Before & After: Marichelle’s Living Room Becomes a Sanctuary
Marichelle loves living in Maplewood, NJ, one of Apartment Therapy’s Coolest Suburbs in America. She runs a chic boutique, Meus, and is mom to an adorable trio of kiddos. While her home is as eclectically stylish as you’d imagine a boutique owner’s to be, the living room wasn’t quite working the way she wanted it to.
“You know how sometimes you go into a house and there’s this cold living room and no one ever goes in there? I didn’t want that,” Marichelle told us. “I wanted every room to be used.”
Watch: Marichelle’s Living Room Sanctuary
The room had a lot going for it, with architectural details like a brick fireplace and a collection of meaningful decor. But it was painted a muted, noncommittal green-blue that, Marichelle tells us, “didn’t really know what it was.” It just wasn’t giving her room the point-of-view she wanted from it.
Luckily, there’s a fast way to a fresh look, and that’s a new paint job. The soft (but strong) green of Australian Jade S420-4 by BEHR® brought in the personality that made Marichelle’s living room a space that instantly draws you in. Using a more saturated color made a big statement, but staying in the cooler end of the spectrum kept the room feeling calm and relaxing—”my haven,” Marichelle called it.
And even though this space is now giving sophisticated sanctuary vibes, BEHR ULTRA® Interior is tough enough to stand up to the kid-sized messes that come with #momlife. It’s a three-for-one combo of paint, primer, and protectant for a one-and-done approach to painting.
This is all very good since this room is going to get lots of traffic. Whether it’s a space for Marichelle to unwind in or for her kids to play in, she can be confident that it will never be one of those rooms that no one ever goes into.