The Wrong Move

I have learned from my mistakes. When we moved into our home six years ago, my one priority was to paint the entire house white. This home had been untouched since the 70s. It was giving dingy vibes. I knew if I painted the entire house the brightest white, I could completely transform the home and create a home that felt bright. My naive self thought that all whites were the SAME. I didn’t care to understand hues, undertones, and the complexity when it comes to picking a paint color. I shot my shot and went for Polar Bear by Behr without testing the colors. Keep in mind, the style that I was interested in (mcm boho) required a sterile white. I knew painting it white was the move but something wasn’t right.

After a couple years had passed (and my style slowly evolved) it hit me: I didn’t pick the right white. This color was reflecting a lot of blue and made our space feel cold. We have natural finished red oak floors. The paint clashed with the floors. It didn’t feel warm, it didn’t feel inviting. I knew I wanted to change the color but didn’t attempt it for years because I it would require me to paint the built-in bookcase again, which was a major job to take on.

The time had finally come: I found the energy to repaint my dining room (with the built-in) a different shade of white. This project had been haunting me for years because I knew exactly how dreadful it would be to paint that bookcase again. I knew there would be a difference but wasn’t sure if it’d be a big enough difference to put forth all the effort. This summer, I ignored my inner thoughts telling me to not do it, put on my painting overalls and got to work.

It took a good two hours to remove only the books/decorations and the shelves from the bookcase. Regret started to kick in during this step. The built-in has a total of 22 shelves. It took a good two hours to remove only the books/decorations and the shelves from the bookcase. Regret started to kick in- this long process is what I totally forgot about. The built-in has a total of 22 shelves. That meant I needed to find an area on the ground that could fit all 22 shelves without touching. I cleared my garage floor and got to painting. But before I started, I did a light sanding. The extra step of priming was not necessary, so did a quick sand to create a surface for the paint to grab on to.

It Was Go Time

The most exciting step to the project: paint! I landed on Soft Chamois by Benjamin Moore. It was between this one and Shadow White by Farrow & Ball. It was important that I changed the temperature of the room but that it still remained white. As soon as I started rolling the paint, I knew this was the move. After days of painting the bookcase, trim and walls, I finally completed the long awaited project.

The Final Touches

Not only did this room need a paint transformation, I needed to add a little more pizzazz to this space. I made multiple trips to our local bookstore and library and scored over 500 books to fill this beast of a built-in. Some took it hard that I turned the spines in but I love the look. It makes for the coziest dining room. Adding a rug under the table created much more depth to the area as well. It’s the simple decisions that make a space feel curated. That’s why layering with intention is important! The dining room turned out exactly how I envisioned it and all it needed was a coat of warm white paint.