Hey guys! I have missed you. After I posted about all our new doorknobs a few of you noticed I painted the family room. It is true! The family room is painted (but unfortunately, there are still no new light switches or plate covers, so bear with me).
The last image I left you with of our family room was this:
Brown walls with color blocking on them. I was trying to narrow down a paint color, but every time I thought I’d finally found the “one” I’d discover another new fabulous color while trolling pinterest; hence all the color blocks everywhere.
I’m happy to report after a few days and lots of knee trembling at the top of my ladder, the family room is now a light soothing shade of gray:
The official color is, bear with me here, “Ozark Shadows by Benjamin Moore, at 50%, color-matched to Sherwin Williams, satin finish, Super Paint”.
Seriously, I know how much you hate me right now. That name is such a huge pain for you if you want to copy it. I usually try to get a true Sherwin Williams color but I just loved this one so much that I bit the bullet and had it color-matched. And to add insult to injury, not only is it color color-matched from BM to SW, it’s also lightened by 50%. Sorry!
Oh I am loving this room so much more now. Finally, this house is slowly starting to feel like Hepworths actually live here, and we aren’t just squatting in someone else’s home.
I found this paint color while on pinterest from a blog called Amy’s Casablanca, and oh my word people, this is one of my new favorite blogs. Her taste in paint and moulding is pretty much exactly how I picture my house to look when it’s finished. I am just smitten. I just had to make sure I mentioned where the paint color originated from to give her full credit for this perfect gray.
As you can see (but probably don’t even remember), I removed one of the two orange/white chairs. It just seemed so cramped in there. Now it’s feeling a lot more open. Honestly, if I had it my way I’d scrap the sofa and both chairs and start over, but what we have is perfectly functional and not bad to look at, so we are opting to not spend money on new furniture right now (I’d rather have leather, but I’d also rather have a brand-new kitchen which I have already started planning in my mind).
After painting a swatch of this color over the brown on the wall I thought it still might be too dark, but now that the room is painted it feels very light and airy. I think the dark brown room was just really throwing off the swatches making them all feel too dark.
In addition to the family room getting a paint job, I also carried the paint into the foyer because the walls are all connected in here. I really love how much more “designer” the house is starting to look, even with just the wall color changed. (Still so much more to do before I can even attempt to call this house “designer”.)
I went to grab a “before” photo of the front door, and now win the “lame blogger of the year” award because apparently I don’t have a single photo of the front door. How does this happen? Well, I did manage to scrounge up this “before” photo of the entryway to give you an idea of what it use to look like. And yes, I have strategically cut out the kitchen and piano room from all photos because they are both a wreck!
I’ve blogged several times about the one little hallway this home has. So far I’ve painted it, painted the doors black, and installed new doorknobs. Here is a better view of the hallway in relation to the family room:
Don’t worry, that entryway to the hall is going to get a fab moulding treatment eventually. I’ve got big plans (if I can ever find time to execute said plans).
At the end of the hall is a foyer-type area with the kids’ bathroom, Ben’s office, and the game room. I just painted it yesterday so I thought I’d throw it in here at the end of the post to show you. It seemed too small a project to devote an entire post to it. I painted it the same color as the hallway – Sherwin Williams Stucco, satin finish, Super Paint. I finished painting all the trim when I painted the doors a few weeks ago.
And one more – standing in the kids bath looking towards the kitchen and family room, this is what you see. The door on the left is the game room, and the little corner ahead is where our family pet, R2D2 lives (good thing I just googled that because I almost called him C3PO. Oh the shame! I have brought shame on the entire Hepworth family. I’ll have to give little R2 a cookie for that one).
Here are some befores and afters of the family room. The befores are from after closing-date but before moving our stuff in.
From the front door:
From between the kitchen and the master bedroom:
Also, a quick side note, as you have probably noticed, I have been absent a lot lately. I don’t like it and I want to blog more. But I also feel like I have to give you big fat meaty posts with lots of photos, and that takes so much time. My kids keep me very busy, especially now that we have moved further from the city I have to drive a lot more, and I just haven’t had the time lately to a) actually complete big projects in a timely manner, and then b) sit down and devote 3-4 hours writing one post. So basically I’m saying that I am going to try to start blogging more frequently but they will probably be shorter updates with less photos. That way I can hop on, edit a few photos, give a quick update, and be done in an hour or so. Your thoughts? Do you prefer I blog less frequently and just throw tons at you, or do you like shorter posts with a quick update here and there (and maybe a longer meatier post a few times a month)? For example, I’ve been at this post now for almost 3 hours. Taking and editing photos is the biggest time sink, but actually writing the post takes a long time too.
Also, how do you feel about me branching out and blogging about other topics on occasion? Or inviting random guest posters on a set schedule? I appreciate your opinions and I really appreciate you hanging in there with me while I win “sucky blogger of the year” for being so spotty lately.
I think it looks fabulous! I am in love with those glorious windows of yours! So much natural light and I think your new wall color highlights that better! Love it! I’ll be over soon {wink}
i love that room – so much light with those gorgeous windows to look out and the new paint color really helped to open it up! but i must say i HATE the two different types of flooring! that would have been my first project! are you going to keep it like that???
Ya, I hate them too. We haven’t done the floor yet because we want to make sure we aren’t moving any walls when we renovate. Once we have a plan we will do the floors!
I love that paint color!!! I’m sure you are relieved to have it all done. I’m going to repaint my living room this winter and you have totally inspired me to do it now! 🙂 I think you should blog whenever you want – and if that means shorter posts then do shorter posts! I prefer to blog shorter posts too. Otherwise I just procrastinate. Oh and I don’t mind guest posts or other topics either. It’s your blog, so you should do what makes you happy! 🙂
It looks beautiful! You get beautiful light in your house.
Love the brightness of the room! It looks great! I would have to agree with Sharon, those 2 different flooring types would drive me batty! They just don’t flow. Are you going to leave them?
love the gray- it looks perfect!!
I think you should blog when you have something to say- whether there’s 900 pinnable pictures or not. 🙂 I come because I like your style and your delivery, and with so many readers out there I don’t have to keep checking for a post- it just tells me when there is one.
When google reader died I was so sad and I pretty much stopped reading blogs because I hated all the reader options out there. Every reader that bloggers were writing about seemed terrible. I finally found one I LOVE though that works on the computer, the iPad, and my phone… DIGG. I highly recommend it and I am tempted to say I like it better than google reader.
Not being a blogger, I can only imagine the time. But short blogs would be great if it means we can peak in more often. Thanks for offering us to voice our preference.
Your rooms are really coming together. The single floral chair looks better and really pops from the front door too. The color if fab. I’ve messed up a bathroom – grey became baby blue somehow – so I’ll color test yours (minus the 50% tonal cut).
As for blogging schedule, whatever works for you….I’d love little quick hits because I always want to know what’s up at HoH. But, your life has changed so you need to find the balance that will preserve both your sanity and creativity. We’ll just be here lurking….
Keep up the good work.
ps I knew your floors were on “the list”, I just knew.
Ya, the floors are terrible! I have been going back and forth on doing big expensive renovations vs. just working with the house and the floorplan (and saving all that money), so until I can finally make my mind up, the floors will stay. It’s either that or live on concrete until I have a plan. lol Part of me wants to do a huge overhaul in the kitchen including removing walls (support walls that will cost a lot of money to secure) vs keeping it simple and sticking with the layout. Decisions, decisions. I do think though that my new frugal Dave Ramsey-loving self will chose to work with the original floor plan. I’m just trying to be cautious though because I’d hate to put in all new flooring and then move a wall and destroy my new floor.
I love that color! It’s gorgeous!
Also, I think you should follow your heart. If you want to blog more do it, if you don’t have time it’s ok. I definitely don’t mind guests posts and quick updates.
Your new house is coming along nicely! I know how long it takes to get things just as you’d like them while still raising a family… it can seem like it takes forever to finish anything. You are doing a fabulous job, and I love watching the progress.
That said, I miss you! You have one of my favorite blogs. I understand just how long it takes to put together one post, but relax, sister. We are your friends and don’t expect every post to be jam-packed full of stuff. We just love hearing from YOU. You have a great sense of humor and we love hearing about your adventures. I am in favor of a few big long posts a month and more small ones each week. Keep up the good work!
I miss y’all too! I think as a blogger sometimes I get sucked into blogging advice from all the other bloggers out there (especially blogging blogs) and it’s hard to just do what feels right when I’m being told constantly that I have to stick to a schedule, and post only certain types of projects, and I will lose my friends (readers, but you are all really my friends!) if I am inconsistent, and I have to do x,y, and z, but if I do a,b, and c my blog will suck, etc. There’s a lot of static out there and it’s hard to not get overwhelmed and confused. I am trying to just ignore all that though and do what feels right. All of you guys have so much great feedback and it is reminding me to not get sucked into all the advice out there and just be myself.
I would also prefer quick updates with shorter posts! So I can get my HoH fix more often 🙂
Your blog, your rules! Do whatever makes you happy but don’t put pressure on yourself to keep a certain blog schedule or only blog about certain topics. I don’t know about you or your other readers but I read all types of blogs, not just DIY/home, so I probably wouldn’t even notice if you blogged about your kids Halloween costumes or your dog’s latest antics. Do you, Allison, and we’ll still be here following along!
I have those chairs too! I had to move them into my bedroom, because my son was ruining them. I was nervous, because my bedroom has a gray/green on the walls. But, they look great !
They seem to match everything, which I wasn’t expecting of them. I may get rid of one eventually though. They were bought for my previous, bigger home and they just don’t seem to fit in here!
Looks fantastic! The befores and afters are great…looks so much more open and light.
I just love when you post, so whatever you do will be great…hope you figure out a nice schedule for yourself and family!
I love the black doors with the white trim. I may consider doing that, but I just have flat, hollow core doors. Your six panel doors with the black paint and new knobs are very nice.
Thanks! You can add little bits of moulding onto flat doors in rectangle shapes to give the illusion of panels and they look great!
Love the gray. Love it.
And since you asked, I’ll share my thoughts. I feel like too many blogs are driven by trying to get readers. I like some guest posts, but a lot of times they bug me. I follow many home design/DIY blogs. If I like their content, I’m okay with occasional sponsored posts, guest bloggers, giveaways, etc. but if something, say the sponsored posts get too frequent, I’m out. I know bloggers spend a lot of time, and I’m not against them being compensated, I’m just perusing my interests and I do miss the days when people were just blogging and sharing cool stuff. So many people are so full of self promo, monetization, blog conferences, and it’s fine, it’s their blogs, it’s just that if it gets thick, I leave.
Family is such an important focus! I wouldn’t stress it. Thinking of small posts? Great. Less pictures? Fine. Not perfectly edited? Not important to me. You can have interesting content without it being long, and when you write your blog the way you feel is best, I think you will gain and not lose readers.
Didn’t mean to write a book, and much of this feedback has nothing to do with you, of course, just my thoughts on the direction of loads of blogs in the last few years. Thanks for taking the time to share your awesomeness with us!
Sarah, I couldn’t have said it better myself. As a blogger it’s easy to get sucked into all the advertising, but I’m not just a blogger, I’m also a blog reader. I try to write my blog in a way that I, as a reader, would enjoy reading it. And as a reader, I personally HATE all the sponsored stuff all.the.time. Sometimes bloggers will ask my opinion or for advice, and I always tell them to blog the way they’d want to read it. As they read blogs, are there things they love? Things they hate? Use that as a guide for your own blog.
I think the color you chose is really perfect. It really brightens that room and makes it look bigger! What a difference a few cans of paint can make. I know how time consuming the projects and then writing about the projects can be. I’d say your plan to do shorter posts with a few longer ones when a project is complete is a good plan of attach. Well done!
I like the gray on the walls! All of our walls are SW Sands of Time (chosen when we built our home). I love them, but sometimes the beige is a little depressing. You’ve inspired me to update them soon! I would enjoy more frequent posts if that means fewer pictures. If there’s an overload of photos on a blog (ANYONE’S blog!), I scroll through them quickly. Fewer pictures = more time to take it all in. Thanks for allowing us to peek inside your home! It looks great!
Great feedback. I will try to post fewer photos but post more frequently.
Hi,
I have a question about painting the doors black. Do you have plans to paint the front door interior as well? My home is much smaller than yours, but I am considering painting the front door. Not sure if it might make my entry look small. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks. I love your blog. I check yours and one other blog daily. Your on my desk top. 🙂
I am going to paint the inside of my front door as soon as I get around to it on the to-do list. Probably black as well, but I may strip it down and stain it an ebony color, so it will be black but will still show the woodgrain.
Basically what Sarah said 🙂
You need to blog for what it provides for you. You need to remain happy and healthy and your family needs to be happy and healthy.
What I love about your blog is that you inspire me to do better. Inspiration doesn’t always come from long posts and lots of pictures.
“What I love about your blog is that you inspire me to do better.” Wow, thank you for that! That ultimately is my goal, and I am happy to hear that I am coming across that way.
Allison, I have enjoyed your blog for a long time now. I think short, quick posts without lots of pics would be fine. I just enjoy reading your posts and your thoughts in general. I really appreciated it when you decided to scale down and not have so many sponsored posts so that you could keep your blog more genuine. That’s what brings us to HoH, your genuine-ness (is that a word?). We kinda feel like we know you, so yeah, go ahead and branch out into other topics. I want to hear more about your life in general. Keep it real, and keep it comin! Thanks for all that you do.
Tammie, I appreciate you saying that. I am glad that others have noticed my scaling back on the sponsored stuff, and all of that extra nonsense. I miss how it use to be and am determined to get back to that place again, where people blog because they love it and they use products because they love them (and not because they are getting paid). It’s a tough balance, but too many bloggers are just big ads now. Not for me.
The paint looks great! As for the blog, I just really enjoy it any time you do post. 🙂 I second the keeping it real vibe. I love that you don’t do sponsors, that you share in such an accessible way and that you aren’t snobbish with your approach or directions. I would love to hear anything you have to say about the home or whatever! And 3 hours is FOREVER in momma time! Do what works best for you and your family. Thanks for all of the inspirations and laughs!
Ashley, thanks! I have really tried to get rid of 99.9% of my sponsors, just because I felt like they were taking over the blog and I was losing my authentic voice. I do still work with True Value though, but they are my only sponsor. I love them too much to walk away. They are absolutely an excellent company to partner with and they are right up my DIY alley. 🙂
I miss “the good ol’ days” in blogging, when bloggers blogged to just share their voice. Now it’s a big sell-out and everyone is just trying to make a buck. I am trying to go back to that old place where people blogged because they loved it, not because of a check. Not all bloggers are like that, but the industry overall is, and I don’t want to be a part of that.
SO pretty! You are amazing. I love your blog. Any day you post becomes a great day for me! A blog is a gift to the world, do what makes you happy and it will make us happy. : )
I love this! “A blog is a gift to the world.” Great quote!
I say shorter posts with less pics are just fine, branching out is awesome and guest posts are lovely! !
I love all the updates you are doing! I love that you do small manageable updates that are something I can do too! That being said- I would rather have smaller posts more often- I love your writing! 🙂 also- I love a variety of posts- crafty, home DIY, cooking, family stuff, etc. 🙂
Keep up the great work!
Thanks Angela! I will try to write more frequently. I do enjoy sitting down and publishing posts, so I will try to make time for shorter more frequent updates.
I love this color! I messed up grey twice and gave up. Maybe I’ll try again.
I like your style, so I vote for shorter, more frequent posts. I don’t need 100 edited pics to pick up what you’re putting down. And I would love to hear your voice in others areas too, so I say branch out every once in awhile if you want! And…I would love to guest post for you if you decide to go that direction!
Thanks Ashley! I may do guest posters, I’m still just so torn about it. I’ll let you know.
Hi, Allison,
I agree that you should write when it works for you. Short posts are good! Long posts are good! Guest bloggers are good! What I appreciate most of all is that you are putting your family first!!! I wish more people (all over the world) would put their family first…but that’s another story.
You are a fantastic blogger, the type that makes me feel like we know each other well. Just like a good friend who is busy and I may not see for a while, when we get back together, it feels like we were never apart. I really enjoy your company.
As far as the grayish color, I’m not one who prefers gray. It looks very nice in your house, and I’m not suggesting you change it. Gray just makes me feel chilly. During wintertime here at the north end of the Central Valley of California, we sometimes get quite a few weeks in a row of god-awful Tule fog.
For those who aren’t familiar with Tule (pronounced too-lee) fog, it is a heavy fog that settles very close to the ground. Sometimes I can’t see 20 feet ahead of me, but I can look straight up and see the moon. Weird, I know (Oh, how I miss the temperate southern California beaches where I grew up).
Anyway, for that reason, I don’t care for gray, even if it’s a light gray. That’s why I equate gray with a chill. I also don’t care for brown houses, gray houses, dark olive houses, etc. Imagine those colors in the midst of a spate of Tule fog.
And because we are good friends, I know you will take my comments in the spirit that they were intended and not be hurt. You do have great taste and sensibilities and are so clever. I’ve learned so much from you
It’s all about quality, not quantity. You do the best posts you have the time and desire to do, and don’t worry about the length or frequency. Of course, we miss you, but when we get back together, it’s like old times, just laughing and carrying on!!
Take care. Be well. Hugs to you and your family!!
I appreciate your sweet comment. You are too kind! I would hate living with that type of fog. Yikes. If I lived somewhere where it was overcast frequently I’d probably pick a different color than gray. Here in Texas where it’s bright and sunny most of the year, I like the gray, but I tend to get depressed on cloudy or drab days, so I know how you feel!
The color looks great — so soothing and clean! I just tested out Aloof Gray by SW this weekend…might try it at 50% next. So hard to commit to a color!!!??? Why are neutrals so hard?!?!?!
Neutrals are hard! They are always too green, or too blue, or too red. It’s hard to find true colors.
I say shorter posts more often. I enjoy reading!
I’ve definitely missed your posts! I feel weird saying that, like I shouldn’t care so much without actually knowing you! I would vote for shorter, more frequent posts. Maybe it’s just me, but if editing photos takes a long time, I would vote for fewer photos. I love seeing the end result of whatever you’ve done, but don’t get as much out of the “from every angle” shots – even though I’m sure lots of people do. But if it’s a giant time suck, that’s what I would vote to cut down on! Your house is looking fantastic by the way!
Thank you Molly! I am going to try to start writing quicker posts. I’ve been doing it this other way for so long now though that I am having a hard time figuring out what to write! lol
More posts!!! Shorter is better actually, I find it hard to focus on so many photos at once. And gray!?!?!? Oh hell no, I live in Seattle, perhaps that is why I dislke gray. It does look very professionally decorated with black doors and white molding. I would live on concrete myself, I’ve done it before. Once the dustiness gets cleaned up, it’s not bad, so ugly you kinda like it. And I also LOVE True Value, their employees are always the best.
Even though you haven’t asked, I would sure select Benjamin Moore paint over Sherwin Williams, Ben Moore paint is so good, love it.
I am not a blogger, but I don’t see why people can’t make money from blogging? Capitalism rules. It seems a tremendous amount of work. Giveaways are annoying but that’s cause I never win. And you would like to talk about other topics, that’s awesome, you’re a good writer and it would be fun. I am always stalking, uh, checking for a new post. And always, family first!!!
Nancy, I would have a hard time with gray also if I lived in Seattle! My moods are so determined by the weather, and I hate it, but if it’s not sunny outside I’m going to have a bad day. I have never tried Ben Moore paint, but I do love Sherwin Williams! You definitely can make money from blogging. I do. I just have chosen to make a little less and not have all the sponsors and advertisements. I keep my ads in the sidebar instead of the posts because I don’t want to just be a big advertisement. And when I do post for True Value, I always try to write a post that is informative that you guys would like reading whether it’s a sponsored post or not.
Did you use primer over the brown? I want to paint over a dark taupe-y gray color in my dining room. I want a lighter gray similar to what you did in your living room, but maybe not quite as light. I don’t want to waste time with primer if I don’t have to. I’m a lazy DIY-er :).
I use the SW paint and primer in one, so I never prime walls ever.
Your house looks great! I’ve just been looking over all the things you have done. So much work and it looks like it’s all come together so well. I really like the carpet in your family room. Would you share the name of it? I know what you mean about taking the time to blog. I reached the same conclusion myself the other day. Can’t wait to see what you do with the next project.
Allison, your blog was one of my first favorites … that monogrammed soap dispenser (properly linked :o) brought me to you. Just wanted to say I’m so glad your family is happy in the country and your house is looking fabulous … and as far as your blog is concerned, I’m happy whenever you post, long or short!