Colour My World

With the weather hovering between rainy and cold/gray/drizzling, I decided to begin yet another HGTV-esque project to accompany the deck refinishing. Now, my kitchen is all taped up and ready to go for its paint job.

I thought about my painting history briefly yesterday. Since moving to Southie almost 4 years, the kitchen will be the 7th paint job I have undertaken, all to cover the very generic thin coat of off-white paint that greeted me throughout my place and inside the common interior staircase when I bought this place. This is a pre-photo from '03.

Pain(t) Projects:

1. Both bathrooms - light blue
2. Both bedrooms - dark green

My first paint jobs ever. After purchasing 2 gallons of blue and 4 of green for, at the time, 1 bathroom and 1 bedroom, my father told me I had about twice as much paint as I needed. Rather than picking 2 more colors, I doubled up and painted both bathrooms and bedrooms the same colors. Good idea, consistency is good too. For the bedrooms, Brian, Kelly, Mort, and Alanna came over to help – I didn’t even have to ask them, they all wanted to have a painting party and insisted! Their help was great! It cost me dinner but saved me lots of time.

3. Half of living room - a red/brown rust color, and an accent wall in "turtle shell"

I used this great textured paint called Sandwash, which leaves a sandpapery speckled look on the walls. It also requires three coats of paint (ugh), but after 2 coats, it just didn't look right. The front of triple-deckers often have 2 angular rooms, each with three windows facing the street. I thought it would differentiate each "room" by having one painted one way, the other painted another way. After a few months of living that way, I didn't like it. So...

4. Other half of living room - same as first half

So, now we're back to one large room rather than two separate ones. Looks better.

5. Hallway - a copper color

It looks yellower than I had wished, but I still think it's a cool color especially against the white molding. The hallway was the easiest paint job because it was the least about of wall space, and had the fewest angles.

6. Common interior staircase - light blue

For months, my upstairs neighbor and I had paint chips taped to the wall right outside my door. He loves starting projects as well, but usually seems to have 4 or 5 going at any given time. Finally, I decided to do the painting. I had time off work, and didn’t mind undertaking the project myself. We split the cost, picked a color not even on the wall at the time, and I painted. That was a bear of a project, especially reaching high up an entire story, using a star ladder and extender pole.

7. Kitchen – off-white / cream color

I have enough colors in my place now. I didn’t want to go nuts in the kitchen. This color should go on a touch darker, plus provide the correct paint finish for a kitchen – satin enamel (rather than the one thin coat of flat paint it current has). Ryan helped with the taping yesterday, and wants to help with the painting. I might get inspired this week after work, though, so we’ll see what gets done during the week.

Once I’m done with the kitchen, there will be nothing else to paint inside my place, and I will be closer to done. The doorway vestibule leading to the street, though, could use a makover!