{Den} No More Orange Walls

Hey, hey, hey! It's another Monday, and that weekend snuck past in a flash. Just as we started enjoying Babygirl as an only child, my son arrived home from Summer Camp...smelly, exhausted and totally blissed-out. We had to dump the entire contents of his suitcase directly in the wash, so I think that's an indication of a great week. We'll repeat the process for him twice more this Summer...aaaah, the life of an 11-year-old!

But enough of the waiting....I dropped the big orange bomb on you last week, aka, the Before shots of our Den....so today your eyes get to relax and soak up the neutral goodness of the new (if having them painted last Fall is considered new) gray walls.

Props for Sherwin Williams paint....their Super Paint line covered the orangesicle in a single coat!!! This room has a high-pitched ceiling, but we still got it done in just two gallons. (Pssst...Sherwin Williams puts their paint on sale 40% off twice a year, look for it!) Woop for $50 makeovers!

As you saw in the Before shots, I had about 87 six different colors testing in the room. After much hemming-and-hawing, my friend Emily convinced me to just go with her favorite gray, Behr 'Ashes.' (color-matched at Sherwin-Williams) After only a few rolls, I knew it was the perfect choice. The room still holds the cozy vibe of a Den, but was instantly brighter, calmer and more inviting.

All the furniture and the arrangement is the same, but it looks like a completely different room. If you've made over a space, you know there's one room that becomes the landing spot for reject pieces. That's this room...hence the assortment.

Now that we're all relaxed and zen-like, I'll show you some comparison shots.

Once all 52 pictures in the gallery wall came down and the holes were filled, I couldn't bear to turn my fresh wall in to swiss cheese again. I started really minimal, with just the three big pictures in the middle. But after a few months, the other pieces found their way to the wall, too. I love the mix and placement, and how clean it is looking in from the adjacent Living Room.

I finally ditched the western leather lampshade on the brass lamp, in favor of a more clean and modern shade. The lamp belonged to my grandparents and was actually a brass spittoon (no longer in commission)!

Looking into the Kitchen is a smoother transition, too, since both rooms were updated with more neutral colors. I love the peek of pink Breakfast Room drapes from here. Remember how I added ribbon to tie in with the new rug? Well it also perfectly matches the walls in the Den, helping to unite the two rooms. A concept I missed before with the orange and green scenario.

Oh man was I sorry to see the dumbass country-cute shelf come down! (I may have held a bonfire with it.) Removing it really opened up the wall, and accents the soaring ceiling, but also made me realize how nekkid naked the windows are. I think some molding or drapes are in order eventually.

Recognize my little Fig Friend? He was always in the way in the Breakfast Room, so we're trying him out in here. He's lost a fair amount of leaves, but appears to be holding steady now. Fingers crossed.

And we kissed the sweeter-than-sweet wet bar good-bye when our contractors enclosed the pass-thru (when they were here for this bathroom). I've got plans for the flimsy shelves and desktop in this little nook.

But first I'm looking at a new obstacle. Turns out when you go to Costco with your husband on a holiday weekend...big, unexpected purchases can be made. So now I've got to figure out the logistics of this mammoth and it's components (yay for the new nook and shelves!) And yes, that is a ladder wedged under the mantle! Mr. Sugarplum was worried the weight of the black beast would bring it down. So I have this sweet set-up happening right now...

Oh yeah, and the old TV still sits in the cabinet on an adjacent wall!!?? See what I meant when I said 'unexpected changes' happening in this room? Whew....feels good to have you all caught up.
 

As for a Master To-Do List (they help keep me on track)...I don't have one yet. First I've got to relocate one TV and mount another, and deal with all the cords and components that come with them! Right now, those flimsy nook shelves aren't strong enough for a DVD, let alone all the crap a DVR and stereo. I'll try not to think about the fact that the current floorplan isn't conducive to watching TV over the mantle, either.

Let's just reflect and enjoy on the biggest change this room has undergone! Three cheers for the power of paint!

So what do you think...was it worth the wait? What about TVs...do you have one over your mantle? Is it comfortable to watch when mounted that high? TWSS