Sitting Room Makeover

It's been a long time (too long!) since I've participated in Metamorphosis Monday with Susan of Between Naps on the Porch. Today I thought I'd share my Labor Day weekend project. It's a basic one, but one that I think has a lot of impact.

You've seen this room before if you're a follower of Affordable Accoutrements. The first three images are from my Sitting Room Table post I did a while back.

The walls were a soft yellow (as are the ones in the dining room). The entry hall is a pale gold with a slight metallic shimmer (Ralph Lauren paint).

The sofa was basic and neutral, but bulky and a bit tired looking.

When I was in the home of Julia Reed and John Pearce in New Orleans recently, I particularly liked the shade of green the walls are painted in several rooms, including the dining room below. Julia wrote about the color in The House on First Street, My New Orleans Story. Her shade was Sutcliffe Green by Farrow & Ball (an English company known for making high quality paint in an historic color palette). She later had the color matched in Benjamin Moore paint (long story -- read the book!). ;)

At this point the sitting room had been mostly cleared of furniture and accessories. I filled nail holes Friday morning (including some where I'd removed wall anchors left by previous inhabitants). The first "metamorphosis" was a simple one -- the rugs have been switched. This one's larger and more neutral, so I think it works better beneath the dining table.

I started painting around the woodwork Saturday morning at 8:30. I had purchased painter's tape, but opted not to use it. If you have a fairly steady hand, it seems faster just to paint around things. I alternate between my left and right hands when I'm painting (depending on which side of the windows, etc. I'm painting -- or if one hand gets tired) -- do you do that?

I found a shade of green I liked made by Pittsburgh Paints. It's called Bonsai. I ended up having it mixed in a Porter Paint base (eggshell finish). Porter goes on really smoothly, covers great, and there are almost no drips or spatters.

I wasn't completely sure I liked the color at this point. I usually go for neutral shades ... but it's done, so we'll see ...

I was finished by 4:30. New wall color, investment: 8 hours and a little less than $80, including two gallons of paint, angled trim brush, paint rollers, pan, plastic drop cloths, masking tape. I barely used any of the second gallon, but it's always good to have leftover paint for touch-ups. The next morning, I went around with the brush and touched up a few spots, but one coat pretty much did the job.

Oh, did you notice anything new? Well, not so new -- a vintage Henredon Chippendale sofa I found last weekend at an antiques mall. The scale of it works much better I think, and the color goes well with the abstract painting (most colors would I suppose!). It cost far less than a new sofa, and the quality's excellent (the cushion's down-filled).

I think the rug shows up much better now that it's out from under the dining table.

The view from the entry hall ...

It seems to me that the new wall color calls more attention to the crown molding and the old mantel (recycled by the builder from an old home in town that was being demolished).


That's it. The entire metamorphosis was under $200. So what do you think? Is it an improvement?

Thank you for stopping by, and thank you, Susan, for hosting. Now I'm off to check out all the Metamorphosis Monday makeovers!