Cayman Bay Reveal

UPDATE: My living room paint job won a silver medal in the Bloggy Olympics Paint Challenge!  Thanks, Primitive & Proper!

Y'all know I love drama.  Well, certain kinds of drama.  Like bright pink doors in a white house, not Real Housewives cat fighting drama.  Okay, I do actually love reality television, but lack of cable has meant I can only watch decorating shows online and fat people fight over a one-pound advantage on network television...you know, the classy stuff.

A few weeks ago, when the Bloggy Olympics began, I saw that painting was one of the challenges.  I didn't want to show off the cheap furniture I paint (you know, the stuff people are throwing away it's in such bad shape), and as we've been talking about recently here at the Kiefer Cottage, we had some bland rooms to tackle.  So instead, I decided to paint the living room and add some drama.

First, the trim.  It looks so much better, but I hate painting this little stuff.  It reminds me of this gross salad served to me when I was four--my parents had to go out of town for the day and put me in drop-in care at a local center, and I cried because the food was bad, including this bowl full of brown lettuce smothered in thousand-island dressing.  Luckily, I got over that. And I also got over the trim painting because it looks so damn good (if I do say so myself, the picture of humility).

Next, the walls.  We tested both bright yellow and navyish blue, and decided the Cayman Bay Paint + Primer by Behr looked beautiful and would be quite dramatic.  I am in love. 

So without further ado, here's our lovely new living room.

Here is what we started with.

We still have plenty of staging to do because this is a bare minimum.

Also, something has to be done about the wood armoire because it disappears in this dark room. Accents should be lighter in here to make everything pop better.  Plus, the kids' chalk art on the piece, while truly unique, lacks a certain je ne sais quoi.

And of course, there's the ceiling. When we get to it.  Ahem.

But let's admire the art I've got on the walls so far. My friend Carol Scott's painting looks lovely above the piano.  I also love the photos of the kids by the couch.  We will have to remove the glass in the frames because the glare is overwhelming, but otherwise, they are stunning.  I'm also proud of myself for getting them level and balanced using a piece of chalk and measuring tape (does that make me awesome?  No, Starr, that makes you NORMAL.  Only lazy people hang stuff willy nilly like you usually do. But I saw Sarah Richardson do it on Sarah's Cottage!  Sarah is a goddess with whom you cannot compete.  Stop trying.  Please pass me the whiskey. You're depressing me).

Anyway, the ladies and dog are gorgeous with the new color.  The white balance is a tad off in the photo, but still looks nice.

And the kids did their duty by staying out of the way while we took photos.  That green phantom is Drew baby.  I decided that mattresses on the floor in the girls' room certainly were more pleasant than crying kiddos weeping underneath the piano.

We have a green ghost!

I'm very pleased with how the color turned out.  It was a risk because the lighting in this room is pathetic.  We have no overhead lighting, not even any wiring for it, and the window is obscured by the awning outside, making it fairly cave-like at all hours of the day.  However, I've owned that quality in the room and turned it into something cozy and striking at the same time.  Now if I could only finish it all and get myself featured in House Beautiful.  Will it happen? (No)  Can I dream about it?  (I guess so)

Linking up to the Bloggy Olympics Paint Challenge (week 3), hosted by Primitive & Proper, Craptastic, and The Bold Abode.

Also linked up to Serenity Now, Sweet Little Gals, Domestically Speaking, Nutmeg Place, and Savvy Southern Style.