So, you know how my living room’s been looking a little, er, colorful lately.
If you missed the story on that, we got crown moulding, painted it, and got paint on the walls, so we needed to repaint. I decided I wanted a change of pace, so I was looking for a silvery blue. But it turns out a blue light enough for my north-facing room is, uh, baby blue.
Blech.
So, I went in a more gray direction. This color is Fusion from Benjamin Moore, and I really love it!
The gray color really seems to make the white of the moldings pop more.
I love before and afters, as you know. So, here’s the living room when we moved in.
Here’s a more recent incarnation.
And here it is now.
Here’s the dining room when we moved in (blech, blech).
More fixed up.
New light fixture and less clutter:
Aannd here’s what it looks like now.
I really did like the khaki color that was on the walls before, so the before and after here is more like a “Here’s something I liked.” and another, “Here’s something I liked.”
But it’s fun to have a change every now and then, I think, and paint is a pretty cheap and easy way to freshen up a space…our living room and dining room feel so new and classy now. Yay!
AJ says
I like your posts, and how you have pictures, not just before and after, but also the rooms in progress–as well as some unfortunate mistakes. Oh, how I can relate!
Christina says
Where did you get your dining room candle holder on the wall? So cool!
Kristen says
I got mine from Value City Furniture, actually. It was only $50, I think, which is way cheaper than its Pottery Barn cousin. However, it was a weird gold color, so I spray painted it black so it would look like the Pottery Barn version.
Justin says
Where did you get the dining room light fixture?
Kristen says
From Home Depot.
Jessy Keim says
Your home is beautiful! Love the wood floors in the dining room.
Kristin says
i really really like the way the color freshens all the rooms! whats the name of the color blend?
Kristen says
It’s Benjamin Moore Fusion.
Kristin says
i feel inspired to paint something now
Erica Mc says
I love the gray! I wouldn’t have thought of that color either….but my living room used to be a darker beige…almost purpley…I know that’s not a word but you get the idea.
I didn’t realize how much darker it made my room so after awhile…like 3 yrs or so…I decided to go with a bright cream color…makes a HUGE difference.
But I like the look of the gray…definitely going to consider it for my next project.
I have painted my hall four times, and my kids rooms multiple times as well. Painting is the easiest way to change the entire feel and look of your home for under $100….and that’s if it’s a BIG room that needs primed too.
but for a more subtle change…one accent wall will take less than a gallon of paint…and on sale… that can be less than $20!
I’ve also found that my local dollar store carries paint supplies, and drop clothes and the like….the only thing I don’t skimp on is the roller…I always get the mid priced rollers…it really does make a difference in how much paint it uses, how well it rolls on..etc.. worth the extra $1 or so.
good job on the painting!!!
alice says
I would never have thought of using that color but it looks completely spectacular and matches your belongings really well. Nicely done!
Dylan says
That is lovely. Crisp, clean and elegant.
Great choice!
kate says
I LOVE the paint color! Thanks for sharing the name. I’m going to get a sample of it this weekend – it is going on my list!
Heather :) :) :) says
You did a great job on the room makeovers
I especially like the hardwood flooring 
Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather 
Thrifty Mom in Boise says
Love the new color. You have done a really nice job decorating.
Pam K. says
Your furniture and decor look great with the grey, and it really does make your crown molding pop! And it is so neutral, you could always add some pillows, wall decorations, candles, etc., to add some different pops of color, if you wanted to change it up a bit!
Carla says
We once had a grey living room about that color with white trim. It is one of the favorite living spaces I’ve ever had. And the timing on this post is funny because the other day I was thinking of painting our bedroom that exact color. Your living room is particularly nice with the grey and… you are spurring me on, Kristen!
Beth in TX says
Do you remember what the khaki was before? I need a khaki color for one room where the grey wouldn’t work but that grey sure is pretty and I’m going to check it out for my dining room.
Megyn @ Minimalist Mommi says
LOVE LOVE LOVE!! We have a khaki color too, but I much prefer something like what you have. One of these days I’ll get The Hubs to agree…one of these days lol!
Annie says
Very nice, gentle color. I love it! We had a similar color in our old bedroom with white crown molding and original wood flooring. It was very serene and peaceful!
Katfish says
I have a Galileo thermometer in my living room, too! Mine is mounted on a small wall shelf since I have a one- and three-year-old who would have broken it by now if it sat on a table like yours.
Shell says
I love it! I have a coffee-ish color on my walls and have been loving gray lately- that is a fantastic shade! Uh-oh…I feel a project coming on after the Holidays!!
Kacy Furner says
Love the new colour! I also have grey on my main floor. The kitchen and living room are pretty open to each other, so I took two shades from the same paint chip – kitchen is from the lighter end, living room is darker. I know this sounds crazy, but I also have a purple accent wall – one small wall with a large entryway in it!
It’s funny, though, because lately I’ve been thinking about re-painting to something similar to your old colour!
Rachel says
Wow! I never thought a gray room would appeal to me but this looks seriously awesome. So classy!
adventuresindinner says
Love the grey. I’m playing with a grey, very white and bright yellow combo in my basement right now.
Once you change one thing…
Kacy Furner says
love the grey/white/yellow combo! how much yellow are you using? small accents like pillows, etc or a full on wall?
Jo@simplybeingmum says
Got to ask, what colour is ‘gray’? only kidding! The grey looks fab! Worth all the hard work
Kristen says
Oh, right. Sorry. My living room is grEy.
Jo@simplybeingmum says
Kristen says
Grey does sound more sophisticated. I’ll go with that.
Susan@Emperorp says
A is American English
E is British English and English as spoken in current and former Commonwealth countries
From someone who speaks Hiberno English living in the States and comes across this all the time.
Of course if you’re drinking tea, Earl Grey just doesn’t taste the same with an A
Elaine says
Susan is right.
As in, colour is British English, color is American English. And centre is America is not pronounced sentry, it’s center.
The nuns who taught me were all Americans. And tough about these things!
Elaine says
** should say,
centre IN America….
Not having a good typing day!
Pamela Denise says
Lovin the transformation! I love the colors.
I can’t wait to get rid of the builder’s beige carpet in my home. It doesn’t work well with a dog or children but since I refuse to go into debt long-term for it, we have to wait until funds permit.
Jeannie says
I love it. It looks so sophisticated. You have me thinking about a color update. My living room, dining area, and kitchen are all open like one large room with just the kitchen counter the divider and are painted with white ceiling and moldings and a color on the walls called Froth. I really like that gray. Hmmmm….
Kristen says
What color is froth? That sounds kinda gray to me!
thriftygal says
your house is beautiful and an inspiration. the new paint looks awesome and the hardwood floors are amazing. did you do them yourself as well?
Kristen says
My brother and Mr. FG installed them (my brother owns a nailer, and he’s got expertise too…he’s the one who helped us with the crown molding).
Penny says
I really like that color. It goes so well with everything. It’s so nice to have a painting project completed! Thanks for sharing the before and afters.
Little Miss Moneybags says
I love, love, love gray walls, white trim and wood floors. LOVE. I’m trying to decide which room in our new house to paint grey. Living room, bedroom, master bath – so many possibilities!
Debbie T. says
Very nice Kristen! And, just in time for the holiday
priskill says
Hey, what have you got against dueling 80’s wallpapers and chair rails?
Really, though, the gray looks fabulous and your house is lovely — so inspirational to see how you pared down from original ghastly to perfectly nice to streamlined and lovely — decluttering is so hard and you are so good at it — thanks for the befores and afters. Congrats on the lovely, calm, new shade.
Jen says
Yes, the streamlined look and lack of clutter was what was most appealing to me—time to think about decluttering in January!
Kristen says
You just can’t even understand how hideous that room used to be! The picture doesn’t do it justice. There are actually two wallpapers (the tan is a wallpaper) plus a border, and the chair rail molding was plastic. And the light fixture was bent. How you bend a ceiling light is beyond me, but somehow, they did it!
Rebecca P says
It was definitely bad! Lol! You have done a great job modernizing everything. I LOVE the color! I’m thinking that color would look really good in my bathroom.
Rebecca P says
Also, I bet stripping that wallpaper was a BLAST! We had to strip kitchen wallpaper at our old house, and it was horrible! Then the prep work to paint, after you’ve finally stripped it all off, is even worse!
Jo in RI says
Very nice! I don’t know why I am so afraid of painting. We’ve been in our current home 2.5 years now, and I haven’t done a thing to it. All the paint was new when we moved in as they had ‘neutralized’ everything to sell. But now things are starting look a bit less fresh. Maybe now that my No. 4 is about to turn 3, I’ll feel like I can tackle something without worrying as much about little hands getting into the mix of it all!
And please check out my friend’s new show, The Ambush Cook, starting on Saturday at noon on OWN (check local listings):
http://www.oprah.com/ambushcook/Official-Trailer-The-Ambush-Cook
Beth says
That looks fantastic! Gray is an amazing color for walls, especially with white accents.
Diane says
Love the contrast of the gray and white – it does pop! Your house is beautiful.
Katy Wolk-Stanley says
Looks great. I had thought the grey would be too drab, but instead it’s crisp.
Not sure if Oregon’s cloudy days could handle grey walls, but they look terrific in your Mid-Atlantic house.
Katy
Susan@Emperorp says
I’m glad you’re enjoying the new spruced up look Kristen.
I thought the same Katy. Gray walls in Seattle would feel too oppressive. But the photos look great. Elegant, bright and inviting.
I particularly love the photo with Zoe reading on the sofa. Kids (and pets) are just the best decor for a home
Jen says
No grey for me in Alaska, either. Looks too much like the scenery out the window for the winter months–grey, black, and white. Need some color on the walls here! But it does look good in Kristen’s house.
Kristen says
My issue with the blues is that they were just going to be either too dark, or baby blue (yuck!). So, that’s how I ended up with the gray.
I totally understand not wanting gray if you live in an area that oozes gray, though!
Elaine says
Very nice!
I’ve been reading here and there, that the best way to find a blue color is to start with the gray color charts. You get a blue with gray undertones, and that is also “warm”.
I like to paint, but as I get older, I find I’m having more physical problems, so painting is a real chore. I do want to paint my builder’s greige bedrooms with a nice camel’s hair color. It’s in the tan family, and the counted cross-stitch samplers that I have framed look great on it.
Wanna come over and help me?
Lori says
Great color! You’ve done a great job with your house. How do you like carpets compared with hardwood? Are you considering replacing the carpets with wood when the carpets wear out? I am completely sold on wood floors and so is my husband. We have three kids and a dog, btw.
Kristen says
I would LOVE to have nothing but hard floors with area rugs, but when we moved in, we just did not have the cash for it. Maybe one day we’ll be able to get wood floors. I think they’re a more eco-friendly and financially wise option long term because they can be refinished and they last so much longer than carpet. Old carpet is good for nothing.
Sarah says
It looks fantastic! The new color really does make the crown moldings pop! What did you think of BM paint?
We tried to paint our living room/dining room gray last year, but every gray we tried looked either too baby blue or purple. So…. we ended up with a golden yellow and I love it.
Kristen says
I liked it pretty well, but not necessarily more than Behr paint. The upside of BM paint is that we could buy it from a small local hardware store, but it was definitely more expensive.
Michelle says
Pretty!
Angie K says
It looks really great! I would think that gray would be too cold, but it looks very warm and inviting!
Terri S. says
I love the color! I love crisp, white molding. I think it makes paint look so fresh!
Kristen says
White molding is the bomb, isn’t it? Just so lovely.
Kate says
I think this looks fantastic! I just love grey walls.
Kathy says
Looks great! I love the transformation of the dining room.
Mary Kay says
I love it. Now would you like to come help me pick out paint colors for my house?
Kristen says
Haha! You don’t want me to do that…I picked three very wrong colors before I got it right.
Kelli says
very classy!
Cate says
Ooh, I love it! I’ve really been into grey lately. I never liked it before, but it’s just so nice and crisp when done right. Paint is definitely a cheap and easy way to spruce up a room (though sometimes it can be a pain in the butt).
Kristen says
Yes! This area was especially difficult because of all the moulding that needed to be painted around. But I love my moulding, so I can’t complain too much!
Patti says
Hi Kirsten,
I love it! I love gray. The bathroom at my old house was your new color. The new house guest bath is charcoal. My main living area is a tad lighter than yours. I bought mercury glass knobs for my kitchen cabinets and am choosing a gray to match a knobs and walls. Your gray might just work!
Patti
Kristen says
Ooh, I had a charcoal bath at our townhouse…dark-ish walls with white floors, white shower, white shower curtain, white vanity, etc.
Patti says
I painted the vanity white (have white trim) and added soft pink knobs and a soft pink bathmat. The shower curtain has an aqua background with pink flowers. Sounds busy but I like it!
Have a good weekend…..
Patti
bigsis says
It looks very homey and inviting.
Lilian says
Very modern. Nice!