THE AMAZING FLOOR - BEACH HOUSE PART 2

Another installment of
THE BEACH HOUSE
BIG RENOVATION, little budget

If you missed Part 1, check it out here.   

I'm renovating a beach house using as much salvage and green material as possible.

Working on a very tight budget, and this house needs a lot of work

both inside and out -

luckily, my client, Shawna, has a good eye,

(she's an amazing photographer who works with natural light)

a great design sense,

and the ability to think outside the box - 

you can always tell a true artist that way, right?

someone who doesn't just follow trends like a lemming, 

but who can set their own?

I'm sure that she would have preferred to have a house that was already improved,

the budget to install new floors, a custom kitchen, and be able to purchase new furnishings...

but fate and a divorce has dictated that this house and a lot of elbow grease is her future - 

which she has accepted with dignity and a sense of adventure...

This little house is unique

and we definitely want to preserve that

Like these round porthole windows on either side of the fireplace.

I'll admit my first thought was to remove them and use that spot for built-ins - 

but she felt they were part of the old original beach house charm - 

just kind of quirky and fun.

and she's right,

we should preserve some of the details that make this house unique -

so they will stay....

We didn't feel as sentimental about the patched up and smoke stained brick fireplace

or the bare wood paneling that is original to the house - 

so the whole wall got a coat of paint.

There are two entrances to this living area - this one is off the large front deck or patio.

French doors let in lots of yummy natural light

and ocean breezes.

The actual front door at  the front of the house is flanked by two smallish windows.

We will be replacing these for larger versions, which will let in yet more natural light 

as funds permit.  

We are looking for two used or salvage, matching windows.

I have to admire Shawna's determination to get all the improvements done 

before she begins the interior decoration. 
 

I'm chomping at the bit, but she is able to take it all a little at a time.  

Still, she has managed to make it cozy and comfortable in the interim - don't you think?

(She was way ahead of the game on the taxidermy that's so on trend right now.

This was a find years ago she worked on with her Dad - finding the antlers and head separately and putting them together.  He keeps gentle watch over the living room.)

But this post is all about the flooring.

Being a vintage home that started as a little beach cottage and grew over the years as owners added to it - the flooring was a patchwork of several different materials.  

There was very old original 2" hardwood in the living room,

newer 4" oak flooring in the kitchen (with weird buttons),

and some worn and slightly gross carpet in the bedrooms.

The carpet was the first to go - Shawna had to get that out of there even if she had to live on plywood sub flooring for a while!

Then the question became what type of flooring could we put in throughout the house that was affordable - durable - and would still have a beach cottage vibe.  

Shawna really wanted wood, but hardwood flooring was WAY out of the budget..

I have lived in a lot of different countries - including the UK and the South Pacific - and I've been in many an old house, and many a beach house.  I started thinking about the floors I had seen in these places; simple pine plank floors that just took on more character with each scrape and ding and I suggested we look into a wide pine plank floor...

just simple stained pine we could install ourselves 

(I say ourselves, but I'm really meaning HERSELF - :)

She needed to see what I was talking about - 

and no one is actually doing that these days.... 

except for this wonderful shop called Tuvalu in Laguna Beach.  

They have installed pine plank flooring over their entire shop.

We took a little trip to Laguna to check it out - and it was perfect!

The more traffic and distressing it receives, the better it looks.   

Pine is a soft wood - so we can pretty much guarantee the 'distressing' part - 

and this is a beach cottage, people.... 

it's the perfect floor, 

its the perfect look, 

its the perfect budget.

And so she did it.

It took a lot of courage, but Shawna is not one to shrink in the face of a challenge!

and with a little ingenuity, she mixed the perfect stain color

and stained all of those pine planks....

and with a little help from her family

the 'out of the box' floor became a reality.

I install many floors in homes that are more beautiful -

with materials more elegant and costly

from hand-scraped hardwood to breathtaking marble -

but I think in all honesty, 

this floor is my favorite.

This floor was created with love, faith and courage - 

and a lot of elbow grease.

Just needs a top sealer, and they're done!

So proud of you, Shawna.

Ignore anyone out there who has so little talent or ability or human kindness

that they can't see the beauty of what we are creating here:

A home - created with love, determination, strength of character and the need to

make a place where family can gather - on a practically non-existent budget.

Each step we take, each part we create

is a little miracle.

I'm blessed to be included in this endeavor.

Here's a recap of the progress we have made in the living room:

PROGRESS:

Popcorn (acoustic) ceiling removed, plastered and repainted

Wall between living/dining/kitchen areas removed to create an open living area

Installed a salvaged dutch door for the front door

Walls/paneling and brick fireplace - painted Sherwin Williams, Accessible Beige.
(a cool grayed down light beige)

Pine plank flooring installed

Living room furniture: Shawna purchased:
 2 slip-covered love seats,

a chaise, 


and 1 ottoman -  all second hand from Craigslist or Close5.
(this girl finds the most incredible stuff!)

Still to do:

LIVING ROOM:

Replace small windows with larger windows

Faux beam and/or beadboard ceiling treatment

Add baseboard and crown trim

Repaint all doors and trim

Create built-in shelving on both sides of fireplace under porthole windows

Chunky fireplace mantle

Ceiling fan

Light fixtures

Furniture arrangement

Accessories and decorating

Please follow this blog and support Shawna and the beach house project.
Bless you!

CHOOSING PAINT COLOR - LIFE'S LITTLE COLOR MYSTERIES

WHY IS CHOOSING PAINT COLOR SO DIFFICULT?

Here are 8 ways to make sure you get the right color.

I hear quite often from readers how the paint color everyone is crazy about on Pinterest, or a decorating blog, turns sickly green or pink when they try it in their home.  Why do those beautiful colors look so different?  Well, I have a little insight into how color reacts....

Pinterest

1.  The Paint's LRV.   LRV is light reflectance value.  Some paint colors absorb light.  Some reflect it.  Some will lighten a room because of the reflective properties.  You can find a paint's LRV on the back of most paint chips.  LRV is a guideline for predicting how light or dark a color will look/feel.   This can help you determine if a color will be what you need - if you have a darker space - choose a higher LRV.  If you have a too bright, washed out room - a lower LRV may help.

2.  Not all monitors are created equal.  It may look great on the computer screen, but that is not an accurate representation of the color.  Everyone's computer monitor, phone, ipad, etc. is configured differently.  You can start there, but never take a color at face value from a computer screen.  Not only do you have to factor in the monitor differences, but also the photograph itself - the time it was taken, the light it was taken in, the settings on the camera - you get the picture.... The picture is probably not an accurate depiction of the paint color.  Always. Always. Always... try a sample in your own space.

Blesser House

3.  Big expanse:  Wall color is a rather big plane of color.  Multiply that by 4 walls, and you have 4 large planes of color that will bounce off one another.  A tiny chip doesn't prepare you for the feeling of being submerged in that hue.  You may not see the undertones in that small chip, but you can't help but see it on a floor to ceiling format.


4.  Room Size:  It's a factor.  In a small room, especially, the wall color will intensify once it is covering all 4 walls.  If you are painting a small room - like a powder room or bath - consider going a shade lighter if you want to keep the color you see on the chip.  Lower ceilings will make walls appear darker than higher ceilings.  Larger rooms won't affect color as much as smaller, etc....

Kylie M. Interiors

5.  Available Light:  There is warm light and cool light and it comes in LED, hallogen, fluorescent and incandescent bulbs.  Incandescent and hallogen lighting have a warm aspect.  They warm up colors.  LED can be cool or warm, depending on which is chosen.  Fluorescents are generally cool, and colors will appear faded or muted - except for the more expensive full-spectrum fluorescents.

Color is affected by a lot of light and also by not enough light. All are factors in how you will see the color on your walls.  Make sure you have enough lighting.  (Most people don't). Make sure you have the right type of light - cool light looks cold and brings out the silvery, blue, green tones.  Warm light makes whites more creamy and grays less cold and intensifies yellows and reds. Ceiling lighting (downlights) are great for work surfaces and general lighting, but you should also have lamps to fill out the corners.  Remember that the shade on a table lamp can change the color and strength of the light bulb.

Home Bunch

6.  Natural Light:  As if there weren't enough factors confusing your color search, you have to also contend with natural light.  Color is affected by which direction your light comes from.  North light is cool and can wash color out turn it gray and bring out the blues.  Southern Exposure is the most intense, giving a very warm light all day.   East light gets first light of day which is brightest. West gets end of day muted light - colors will appear deeper and more dramatic.  Light also changes throughout the day as it moves from one side to the next, and affects wall color as it moves and changes so make sure you view your sample at different times of the day.

Here is a chart from Sherwin Williams that better explains natural light and how it affects your color palette:

Direction of Light	Visible Temperature of Light	Color of Light	Duration of Light
North	Cool	Bluish	All day
East	Warm	Yellow	Before noon
West	Warm	Orange-Red	After noon
South	Warm	Orange-yellow	All day

7.  Vegetation.  If you live in an area with a lot of green trees or shrubbery close to your house, you may find you have a green cast to your wall color, or that the colors are deeper and darker than in the store.

Home Bunch

8. Existing decor:  And yes, the current wall color may be throwing off your color choice because its affecting the sample you put on the wall.  The wood tones, or the fabric or the red brick wall or carpet color can all affect wall color, so make sure you look at the sample with a good border of white around the edge to keep the current color from affecting the new.

To sum things up, there are far too many factors to ever buy a paint color without first trying a sample.  And not just a small sample - a good sized sample on poster board that you can move around the room and observe in morning light to evening light and on into artificial light.  Pinterest boards may swear that a certain paint color is 'the perfect color', and that may well be the case in their home, and in their light. While these factors may help - selecting color is basically guesswork.  These factors we've discussed are a good place to start - but make sure you try before you buy.

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Letter from a reader:

Greetings!!

I came across your blog on Pinterest.  We are looking for a good neutral greige to go with pretty much everything.  Right now we have hunter green couches which I loathe.  In the near future I hope to get either some tan, brown or gray couches.

The rest of our furniture (coffee table end tables and entertainment stand) all resembles almost a driftwood type finish.  Browns grays and even some darker areas.  Other accents in the home are dark brown (almost a brushed bronze and black)

Trim and doors are all poplar stained wood.  Blinds are all wood as well.  Carpet is a beige tan brown bur-bur

Three decent sized windows in the living room with Cathedral ceilings.

Kitchen is very country, mostly wood as well. Custom hickory cabinets. We will soon be replacing the floor with a different wood that doesn't match the cabinets exactly (too much dark wood right now). Wanting to carry the same neutral greige color from the living room into the kitchen as well to give a uniform look as well as a pretty long hallway. 

Please see attached pics. Can't wait to see what you come up with. I have been in search of a good neutral paint color for years!! Don't want something too look too green. Or too blue etc

Thank you 
Katrina B

Hi Katrina - 

My favorite tried and true neutral paint color is a beige with a gray undertone - which qualifies it as a greige.   It seems to pair well with nearly any wood tone and has enough warmth that it doesn't turn blue or green.   

Houzz

Sherwin Williams ACCESSIBLE BEIGE.    It is light enough to feel cool and calm, yet has enough color to pop against whites. Give it a try!  

Sherwin Williams

If you want a little more gray in your life, Sherwin Williams AMAZING GRAY is also gorgeous, but has more gray and less beige.

Good luck!

UPDATING A FAMILY ROOM

It seems to hit at about the 10 year mark.

Suddenly you can no longer stand the outdated colors or style of your room.

For me it was the colors -
I was so tired of the same colors everyday that I craved change.

It was almost overnight -
one day they didn't bug me, the next -
I hated them.

I think that looking at so much color all day

everyday

had me craving calm neutrals to come home to.

For Kathleen, it was both - she wanted to gray down her color palette

and she wanted a nice, clean-lined contemporary look.

We started with a new color palette.
Soft grays, taupes, creams, navy
and a pop of mustard

and went from this....

to this...

We used neutral fabrics with pops of color

and in another 10 years or so, when Kathleen tires of this color scheme, 

it will be easy to add new colors - simply change the accessories

The result is updated, calm, casual and inviting.  

photography:  Shawna Henrie at Bleu Dog Photography

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QUESTIONS FROM READERS

I'm looking for a paint color for second floor hallway. Wall to wall carpet is navy blue. Wood trim and built in wood linen closet is Benjamin Moore white wing. I'd like a color that would be good so we hang pictures on the wall.

Right now walls are white wing. There is no exterior light to the hallway, just painted white wing paneled 1900 doors to bedrooms and bathroom.

Regards,
Jan

Jan, 
Hallways can be dark spaces, so I'm recommending (sight unseen, of course) a lighter palette, but also a definite color so that the pictures you hang will have a nice background.    With navy, I recommend Sherwin Williams AMAZING GRAY or ACCESSIBLE BEIGE.   Of the two, Accessible Beige is the lighter, but in a hallway area, it will appear darker than on the paint chip. (Actually, the family room in the post above is painted Accessible Beige). It has a little more beige but is still a cool beige and will be lovely with the navy.  

Amazing Gray has more gray, is a little cooler and a little deeper color, but has a beige undertone, so again, will be nice with the navy.  

Give them both a try as a sample on some poster board you can tack in place and see which one is more appealing in your space.  Both, in a hallway, will be darker than the paint chip, but with adequate lighting will be very nice on the walls.

Best wishes,
Claudine