The Guest Room Goes Neutral

My sisters are coming for Christmas, so I've been spending a lot of time getting the house ready for the onslaught of family -- adult and toddler. One of my tasks is to freshen up the paint color in the guest room. It's the LAST room in the house that is the horrible beige color.

I struggled with the paint color for weeks! There's hand-me-down furniture in here. And red curtains I bought quickly when a baby needed to use this room for day-time naps a few years ago. I just wasn't ready to commit to any color scheme or design plan.

With my timeline counting down, I had to make my decision and paint this weekend. I pulled color samples, including putting up color swatches on the wall. Blue? Coral? Teal? Peacock blue? Green?

Then, on Saturday morning, I had a revelation! My living room in the New Jersey house was a Benjamin Moore color called "shenandoah taupe," and it was my favorite color in all the house. And guests would compliment the shade, too. It had subtle variations throughout the day -- going brownish, grayish, blueish, purplish -- depending on the light.

A color I already loved. Perfect.

The Morning After the First Coat
It took me Saturday afternoon to prep and apply the first coat. Which, I will add, went on very poorly. I was not a fan of the paint brand. But the second coat, done Sunday morning, fixed everything and it looks great.

I just love painting. 

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