It was after 9 pm on an regular everyday kind of evening.
There I was-
all cozy working from bed while listening to the real life
crazy freak out story that was on Dateline that night…
when I heard something outside my window.
And of course,
instead of the logical thought of it being a little family of sweet deer nibbling on the window boxes
or that neighborhood cat that wanders around and sleeps on the patio furniture…
I started to imagine all kinds of scenarios.
You know those Dateline-esque scenarios.
Like the best friend who all of a sudden turns on you and attacks you…
after stealing your husband.
Or the random person who you met at the grocery store who was your dream guy at first glance –
and who after a whirlwind, amazing courtship-
you made the mistake of marrying.
Because he then turned into Mr. nightmare of epic proportions
and took out a life insurance policy and started googling ways to get rid of you.
Which of course no details are discovered until AFTER he attempts to cash in.
And have you noticed…
Dateline always shares those stories that are set in the middle of the night on a lonely country road
when someone is home quietly minding their own business and doing something
like watching a show like Dateline
and it makes it that much more creepy?
So back to that 9 pm rustling…
I heard car doors slamming.
Then something else like…shuffling.
Yikes.
And I turned the tv down
and went over to the window and listened.
And then I heard footsteps and a quiet voice.
That was it.
I slipped on my flip flops,
grabbed my phone and a close by weapon of choice
and I quietly went through the house
and started flipping on the lights.
And after a pause… when I peered out the window again.
I found my oldest son and his girlfriend coming casually up the walkway
smiling with their
suitcases and pillows in hand.
🙂
After asking what they were doing sneaking up on me
I set down the important weapon of choice…
(ahem…think along the lines of a paint roller)
and explained that I thought they were some random escaped robbers
or ex boyfriends from 25 years ago who were
sneaking up in the middle of the night to cash in on some life insurance policy
that I didn’t know about…
and then I realized
that my slightly mad paranoia must be from all the paint fumes & Dateline creepers.
Let’s be honest,
paint fumes cloud your thought process because- hello-even the mild ones are are paint fumes
and Dateline just makes you think everyone has an agenda and is out to get you.
(yes, even your husband, dog and best friends)
It is not a winning combination.
But do you want to know what exactly IS a winning combination?
Creamy white paint on wood walls.
Oh yes.
I promised to share sneak peeks along the way of that makeover going on
over here.
And last week, I talked about the wood walls going up
and the paint coming out and the paint fumes that were filling the air with changes.
And after staring at about 50 different white paint chips.
googling ‘Best White Paint’ about a half a dozen times
reading my friend Laurels post on The Best White Paint
at least 3 times
and then trying samples and saying:
‘Too blue. Too stark. Too yellow. Too blah. Too no way thank you very much.’
I like warm whites. Cringe at blue undertones.
And grey undertones? Well they are okay as long as they are taupe gray
and not grey-grey or some other kind of grey…
Aye aye aye…
I finally settled on a color that seemed to fit the bill.
One that had a warm, simple, clean,
welcoming and friendly
shade of white…
Benjamin Moore Simply White
Simply white is exactly what is says… simply white.
It isn’t blue. It isn’t yellow. It isn’t pink. It isn’t gray or taupe or anything else.
It has a very simple white look.
Win- win.
But here is the skinny on my thoughts right away-I did not love it right away.
Starting with this photo below…
This is one coat of
paint and primer mixed
Simply White.
paint and primer mixed
Simply White.
I looked at it and was like…
No.
It is too blue/gray for me and felt cold and I hattteeedd it.
I figured I had failed at choosing the right white paint
AGAIN.
And I should just stick to the mix it yourself formulas of a pinch of this and splash of that
I usually do.
To give you a BETTER idea of the difference between the
‘white’ I had on the walls.
(which as you can see- was more ‘cream’ than white- but it definitely did NOT
appear more ‘Cream or yellow’ than white in person)
whoa…
a stark difference.
The ‘White’ I was used to was definitely looking yellow and…
dare I say… dingy white?
It looked warm and pretty in person-
but was definitely not pretty next to the ‘bluer’ Simply White.
The ‘White’ I was used to was definitely looking yellow and…
dare I say… dingy white?
It looked warm and pretty in person-
but was definitely not pretty next to the ‘bluer’ Simply White.
After my outburst of ‘NO’ after the first coat- my husband said:
‘Chill. Let’s get another coat on so it covers the wood well because it is showing through
and then if you hate it- we can go over it with
yet another shade of white’
(yes, he was mocking me )
So we did another coat.
And then I did that whole dramatic close your eyes
turn your back and take big steps as you walk away
and then turn around quick and get the first impression thing…
and… Ooooh la la!
That Simply White was simply gorgeous.
Creamy and warm and so clean feeling.
Creamy and warm and so clean feeling.
And I might have wanted to start putting curtains up and bringing the pieces back in the room
to see how that Simply White mingled.
to see how that Simply White mingled.
But I still wasn’t sold until I saw it morning, noon and night.
And then, I was loving it.
Here is a super in progress photo showing from a dark corner of the room
so you can really see the difference-
Simply White behind the antique fireplace mantel – which is definitely looking
‘antique white’ next to it.
Incidentally- before – that fireplace mantel looked
more simply vintage white.
But against a true white? More antiquey for sure.
(Don’t worry- not painting the mantel.)
So there you have it.
The white I chose to go with on this project is
Simply White.
Not lily white. Fresh Cotton. Summer Breeze
or any other white with a fancy schmancy romantic or major exciting image evoking name.
Simply White is literally…
Simply White.
The ceiling is getting a fresh coat as well
and we are getting much closer to finally wrapping up this makeover.
Though… as I mentioned on Saturday-
waiting on something to arrive which has delayed just a bit.
And for those of you who are saying ‘Where is the sneak peek?’
I know. I know.
I didn’t shared a pretty over all picture
just that ladder and fireplace with a couple little tiny ranunculus…
but
baby steps folks.
Think ‘extreme refresh… bit by bit edition’
Up next, delving into the new lighting…
oh yeah- bring on the bling baby…
😉
And if you put Dateline or Dateline Id or any other real life scary show tonight…
just make sure you lock your doors
and have a handy dandy weapon of choice on hand…
like a paint roller.
😉
Hope your week is off to a great start.
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Oh dear. I have 2,000 square feet, with 14-foot ceilings, moldings, high relief carvings and the whole Versailles vibe, and I want to do a warm white in one apartment and a cool white in the other. But my painter gave me a 3-inch thick sample pad with only numbers, not names. I don't know what brand he uses, nor how Benjamin Moore, Farrow and Ball or any other paint names would translate in French (do they label them differently?) i hope I find as much success as you–your choice looks fabulous!
That is a hard one- I don't know about how the colors would translate to your paint availability. Maybe ask at your local paint store and see if they have a universal color chip list or something along those lines?
Hey guys! Bring the color numbers into your Benjamin Moore store – their computer has a search engine that searches through all paint companies. 🙂
And 48 hours series too!
Simply White paint is a good background for your furniture and flowers. You sure know how to style flowers, so pretty and romantically old fashioned.
Kathleen in Az
Right? Omgosh. I love those shows but boy…sometimes they just get that creepy on. haha. Thanks for stopping by Kathleen!! xo
I was cracking up reading this Courtney! Cant wait to see it all done!
haha! Thanks Darrielle!! Hope all is well with you! xo
This is too funny, Courtney! It reminds me of when I first moved into our little gated city…I didn't know anyone yet, and I suppose my sister had been calling and calling with no success. She ended up calling the community patrol and sending them to the house to check on me (by the way, our community patrol doesn't wear a "uniform" per se) and in my brain, he looked like some sort of creepy stalker. My sis and I had a good laugh about it, especially since we are both ardent fans of crime drama. Too much tv, we joked. Lol. The white looks so beautiful, can't wait to see what you have in store.
haha!! I can imagine you and your sister and the issues with the community patrol!! Those shows are addicting- and I love them- but they definitely do cause a little paranoia. 😉 Thanks for stopping by!!
Sometimes I just have to turn the channel before I freak myself out! Curious what type of finish you went with, flat? satin? Will be painting my living room real soon, filling in the 1000 nail holes in this week 😉
We went with a satin finish- flat is hmm… flat- and semi gloss is sometimes just a bit too much on the wood walls. Hope that helps!
Oh my word…..I was laughing all the way through this post, Courtney! It was hilarious! I could just picture you flip flopping softly through the house with your "weapon". lol You know, every time I see Simply White on someone's walls, I want to do a major overhaul throughout my entire house! Unfortunately, I chose a much more creamy white years ago and just don't have the ambition to redo it all. Aghhhh….But I am sooo loving the clean white that you chose. So beautiful!!
xoxo laurie
Beware of women in flip flops carrying paint rollers right? haha!;) I hear you on the repainting. I have several rooms to tackle this spring- and it definitely is a lot of work. I do love creamy whites too though. Thanks for stopping by Laurie!
Ha ha… I've done the whole Google what-are-the-best-whites too and guess what? I came up with the same one. I used Simply White for the trim and ceilings in my entire house. Haven't done any rooms in white yet, but I just love Simply White and consider it the perfect white. As "real white" as it is, it has just a tiny touch of warm undertone in it and it's a very clean white. I also love white and cream together, so I'm sure your mantel will look wonderful next to it when it's all done… 🙂 Looking forward to the reveal!
I totally agree about the color and tone- and yes, it is so clean on the wall but not stark- if that makes sense. It just may be a 'Perfect' white paint color. 🙂
How much do I owe you for doing all the work for me?? I mean all the angst and research should be worth something, right?? I've been waiting to redo our walls just for the work of choosing. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We've always used Benjamin Moore's I believe decorator white for our trim which is great — do you have any experience with it?
Haha!! 🙂 Glad I could help! Choosing the right shade of white paint is NOT an easy task! I hope that Simply White works for your home as well!! I have not used Decorator White but I have heard about it often so it must be a good one as well! Thanks for stopping by Marisa!
Are you painting your ceiling in Simply White satin also? Love it too!
Yes, I think so. I have started to paint it and it looks like it will be perfect.
Hi Courtney,
Thank you so much for linking to my post! Hugely honored! But yes, I can reeeeeeeelate to this so well. In fact, I wrote another post about it, which I would link up to my name, but don't see that option here. (another story, because I have never been able to make open ID or wordpress work). I think you and your readers will enjoy it because I was definitely that nut-job-lady at the paint store some 20 years ago. This post also reveals my go-to white, but I do love the dove too. http://laurelberninteriors.com/2015/06/07/the-one-white-trim-color-that-works-every-time/ BTW, it's verrry close to Simply. Don't ask me the difference. It's negligible. The difference between 10AM and 11AM. I've never used simply, simply because when I find what I'm looking for, I don't need to look further. There's a lesson there. :]
Haha!! You know, I was not even considering Simply White until your post. And then when I went in- I went to get that other one- Gazebo White or Arbor White or something and I got a sample and it was not love. It was barely like. But while I was there getting the sample- they gave me a chip of Simply White to show the subtle differences in the Arbor/Gazebo and Simply White and I was like… hmmmmmm.. maybe. So we went with it figuring if it didn't work in that room- I have a whole house that is covered in shades of white and it would probably work somewhere haha 😉 Anyway, great post- and thanks for the help!! xo
I just painted my bedroom white and it is my first time ever trying to pick out a white. How can that be SOOOO difficult??
🙂
http://gwingal.blogspot.com/
Simply white is my go to white. I love it on trim and doors. It truly is simply……white. 🙂
http://www.newenglandhomeandgarden.net
I knew it! I knew you would say it "Simply White" by BM. I discovered this for my pine plank ceiling I put in my kitchen remodel this winter. I love it and you will be so happy!
Thank you Courtney!! As soon as I read your post, I went and got a sample and you're right–it works perfectly with other stuff I've picked for our kitchen remodel! 'Course, I had faith in you and knew you'd be right all along :). I'm wondering what color you used for your kitchen cabinets? I love the Simply White for the walls…and I've got a Carerra Quartz for the countertop…and I'm reeeaaally liking a grey hand painted looking marrakesh tile for behind the cook top…. PS…your new little sweet fur baby didn't help with the creep vibe?
When I worked in a home furnishing store, I loved it when people would come in and ask for white paint. We carried Benjamin Moore only. I would ask them to narrow it down a bit as white is not white! Then I would watch their jaws drop when I showed them the charts of various "white" paint. It's a challenge to find just the right white!
I enjoyed this post immensely.
The perfect white is really really hard to accomplish. I painted an entire room a perfect white; until the morning sun reflected light from pine trees outside my french doors; which turned the white a dingy color. i repainted with a pure white and it turned out to be a beautiful creamy white. the color – chantilly white.