If you have ever moved into a brand spankin’ new house that feels like a big, uninspiring box of white walls and bare windows, raise your hand.
We did just that in 2003, and it was a daunting task to even know where to begin. All of our walls and baseboards were painted “builder’s white.” We had no casings around the windows. No trim around the open doorways. No crown molding to give the place a little character.
So last year we decided to do something about it. My husband Dave is pretty handy, so he read a book about hanging crown molding, bought the necessary (expensive) tools, and went at it, one big, bare room at a time.
The family room was a special challenge, though. As you can see above (apologies for the grainy, pre-digital photo), the fireplace wall was pretty bland for something that should’ve been the focal point of the room. We painted the walls a light tan (Waverly Home Classics in “Natural”) to give it a little contrast, but it still suffered from a serious case of the blahs.
I told Dave I wanted more than just the crown molding around the top of the room. I wanted the windows to stand out more, too. And, while we were at it, could he create some sort of overmantel?
Here’s what he came up with:
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Quite a difference, isn’t it? Not bad for a DIY job by a couple of amateurs (if we do say so ourselves). It’s amazing what a little trim and crown molding can do to transform a room.
Dave trimmed out the windows and ran crown molding around the entire room. But the biggest difference comes from the overmantel he created with nothing more to go on from me than some effusive arm motions and vague statements like,”Make it go up like this, and then over like that, and keep it simple, you know?”
We also spent two long weeks painting the family room various shades of tan and gold until I found a color that was just right (Eddie Bauer Home’s “Pecan”). We went through about 5 or 6 colors first (I lost count). It became a popular neighborhood sport to stop by our house and play “What color have the Knispels painted their family room today?” and then vote on whether it should stay or go.
For the record, Dave voted that the paint colors should “Stay!” every single time. And my vote–until we tried “Pecan”–was “No, it has to go!” I may be just a tad too picky when it comes to paint.
During those grueling two weeks of our Paint Marathon, I remember seeing a perky host on one of the HGTV decorating shows saying, “Paint is the cheapest and easiest thing you can use to transform a room!” and I wanted to throw the paint roller at the TV.
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