New Color for the Dining Room

Our house was built in 1983.  The very first thing we did after we closed on it back in 2004 was rip out the old brown cut pile carpet in the living and dining rooms (yes, carpet in the dining room, it’s an eighties thing).  The second thing we did was take out the strange little pony wall with spindles that was supposed to divide the front door from the living room.  Third, I removed the wallpaper in the dining room (meanwhile husband took out the weird tile in the entry and accidentally broke through to the crawlspace beneath the house, but that’s another story.) I trashed the drywall in the process and we had to texture it.  

And so it was painted boring ecru for a while until I decided I really liked a country French/ Tuscan vibe and painted it “Butternut Squash” (okay, it’s actually safety yellow)…and I liked it until about four years ago.  Then I wanted robin’s egg blue, but how, oh how, to choose. the. perfect. one?  This dilemma went on and on…

 Various life type things happened over the years, and finally this past April it looked like I would have the time and inclination to paint that darned room. Really I could hardly stand to see it anymore, which is bad because I am in this room constantly and I have to see it from the kitchen and living room!

 I finally picked a color.  There is lots of excellent advice on the internet about choosing the perfect paint color.  I don’t have much to add.  I hung little paint chips on the wall, popped for a sample sized can of what I thought I wanted and slapped a big 2 x 2 swatch on a couple of the walls.  I didn’t hate it so I bought a gallon and got it done in one 24 hour period, thanks to my wonderful husband moving furniture for me.  I am really happy with the color, and the Clark and Kensington paint went on well and covered nicely.  Two coats and it’s like a new room.  So much better!  And it only took me four years.  

The takeaway?  Just go paint the wall already!  Paint is fairly cheap and many stores will even give you a do-over color.  I felt so much better once the yellow was gone.  Is the blue I painted on trendy?  I don’t care, I just love it.  Do what you like and what makes you happy!