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Laundry Room Renovation: Lessons From a Can of Paint

Renovations· The Laundry Room

13 Jun

I met Trina freshman year of college. The Roommate Gods put us together and we have been inseparable (generally speaking – she lives about four hours away in Fargo, ND) ever since.

I know that when we are together, not only is a smile going to be plastered on my face the entire time, but I am also going to be my best self. Like any best friend, she brings out the best in me.

What does this have to do with home decor?

Well, it took a can of paint for me to realize this same rule applies to your home.

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Let me back up.

We’re in the process of renovating our laundry room.

Essentially, we’re starting from scratch; a completely blank canvas.

If you haven’t seen our inspiration board, click here. This’ll give you an idea of what we’re hoping to do and the look we’re going for.

We chose the tile last fall at a home renovator’s outlet store and decided on a light gray for the grout color.

Brett was able to lay the tile down on a weekend he was home and my dad and I grouted it while he was away.

After letting the grout dry for a day, I eagerly opened the paint – Upward by Sherwin-Williams – and went to town.

I sent Brett a quick picture and about two seconds later he called me.

“Why is it purple?” He asks.

“Purple??? It’s not purple.”

You know when someone points something out and then that’s all you see?

Well, that’s exactly what happened here.

I finished painting the left wall and then did the wall with the window.

All I saw was purple.

Don’t get us wrong. The color was absolutely beautiful. Just not what we thought it was going to be.

After talking it through, we decided the grout needed to go.

Instead of chisseling out all the grout and redoing the whole thing, we found this ABSOLUTELY GENIUS product that stains grout.

Obviously this only works when going from light to dark, but it’s seriously the best thing ever.

We went with a dark brown and in a matter of 45 minutes the entire space was transformed. Even more of a miracle? The walls were looking a little more blue and a little less purple.

After the grout dried, we moved the washer and dryer back into the room, along with the laundry tub.

Once again, the wall color began to shift and appear a little more blue.

And after adding and staining the window trim and throwing up some fantastic curtains, it became clear that all these walls needed were some good surroundings.

Because of course, home decorating rules are just like us. When they’re in good company, they can’t help but be their best self.

A special thank you to Sherwin-Williams for providing us this paint. All thoughts, opinions and lessons learned are our own. 🙂 

All our best,


North


 

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Related posts:

The Laundry Room Renovation: The Plans laundry room renovation updatesLaundry Room Renovation | New Cabinets and Light Fixtures Windows and Tile and Mudding – Oh My! industrial style laundry roomIndustrial Style Laundry Room Renovation [Almost] Final Reveal

6 Comments

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kristi Mercer says

    June 13, 2017 at 7:29 am

    Isn’t it crazy how a paint colour can change so much just by pulling from those other elements in the room?! It always amazes me how the same paint colour can look green in one space, brown in another and grey in yet another room. I’m so happy you were able to find a way to turn it back into that beautiful blue-grey you were hoping for!

    Reply
    • North Country Nest says

      June 13, 2017 at 7:56 am

      Oh my goodness, so crazy! I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who gets baffled by this ?

      Reply
  2. Sabrina says

    June 21, 2017 at 10:19 am

    Oh my guys, this room is totally coming together. I can totally see why you guys thought the grey looked purple and I have to say I love the brown grout. Looks so put together already and I can’t wait to see the final product!

    Reply
    • North Country Nest says

      June 22, 2017 at 6:31 am

      Thank you, Sabrina!! I am so happy we changed the grout too and am just as excited for the final product!

      Reply
  3. Lora Green says

    June 28, 2017 at 11:15 pm

    Good advice to be patient and tweak elements — it can definitely impact the overall color palette of a room!

    Reply
    • North Country Nest says

      June 29, 2017 at 4:30 am

      Thank you! It was such a surprise to realize how much the color can be ‘changed’.

      Reply

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We’re Brett and Kelly! A husband and wife team tackling our first complete home renovation. We love all things DIY, our two furbabes and lazy summer days out on the lake. Our mission? To share the journey of turning a house into a home.

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