(Welcome to Amara, one of the finalists vying for a blogging position at the upcoming AT:The Nursery. Comment away.)
When I got pregnant, suddenly every little waft of cigarette smoke or whiff of gasoline fumes was an imminent threat to the developing brain of my unborn child.
So when my husband and I went to paint our nursery, I threw open all the windows and doors and dragged in a floor fan, even though it was 40 degrees outside, for fear of otherwise inhaling toxic paint odors. Too bad little YOLO wasnt around then; it would have solved my paint problems.
YOLO Colorhouse, a small eco-conscious company in Portland, Oregon, has developed a line of subtly hued, very beautiful paints for babies and young children. Named little YOLO, the first collection is sweetly named Sprout.
Besides the fact that the paints are lovely to look at, with colors
like celery green and quiet orange providing a welcome alternative from the typical powder blue and soft pink usually meant for nurseries, the paints themselves are healthier than most.
All six tones are VOC-free, meaning theres no smell or off-gassing as your walls dry, perfect for conscientious mothers (and fathers) -to-be. And because the founders of the company are realists about how children treat their surroundings, the paints dry to a scrub-friendly finish, letting you wash off tiny paw prints or crayon smudges without ruining the color.
Plus, theres an extra bonus to the line: The company creates samples
of its paint in poster-size swatches, so you dont have all those
annoying half-full small cans of paint left in your hall closet after
youve tested them on your walls. The only hitch is that at $37/gallon, theyre not cheapbut they will leave you breathing easy.
-Amara
Water-based paints have a slight smell, but are they actually harmful in any way? Whats VOC? Yummy looking paint can.
VOCs are volatile organic compounds, basically a whole mix of chemicals that slowly let off gases over time (creating that certain paint smell). And also causing a whole host of nasty health issues, from headaches to nausea to certain VOCs being linked to cancer. No fun for anyone!
I painted my bathroom with yolo paint in October. There were only light fumes...and they faded within a day or so. It was a huge difference from regular paint.
They also sell a poster sized color swatch that you can attach to your wall - it's great because there is absolutely no committment. I think it was $5.
A nice color selection, but I wish they had more colors.
Welcome Amara! As usual, what's good for the tykes looks like it would be nice for us grownups too - I can see these lovely colors warming up our little closet/office (okay, it's a closet).
This is great! I already ordered 2 samples for my kitchen cabinets...
2 questions - should I pick a satin finish for cabinets (is that similar to eggshell?)
and do I need to buy the primer as well (or any old primer will do?)
Thanks!
Sherwin-Williams makes zero VOC paint (in thousands of colors). Benjamin Moore makes low VOC paint. There are lots of options beyond these six colors.
Here in the PacNW, besides Yolo (which is actually manufactured by Rodda) Rodda makes a low VOC paint (Horizon) and Miller makes a no VOC paint (Acro). Both lines have interior and exterior primers. Any paint can will tell you the milligrams/liter of VOCs, I think it's the law.
They run about $27/gallon. My local coupon book (Chinook Book) has buy one gallon get one free for both companies, and a $5 off coupon for Yolo.
regards,
trillium
What a great article. I absolutely love the concept of being able to paint my child's new room (or my own) without having to rent respiratory gear to get the job done. And the idea of being able to have a large enough paint swatch such that I can somewhat realistically envision my future is a fantastic find for a person with my limitied ability to conceptually "see" a room before it's complete. Welcome Amara -- hope to see you sticking around!
Thanks for coming to the rescue! Really helpful information especially as I'm due with my first baby in February and we're starting to think about nursery decor.
Hope to see more from Amara!
VOC is important as are having a good line of colors and little YOLO's colors look pretty great. Might have to try it out in one of the rooms.
Poster-size swatches are a thoughtful touch. It took a lot of samples (about 25 little cans) and time (about 2 months) for me to decide ... glad my fiancee (then girlfriend) put up with it!
And, as "Lowy" above said it's nice for grown-ups too. Especially with the easy-scrub feature to wipe off chicken-gravy stains from an adventurous night of cooking ... but that's another story ...
I've been looking for some quality colors, for my soon-to-be daughter's new room, that were environmentally and design friendly as well. Thanks for coming to my rescue. After reading your article I picked up a couple of swatches last night and bought "the winner" today. Painting starts tonight, which might not be quite as much fun, but appreciate the info that finally got us started.
Hoorah for healthy paint -- washable, breathable, and not a bit cloying...
Welcome to Amara! She's on it.