I hope you guys had a wonderful weekend! I had an amazing weekend in Atlanta attending the Haven Conference for DIY bloggers. After almost four years of blogging, this was the first conference that I have ever attended. I had such an incredible and inspiring experience networking and learning from all of my favorite DIY bloggers. I can’t wait to tell you more about Haven later this week (after I have a chance to upload my pictures), but let me just give you a sneak peek at something so very special that I had the chance to do:
(sorry about the shaky iphone pic)
Do you recognize the two fabulous ladies to my right and left? Yep, they are Shaunna West (left) from the Perfectly Imperfect and Miss Mustard Seed (Marian)(right) from Miss Mustard Seed. These ladies are two of the most talented furniture/decorative finish painters out there (and my paint idols) and I had the amazing opportunity to paint with them during the conference. I can’t wait to share with you some of the tricks and tips that I learned from Shaunna and Marian in the next week or so. Stay tuned!
Ok, so on to Paint It Monday!
Last week, I finally was able to share my office/craft room revamp project with you. Thank you so much for all of your sweet comments and emails! I’m sorry I haven’t been able to respond to all of them since I was out of town at Haven but you can bet that I will be responding later today. All I can say is that I was just blown away by all of your kind words and notes of encouragement. You guys left me speechless and that never happens to me. It just meant so much to me to read through your comments and thank you again, from the bottom of my heart!
Before I begin sharing the projects in my room revamp, I wanted to share my final paint color palette with you. When I started this project, I originally posted painted colors that I had planned to use but unfortunately, I had to change all of my paint colors last minute. Because I created so much natural light in the new space, my original paint colors took on crazy hues that I never anticipated. I didn’t take my own advice and wait to pick my colors until I got the old dark red color off of the walls.
My original colors were not terrible but they needed slight tweaking and here are the final colors that I used in the space:
The walls in my office/craft room were painted in Repose Gray (Sherwin Williams) and while it looks white or gray in the images, the color is a very light shade of warm gray and my all of my cabinets and my desk are painted in Mindful Gray (Sherwin Williams), which is one shade down from Repose Gray on the paint card:
(If you look closely above the top left of the built in shelves, you can see the warmth in the gray a little better)
Here is a closeup of the cabinet and counter color (Mindful Gray by Sherwin Williams):
You can also get a better feel for the wall color (Repose Gray by Sherwin Williams) in this shot below:
I cannot tell you just how amazing these two colors are to see in person. These colors are simply the perfect light mix of gray and warmth that keeps the gray from being too sterile, and the warm tan from being too khaki. FYI.. In a space with tons of natural light, the gray will stand out more and in spaces with little natural light, the warm light tan will stand out.
As for my table in the center of the room, I had the French gray/blue (blue gray with a undertone of indigo) color in my mind for a long time and I had to create a custom mix to get to the color. I just couldn’t find what I was looking for and I played with Repose Gray, Mindful Gray and Outerspace (all Sherwin Williams) until I got the color/ratio that I wanted:
here is a close up of the color:
If you too have been searching for the perfect French gray/blue color and haven’t found anything that is not too blue or too gray, you might like consider looking at this color. I just love it and it really looks so pretty with gray and dark blue. If you’re interested in finding a good French blue/gray, below is a photo collage of the table and formula that you can print (or send image to your phone) and take to Sherwin Williams and have them mix you up a sample to test:
Keep in mind, the color looks purple until it dries. Don’t panic like I did! French gray/blue has a purpl-ish/indigo undertone.
For my plank ceiling paint color, we had the guys at Sherwin Williams mix 50% white with Repose Gray and the color is identical to Snowfall by Sherwin Williams:
It’s hard to tell in the images but in person, it is about one shade lighter than the wall color and it really blends in beautifully. I will be sharing how we did the plank ceiling very soon as well.
The other two colors in my paint palette we did not use for paint but rather accent colors in the accessories, fabric and my art work. I wanted to include these colors in the palette to give a better feel for all of the colors in this space and the overall palette:
Outerspace by Sherwin Williams:
Outerspace is very close to the color of our new sectional from Ikea. It’s also very close to the deep blue/gray/indigo color I picked up on in the fabrics and my paintings:
and it’s also close to the color of my dyed sea fans (project details coming up soon):
Site White by Sherwin Williams is close to the off white (warm gray undertone) white color I also used for to accent:
Site White by Sherwin Williams:
Creating so much natural light in this space was one of my biggest goals but I had to work extra hard to nail the undertones of all of my colors. Space full of natural light really shows every detail of a color and undertone. Matching them can be tricky and a painful process (Ugh!) I have never had a space like this with so much light and can only imagine how great this will be for me for looking at paint colors!
Thanks for hanging out with me today guys and I’ll be back shortly with more of my projects from this space and details of my amazing experience at Haven!
Cheers!
Cyndy
sherry hart says
Cindy….I so enjoyed meeting you also. Can I tell you how much I love this room…well I do. It is fabulous and you should send the pictures to Lisa Mowery ASAP!
Therese @ Fresh Idea Studio says
Oh. My. Goodness. Cyndy! I so want to hang out in that absolutely beautiful, serene and just awesome space. Perfect grays and blues. Every detail is delightful. Magazine worthy my friend! Magazine!
It was a real pleasure to meet you at Haven! From our happen-upon conversation in the hallway about nofollow links to the Incredible recommendation you shared with me upstairs in the quiet club; Bistro Niko’s tart was divine btw and the glass of champagne wasn’t too shabby either.
I’d love to keep in touch.
Cheers to you and yours from your blogger friend down in Florida
Cyndy says
Oh girl, it was such a joy to meet and visit with you. Thank you so much for stopping by and your sweet comments about my new office! I am ready to finally get in that space and do my thang! You can come craft with me anytime!!
I’m so thrilled that you ended up going to Bistro Niko! Pretty special stuff that place! I’ll be dreaming about that tart forever! Next year, you and I will have to go together!
I can’t wait to go visit your blog and keep up with you. I’m gonna be sending our fabulous picture your way shortly! Big hugs!
Shannon Murphy says
Hi Cyndy,
I came across your blog via Pinterest and love all of your suggestions with paint colors! I am in the process of choosing paint colors for my home and your advice is very helpful. One bit of advice I was hoping you could offer is on trim colors. Currently, all the trim and doors in our house are stained, which I would love and leave, if it had been cared for. Unfortunately, it wasn’t, and now we are left with scratches, nicks, and spots of paint from previous paint jobs. I would love to turn them all white, as I love that look, but my husband hates it. 🙁 Do you have any suggestions for this scenario? I’m currently looking at dark browns, but was curious if there were other suggestions. I’ve already tried the idea of off-white/cream trim, that didn’t go over either 😉 I appreciate any feedback you have.
Cyndy says
Is your hubby open to dark trim and doors if they are painted dark instead of stained? Like Urbane Bronze by Sherwin Williams? Maybe your argument can be that if you re-stain, you will have to go back and refinish every square inch but with a very dark brown paint, you can lightly sand and then use a really good primer (Kilz) and then paint? Urbane Bronze is gorgeous on trim and doors!
However, if that doesn’t work, could you get him to consider maybe an ebony stain? It’s almost black and looks amazing against light wall colors. Let me know what he says. Do I need to call him? LOL!
Shannon Murphy says
Thanks so much for the feedback, Cyndy! I will definitely check out the Urbane Bronze as I think dark is the only option I’m left with since I can’t get him on board with light. My local paint professional says I can’t do stain over stain, otherwise the ebony was what I was considering. I have seen some nice dark, almost black paint chips, but wasn’t sure how that would do for all the trim and doors, especially on a beige/cream wall paint.
Thanks again, I’m about at my wits end and may just need you to call him! 🙂
Melina Buxton says
Fab!
Susan says
I am completely in awe of your talents! Your paint colors are just gorgeous! The room turned out so beautiful. I would not know how to begin to select a color palette like you have done so well.
I recently moved and have a room dedicated as my craft room. It’s still just full of boxes and furniture. I have been working on the rest of the house first. But one of these days I will be ready to tackle it and you have really inspired me to shoot for extraordinary instead of good enough. I just hope I’ll be up for the challenge!
Cyndy says
Thank you so much Susan!! I am so glad to hear that you are inspired to tackle your own craft room! I wish I would have done this a long time ago because I think I would have done more projects if I had the space and set up. The best thing is that you can create any environment and feel of the room that you want. Make it your dream room and you won’t believe how inspired you will be!!
Thank you again Susan for stopping by and if i can help you pick your perfect color palette when it’s time to work on that space, let me know!
Deb says
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your paint colors!! They are perfect! Like I have said before your new office space needs to be in a magazine! You should be one proud lady!!
Cyndy says
awe…, thank you so much Deb! Your notes just always make my day and make me smile! I hope there is a color here that you can use. I cannot tell you just how perfect Mindful Gray is. I wish I would have found it before this project. I love it so much that I plan on carrying it through other areas of my home.
Thank you again Deb and thanks for hanging out with me! It means a lot to me!
Susannah says
Cyndy, you have talent, lady! I dream of turning my craft space into such a room as you have, but it’s not in the budget right now. We’re on a very tight financial leash as we work to get out of debt, so it will be quite awhile before I can do it. But at least I do have a room all to myself for crafting and sewing! Someday…
someday…! 🙂
Kim @ Sand & Sisal says
Gorgeous color choices. They are so soft yet warm. I just adore Sherwin Williams colors and paint. Did you paint the drum shade yourself? I noticed your play on the “X” (Exchange!) throughout the room accents to. Very clever!
Elizabeth@themustardceiling says
I am so in love with this space Cyndy! The color palette is so soft and soothing, it is perfect. Repose gray is one of my favorite warm grays, it was one of the colors I looked at for my living room walls. I guess great minds think alike ;).
Nickie says
Cyndy – You never fail to AMAZE me. This room is one of the most spectactular that I have seen. Your natural abilities to create beauty are truly a gift. Thank you for sharing all of this with us (and I am stealing some of your paint colors!)
Cyndy says
Awe.., thank you so much Nickie! Reading your note just made my day. It means a lot coming from you! Let’s get together soon for cocktails in the craft room! LOL!
Julie says
Love what you did with this space, especially the color palette!
Keely says
Loving the Monday colour palette blogs…. Doing an extreme makeover on our house at the moment and need inspiration to turn a 1960s bungalow into a gorgeous home! My problem is, I live in the UK and can’t get Sherwin Williams or any of the other lovely paints you regularly use!!! ;-( can you advise of uk equivalents such as farrow and ball?
I also struggle with the whole concept of light and the impact that it has on the colour….clearly your colours look great in your room but could look conpletely different in another! perhaps it’s a subject for another blog, but what would be really useful is to know what paints to choose to achieve the same look, but if your room is sunnier/darker than normal
Enough of my “demands”….will carry on dreaming of my beautiful home!!!
Lee says
The paint colours are gorgeous, sadly we don’t have that brand in New Zealand, however, I am sure I can get similar colours here. I
Lee 🙂
Rita C says
Wow, Cyndy! If this reveal doesn’t get published in House Beautiful or Traditional Home, I may have to unsubscribe. It is , without a doubt, one of my favorite DIYs. Your color choices, coordination of furniture & accessories and use of space is just outstanding.
Rita
Becky F says
These colors look great! Your paint finish on your cabinets is even more marvelous! Did you spray or use a brush? Semi gloss or gloss? I love the professional paint finish look you achieved!
Maryam says
I love the way this space turned out! Ca you tell me where you found the Ikat fabric? It’s exactly what I’m looking for.
Thx!
Becky D says
I love everything about these spaces, they are so inviting! Thank you for sharing all of your pointers and information with everyone! How are the floors holding up? Do they scratch easily? I am thinking of using vinyl planks hen we redo the floor rather than laminate because of the sound factor. They are much more costly than laminate so I thought I would ask you how they are holding up?
KImberly Barrows says
Cyndy, I came across this lovely post because my sister is using Snowfall. I need help picking a white paint color for my kitchen cabinets. I love a French country feel, and have a curvy shabby chic style table that I painted white and Louis blue with Annie Sloan chalk paint. For my island, I was considering grayish French blue , not sure how dark. I have a good amount of light in my kitchen but not as much as your room here. I have bright white trim, and installed bright white subway tile for backsplash I want cabinets to contrast a bit with the backsplash and trim. I have Straw by Benjamin Moore (love it) on my walls., but with the current honey oak cabinets, it is too much yellow. I can send you a picture of my kitchen if you would like. Benjamin Moore’s website pairs Straw with Pearly Gates as a creamy color, and Mountain Retreat (too dark of a brown for me). And they suggest Albany White, Twilight Gold. Would you have any suggestions for me?