When we moved into our home over 16 years ago the built-in cabinets and shelves were a stained knotty-pine, a feature I was drawn to with its classic cottage vibe.
Several years later when we remodeled the entire great room I decided to paint the walls and built-ins. I chose Sherwin Williams Creamy a neutral soft white knowing it would look best against the wood floors we installed and would brighten the dark feeling room. The white walls really gave the room a fresh, updated look.
A few weeks ago while scrolling Instagram this photo stopped me in my scroll. After a long visit on Destiny’s website soaking in all her ideas and discovering the paint color she used, I was sold. That green brought so much depth and color to her family room and I was confident I could recreate this look in our home. Since Destiny’s family room looked very similar to my great room with wall color and furniture I was ready to paint!
Last Saturday morning I headed to my favorite local paint store for paint.
Before I left to pick up the paint, I emptied the cabinets, removed hardware, and Kirk taped a perfectly straight line on the wall where I would paint to, then he would add a trim piece to define the built-ins from the wall.
Painting the built-ins
When I arrived home, I was ready to paint!
I underestimated the amount of time it would take me to paint everything at two hours. Kirk estimated four hours — actual time: approximately seven hours!
In my book, it was time and money well spent! For the price of a gallon of paint, I achieved a beautiful new look which I absolutely love! Kirk bought a new television too, which really helps fill in that space nicely and looks so much better than our old television – and comes with a pretty nice framed art feature!
Kirk added a trim piece to finish the edge of the cabinets where they meet the wall. Remember, these are built-ins made by the previous owners – and are not quality cabinetry by any means. To prove my point, they are actually built on top of a dark blue shag carpet!.
This is just the beginning of transforming this space. First up, we will be hanging the television on the wall – probably after Thanksgiving. Other future plans include building custom cabinetry to replace this homemade mid-70’s version. The new cabinetry will go to the ceiling and I’d like to add this or similar lighting from Hudson Valley Lighting on the top area of the shelving.
As with most projects I do, one thing leads to another and this project is no different. I painted something else in the room in SW Secret Garden too! Any guesses?
I’ll share the other project soon in another post. I’m also working on part two of the original cottage post that will be done soon.
Side note: homemade farmhouse dishcloths are now available for sale here on my website! You can find them by going to “SHOP” in the navigation bar.
Take care, and stay safe,
