Interior Paint | Ben Moore Navajo White, Carrington Beige and Quiet Moments

Come on in!  Yesterday, I shared the exterior paint photos and today is the day for interior.  Warning, there are a lot of pictures.  Most of the interior is Benjamin Moore Navajo White - trim and walls.  It is different than Sherwin Williams Navajo White - the BM doesn't have quite as much color.  It was the same color that we had in our old house, and is my favorite warm, off-white.  It just seems to work everywhere.  It has a lot more color than most whites, but I think that makes it seem richer, and more neutral, rather than just white.

After saying that, I have to admit, paint is so hard!   I almost lightened it up.  But, I stuck with my instincts, knowing that I wanted our big open room to feel warm and cozy, not stark.  I wanted color, and I wanted a bit of contrast of whites.  It helped me to start thinking about layering whites, creams and ivories and treating them as colors, themselves.  Hopefully you'll agree ; )

This the front foyer.  We opened this area up and lost a little closet, but it now matches the more open, bigger house.

Paint : Ben Moore Navajo White - Trim in Satin, Walls in Eg-Shel

Love this picture light!

Here is our old living room.  As I talked about in the exterior paint post, I love tone-on-tone matchy paint.  Something about it looks more like those colonial farmhouses I love.

I wanted to change the color to be a bit deeper, so it felt cozier, since the rest of the house is bright and open.  There is also a lot of light in the room from large picture window, so it could handle some color.

BM Carrington Beige, Satin on trim, Eg-Shel on Walls.

I really love, love this room.  Since both mantles are the same design, I wanted the paint on the mantle and in this room to feel different - and the paint does just that.  

From the old living room into the new big room and kitchen.  More tone-on-tone.  I wanted the millwork and beams to stand out in a subtle way, so I kept the colors the same.  I think that if the trim is "accented" with a light color then all you see is the color - I wanted to see the detailed millwork.  I really love this entire room... and can't believe I will get to be cooking here next week!

Ben Moore Navajo White, Satin on Trim and Cabinetry, Eg-Shel on Walls.

And chandelier for dining area!  Sources coming later.

This is the first glimpse of the wood island top (more details later!) and Cape Cod Lanterns over the island!

The floor guys were there - here is sample of new color.  I wanted to match old floor color (all floors will be re-finished, I just liked what was there before), so we ended up with Mixwax Dark Walnut. 

Back to view from kitchen area - you can see Mike's office/library (man room...) thru the french doors where our old garage was.

This is the mudroom behind kitchen - also Navajo White, satin on walls and trim in here for easy cleaning.

Shaker pegs!  We re-used the old lights in our old kitchen and I (still) love them.

Back to big room - where the dining table will go.  We will be using our old table for now, but the hunt (and the saving...) has started.  Mostly saving : )

And view into library.

The Pine paneling is stained Jacobean.

Stained wood is hard to photograph the true color - but it looks greats, especially with the brass sconces on the bookcases.

Ok, up the stairs!

Stairs and landing are all Navajo White, too.  You can see our old bedroom is now our "Blue" room, and the door with the glass is the laundry.

You'll notice that one bedroom is missing in these photos - I'm saving Emma's pink wallpaper room for its own post!

The 4th bedroom is painted the same as old Living Room - Carrington Beige, Satin on Trim, Eg-Shel on walls.

Our "Blue Room" is Ben Moore Quiet Moments, Satin on Trim and Eg Shel on walls.

Secret passageway!

This is our bedroom - sort of a dark photo.  This is the old Cape Cod Lighting Co. lantern that hung over our dining room table.  The paint is Navajo White.

Here are our closets!  I will talk about hardware, too, at some point - maybe a big resources post later.  They are Schlage Oil Rubbed Bronze - a "living" finish, so they will patina and age, to show bronze through.  I wanted some contrast with all of our creamy paint and brass lights.

My favorite part- view into bathroom.

Ahhh.  Moment of serenity.  Especially in rooms like this, I'm so glad we went with the wood interior grills on the windows - they add so much architectural interest.

Wait, maybe this is moment of serenity.  So many times when we've been covered in mud as we've been in the back yard, I wanted to come up and take a soak!

Paint is all Navajo White in Satin.

View back into room.

And glass shower doors and plumbing fixtures this week!

Ok, thanks for making it to the end - I almost didn't... did you notice how short my captions got?  

I will definitely share lighting post very soon with all resource links.  

Officially 1 week from move in day!  I wish I could drink champagne with all of you : )

Happy Wednesday!

Exterior Paint | Sherwin Williams Muslin to match Anderson Windows Canvas

We are so close to being ready to move back into the house - only one week left.  It doesn't seem real.  At all.  Ah!  Of course after waiting and waiting for so long (patiently?) I feel like there a million things that I need to get done between now and then!  Not today.  Today, I'm taking the morning "off."  I'm drinking my coffee in my PJs and writing blog posts and enjoying these photos.  We've been working so hard on the yard (and new DIY patio, details coming soon!) that I've earned a break in front of the computer today - away from the mud.

The interior and exterior painting were finished last week.  I haven't been able to share many details of the paint because the house was really off limits while the painters were working.  Then the day they finished the electricians swooped in a started hanging light fixtures.  So, you get to see a lot today!  I started with putting interior and exterior photos on this one post as well, but it was getting very lengthy, so I'll post those tomorrow.  Promise - writing it today.

Here we go!

As you know, so much of the design inspiration from our house came from our time in New England.  I love the early american, farm and coastal architecture there.  In fact, it was what I loved most about living there - but I didn't like being away from our family.  So, we thought, we'll just build a New England-esque house at home and have the best of both worlds.  Okay, so I don't have the beach, mountains and all of the colonial history minutes from our house... but, I can pretend : )

Below I talk a little bit about our various travels and where the inspiration for the paint scheme came from.  We knew we wanted a white-ish house, but with a little more warmth.  So, creamy.  But not too yellow, not too warm.  My favorite off-white is Benjamin Moore's Navajo White, which we used all over interior for walls and trim in main areas of the house.  I thought it would be a perfect match outside, too, but we needed to match our clad Andersen Windows.

Note : we are still waiting for the shutters, which will be painted to match the front door, SW Iron Ore.



As you may recall, I chose the Canvas color for the exterior clad of the Windows (Andersen 400s) because I knew I didn't want the house to be white-white.  So, we upgraded the windows from the 200s to the 400s to get the Canvas color option.  Andersen provided the exact match for the window color in Sherwin Williams Muslin, which is just a shade more saturated than Navajo White.  I tested the colors next to the windows and it worked perfectly.

*I mentioned before (this is non-sponsored, by the way) that we ordered our Andersen Windows from Home Depot.  We saved almost $4K compared to a local Andersen dealer.  Crazy.  Highly recommend!

I was a little nervous that the house would seem light beige instead of off-white, but I really think it turned out perfect.  I love classic white houses, but all of my favorite houses of all time were a little more creamy, so we took the risk.

Another risk was leaving the dormers and garage front in natural cedar shake instead of painting them like the rest of the house.  I'm so glad we did.  I feel like it really transformed the house from a standard looking cape to a charming cottage.  We wanted to do a cedar roof, but the cost was a little crazy, so adding the cedar element to the dormers and garage added that cedar element.

To make the final decision, we went back and looked at some inspiration photos :

This is was a house that we both loved that we found on our trip to Nantucket (more photos of our trip to here) last fall.  Note the very creamy trim, black shutters and natural cedar.  During the building process we kept coming back to this photo for inspiration.  It helped to have something to show subs and the builder, too, to help them realize you aren't crazy : )

Another house we've always loved was the Bedford Post Inn in Bedford, Ny.  We visited there a couple of years ago when I went to the Martha Stewart Show and toured her offices.

They have a lighter trim, but still same creamy siding.  You can see other photos from our Trip to Bedford Post Inn here.

Martha Stewart's Turkey Hill Home, old (when Martha owned it, above) and renovated (by new owners, below).

I really wanted to do the trim and the siding the same color - there is something about that tone-on-tone look that I love.  I love how subtle it is.  I love how it makes the millwork around the windows and door look.  For me, it lets the millwork stand out on its own, without relying on an "accent" color.  Her color is more grey/beige than ours, but I like the way it looks.

This is the renovated color.  It looks very much like our muslin, but not sure what the actual color is.

Side view of the new Turkey Hill.

Another point of inspiration (especially for tone-on-tone paint) was our trip to Deerfield, Mass.  In coincidences of all coincidences, as I was explaining my inspiration to our painter he told me he went to boarding school in Deerfield.  Yes, our painter in Kansas went to boarding school in Deerfield, Mass.  Such a small world.
More photos from our trip to Deerfield Mass.

Ok, back to our house.  Here is a glimpse of the landscaping I've been working on.

We ordered another Concord Lantern in Antique Brass (this one a wall mount) from Cape Cod Lighting Co., another nod to our time in Concord and on the Cape.  We had a lantern from the same collection over our dining room (that will now be in our bedroom) and I had two smaller ones made for over the island.

Also, I forgot to take a photo of the Barn Lights above the garage - also from Cape Code Lighting Co.

I really like this perspective of the house - see that big window?  Above the tub!  I really think the exterior grills on the windows make a big architectural impact on the house.   You can see how the house looks the same as it did from the front, but grows subtly out the back - just what we wanted to do.

Then, when you get in the back yard...

An entirely new look - but still colonial inspired.  

I forgot to take a full photo of the back after plastic had been removed, so this is one from my phone. 

Here are the copper lanterns on the porch!  There are 3, with 2 fans in between.   These are from Sandwich Lantern Co., also handmade on Cape Cod.  The owner is so awesome (and funny!) to work with.  Just talking to him on the phone takes me back to the salty air.

You can see another glimpse of the garden coming along.  This photo is a little outdated as we finished the new patio yesterday!  Mike and I (with Emma's help) built it ourselves in two days - I'll share the details later this week... after sod is in!

Interior photos coming tomorrow.  Thanks for sharing in my excitement - it has made it such a fun journey!  I can say that now that it is almost over : )

The "Before" House Tour | Be kind... don't judge!

Every bone in my body resists me doing this... I'd love to keep the house all to myself until I get it exactly the way I want it.  But, as I promised, I'm taking you along for the ride.    In return for my seek peak into the progress, I ask that you be kind.  I apologize for the poor photography (I don't have the right lens to shoot interiors on my fancy camera, so I'm using my old G11... recommendations for a lens?).  The colors are off from what I'm seeing here, I assure you!

In case you've been wondering, I haven't forgotten my food blogging roots - I'm just now getting the kitchen unpacked!  I'll be making something yummy for our tailgate this weekend... Any ideas?  I'll share it on the blog (obviously...).

Exterior (you've seen this before!)  I love how our house looks from the street.

The to the right is really the true 'before' shot of the living room and dining room.  This was taken while Mike and I were repairing the walls, before the new paint. 

Now, on to the post fresh paint photos.  Keep in mind, we still have a lot of projects planned.  A lot of projects.  And a lot of decorating.  Our plan is to move in, do simple things to clean up and brighten the existing interior, then do an addition in the spring.  The new addition would include an expanded kitchen with fireplace and attached hearth room.  Upstairs that would mean another bedroom and a master bathroom.  Yay!  But for now, we wanted to just create a blank, fresh space for ourselves before we moved in.  Everything feels so much better already.  It is amazing what a little (ok, a lot...) of paint can do!

This is the view right after coming in through the small front foyer.  Welcome : )

This rug will be moving upstairs into our bedroom when our new rug arrives.  I'll be posting more about my final (finally...) decision hopefully sometime next week.  I'll give you a hint- it wasn't any of the ones I had posted about or pinned on pinterest!

Fast forward 30 minutes and Emma's home from her first day of school!   A new long ottoman upholstered in linen will be placed right about where Emma is sitting.

Wall Paint : Benjamin Moore, Manchester Tan
Trim : Benjamin Moore, Navajo White

Remember how I said I ordered two grey upholstered chairs to flank the fireplace?  Well, I think they will be too big.  My plan is to move them to the front of the room (to the right of where I'm standing while taking this photo) in front of the big window.  So much for plans, right?

Note the fireplace, it used to be a little more embellished with wooden decal, and had a pinkish stone inset.  I removed the decals and painted over where they once where and while I was at it, slapped a coat of paint on the pink stone.  I just needed to go away and the paint did the trick.  At some point we plan to replace the entire mantel piece with something a little more handsome.  

The next room is the dining room.  I love the slipcovered chairs I ordered from Restoration Hardware in Sand Belgium Linen.  My next big debate is a rug for this room (a different rug) and a lantern for above the table.  I'm considering a fixture from Cape Cod Lanterns (http://www.capecodlanterns.com/).  I thought it would be well suited to our "Cape Cod" style home and a nod to our stay in New England.

Wall Color : Benjamin Moore, Navajo White in Flat
Trim Color : Benjamin Moore, Navajo White in Satin

Tah, Dah.  One of the best features of the house - I love french doors off of the dining room.   And behind me is...

The kitchen.  Not too hot as it stands right now, but we have a renovation planned that will really make the space much more current and functional.  Eventually the kitchen will grow out of the back of the house to make a big open space.

Here is a closer view from inside the room.  This wall to my left is shared with the dining room.  I'm wondering if we should go ahead and open it up, or wait for our phase 2 renovation...  My vote is for now!

Now upstairs.  I plan to have a runner put on the stairs to make it a little cushier for Emma.  I'm thinking just something neutral and durable.

Now into our room.  The small rug will be replaced with the large rug from the living room.  The small rug?  Not sure about that... hum...

Oh, and all of the light fixtures in the entire house will be replaced.  I'm thinking something with antique brass...??  Suggestions?



This is our bedroom from the opposite angle.  As you can see, we have the new headboard that Mike built and the dresser that I refinished.  More detail photos later!  Here is the design board for the room, for your reference.  I still have to add some wall art and accessories with pillows and blankets.


 Emma's room has taken a bit of a turn... toward pink!  I am not sure what changed my mind, but I've got a lot of cute pink ideas for her new room.  Again, the lighting is strange in the photo- I'll try to get a more accurate picture later this week.

 
 Here is the back porch that I love so much - the last stop on our tour.  Stay tuned for the next couple of months to see our continued progress!