Recently I shared the transformation of our built-ins. You can read more here. For the cost of a can of paint and about seven hours with a paintbrush in hand, the shelving was changed from Sherwin Williams Creamy to a beautiful green by Sherwin Williams (Secret Garden). Since our great room has a LOT of white surfaces: walls, built-ins, kitchen cupboards, countertops, subway tile, curtains and furniture – adding some color with the green really anchored the room and made it feel cosy. The green also helps to camouflage the television a little while also hiding the imperfections of the shelving.
While I loved the fresh look of all the white in the room, I had been considering adding color to the space for awhile. A few weeks ago while scrolling Instagram I spotted some built-ins painted in a beautiful green and immediately knew the color would be perfect for my built-ins.
After the built-ins were finished my eyes kept going to the “ledge” on the other side of the stairs and I wondered if painting the top of the ledge would balance the space better.
After painting the top I convinced myself to just go for it and paint the entire box — after all, it’s only paint and if I didn’t like it, well, I still have a can of white paint.
Good news! I’m very happy with my decision.
I painted the cold air return vent and outlet cover with a flat black spray paint left over from another project. The previous white of the grate and outlet cover really stood out like a sore thumb and the black just blends in.
There is one thing I’m not loving, but I don’t mind it as much as I did at first. The green on the ledge actually butts up against the green painted steps. It isn’t terrible, but I have a plan in place to remedy this situation after Thanksgiving.
Painting is a very easy and inexpensive way to change and update the look of a room and is very rewarding. I get that it can be intimidating if you haven’t painted before, there are plenty of great YouTube videos on how to paint a room, or anything else you are considering. Don’t let your fear of trying something new stop you … it’s only paint.
