you on the right design track. And these tables were my thesis for the room. I’d been eyeing them at Target for months and finally went for it. And then little by little all the pieces came together around those tables…like the seaglass lamps and the basket above (Target) which can be used for holding laundry…cause whenever I’m traveling, I end up with a pile of dirties in the corner of the room. Now there’s a place to put them!
The yellow bedding is from Target as well, the Morocco headboard is West Elm (scored at the outlet store), the curtains are IKEA, the little cabinet was a consignment store find (it goes so great with the headboard), and the oversized dandelions are from my tutorial here.
With that soothing blue paint as the backdrop, the room really came together.
And to finish it off, it needed a personal touch. But I wasn’t sure what that touch was until I found this old book at an Antique store.
I thought about framing some of the pages to hang in the room. But I kept it intact in this cubby for guests to enjoy, along with an extra bag to use (in case they need one). And instead I printed and framed my own beach photos and ones I’ve gathered from family members.
Ah ha! Duh. That’s the perfect way to give a room your personal stamp. Of course I wanted the photos to go with the color scheme, which wasn’t hard since the beach is filled with pretty blues and yellow sunsets.
These photos were taken at various California beaches from Ventura to San Onofre, some are from Texas, and the beautiful photo of the boat masts and pelican is by the lovely Katy Dill. She posted the photo a few years ago on her blog, and I asked if I could use it somewhere in my house one day. I’m glad those masts found the perfect little spot in this room…along with sandy eyes Owen.
I bought simple white frames from IKEA and placed the large prints on one side of the room.
And on the other, we have old shots of my family from the late ’70s beach days.
This is my Dad on the left. And if he could do anything for a day, it would be fishing off the pier. So really I love that photo. On the right…it’s me! (or Clara version 2)
Here’s a shot of my Aunt Sandy and my mom holding my younger brother, Eric.
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And the photo on the right might seem weird, but it really makes me smile cause it brings back memories. We spent many summer days and evenings hanging out at Corona Del Mar, Newport, and Huntington Beach. And aside from all the sand crab-gathering and boogie boarding…we loved looking for soda cans on the sand and in the big dumpsters! Haah. We’d take them to the recycling center and earn a few bucks from it. So when I saw this funny pic of my cousin, Amy, and sister, Saunja, I had to put it on the wall.
I’m sure I’ll have more photos to add as the years go by.
But for now the guest room is ready.
Whether it’s day or night, our Glimmer walls, Pure White doors, and Cityscape painted home is open.
We hope some guests stop by!
And now, would you like to give your own space a makeover?
Sherwin-Williams is offering a $50 gift card to one of my lucky readers.
So leave me a comment about the room!….and someone please tell me what I should hang on the wall above the bed?! Casey says a fish (no). I’m thinking some driftwood….
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