House Update : One Month Later

It is INSANE to think that we closed on this house 30 days ago. I don't know if it's insane because it feels like yesterday or if it's insane because it feels like months ago. Maybe a little of both. We are loving this house, though, and this neighborhood. We knew exactly two neighbors in our old house despite living there for 10+ years - and here we've already met probably a dozen neighbors. Carys had no friends her own age nearby at the old house, and she's met several here already (including one set of siblings we call her "fence friends" - they're behind us and one house down, and their kids climb a backyard tree and Carys climbs on the deck fence railing and they yell across the yard to each other and it's the most adorable friendship in the world and they need to get a string can telephone STAT).

Despite the fact that we closed on March 30, we just actually finally moved in on April 24 - over three weeks later. In that time, we sanded and painted and primed our asses off (we being Chris and I and my cousin Saint Danny, Our Paint Angel Sent from Heaven). It took so long because a) the trim ended up needing three coats and b) we only had small amounts of time to paint and c) we were mostly trying to do it with two toddlers running around. So in all that time, we really only got the trim and walls done in the entryway, family room, and upstairs hall. But what a world of difference it has made! On the downside, it's made those areas that aren't yet updated stand out like....well, areas in a house that haven't been updated when everything else has been.

I thought I'd share the before and after in progress pics of where we are at today, so you can see the progress thus far....and see all that we still need to do. These are in all their "we only moved in less than a week ago and it's still an unorganized mess and our furniture isn't put together yet and everything is covered in a fine layer of dust from sanding even though I've swept and vacuumed a hundred times" glory. SO REAL LIFE, YA'LL.

Also, these are just quick unedited cell phone pics, because my computer to edit "nice" pics isn't set up yet, and I wanted to get this post out in a somewhat timely manner. Like now instead of six months from now when it's all old news. You'll also be able to see the dimensions of the room as they are in reality, versus how they are when the realtor uses super wide-angle lenses to make all of the rooms look way bigger - yeah, while the house is bigger than our old one, it's not full of 40x40 rooms that could each house a small family.

__________________________________________________________________

EXTERIOR

Done:

- Front door painted white

Still to do:

- Touch up exterior paint

- Paint accent windows on either side of the door

- Update house numbers

ENTRYWAY

Done: 
- Trim painted
- Stair rail and spindles painted
- Walls painted

Still to do:
- New chandelier (looking at this one: Orb Chandelier or maybe a hanging lantern like this?)
- New floor
- Replace closet door with paneled door
- Paint or stain stair kicks
- Pull up carpet and do wood stairs + stair runner (probably a loooooong way down the road)
- New screen door for exterior door

LAUNDRY ROOM/BATHROOM

Done:
- Trim painted
- Bathroom painted (this was done by the previous homeowners between taking the listing pics and selling the house)

Still to do:
- New floor (I'll probably leave the wood-looking tile inside the laundry room, since it'd be nice to have a completely water-resistant floor in that room whether it remains a laundry room or is made into a mud room)
- Paint trim inside laundry room
- Paint walls inside laundry room
- Turn laundry room into mud room (down the line)
- Replace boob light
- Replace doors with paneled doors

FAMILY ROOM 

(We are replacing the brown couch - it doesn't fit in this space like we thought it would)

Done:

- Valance removed x2

- Removed vertical blinds

- Small built-in removed

- Trim and walls painted

- Built-ins painted

- Built-in hardware replaced

- French doors painted

Still to do:

- New floor (dear god...new floor!!! If we had pets, it might make sense, but for us it's always cold to walk on and too busy-looking and not cozy.)

- Replace ceiling fan with ceiling fan + light combo

- Spray paint brass fireplace insert

- Add wood mantle over brick mantle (not the entire thing, just the ledge)

- Remove overhang on step-down into family room (it's not very stable and wobbles)

- Replace windows with ones that open more

- Replace basement door with paneled door

- Figure out what to do with the holes left in the wall from removing the built-in (where the previous owners ran cables and stuff)

 SUNROOM

Done:
- Nothing. Ha!

Still to do:
- Paint walls and trim (if you look behind one of the chairs in the "after" pic you can see a tiny part that I painted to get an idea of what the color would look like in there)
- Caulk gaps in walls
- Replace a few windows with ones that open
- Fix (hopefully) or replace windows with broken seals
- Add screen door to exterior door
- Replace French door handles
- Find source of leak and fix it! (I think it's at the bottom of one of the windows - water pools on the window sill and floor but nothing at the windows or ceiling)
- Fix the threshold - it's loose to the point that one good step might make it come off entirely)

KITCHEN

Done:
- Painted trim around windows and doors

Still to do:
- Update cabinets (thinking dark stain?). Possibly replace upper cabinet doors with ones with straight insets instead of the curvy ones?
- Update counter top
- Update backspash. I actually am fine with what's here, but Chris wants to redo it.
- Paint?? Maybe down the road?
- Replace island lights with globes (like this maybe)
- Add screen doors to French doors to deck (possibly replace entirely)
- Replace handles on French doors
- New floor
- New dishwasher (ugh)
- Possibly replace built-in desk with pantry cabinets

DINING ROOM

Done:
- Painted door frame

Still to do:
- Paint wainscoating
- Paint walls
- Paint tray ceiling
- Paint rest of trim (crown molding, etc.)
- Bigger window? I'd love to enlarge the window(s) down the line!
- New light fixture
- Replace carpet (it is so disgusting even after like only ten meals)
- Hang curtains

SITTING ROOM

Done:

- Painted entryway frame

- Removed curtains/valance

- Removed metal scrollwork from window and door frame

Still to do:

- New floor

- Paint built-ins

- Expand built-ins? I'm thinking I might like that entire wall to be a built-in bookshelf instead of having the opening in the middle?

- Paint trim (crown molding, etc.)

- Hang curtains

- New lights (if we don't build out the built-ins)
- Add more built-in lighting (this room gets SO dark!)
- Replace cabinet hardware

UPSTAIRS HALL

Done:
- Painted trim and doors
- Painted walls
- Painted staircase (I know I already listed this in the entryway section BUT DAMNIT I LOVE IT SO MUCH I'M LISTING IT TWICE)

Still to do:
- Replace door hardware/knobs
- Replace carpet (??)
- Replace can lights with something more substantial?

CARYS'S ROOM

Done:

- Painted outside of door and exterior door trim

- Painted accent wall

- Painted closet

Still to do:

- Paint rest of trim and closet/bathroom doors and inside of door

- Add ceiling fan with light (or more built-in light)
- Replace carpet (way down the line)
- Replace bathroom carpet with tile/vinyl
- Replace toilet seat
- Replace lights in bathroom
- Frame out mirror in bathroom
- Add drapes/blinds to window
- Fix window (the side that opens had a piece that was rotting out/rusted so when I opened it, the entire window basically fell out of the frame)

BATHROOM

Done:
- Removed wallpaper
- Removed twine trim at top of wall tiles

Still to do:
- Remove or paint over wave tile
- Paint walls
- Paint window trim
- Paint or stain cabinets
- Replace sink faucets
- Replace cabinet hardware
- Replace light fixture

EMMELINE'S ROOM

I don't have a "before" of this view, but since it's the only thing that's been done in her room, I included the "after" anyway.

Done:
- Painted closet
- Painted exterior of door and exterior doorway trim

Still to do:
- Paint trim, closet doors, and inside of door
- Replace ceiling fan (it's nice, just doesn't match what decor she'll have)
- Paint walls
- Replace carpet

PLAYROOM

Done:

- Painted door (this was an unfinished door, so we went ahead and painted both sides) and exterior of doorway trim

Still to do:

- Paint remainder of trim and closet door

- Replace carpet (way down the line, probably, when this isn't being used as a playroom anymore)

- Paint half-wall with chalkboard paint?

- Fix built-in desk (you can see from my pic how it sags - need to brace it up with a bracket or pole or something)

- Straighten outlets (none of the outlet covers are level...none!)

- Add pegboard or hooks to inside of closet (which is where all of C's dress up clothes are) for all her accessories

BACKYARD

Done:
- Filled it with a bunch of kid's junk stuff (ANYTHING TO KEEP THEM OCCUPIED AMIRITE)

Still to do:
- Fix a couple of loose boards/steps
- Touch up paint on the deck
- Touch up exterior paint
- Fix up a portion of the fence that's falling down
- Have the dead wood removed from the Willow tree

MASTER BEDROOM

No after pic here because literally all we've done is dump our furniture in it.

Done:

- Absolutely nothing

Still to do:

- Remove wallpaper trim

- Paint trim

- Paint walls

- Replace carpet (down the line)

- Replace window screen (one is missing)

- Replace ceiling fan

MASTER BATH

Again, no after pics because nothing has been done, and no one wants to see pictures of our toothbrushes.

Done:

- Nothing at all

Still to do:

- Replace countertop/sinks (I would love something fanceh like a vessel sink, but that might be too trendy?)

- Replace faucets

- Remove carpet (hopefully I can talk Chris into this...)

- Paint trim

- Paint walls (I want to do a cool accent wall over the tub)

- Add chandelier over tub (I mean....WHY NOT?)

- Paint cabinets

- Frame out mirror 

- Add "built-in" storage in middle of mirror (like this)
- Turn one of the closets into a laundry room? (way down the line)

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So there you have it - it being our EIGHT MILLION projects still to do. Some are huge, some are small; some are must-dos, some are like-to-dos, some are probably-will-never-happens-but-man-I'd-sure-like-tos; some are cheap and quick, some are expensive and time-consuming; some will need to be hired out, and some we can do ourselves. I can't wait to see this house unfold (mostly I can't wait to get new floors - particularly replacing the tile floor in the family room!).

Painting the Trim

So other things are going on at the new house besides just picking paint colors for the wall.

Although they mostly involve paint, too.

My life is paint. Paint is life.

Is there some deep meaning there? Something about covering up the mistakes of your past with primer and three coats of paint? Wait, that doesn’t sound like a very good mantra. I think I’ll refrain from taking life lessons from a) DIY projects and b) a blog.

I briefly talked about the plans for the new house in this post, and most of it involved new paint. We decided to start by painting the trim and walls in the family room and entryway, the trim in the kitchen, the trim and walls in the upstairs hallway, and the walls in the girls' rooms. 

First steps done: Pulled out the built-in and removed the valances 

and got primer on the windows and fireplace built-ins!

We closed on March 30, and thought we’d paint for about two weeks and then move in on Saturday the 11^th after getting all the painting done.

Well. That was a little ambitious. It’s now two weeks since we closed and we aren’t even done with the trim yet. It’s turned out to be a little more time-consuming than we thought (sand! clean! prime! fill in nail holes! caulk seams! paint! paint again! paint freaking againnnnnnnn!) and there’s so much of it. We haven't even gotten a drop of paint on the walls.

So.

Much.

Oak.

Trim.

I actually had a painter come out and give us a bid to do all the trim and they quoted us $2500. So that wasn’t happening. So we've been working on it after work and on the weekends, and I get what I can done during the day when the girls are there, but it's not easy painting with a one- and three-year-old underfoot. 

If you are buying a house with oak trim that you want to paint, my first advice would be: Don't. Just find one with white trim already. But you REALLY LOVE it? Ugh. Then fine. Basically my advice then would be to convince yourself that oak is coming back and just live with it and tell yourself every day that you're just ahead of the trends. No? Not even with a little wine? Ok. Fine. If you still decide you want to paint it, go ahead and sell a liver or a kid or some dirty underwear and just pay someone to do it. Can't afford that and need do it yourself? I'm sorry. Just dump a gallon of paint on your head and then lay down in the middle of the floor moaning softly to yourself. That’s what I feel like at the end of the day, so might as well just skip ahead to that point immediately.

My cousin Danny - my angel savior saint of a cousin Danny - has been helping us out every spare moment he has (and his angel fiancé has allowed him to do so, despite the fact that they have three kids including a six-month-old plus custody of his teenage nephew). He’s a painter by trade, so he gets there and gets about 20 times the amount of work done in one hour than I do all day, so I say again: thank god for Danny.

I also have discovered the magic of caulking seams and filling in nail holes. I'm firmly convinced that those two things are what make a house go from looking builder-grade to high-end. 

See the seams and gaps in this window frame? And then see how much cleaner and crisper it looks after filling them in with caulk? (Still have one or two more coats of paint to put on here.)

 Danny has been caulking all the seams around everything - the doors, the windows, the built-ins - and it makes such a huge difference. It's not something you'd be able to pinpoint if you just walked into the house, but having seen the before and afters, it's like - YES! This looks AMAZING!

Here's what we've been using to do the trim, by the way (we've been using a lot of Sherwin-Williams products because my cousin gets a discount there): 

Zinsser Primer

Zinsser Spray Primer (this was used on the metal tracks of the built-in and the metal grate covers)

Sherwin-Williams Pro Classic Trim Paint in just plain, non-tinted white 

To paint the trim, we followed these steps:

1. Lightly sand the existing trim (very lightly - not trying to get all the shine off or anything, just roughing it up a bit) with 220 grit sandpaper.

2. Clean it all off with a de-greaser. Make sure you get every bit of sanding dust off! Use a tack cloth if necessary.

3. Tape off any surfaces surrounding the trim that paint shouldn't get on. Some of the walls are being painted, so we didn't worry at all about keeping paint off the walls there.

4. Give a very light coat of primer (almost like dry-brushing). After it's dry, try scratching with your fingernail. If it peels or scrapes off, the primer isn't appropriate for the job or you may need to sand more, or you may need to use lighter layers of paint.

You can see how light the primer coat is here.

5. Caulk any seams and fill in any nail holes. (This is what we used for nail holes; and this is what we used for caulking.)

6. Cover with a light coat of trim paint. The paint we used is self-leveling, so multiple light coats are much preferred to one heavy coat. Any brush strokes or roller marks will level themselves out to a smooth finish if you use a light enough coat of paint.

7. Repeat step five until you're satisfied with the finish. For our trim, the wood soaked up a lot of paint, so we had to do three coats of paint. When I do the dining room and sitting room, I might try two coats of primer and see if that makes a difference.

8. Drink.

9. Get a massage.

10. Enjoy living in a home that looks like it was built this decade.

Letters to Emmeline : Sixteen Months

(Some of the pics in this post were taking with a broken camera phone, so I apologize for the quality.)

March 12 to April 12, 2015

Dear Emmeline,

Sixteen months. Sixteen of the fastest months I’ve ever experienced. Really – I thought time with one kid flew by, but with two kids it’s going ten times as fast. And it doesn’t help that we’re in the middle of moving and packing and painting and I feel like I’m missing out on vital time to just BE with you and your sister (versus giving you toys and snacks and anything I can to keep you busy and out of my way while I paint). Hopefully by this time next month we’ll be settled in and I’ll be able to focus on you two a little more. (And damn that move, because this letter is going to be short and sweet so I can get back to the painting grind.) (But not really damn that move, because we’re moving into a beautiful house with more space than we ever could have imagined in an amazing neighborhood with amazing parks and trails and you’re going to grow up here and it will be the only home you ever remember.) (Now I’m going to make myself sad that you won’t remember our first house.) (STOP ALREADY LARA.)

This was your first Easter that you actually got to participate in and enjoy, and you had so much fun hunting for Easter Eggs (for three minutes and about six eggs). You loved tearing into your Easter baskets and wanted to open every toy immediately - mostly the chalk, because you love to eat chalk. I don't know. I don't claim to understand babies. You're a weird bunch.

Your language is coming along, though I’m still waiting for that language explosion I’ve been told to expect any day. For someone with no words, you talk all. day. long. You are constantly babbling in the absolute sweetest voice (I'm sure some day I'll want you to be quiet, but for now...babble away!). And as I’ve mentioned before, while you might not have words for things, you definitely have a specific sound for everything. And you use those sounds loudly and often. Sometimes REALLY loudly. Like….a pint-sized velociraptor or something.  Actually since Velociraptors were only the size of turkeys (WHAT? I KNOW, my mind was blown when I found that out too), not even a pint-size one. Just a slightly smaller-than-average one. But I really do think that you’ll be talking soon – sometimes you repeat words almost exactly (Me: “Let’s go change your diaper!” You: “Diaper!”) but then you won’t repeat them for me, as if you were your own person and not here for my personal entertainment. The last few days, you've talked to yourself in the backseat of the car, just giggling and laughing and babbling away, and it's the best sound on earth and I have to stop myself from pulling over the car just to get out and squeeze you.

You’re learning body parts and people (we video chatted with Nana yesterday and I said, “Where’s Nana?” and you pointed at the screen and she just about died of happiness) and you can follow directions. You eat with a fork or spoon – really well! – and you can drink from a cup, though I still don’t let you on your own because MESS. You walk up and down stairs by yourself (with a handrail), but the little booty scoot down the stairs is still my favorite and I kind of hope you keep doing it for a while. Moms: slowing progress of their second children everywhere in order to keep them little longer.

You love chocolate and sweets. I was so strict with Carys’s sugar intake, and I try to be strict with yours (you guys don’t get juice, for instance) but since I allow Carys a dessert or treat most days, you see her getting that great and by god, you want it. You know where the candy is (on top of the cabinets) and you’ll sit in front of the cabinet and point and whine and point and squeal and point and cry, begging me to get you a piece of candy. If you see anything with a shiny wrapper, you suspect it’s chocolate and you want nothing more than what is inside that shiny wrapper. Even when I open it and show you it’s actually just a dishwashing tablet, you’re still pretty convinced that one was just a fluke and one of those other ones surely has chocolate in it, because HELLO, SHINY WRAPPER. I sometimes get a smoothie to split with Carys, and I’ve had to start pouring you a little bit of it – in the exact same cup as we have (“Hi, can I get a large smoothie and an extra cup, lid, and straw?”), because otherwise you are entirely convinced I’ve pulled some sort of bait and switch and have filled your sippy cup with formaldehyde instead of smoothie. Like, Em, you won’t even try it! Just take a drink; it’s smoothie, I swear!! So basically my entire life revolves around hiding treats and candy and smoothies from you. I’ve gotten quite proficient at opening and eating chocolate in a pitch-black background with the fan running so you won’t hear the wrapper. (Ok, that hasn’t happened.) (Well. Maybe once.)

You still love to be read to and puzzles. You really love the baby doll your great grandma gave you for Christmas, and you’ve taken ownership of one of Carys’s baby dolls as well. You carry them around and pat their backs and put them to bed and give them bottles and it’s so freaking adorable that I don’t know how your dad hasn’t agreed to a third baby just so you have a real baby to play with. Markers are a forbidden favorite – we have to be super careful to put every marker away, because if you find one, you’ve got the lid off, your mouth full of ink, and the wall decorated in about two seconds flat. You also love the car race track that you got for your birthday, as well of the kinetic sandbox, and those two toys can occupy you while you play by yourself for at least three minutes. Sometimes four. Heaven! (That's an exaggeration - you actually play with them by yourself for quite a while; even longer if Carys is playing with you.)

You’re a mover and a climber just like your big sister was, and you’ve finally gotten used to walking on grass. Now we have to get you acclimated to walking on sand at the park, so you don’t just stand on the edge of the playground crying for me to pick you up and get you off of this deadly substrate - although you'll happily sit and play in our sandbox at home. Again: I don't claim to understand babies. You love to swing (just like every single baby ever) and you love slides (ditto). We started swim class again and you're loving it - you're such a little fish in the water. You push away from me, trying to swim on your own, and you love to jump off the side of the pool into the water (where I catch you, obviously). You giggle the entire time. 

You and your sister are starting to play together more and more, and the other day the two of you were chasing each other the pantry at the old house and squealing with laughter and it was the best sound ever. It was only about two minutes later that you guys each went for the same toy and were pushing and pulling hair, but it was fantastic while it was happening. And it happens every day. You are so sweet together sometimes and I can't wait to see you play together - really together - more and more.

You have the sweetest blonde curls and your dimples get deeper every day and they give you the brightest, happiest smile. Your eyes are still a clear blue and I'm starting to think they might stay that way?? We'll see. That sweet chubby baby body is turning into a taller, leaner toddler body (that's just as sweet).

I actually don’t even want to write about your sleeping because (redacted) and I don’t want to jinx it.  KNOCK ON WOOD FOR EVEN MENTIONING THE POSSIBLILITY THAT IT MIGHT BE IMPROVING PLEASE GOD DON’T TAKE THIS FROM ME.

Sometimes, when I pick you up, you start patting my back and saying, “shh shh shh,” just like I have done to you every night for the last sixteen months. And then I want to cry and cuddle you and love you and squeeze you and keep you a little baby forever. Sometimes, you just lay in my arms when I’m lying on the couch and melt into me just like you did when you were a baby and I’m blissfully happy. Sometimes your sister joins us and I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you two in my life. Sometimes I’m writing a cheesy blog entry about how amazing you are and life is and I start tearing up and oh my god why is everything so perfect and rainbows and kittens everywhere.

I’ll read the above paragraph tomorrow when I’m trying to get even one six-inch section of trim painted without interruption and I’ll laugh and laugh and laugh at myself.

I love you, Emmeline, even when you’re begging me to pick you up when I’m trying to paint. So very much.

Love,

Mama

New House : Picking Paint Colors, Part Two

So when I left off, I'd made a white board full of my favorite warm/soft gray paint chips. I ended up getting samples of Sherwin Williams (SW) Requisite Gray, SW Essential Gray, Benjamin Moore Nightingale (BM), and BM Smoke Embers. I was pretty sure I knew what color I was going to use (I was leaning heavily towards Nightingale) and was just getting samples to cement that choice.

I selected five different walls to paint swatches on. I painted the background white, because I didn't want to be influenced by the warmer tan on the walls already. Was that smart? I DO NOT KNOW YET. Check back next month when I finally have paint on the walls. I'll keep you updated. You'll see why I'm not sure whether the white background was wise later.

Painting the swatches in those sample colors changed everything. I was no longer sure at all. Requisite Gray was more straight-up brown, Nightingale had a purple twinge, Metropolitan had a little blue twinge and was a little dark, and Smoke Embers had kind of a dull, putty-like look to it (like unbaked pottery). I didn't really love any of them.

Here are the colors at night, so with a warm cast (same order in all pics):

Top: SW Requisite Gray SW 7023, SW Essential Gray SW 6002

Bottom: BM Nightingale AF-670, BM Smoke Embers AC-28

Note: This is in the evening, with the only lights being interior lights, so it's slightly warmer here than it is in the daytime.

Literally after I finished painting them, I was like, "whomp whomp." While the chips looked all. so. similar. on the whiteboard, once the samples were on the wall they looked very different. Chris had previously just told me, "It doesn't matter - just pick one! They're all the same!" after seeing the chips, but had very strong opinions about them once they were up on the wall. I thought maybe the paint itself was actually off a little or a different color, but I held the chips up to the swatches, and they matched perfectly. It's just that hard to tell the true color from a tiny paint chip.

Bummer. 

So I grabbed my bag of discarded paint swatches and pulled out a few more that looked promising. I added BM Revere Pewter (since everyone recommends that color, not just all over the internet, but my real-life friends as well - like so popular that the paint store said they have trouble keeping the paint chips for that strip in stock!), BM Gray Owl, BM Metropolitan, and BM Harbor Gray. I honestly was kind of discouraged (after just four colors? I don't have a career as a DIYer ahead of me....) and I wasn't sure how to use chips to choose a color if they were so different from paint chip to wall. Was I just going to have to get samples of everything?? 

I had paint samples all over the walls (the same eight colors repeated everywhere but no longer in the same order, since I had to squeeze them in where I could). Also, strangely enough, after coming back the next day, Smoke Embers had really grown on me to the point where I was pretty sure that was going to be the final color, despite dismissing it as too putty-like the day before.

(The blurry pics are from a phone with a broken camera, so sorry about that!)

The original four colors, plus the four new ones. You can really see the differences in color caused between daylight and artificial light in the colors here.

On the "Which color do I choose?" pic, they are:

Top: Top: SW Requisite Gray SW 7023, SW Essential Gray SW 6002

2nd Row: BM Nightingale AF-670, BM Smoke Embers AC-28

3rd Row: BM Revere Pewter HC-152, BM Gray Owl OC-52

Bottom: BM Metropolitan AF-690,BM Harbor Gray AC-25 

On the staircase pic, they are:

Top: BM Revere Pewter HC-152, BM Harbor Gray AC-25

Middle: BM Gray Owl OC-52, SW Requisite Gray SW 7023, SW Essential Gray SW 6002

Bottom: BM Metropolitan AF-690, BM Nightingale AF-670, BM Smoke Embers AC-28. )

And just to make it even more confusing, here are the colors from the company's websites:

I feel like, with the exception of RP and RG being obviously more beige than gray, the rest of the colors look pretty darn similar. But on the wall? They all look completely different. Like, where did Nightingale's purple twinge come from? I don't see that in the sample picture at all. 

As I'd suspected, Revere Pewter was too tan for my tastes. I liked Gray Owl but thought it was a little too light. Metropolitan was a little to dark and a little too blue in some lights. Harbor Gray was a clooooooooose contendor. It was really between Harbor Gray and Smoke Embers. Smoke Embers was just a smidge warmer and a smidge darker.  I was pretty sure that Smoke Embers was the final choice, so I went to paint larger swatches of just that color to look at, only this time without the white background because I was too lazy. 

Wait. What's that? 

Those are the exact same color. I even took a close up pic of each one to see if it was the paint underneath bleeding through, or if just having white paint adjacent to the left sample was making all the difference.

And boom, I could barely tell the difference.

WHAT THE FRESH HELL.

Having a border of white paint totally changed the way my eyes were interpreting the color.

Thanks to this, I had (have) no idea what it's going to look like on the walls. While I know it will be the same color technically, is it going to actually look more like the warm/brown-y gray on the left? Or more cool and blue like the right? We'll have white trim, so maybe more like the left? But it will have much wider amounts of coverage, without every area having white adjacent to it. So maybe more like the right?

WHO KNOWS.

I certainly don't.

I actually still don't and still am not 100% sure on the color. I even went so far as to buy the paint, only to turn around the next morning and list it on a local BST page. I figured if I got offers for the paint, then it'd be a sign to go with Harbor Gray, and if I got no hits, it'd be a sign to go with Smoke Embers.

It's been up 24 hours and no offers, so....Smoke Embers it is? I think? I THINK!?!?

Hopefully by the next paint post, there will be actual paint on the walls (right now we just have the trim done) and we'll know if I choose wisely. Or poorly and I hate the walls and have to spend another 100 hours and $100 to repaint.