Hello again!
It’s Cassie back with my monthly guest post. Last month I shared our backyard renovation and deck addition, and I hope it gave you some ideas as you get ready for spring yard work and gardening. We’ve just planted our first seedlings in the raised beds we added, so I’m hopeful for a summer harvest of fresh vegetables.
Many readers asked about the paint colors in our home after my mini home tour. I’ve put together a list of the Sherwin-Williams colors we currently use, along with a few thoughts on favorites and a couple of things I might change in retrospect.
Favorites:
- Seaworthy – This is the color we used in our dining room. A lot of people asked about it after my first post. Even though I usually favor neutrals, Seaworthy has become a favorite because it’s distinctive and lively on the walls. The dining room benefits from excellent natural light, which helps the color sing without feeling overwhelming.
- Iron Ore – We recently painted part of our kitchen in Iron Ore, and the change has made me love the space even more. The rest of the house is painted Accessible Beige, so the darker Iron Ore provides a striking contrast next to our white cabinets. We painted it only partway up the wall, which gives a nod to tile without the expense, while still allowing the main house color to flow through the open floor plan so the area doesn’t read as a dark void.
Our kitchen right before we moved in! (Sadly, the best “before” example I have)
Our kitchen right after we painted
What I Would Change:
There are a few choices I would redo if I could. One of the biggest is our overall paint strategy. Wanting a basic, neutral palette made sense so we could layer in color and texture over time. To save money, however, we painted the ceilings the same greige color as the walls. That decision reduced contrast and visual interest throughout the house.
If we had painted the ceilings a clean white instead, the effect would have been much lighter and more versatile. Because our ceilings are a warm off-white greige, cooler wall colors now require repainting the ceiling too if we want them to read correctly. That’s a lesson learned for future projects.
Loving the Home I Have:
Even though I notice things I’d change, I also find a lot to love. I’m reading Melissa’s book Love the Home You Have, and it’s been a helpful reminder to find contentment and creativity with what we already own. We’re juggling many projects before baby number two arrives, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Her book has encouraged me to slow down and appreciate the process of making our house into a home, imperfections and all.
I’m trying to focus on making incremental improvements while enjoying the journey instead of chasing perfection. Small changes like adding a darker accent color in the kitchen, or allowing good natural light to guide paint choices, can make a big difference without a full renovation.
Thanks for reading — I’ll see you next month!
Cassie