While enjoying a recent stay at my high school best friend’s home, we decided to embark on an unplanned makeover to her living room. I can’t wait to show you all the details of how this room went from “beachy” to “farmhouse.” And no one is happier with the outcome than my treasured friend and me.
A conversation about window treatments inspired the whole makeover. My longtime friend announced, “My daughter gave me the idea of adding a board above the window frames to give the illusion of taller ceilings. What do you think?”
“Sarah was right. By hanging your curtain panels about six-inches above your window, it’s an optical trick that creates the illusion of height,” was my reply.
“Floor-to-ceiling curtains elongate a room,” Linda added with a smile.
“That’s true. Except now, in my opinion, you have two problems.”
“What do you see wrong?”
“You didn’t paint the additional boards before you installed them above the window casings. All the woodwork around your windows was previously painted white. The new boards are dark brown.”
Linda’s eyebrow arched. “I know. But I like the contrast. What’s the other problem?”
“Since you raised the panels, they’re now too short.”
Linda protested, “They don’t make these particular curtains any longer.”
So, then we discussed the options of modifying the panels. Linda and her daughter both have a natural talent for sewing. Over the years they’ve made beautiful one-of-a-kind quilts, window treatments, dolls, children’s costumes, and creative crafts. While we deliberated back and forth about ways she could amend these panels, I thought it would be really helpful to poke around on Amazon to see if there were any other great options. I immediately stumbled upon black tree branches printed on crisp white fabric panels. As soon as I showed Linda the panels, she became obsessed. The new panels cost less than the original ones. That was the good news. The not-so-good news was the new panels wouldn’t match the aqua-color walls.
Linda said, “Someone once criticized this room.”
“Whaddya mean? What’d they say?”
Her answer came easily. “They said this room looks like a beachy décor.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle and then I searched for the right words, “Ahhh…well, you DO have a problem. After all aqua paint IS a go-to for beachy décor and coastal homes.”
We were quiet for a moment, but I could practically hear the gears grinding in my lifelong friend’s mind.
“So, what do you suggest?”
“Well. I’ll tell you this. Each year, paint manufacturers and color experts share their predictions for paint colors they expect to trend in the year ahead. Dark, moody colors will continue to be a popular trend for the year ahead. I would suggest painting the two aqua-color walls and the ceiling dark gray.”
I saw Linda was torn. “Why gray?”
“You already have various shades of gray throughout your home. This is a good thing, Linda. The repetition of gray shades creates a rhythm.”
On one hand, Linda was on the fence, but on the other hand she trusted my input.
“If we change the paint color, then the area rug that’s in this room will no longer work,” Linda moaned.
We discussed how well we’ve worked together in the past and how much fun we’ve always had. So, we decided to tackle not only this project, but also a couple other areas in her home. What’s gotta go: the bright aqua walls and area rug with aqua accents. Here are the things that are definitely going to stay: the cow picture, the hanging pig, the TV stand, and the antique hutch. This home just wouldn’t be the same without those items.
We swapped the living room-size area rug with the one in the dining room. The aqua patterns in the living room area rug plays well with the dining room chairs and buffet. It complements the overall room.
It took us two days, but we used Behr’s Barnwood Gray to cover the living room walls and ceiling. Dynasty Marquee is one-coat paint, and it glided effortlessly over the old farmhouse walls and ceiling, saving us much-needed time.
Linda decided to paint the added wood above the window casings white after all. While she was at it, Linda decided to repaint all the painted woodwork to give it a fresh clean look. Linda could have used a small roller for the project, but she went old-school and used a paintbrush. Quick tip: a 2” angled painter’s brush is the perfect tool for a project like this. It has enough thickness to give you good coverage and the angle helps get in the corners.
We also painted two end tables, the coffee table, and the ceiling medallion with black enamel paint. Boy-oh-boy, what a difference that made!
Linda hung the light linen window treatments. The brand new curtains will allow a little more privacy while still letting light in.
Would you be brave enough to use dark paint colors in your home? Another quick tip: if you do decide to use dark paint, reserve judgement of your space until all the walls are painted and the room is put back together—not when it’s halfway done.
And that’s the final result! Let me know what you think of this 2023 take on my friend’s farmhouse.
Linda’s makeover is terrific, and you are a good friend to help her with this during a relatively short visit.
I liked reading about this too, because unlike a kitchen or bathroom which is a very uncommon occurrence in a normal person’s lifetime, remaking a room can be quick and easy and done several times in just a few years. This post is very relatable to a much wider audience I think.