One of our favorite parts of The Color Cure has been our reader involvement. We're getting tons of great submissions, so we wanted to end the week by sharing two different Before & After projects that were submitted by two different readers. Go ahead, read on to see just how Marlee and Julia overhauled their spaces and what advice they have for Apartment Therapy readers!
The Color Cure: How long after living in your home did you overhaul your space?
Marlee: Within the first weeks we painted the walls. It was very dark in the space and I made it a priority to brighten things up. As soon as the primer was up, even before the paint, you could see what a difference replacing the old paint and dark trim was going to make.
The Color Cure: How long did it take?
Marlee: The initial planning took about a week or two. All of the trim and cabinetry had a dark stain that had to be transformed to a glossy white. Then, over time, we added the sofas, decorated and placed the TV above the fireplace.
The Color Cure: Where did you find your color and design inspiration?
Marlee: I look in so many places for design inspiration. The house was a 1980 traditional colonial, so I knew I wanted to keep with that style. I am a daily reader of Apartment Therapy (really!) and other design blogs. I am a huge fan of Domino (RIP), Elle Decor, Lonny, Southern Living, and other magazines. I also look to such sites as the Purl Bee, the blog from Purl Soho's sewing, quilting, crafting store. There are so many inspirations when you look at colors and textiles. I knew I wanted to use a neutral paint color, so I did quite a bit of research on favorite neutrals from sources like Remodelista and Martha Stewart.
The Color Cure: How much planning did you put into the project?
Marlee: When we were considering purchasing the house, I was already considering a lot of the improvements I wanted to make. I probably spent about three months, between contract and closing, making plans.
The Color Cure: What was the most challenging part of the project?
Marlee: Deciding what to do with the paneling on the back wall. We went back and forth on dry walling over the wall, but in the interest of budget, we decided to paint and see how it would look. Once it was painted, and the trim was also painted, we liked the way it looked. Since it was on the wall with the built ins and the fireplace, it wasn't overwhelming. Also, challenging was the placement of the TV. We wanted it over the (wood burning) fireplace, but the components, cords, etc. had to go left or right due to the chimney. My father helped build a concealing shelf on the mantel to snake all of the cords and wires to the side.
The Color Cure: Did you learn a new skill during your home improvement project?
Marlee: Painting over wood paneling can work and look well!
The Color Cure: Are you happy with the outcome?
Marlee: Yes. We were very happy. It was a completely different room when we were finished. When we subsequently sold the house, our realtor received many compliments on the color and we sold in a matter of weeks during a tough market competing against a number of similar homes in the neighborhood.
The Color Cure: What, if anything, would you do differently next time around?
Marlee: I was very happy with what we did with the budget we were working with. If anything, I might introduce another color into the room through the use of a different rug or other textiles. But, I think the room worked well for the home.
The Color Cure: If you had one piece of advice for Apartment Therapy readers, what would it be?
Marlee: Live in your space and see how you are using it. We moved last summer into a new home quite different from our previous one. We are now in a Southern neighborhood featuring Charleston, Craftsman, and Georgian homes built with a nod to traditional details found in historical neighborhoods. We have the quintessential front porch and a light-filled home abundant with architectural detailing. Although I quickly set up my children's rooms, we are still working on plans for the living areas. I keep an Evernote file on my Mac and have collected many files/ideas for our planning.
The Color Cure: How long have you lived in your home?
Julia: We bought this home, our first, in April, just 4 months ago.
The Color Cure: When did you overhaul the space?
Julia: 10 days after we moved into our home, we already had the living room painted and a plan set out.
The Color Cure: How long did it take?
Julia: Last month I was still tweaking things, and I am sure it will continue. It took 3 months to get to the point it is now.
The Color Cure: Where did you find your color and design inspiration?
Julia: The main color inspiration, the purple accent wall, came from a dining room inspiration picture. Although I have adapted the color for my space and went with Behr's Violet Evening. The soft gray paint that we painted the majority of our main floor was a mis-tinted find. $25 for 5 gallons of Banjamin Moore's Cape Hatteras Sand color matched to Valspar...mis-tinted. Score! Because it is the very first thing you see when you walk in our front door, we wanted it to reflect our personalities and be inviting.
The Color Cure: How much planning did you put into the project?
Julia: A lot of things fell into our laps...err home. The shag carpet and the 5 gallons of mis-tinted paint were both incredibly discounted and we knew we wanted to work them into the room. The deep purple paint I didn't think about too much, only because I didn't want to talk myself out of it. I even told the guy at the paint counter how nervous I was. The big art of the wall is from IKEA and I have loved it for about 2 years. We finally had a wall large enough to buy it and we ran to get it.
The Color Cure: What was the most challenging part of the project?
Julia: The most challenging part was/is creating a room that looked good, reflected our personalities and was also kid-friendly. We have a 17 month old daughter and I wanted this home to be her home, too! The white couch is 100% slip-covered, the ottomans I reupholstered serve as storage for all of our daughter's toys.
The Color Cure: Did you learn a new skill during your home improvement project?
Julia: The ceiling on the main floor is vaulted and I do all the cutting in for our paint projects. So, although I have ben cutting in forever, facing my fears and climbing up a tall ladder to get the job done was a completely new experience. Scary, but liberating.
The Color Cure: Are you happy with the outcome?
Julia: Yes, absolutely! It has been a great launching pad for the rest of our home. We aren't afraid of punches of color and really make the spaces come to life.
The Color Cure: What, if anything, would you do differently next time around?
Julia: Eventually, we want to add better lighting (the lamps we had, I just recovered the shades) and a few other things, but that's down the road. We love our living room and wouldn't change the way we did anything.
The Color Cure: If you had one piece of advice for Apartment Therapy readers, what would it be?
Julia: Take a risk. I still like to drool over layered white rooms, but for us I am so glad I went bold. I don't regret it, and if I did...it is just paint.
If you want to learn more about how Julia has overhauled her home, check it out here!
Do you have a Before & After or a Color Inspiration Story to share with The Color Cure? Go ahead and get your entries in soon. We can't wait to hear from you!
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#2 different color improved but not transformed. #1 beyond improved, it is rescued.
I wonder who will be the first poster who claims that #1 was better "before" because it was wood.
It's still wood. It's just painted wood.
Ha! I will be the first poster to claim that I preferred the unpainted wood. But that's just me. At least they didn't paint the bricks.
#1 is amazing. The before was claustrophobic. The after is lovely. Not a big fan of purple walls, but if you like that kind of thing a definite difference.
I agree with CallDoctorBison. To me #1's "After" just lacks the character of its "Before", sorry :(
I'm a bit underwhelmed by these "transformations." On the first room in particular, I know everyone will focus on the white paint over the wood paneling but most of the improvement is just in the fact that they removed the clutter. I won't say the original wood tone would have been better but there's a lot they could have done with it and now that it's painted no one can never go back (practically speaking, that is.)
@Ben Copeland-
You're right about the clutter.
Perhaps this should have been shown in 3 stages:
Before
De-cluttered
Am I the only one who uses table lamps??
After
I never paid much attention to the wall art / frames at Ikea but I love that piece in room 2 and might pick that one up soon!
I don't think it's fair to say these rooms were transformed by color when so much else was done. Both of them have completely different furniture and accessories.
The claustrophobic feeling in #1 Before that @Rainarana mentioned has more to do with the fact that it was shot about 10 feet closer to the fireplace, and with a couch twice the size of that in the #1 After shot. Not really a fair comparison.
#1's Before would be absolutely charming with more shaker-style furnishings to unify the "found" elements, and maybe lightened up with white open shelves. Throwing a neutral white on everything is the easier, cheaper fix in the long haul, but it's all about what you can live with (and probably the niche vs. general market you aim for in resale.) These two aren't wow-zers but reading about the compromises and indulgences that go into the planning process is always enjoyable.
#2 is a strange transformation. The Before picture showed almost no furniture, but had random clutter and boxes. The after has nice furniture and is clean. Of course the after is better, but I don't think it has anything to do with color. The green they had before was nice, though not exactly my style, and I can say the same about the purple/blue they have there now.
#1... I didn't like the paneling around the fireplace, but why paint the trim? Wood-trimmed windows and doors are so much nicer than white imho. Then again, it's just personal preference.
The problem with these rooms wasn't the color.
#1 was the horrendous sectional blocking the entire room and the clutter on the shelves walls...
...and #2 was simply unfurnished.
If we picture these rooms with "before" furnishings and decorations the color would be even MORE of a transformation. Imagine #1 with all the knick knacks and rural art... painted white. It would still REALLY open up the space, just like it did in the after picture. The same goes for #2. Yeah, there wasn't any furniture in the before and there was some clutter but can you imagine that swampy green on the walls with the furniture in place? The cool purple did transform the room and added a very relaxing feel. I can't blame either home owner for wanting to take their rooms to the next level with new home furnishings. It's only natural.
I really like 2nd one.
The first... not so much. While the paneling behind the shelves needed painted or whitewashed simply to brighten the room, that woodwork was lovely (especially the doors).
The dark family room looks SO much better whitened up. I would've painted the fireplace bricks white, too. Maybe the insides of the book shelves could be painted a contrasting color or papered.
Wow, both of those rooms look so much airier, i agree that the fireplace needed fixing too. But you have to agree that they look so much better!
Agree with above posts about the transformation being more about changes in furniture/clutter/distance of photo than colour by itself. Love the purple/blue of the wall in #2, and the picture collection is a great idea, but just to be picky, I think they are positioned too close together, and would look better with some more space between the frames.
Have to agree that #1 still looks like a "Before" shot. #2 is amazing, definitely transformed by color, and I recognize that large picture on the wall from my massage therapist's studio.
I suspect that the before photos might not have contained their own things, considering that both overhauled these spaces shortly after moving in. I sure wouldn't move into a place and arrange ALL MY FURNITURE AND CRAP only to get rid of it all in a couple of weeks.
I do happen to prefer both the afters, though, including the paint.
I would have to say that typically, I would prefer wood as well... but in this case I think I like the painted finish much better and probably creates a totally different mood in the space. 1) It is THEIR house 2) If they want the wood look again, it's nothing that a little paint stripped wouldn't fix quite easily.
I am also underwhelmed by the transformations. The second one just painted a wall and put in furniture.
Both rooms just painted the walls and put in boring furniture.
I like the lightness the paint gives to #1, but would have liked to have seen the bookshelves used as bookshelves - the few photographs just look sad and lonely. A wall of books is so much warmer!
As for #2 - it was an empty room. So, the "transformation" is just moving in something to sit on.
Now that I re-read this - #1 was in a house that was for sale. Makes sense that the owners would paint and make the room bare - makes it easier for future owners to imagine their own things there.
#1's before was not aesthetically pleasing (to me), but it looked like people actually lived there, quite happily. Family photos, books, souvenirs, etc.
The #1 after looks like a model unit in a condo for rent. No personal touches, no soul.
Blah, I would have gone all dark and kept the wood in #1. It's awesomely twin peaks. But seriously, the white thing is nice for a photo, but it is so sterile. I get that wood isn't in style but it defiantly has a nice calming affect. Why couldn't the furniture change and the walls be painted rust?
I would have painted out the wood in #1 as well but when it comes to the finishings of the room, it looks like they sucked all the colour out of that room - no personality at all.
I like the paint job of #1. I'm not a big fan of purple so I don't love #2 but that is just me. IMO these transformations are just so-so. The switch in furniture helps with the transformations but I don't feel like the interiors are amazing. #1 would pop with more stuff or at least a different rug and coffee table. #2 just looks ikea esque... Don't get me wrong, I like both the interiors. They are nice. They are not amazing and inspirational which is why I come to AT.
Those of you commenting on the lack of "personality" in #1 are correct. The "after" photo was taken during the time our house was being staged for sale. So, away went most of the personal touches, books, etc. for the "minimal" look realtors want prospective buyers to see.
I'm totally with 'bepsf'.
I can't tell you how excited I was to be featured on this site!! I agreed to it knowing very well that not everyone would be into the choices we made in our living room. I did want to address a few comments real quick: it looked unfurnished in the "before" because this was our very first home. We didn't have a couch or anything. Funny, the only things from Ikea in the room are the white couch and the large picture hanging above it. The prints above the chair I did in college and the ottomans were a craigslist find that I reupholstered. I sewed the curtains myself and refinished the pillow pod. The lamps and armchairs we had. We are young and it has been an absolute blast putting our personalities into our first home--purple wall and all. We have enjoyed reading everyone's opinions. Thanks again!
#1 had a lot of potential, but the after was boring and safe. Marlee's comment that it was staged to sell, though, explains a lot. The after is more in line with what sells.
#2 is that a bongo side table? Cool.
#1 did well to paint the wood out but the furniture arrangement needs a LOT of work. Possibilities are having the couches facing each other in front of the fireplace or at least having the couch on part of the area rug so it grounds things a bit. Everything looks like someone just moved it in and it hasn't been arranged yet.
House Voyeur--It's my husband's djembe!! My 18 month old goes nuts when he plays it so needless to say it gets a lot of use.
#1, I would have painted the inside of the shelves instead of making the entire wall white, but I guess this set-up is more to the general taste
Love the big art on the purple wall. Can't find at Ikea...bummer.
@psrenew--Here's the link http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30173216 I know it doesn't help find it in the store, but maybe with a product number, an associate can help you.
I love the bold colors in rooms. It's different to see that shade paired with the ikea picture.
I think #1 is fabulous. Painting the wood really opened up and modernized the space for a young family. This kind of transformation makes this a space well suited for children as well as Girls Night - having a nice cold Chardonnay on the couch! Well done, Marlee!
Lurv the rope bridge pic in NO.2 :)