Welcome back to week 5 of the One Room Challenge series. If you missed week 4 of the Home Office design, you can find it here.
Now that the bookcases are complete and installed, this week we are beginning what could be the most DREADED part of the project with most TRANSFORMATIVE change. And when I say dreaded, I do mean for all parties involved. At this point, I was so excited to begin the painting process because it means we are so close to the finish line. This is typically when my clients become antsy, especially when they are living in the home during the remodel. The dust from sanding and the clouds of fumes begin to overwhelm even the most patient person. It’s also at this point when it feels close to being finished and clients are ready to be done and want us out quickly!
Finalizing the Paint Color
Before I met with my client, I asked her to find pictures or any objects that would convey to me what she wanted to achieve with her design. She had a few pictures gathered and I knew she wanted to have a MOODY vibe in her office. The cabinets in the rest of her home are painted in Sherwin Williams Iron Ore and she was "ok" carrying that color in the office as well. I never like hearing my clients say they are "ok" with something and I knew we could do so much better than that.
When picking paint colors I always suggest using something that you own as a jumping off point. Whether you have a gorgeous piece of artwork or an exceptionally beautiful textile, use that statement piece as a place to start. Since we were starting from a blank slate, I started by sourcing the artwork for her office, which would be the main focal point. I also knew that I wanted to use a particular wallpaper behind the artwork. I used these two items as the anchors for selecting the paint color. After looking through my swatches, I settled on two colors, Sherwin Williams Dark Night (bottom left) and Behr Black Evergreen (bottom right).
While they are both beautiful colors, she was instantly drawn to Dark Night. It works so well with the artwork and pulls from the deepest color in the wallpaper. Dark Night can be described as a rich dark teal blue. At first look and in certain lights, Dark Night can read navy, but it's green undertones makes it feel richer and more vibrant. When choosing your paint color, I definitely recommend trying out samples in different parts of the room to see how the paint will read in your space and in different light.
Prepping the Room and the Cabinets
To say that getting this room ready for paint was difficult, would be quite the understatement. Sometimes, it can take longer to prep the room for paint, than to actually paint itself.
One of the most important tasks in prepping this room was covering those gorgeous floors. My carpenter had already put boards down to protect them from getting chipped in the installation process, so the painters added paper on top of that for added security. They also had to cover the chandelier and the window shade. In hindsight, we should have taken the shade down, not just covered it. (One tiny drip of paint that later landed on the plastic and seeped through has been a very costly lesson for me. I literally try to cover all the bases when preparing for every aspect of the job, but even after all of these years, "Paint Happens!")
Once everything was covered, the crew began the tedious job of filling in all of the nail holes and then sanding down every nook and cranny to be as smooth as possible. It's back breaking work and one of the main reasons I had to give up painting years ago. I have MAD RESPECT for my crew.
After a few days of prepping, they were finally able to start priming and you can already see what a difference even that made.
And just like that, that was the end of week 5! As I said last week...
Stay tuned for week 6 as we begin to tackle the massive job of painting these gorgeous built-ins.
Just a reminder that this project is part of the Spring 2024 One Room Challenge (ORC) where bloggers, designers, and influencers makeover one room over the course of 8 weeks. Be sure to check out all of the other ORC week four updates on the ORC website. Catch up on my project with the week one office design plan.
Love the color you chose!