Revealing the Valspar Paint Job
This is a sponsored review from BlogHer and Valspar Paint.
Drum roll, please…
I have learned that the color yellow is difficult to photograph accurately. It also changes dramatically depending on the time of day and the natural light conditions. Sometimes it looks soft and buttery. Other times it looks almost primary, particularly when it is evenening and the sun is setting. At first I was a little unsure about that, but now I have grown to love the color. It really makes the space warm and happy, two things I wanted.
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I am absolutely in love with my newly painted walls. The house feels so cheery and happy. In fact, when my neighbor stopped by the other day to check out the paint job in progress, I told her that it felt like my house had been bathed in Prozac.
Now I need to think about what I want to hang on the walls. And some new throw pillows. And window coverings.
I know that some of you will want to know about the quality of the paint. I have painted A LOT. Every room in my old house was painted at least once, and there were a million rooms in that house. Give or take a few. As a matter of fact, I have painted so much that I like to think of myself as an expert in paint. I have used crappy paint. I have used high quality paint. I have used paint that promised to knock my socks off and yet delivered nothing.
The Valspar Paint was great. It covered well. The color was exactly what it looked like on the swatch. Each gallon of paint matched the previous gallons perfectly. When you buy paint you are supposed to buy all the gallons that you need and mix them together so that any slight color variations disappear. My project took 16 gallons of paint. About 6 more than I anticipated. If I had actually measured my space with a tape measure I would have known, but I just guesstimated. And, what do you know, I am worse at guessing that I am at math! But my point was that the color, Carolina Inn Lobby Yellow, through all of the gallons of paint was consistent.
I went with an eggshell finish and I am very happy with it. I have already wiped dirty handprints off the walls. And footprints. I don’t even ask anymore. Threatening the children with dismemberment does nothing, believe me I have tried. It is as if they think I won’t follow through on my threats! Luckily, for all of us, the dirt wipes easily off the walls and the color does not.
Tell me what you think. And tell me what in the world I should do with those windows. I am truly at a loss for ideas.
And what about those lighted niches?
And that shelf like area—what should go up there? Other than the popped balloon someone tossed up there– do you see that red thing up above the fireplace? I am going to have to go borrow my neighbor’s ladder again and get it down. Or just ignore it. Ahem.
This has worked out so well I may just ask the Internet for input on all of my life decisions.
I will be picking a commenter at random to win a $500 gift card from Lowe’s and Valspar Paint. You can do a lot of painting and decorating for that amount of money!
FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS. FIVE-ZERO-ZERO!!!
Gratuitous cute kid photo.
Want to see the projects other people have tackled? Click here for a round of page of all the other posts.
Here is all the nitty gritty, boring rules part of this post.
Rules:
1. No duplicate comments.
2. You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
3. You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
4. This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older.
5. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
6. You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
Winner to be chosen via the Random Number Generator.
If you are interested, a link to the offical rules can be found here.
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I love it! It really brightens up the whole place…:)
Meg
July 29th, 2010 at 9:28 amThe color looks great! I hope you had help painting; sixteen gallons is a ton of work!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:34 amI love love love the color. It is just such a perfect match in a house full of children (happy, sunny) without losing a “grown-up” sophistication. Oh yes I know that just made no sense. Must get more coffee. However, cannot go without noting that that whole area is HUGE! You are super-painter-woman.
Didn’t you mention you studied art? How about framing your artwork to hang in the niches?
Or perhaps some of the kids’ better art pieces? For the younger ones you can get those easy-open frames and update the contents when they make something new and notable.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:34 amI love the color. So, eggshell finish is easy to clean, huh? That’s very good to know
July 29th, 2010 at 9:39 amthat is A LOT of tall walls! looks good!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:39 amWow! Looks great - and so cheery!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:41 amGreat job, Chris! Now you must fill those walls with some of your fabulous photography!!!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:41 amI would love to paint my whole house. Many of the rooms have been painted in the last couple of years, but I always have painters remorse….and want to re-do everything.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:41 amGorgeous! The space is so bright and pretty. I don’t envy your windows though… Perhaps some Roman shades on the top for softness and color and some cellular shades below that you could raise and lower to block out light/heat?… Thanks for the chance to win!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:45 amIn the niches, you could have someone (or you) paint mural-like pictures. Or not. They don’t look deep enough for floral arrangements. I love the color you chose — so cheery and inviting.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:45 amThat is a ton of paint! I can’t believe you did it all yourself. I can never pick paint. It never seems to be the color on the card. I had like 8 sample paints when I painted my bathroom, and the finished project still isn’t what I was expecting. I don’t want to paint it again though! I love your blog by the way. I like the realness of it, not all fake and sugary like some. Thanks for keeping it real and not making the rest of us feel like we are doing something wrong when it is not all sunshine and roses all the time.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:47 amlooks great!
I am not a decorator by any means so if this idea is not good so feel free to ignore, but what about frames in the lighted niches?
I hate painting but you have inspired me
July 29th, 2010 at 9:47 amBoy! The things I could do with that gift card, my house is so boring.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:47 amlooks great!
I am not a decorator by any means so if this idea is not good so feel free to ignore, but what about pictures in frames in the lighted niches?
I hate painting but you have inspired me
July 29th, 2010 at 9:47 amI adore the new color! I would put long pictures in the niches and if anything just valances on the windows. With the color and the view I think you would want all the light you could get!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:47 amI have to say that I am not fond of yellow paint (mainly for the reasons you state, it changes color) but your house looks wonderful. I will certainly be looking at yellow when we paint our kitchen. That is when it is finally finished…:)
July 29th, 2010 at 9:48 amI am a BIG fan of the thick wooden blinds, that have a plantation-shutter kindof feel. Sophisticated and clean look. 2″ I guess? Also easy to keep clean. As for the art niches…ugh. We had one in our old house and I never quite did anything great with it. I would need help with that myself.
PS love the stools! I have the same from Target.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:49 amLove the yellow……so happy and cheerful
July 29th, 2010 at 9:51 amI would cover the windows with something as non-obtrusive as possible, something you can close when you want privacy but the rest of the time will let in all the light and view. What that something would be is another matter…and I’m not really good at window treatments.
I think I’d go with something bold in the way of artwork for the niches. Perhaps kid-created, even. Assign them each a niche, or assign niches on a rotating basis, and have them hang their best work up there.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:51 amI think it looks cheery & bright. I hope we get some say on the decorating phase, too!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:52 amSign me up for a chance to win $500 gift certificate. Your house looks great!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:52 amLove the color! Pick me please.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:53 amWow! It looks awesome! I love the color! As for what to do now, oh my! I think you need to be looking for some really good artwork, especially for the lighted niches area. Good luck on you new decorating endeavors!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:54 amIt looks great! I would put art in the lighted niches. I’m thinking with some still young kids that pottery or other breakable items might not be a great idea.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:56 amI LOVE the color! We just moved and I am getting inspiration for future projects. You did a great job!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:56 amwell done. that looks like a ton of work!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:57 amIt looks amazing! I think walking into those bright rooms could make anyone happy.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:58 amI just finished (as in last night!)painting the kids bathroom a gorgeous carribean blue. I normally use paint from the OTHER store “dome hepot” but tried Valspar from lowes - worked great!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:59 amI love the way that color really shows off the stone work in your home….And it seems like you are talking about your HOME now instead of your house…..
July 29th, 2010 at 9:59 amWhy not just toss a kid into one of those niches? No one will even notice the color.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:00 amLooks great! It would be cool to find some real art to go in those niches, perhaps from a starving local artist?
July 29th, 2010 at 10:00 amHmmm… Shelf-area definitely needs some type of hanging plant (you could even go with a fake ivy-type one if you have a tendency to have a thumb that is more like the color of your wall). The niches, I would go with either photos or paintings (or vintage posters would look nice). The windows… That’s tough, but they’ve got some really nice window papers (think wallpaper for windows), if you didn’t want to go the curtains/drapery route (really just depends).
I’ve exceeded my quota for parentheses in this post, I apologize.
Looks great, already, though!
Oh, quick way to get the balloon down, without borrowing a ladder, use a towel. Works for small, non-fragile things like that.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:00 ambeeeautiful! i love yellow! just do white curtains and/or those ‘plantation shutters’ for more prozac happy rooms. niches.. eh post what you end up doing because i have no idea and would love to see what ends up there!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:01 amI really like the change. Feel sorry that you have to fill all of those niches with something. The corner niche makes me particularly angry as we have a similar problem with a closet on the first floor (but our ceilings at 10′ are much lower). Ours has a large old basket that we use to hold pillows for the front porch. Is it crazy that I’d like to see molding (really moulding)to break up the incredible size of the space? I think that it would help make the room feel more in proportion. I’d stay humorous with chalkboards or vintage/subway signs for the niches because anything else seems too self-important. Or, paint the niche with something trendy like a trellis pattern, and hang a small framed piece in each. It can be painted out if you don’t like it. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:01 amLove, love, LOVE the cozy yellow color! The fireplace especially stands out now.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:02 amHey Chris,
LOVE the new color and I am not usually a fan of yellow. I have used more expensive paints and have found that the Valspar covers as well and the colors are just as rich as the more expensive paints. I still have several rooms in my house left to paint so the Lowe’s gift card would really come in handy!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:02 amLove you, Love your house. I find your words fascinating and your kids amazing.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:03 amI’ve always liked yellow - the “prozac” of paints indeed! How about posing a child in each of the lighted niches? Or just greying in their outline instead of permanently attaching them there… that might be more appropriate I suppose. As for the dust collecting area above the fireplace? Maybe some kind of rotating seasonal thing, or a special treasure that makes you smile every single time you see it…like a child… just kidding… mostly.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:04 amI hope I win!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:04 amIt depends on what direction you want to go with the niches. You could go complimentary color and do a purple. You could go neutral and do a taupeyish color. You could go monochromatic and just do a lighter or darker shade of the color you did the walls in. I once did a monochromatic room that I LOVED. I did the walls a medium gray and the trim a light gray. I had an area rug that was mostly white and gray with navy blue and coral accents. I pulled the blue for the curtains and accessories. I miss that room. I miss that house.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:05 amCan you put framed photos or framed prints/artwork in those niches?
As far as windows, I would probably call in an expert.
LOVE the color. The one I selected was not too far off (can’t remember the name of it now, but it was a yellow)!
Very cheery. Great job!!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:06 amYour house looks so warm and happy with the new paint. As to the wall niches, that’s a a tough call. Now that you are in TX, perhaps some rustic mexican iron work pieces would look nice in the ones goin up the stairs. And maybe some framed amily pictures for the one on the main floor. I always loved your christmas card blooper shots!
Nice work!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:08 amLove the yellow, you can make those niches scream with bright colored - happy artwork.. makes me want to repaint my house!!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:09 amThat is a happy color! I love it.
I need to finish painting my house one of these days…
July 29th, 2010 at 10:09 amColor looks great! If you want something unusual & funky on the shelf area, head to South Congress in downtown Austin - there are several antique/vintage shops there. Also try Forneys on 6th street west of downtown - very fun & unique shop. My style tends to be more Texan - I’d put an antique straightback chair w/cowhide seat up there (good way to keep folks from sitting in them), with a cowboy hat, vintage boots & vintage luggage, etc. The main thing for that shelf is to get an item up there with some height to it.
For the wall/art niches, you could use them like open shadow boxes - framed baseball jerseys, photos with well-used gear on the ledges, like wooden baseball bats, gloves, baseballs. Or get some of the kids’ artwork enlarged & framed. Since you’ve had some really nice photographs posted, you could enlarge some of your own work & post. Can’t wait to see what you end up doing!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:09 amChris did you do all that painting yourself? You really are “superwoman”
July 29th, 2010 at 10:09 amI have 3 room to paint this summer. I could get started if I only had an idea which color to go with. You have inspired me to make a decision and just go for it.
I don’t have any stellar ideas for you, but I want to win!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:10 amWOW! Love it!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:11 amI would leave the windows alone…flat ‘art’ in the niches and draping plants on the shelves. Boring and unoriginal I know, but I think it would look nice and would be easy to switch up from time to time.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:11 amIt looks great! I think you should put some Austin-made sculpture in your niches.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:12 amThe color is beautiful! Very inspiring.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:12 amLove it! We’re waiting to hear on a house we put an offer in on..it will need lots of painting done. $500 from Lowe’s would be wonderful!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:13 amWow! 16 gallons is a lot of paint. You go.
I think you should paint the niches either a slightly darker yellow or a gray-blue — and use that for an accent color elsewhere, like in your window coverings, pillows, etc. I love blue/yellow combos. My master bedroom is a blue and yellow combo.
Anyway, also wanted to say your AlphaMom post was very sweet and touching. I hear you. I’ll be there myself in a few short years. The toolbox analogy is great.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:13 amYellow can be a tough color - too buttery or too lemony, always seems to be my problem. But I like this one - yellow is friendly!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:14 amArtwork in the middle of the lighted nitches or perhaps photos of your kiddos.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:14 amLooks great! Love the yellow!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:15 amThanks for the chance to win the gift card.
I love the color. I’ve been trying to decide what color to paint a large open area that has accent walls of green and burnt orange. I may have found that color.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:15 amIt looks wonderful. Very warm and cheery!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:15 amLove the yellow! Your house looks great!!!!!!!! Want to come paint mine?
July 29th, 2010 at 10:15 amLeaving my comment, since a $500 gift certificate would be a huge help in allowing me to afford the fence I desperately want for my backyard!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:16 amLove how it turned out. I will hopefully be doing lots of painting soon and may just try this paint!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:16 amCheck out Garden Ridge for great stuff to fill those niches and shelves. They really have some decent artwork and tons of greenery and I think their prices are really good. How about a couple of those metal Texas stars to prove you have grown to love your new state?!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:17 amI love the color!! It really brightens up the space. I’m kind of like you though, I have no idea what to do with your windows and the niches??
July 29th, 2010 at 10:17 amYou don’t strike me as a nic nac person, but I have lots of them, and I also have a two and five year old, and my nic nacs are therefore either broken or up high. Those wall niches look like good places for all that stuff- not in a cluttered way, but more like a nicely framed picture or two and whatever lovely delicate things you want to protect from your kids..?
July 29th, 2010 at 10:17 amPick me!! I have an entire apartment to decorate starting next Monday and I have no idea where the money is coming from to pay for it.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:17 amFramed Photos could be neat in the lighted niches. Perhaps some nice candid family shots?
July 29th, 2010 at 10:17 amI love the yellow - it’s beautiful and warm. I’ve got no clue on the niches - they look like they were made to hang art, but they’re awfully high for that!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:17 amI have five kids and love to see that I am not insane for wanting my house to look nice. For the little lighted areas with the shelves that are too small to put anything on, I would buy big blank canvases and only the colors that would match the house, and let each kid have at one. Amazing what they can come up with and then you have your own little Picasso’s hanging on the wall. If they turn out horrendous, it wasn’t my idea!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:18 amLove it! The yellow looks marvelous.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:18 amUse the niches to put anything you love/collect that is stuffed away somewhere in narnia’s wardrobe. And your kids are beautiful, so definitely some pictures of them.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:18 amWow! What a transformation. I was wondering how that much yellow would turn out, but it looks grand. Giving me ideas for my upstairs playroom that leads off to 4 bedrooms and 1 bath.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:18 amI think artwork would look great in the niches, because they’re lit. And if you don’t have any “nice” artwork, what about the kids’ artwork framed in ready-made frames from Michael’s or Hobby Lobby or something? Then you could switch it out when you want to. I love the yellow! It makes a huge difference.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:19 amI also tweeted: http://twitter.com/glasska
July 29th, 2010 at 10:19 am$500 to Lowe’s would be so great — we’ve lived in our home for 2 years, but haven’t done an ounce of painting. Both guest rooms need love, as does the hallway. And the back yard. Whew, I’m tired just thinking about it.
Thanks for the contest!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:20 amLove the color! You did a really good job!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:20 amLooks wonderful! Kudos to you for painting such a large area! I hate painting
July 29th, 2010 at 10:21 amlove the new color!!!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:22 amI love it! I had a yellow kitchen once and I’m itching to have something yellow again. I think you might have just convinced me that my current kitchen needs to be yellow.
As for the windows, I would leave the top ones bare to let in lots of light. For the bottom windows I would hang some white curtains (or beige or some other color that coordinates with your furniture) that start in the middle of the window. You could use a spring rod to hang them. That would give you some privacy but still let in light at the top. But that’s just my two cents.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:22 amThe house looks amazing! I can’t believe using just one color for everything turned out so nicely - I was nervous for you… but it’s FAB!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:23 amLove the color; it looks beautiful!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:23 amI desperately need to paint/have some painting done. Painting elves, anyone? I have zero experience, so I am really grateful to have your input regarding paint quality. Because honestly? Not looking forward to the first time, definitely do not want to have to do it twice.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:23 amLooks great! I can’t believe you did the painting yourself–those ceilings are HIGH. My house REALLY needs a good painting, so I hope we win!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:24 amI like that color yellow - I have used something very near it in places that have little natural sunlight. It instantly opened up the room and made the little sunlight that did come in seem so much brighter.
Those niches? Frame some of the kids best artwork and hang it….or you know, buy some artwork. Make a family tree on pretty paper, have the kids make a photo collage, who knows…but those niches are begging for some artwork.
Windows? You got me on that, we have windows very similar to those, and we ended up getting pretty stained glass on two of the top ones and solar shades on the bottom ones. Boring.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:25 amI love that color- almost like a smooth, new, manila folder. (I’m a sucker for school supplies). Great job!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:25 amLooks great! I’d love to be able to surprise my mother with a gift card to Lowe’s. She’s itching to repaint the first floor of our house and make some other cosmetic improvements. This would really help her out!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:25 amLooks gorgeous! I think the lighted niches would look great with artwork inside. Just sayin.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:25 amI love yellow. I just painted my living room a BOLD blue. I may be repainting before the end of the year.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:27 amGreat job with this huge paint project! Did you have much help? I’m glad after it all is said and done that you are pleased with it.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:27 amCould totally use some Lowe’s love for spiffing up my apartment!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:27 amI wish I had advice on windows and decorating… but I suck at it too. I do love the paint color though!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:27 amI’ve got a lot of stuff to paint over here. Pick me, randomness!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:27 amLove it! And I think you should make large scale prints of some of your photographs for the wall cubby things. My two cents. Hope it is worth $500!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:27 amLooks great, very cheery!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:28 amI am useless when it comes to window dressing. BUT, for the niches, I say get some huge canvases and let your kids go to town with acrylic paint, and you will have bright, happy, custom artwork to complement your new paint job!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:30 amIt looks lovely. I am jealous.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:30 amRoom with the cute kids best of all.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:31 amBeautiful! 16 gallons of paint! My arms are aching in sympathy. I believe my kitchen is a very similar shade of yellow and I love how it changes with the amount of light. Enjoy!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:31 amInsanely jealous. My walls need Prozac! I would have balked at yellow, but never again. Congrats!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:32 amLooks fabulous. What about some of your family photos - you could have a family photo wall with all that space and you take such great pictures!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:32 amLooks great! We just moved and have a lot of projects we could use that $500 for.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:33 amThis looks beautiful!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:34 amI love your project! It came out great, “clutter” and all. And I really need to paint, and $500 would help, and I probably need about 10 or 17 gallons too!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:35 amLooks great!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:36 amI wouldn’t be brave enough to pick yellow, but I think it looks great and really lightens up the house.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:37 amWow, I really love the way everything looks with the new color. As for getting the popped balloon off the top of the fireplace, maybe a short ladder and a long handled duster would work.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:37 amLove it. The color is great. Oh the things I could do with a $500 gift card. As for the lighted niches, any artwork of size would be great. The shelf like area. not sure. only b/c dusting anything up there would require dusting and that would suck.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:37 amGorgeous! My house is still builder’s beige after nine years! I am afraid to paint, but you’ve inspired me!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:55 amLOVE the paint color!! It certainly is cheery and warm. As for the windows…this is where a professional would be helpful. Personally (no I am not a professional), I would use the fireplace to guide the line for the curtain rod. Pick something wooden-medium tone like on the cabinets and hang it as an extension of the top edge of the fireplace and wrap it around the corner over that window also. Put a curtain panel at the left of the window, in the corner, and at the right of the single window. You can put sheers in the middle if want, or you could hang a second rod just behind of sheers if you want more privacy. I’d leave the top windows as is. You could go with a crazy long curtain, but I’m afraid it would take away from the gorgeous Austin stone. I’d go with cool, colorful artwork in the niches. As for the shelves…no idea.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:56 amPretty color, I’v always liked yellow but can’t seem to find the right shade for my space.
Tracy H
July 29th, 2010 at 10:57 amI’m not eligible for the giveaway because I’m in Canada but I just wanted to say holy cow, it looks great! Love it.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:58 amI need to paint my first home!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:59 amIt truly looks fantastic. I love what you said about the house feeling like it’s been bathed in Prozac. Hilarious! And I totally get it. Congrats!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:01 amI hope this doesn’t show up as a duplicate. I got punted to an error page last time I tried.
I love yellow, too. My daughters’ room is yellow, and it makes me happy to be in there, provided I can ignore the mess.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:03 amI love the yellow, it looks so bright and cheery!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:03 amI am working on decluttering and orgainzing my house. I am not sure i am the one to offer you advise but for the walls I would definatey put up some photo collages of your cute kids!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:04 amThe paint looks great - what a daunting job! When we moved into our house, my open floor plan first floor was a combination of very pale yellow, a bright blue/turquoise color, and (what we called) diarrhea brown. I actually chose various shades of green and a light brown and it looks SO. MUCH. BETTER. Enjoy your freshly painted house. As for the lighted insets? What about some black and white prints? Kids… nature… Texas beauty… Your house is beautiful!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:05 amNeed to paint my house too!! Thanks.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:06 amWow! Did you really do all that yourself? Wow. I agree that Valspar paint is great.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:07 amBeautiful color, Beautiful home and very cute kiddies! Now choose me cause I want my kitchen repainted and I just know if I *won* the paint my hubster would have no problem applying it to the walls.
And those niches…sorry I have no clue as I have niches in my own home that are still bare 9 years later.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:09 amOh please we could use this. We moved in to new construction two years ago with three boys. The walls were all painted with flat paint. HELP!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:09 amWow - oh wow! It does look like Prozac promises to make one feel! (not that I would know! :P) I have so wanted to paint again, I used to often…but since marrying, have not. 16years of not painting has made me begin to believe my husband that I wouldn’t do an excellent job. He’s very uber~manly in those kind of statements. You have inspired me! It looks so fabulous, I can’t believe you got all those niches and high places! I have one of those high/odd shelves — and the things my boys throw up there!! Some things have remained much longer than I’d prefer but bringing in the big ladder is not easy…
Brava, Chris!!!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:10 amWhat a happy color!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:11 amIt looks beautiful!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:11 amAs for the niches, they look too narrow for a piece of pottery or something elso of the sort. I would paint them each a different color and hang one of you rphotos framed inside to highlight the photo. I know you have lots of great photos with which to tell a story or just showcase a memory.
Good luck! Looking forward to the rest of your project.
Love the color! It looks brighter and fresher. I love yellow paint and have painted no less than 6 rooms yellow in the two houses that I have owned. This is a terrific shade of yellow and will keep it in mind for future painting projects!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:11 amThe yellow looks bright and cheery!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:11 amStop pointing out things like the popped balloon! We are not that observant on our own. To our eyes your house looks perfect (even if that means that all the ‘clutter’ is behind you).
July 29th, 2010 at 11:13 amI love that buttery yellow. I’m personally in love with a colour called Havannah cream - quite similar to your Valspar.
As for those niches, have you considered painting them a darker colour? I’m not sure exactly where I’m going with this, but I wondered if painting the back of it a darker colour, maybe a navy, khaki or even plum, dark apple, or green could make for an interesting frame around a piece of art - whether a painting or a more physical sculptural piece.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:13 amI agree, the yellow is very cheery. It is amazing how a little (or, in your case, A LOT) paint can totally change the feel of a space. Love it!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:16 amI love the yellow! Boy, the damage I could do with $500…
July 29th, 2010 at 11:17 amOoooooooh my husband and i just started stripping the wallpaper (yes, WALLPAPER…GAH) from our master bath and even though this project is likely 3 million years from being done I have already been obsessing over paint chips from Lowe’s…we could SO use this! I love your new paint!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:18 amLooks so happy and crisp!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:18 amLOVE the yellow!! Before going with a brown mustard yellow (which I adore!!!) in our kitchen we tossed around a pale yellow but decided the kitchen needed a statement. We have put aside the yellow choice for the bathroom…if we ever get that far!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:20 amWe are going to be repainting our basement when we replace the carpet (which will be sooner rather than later- thanks hot water heater!). Did you paint it all yourself? Do you have some kind of sprayer? And I have no idea what you are going to put on those shelves, but I vote NO fake flowers!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:20 amLove it! Paint makes such a difference.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:21 amLooks good! I think that you should fill the niches with blown up photos of your family. You take such wonderful photos. It will make the space very personalized. Send in your family favorites to have them made into canvases to fit the size of the niche. Alternatively, you could purchase large colorful canvas paintings to set inside. And that big shelf like thing way up high? I think a large wooden carving would look awesome! Or a great big Mexican pottery planter with dried twigs?
July 29th, 2010 at 11:21 amWow… love the color, but REALLY love your house! EEK!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:22 amThat looks great!!! It even gives me courage to possibly do some painting of my own!!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:22 am16 gallons was enogh to send me right over the edge - woman, you are a paint GODDESS! wow! looks beautiful!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:23 amI’m about to move across the country… crossing my fingers for Lowe’s
July 29th, 2010 at 11:24 amThe color looks great and the hidden treasures from your kids are too funny!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:24 amThe color looks great and you really picked a great shade that works will all that space. I live in a similar house with walls that don’t end and I literally had headaches over picking the right color. I don’t have a suggestion for your shelf as I have two of those and they are still bare. I guess they were built for catching balloons since my kids have managed to land a few up there several times. As far as niches, I suggest artwork or some of your great photographs, iron decorative pieces, or large decorative platters. Not very original, but that’s all I have to help. Glad you are enjoying your home now!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:27 amYou are amazing! I have done a lot of painting but NEVER in a space that large requiring a ladder that big. Color looks fantastic! I am currently frustrating myself over paint colors for our new house. I do love the Valspar site with the interactive room images. That has been fun!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:27 amLove the color!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:28 amLove the color, and I am not a yellow person. I wouldn’t cover up those beautiful windows.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:30 amLove the color. I would use the niches to hang some framed artwork - maybe even some stuff by the kids!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:30 am16 gallons of paint! That’s insane. I am still in awe of you painting all of those funky niches.
Your windows are tricky because they don’t have a typical frame. You could use the space to have blinds that almost look like transparent paper with designs on them. Then they are a giant picture for you. Each of these would be completely inside the window. I’ve seen it on tv but don’t know the name of the products and such. Good luck!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:30 amI love the color! It looks very cheerful. I think some sort of painting would look really good in the lighted niche.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:30 amYour house looks great! We also need to repaint almost every room in our house. Ahhh.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:31 amI would have the kids make some ART (ha ha ha) - think abstract swathes across a canvas in colors that you chose, and prop them up on the shelves. Or have them each pick their favorite memento (like the shells, or a treasured old toy from their younger days) and put it in a shadow box.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:32 amI would be tempted to use the niches for rotating kid artwork.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:33 amLooks so cheery and bright. Your questions are precisely why we did not buy a home with niches or a 2 story open plan! I saw someone knocked out the niche out and built a bookcase. That would work for the lower level niche, or just kind of transform it into a mini-mudroom with hooks for jackets, etc. Or, you could use the lower one to write the family calendar. The upper ones? How about something like a big Texas wall map or a large print out of a landscape or picture you like-I’d shy away from people, but maybe a barn, flowers, the Alamo?
July 29th, 2010 at 11:34 amWow, that looks beautiful. I wish my house looked like that. With that said, I have been looking for a shade of yellow to go with my orange walls and I think this color would be perfect. I think I will have to go check it out.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:34 amI love it! We just bought a new house and I have not started decorating it because I have no idea what to do. Apparently I need to start a blog so I can get the internets help too.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:35 amYour house looks beautiful. I love the color!
Here’s what I would do with the niches:
I would buy canvases the right size, and let the kids paint pictures to hang. You pick the colors you want them to use, then let them have fun painting abstract pictures.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:36 amChris,I have been a long time reader and first time poster.I just wanted you to know how very much I enjoy your posts.You have the ability to make me laugh out loud and cry at the same time.You are truly a gifted writer and I am expecting a good book in the near future,please?
July 29th, 2010 at 11:36 amI,too,am a stay at home,however,I am a care giver to my disabled husband. I check your site several times a day as they make my day!Please don’t think I am a stalker,it’s just that I look forward to your humorous,insightful and informative postings.I thank you for making my day more enjoyable. Enough,already. Your house is beautiful and I LOVE the color you selected.It has inspired me to get going on my own house.About your windows,how about shutters? Love them and think they would look fabulous.Sorry this is so long.Have a blast at BlogHer.Your loyal reader and admirer.
Ohhhh…..Love it!! Who would have thought one color would look so great (and different) in so many rooms! Makes me want to repaint my house!! Well, maybe….
July 29th, 2010 at 11:36 amI love the new color! It really opens up the rooms more.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:36 amThe color really is perfect - it warms and brightens the space without being overpowering. For the lighted niches, I’d lean toward filling it with kid art. Get some canvas boards (3 for $5.99 for 12″x14″ size) and some paints, and let them each paint a masterpiece. You can then use the framing-by-the-foot framing pieces and put a quick frame on them, and voila! You never know what you’ll get, but it might be fun. Your home is lovely.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:37 amWow! Your home looks beautiful! What a difference painting makes! You take such awesome pictures of your family. Perhaps some family or other pictures that have been transferred to canvas (ala Costco on the cheap or other more reputable print shops, of course).
Thanks for being such a wonderful blogger. I have been lurking for years.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:38 amI think awesome black and white family photos in those niches. I mean, if there have to be spotlights on something, it should be your children all clean and smiling for one solitary moment (if that is even feasible)
July 29th, 2010 at 11:38 amI think the yellow looks great! Not sure what to do with the windows, but some artwork in the lighted niches would look great.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:39 amLooks good, so bright and airy! 16 gallons of paint - how long it take you?
July 29th, 2010 at 11:39 amYou did a beautiful job! Those niches need some huge canvases, you should buy some big ones and let your kids go to town with some paint. They do it on HGTV all the time, well with the designers not kids, but what could possibly go wrong?
July 29th, 2010 at 11:40 amj’adore the yellow!! i’m a big fan of yellow in a house anyhow. enjoy! the only thing i can think of in the alcoves are family portraits; big, beautiful, black and white prints. good luck deciding.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:40 amLove the color. I like the open window effect without any window treatments. Maybe some artwork in the niches? Baskets on the shelves to add color?
July 29th, 2010 at 11:41 amIt looks BEAUTIFUL! Love, love, love the color. In the last 4 days I have taken drywall off my bathroom, put up new stuff and new tub surround walls and am now painting. Going from a yellow color (much too bright yellow) to an aqua/turquoise/blueish color. Great job!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:41 amlooka beautiful and how the HECK do you keep it so clutter free with all those kids?? I honestly like windows completely bare, but if you need covering I’d go with something really spare like roman shades or those ones you can open from top or bottom, very clean/crisp.
lighted niches - black/white photos of kids? artwork by kids? or just some awesome photos you take?
July 29th, 2010 at 11:41 amIt is so bright and cheerful, I love it! I also love MagaMama’s idea of the family canvas’.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:42 amI would do framed pictures of the kids in color. You need vibrancy in such a lovely colorful room!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:45 amVery pretty color on a very pretty set of walls. Definitely brightens it up!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:46 amWow it did lighten up the space alot. Might have to try some yellow around here. Love Lowes paint and I have probably paint about as much as you have and you just can’t beat it
July 29th, 2010 at 11:47 amThank you for inspiring to do something more with my walls. It is time to apply a little liquid Prozac to my home!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:47 amColor looks great, it really brightens the space!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:48 amColor looks great! I think you did a great job. No advice on the windows, but I agree with past comments that a special canvas done by the kids would be a great idea for the niche.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:48 amI like the color. Great job.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:48 amYellow is my favorite… I would love to see that niche at the bottom of the stairs painted in “chalkboard paint”… great place for reminders and keeping track of all the madness…
July 29th, 2010 at 11:48 amYou take such great photos that finding things to put on the wall should be no problem. Just blow up some prints of the kids, frame them and you’re good to go!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:51 amThe house looks great! We have a very similar layout (although on a smaller basis) and brown leather sectional as well and think the yellow really warms up the room. I like it best when the sun is going down and it becomes this very warm, toned down color. For the windows, we just added white, wood blinds throughout and love the look. We added them to the top windows as well as the bottom. However, if you don’t want blinds on top, we had a glass vase (clear blue or green glass) in each of the windows and that filled the space nicely!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:52 amI’d put some new artwork in those niches- or collages of the great photos you take. Then, when the mood strikes, you can switch out the pictures for newer/older pictures. Of course, if you’re like me, you never actually get around to changing out the pictures…
July 29th, 2010 at 11:52 amCurtain/Drapes always confound me- so I’m no help to you there.
Looks great!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:55 amI like how the yellow makes the stone pop more now. Not really pop out loud, because it would be scary if your stone walls starting popping. So, how about, I like how the yellow contrasts nicely with the color of the stone.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:57 amGreat job and you got it done so quickly!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:57 amLooks great! You take such great photos. Would be neat to enlarge them to hang in niches. maybe printed on canvas in different sizes?
July 29th, 2010 at 11:58 amwow. what a difference! I am inspired to do some decorating myself.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:58 amI would leave the top windows open and maybe have white sheers puddled at the floor on the lower windows. I’m not sure about the niches…..maybe some new photos of the kids done in b&w in white frames….
July 29th, 2010 at 11:58 amI love the color! I wouldn’t know what to do with the niches either. I can’t wait to see what you end up doing with them!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:59 amI’m not a decorator but I love the clean, open look. Ii wouldn’t put anything on the windows and only something very simple in the niches. I think the paint looks great. Cute house, by the way.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:00 pmThe niches…hmmm…I would probably choose a complimentary color that pops, like a deep orange or just a deeper yellow, but that’s just me
And I’d probably have family photos in there.
Would love the gift card, perfect for our potential new move and new home! Thanks for this amazing giveaway opporunity.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:00 pmSusan
Looks good to me! In the lighted niches, maybe add some pops of color with art work or photos? On the shelf, I would add potted plants if you have a green thumb. I love plants inside because they really help the air quality. Spider plants & philodendrons especially are good because they are very low maintenance.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:01 pmYou are right, the color does look really different in different lighting. Which is kind of fun that you are not stuck with one shade all day long!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:02 pmLove it!
Ummm … in the niches … lifesized photos of your kids? No? You see them too much as it is? Yeah. I feel the same way about mine
And I also have no ideas to help you out, either. Sorry about that.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:02 pmAnd I thought I was miserable with 3 gallons of paint for my bedroom! I cannot imagine 16 at one time! I could sure use the gift card for my next project though!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:02 pmThe house looks gorgeous! Those niches are tricky - I would probably put family photos in them, trying to create a story or something as you progress down into the living room…
The gift card is amazing and would be such a blessing as we sell our old home and move into our new space. Thanks for the great opportunity with this giveaway! Susan
July 29th, 2010 at 12:03 pmVery cheery indeed! I might be inspired to do some painting myself!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:04 pmYour house is so much brighter now! I am actually considering painting my house, and that would be soooo much work. Maybe next year…
July 29th, 2010 at 12:04 pmThat buttery yellow looks soothing and homey.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:05 pmReally love the color… your house and family are beautiful.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:05 pmI love the reveal. Nice color choice.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:07 pmAMAZING! Wow! It makes your house come alive. Despite using “only” one color, it really does look amazing. Thanks for the info on the Valspar, I might have to try that brand!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:07 pmHooray for yellow!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:07 pmThat’s a great shade of yellow. Good luck with those niches; I’d definitely go flat, nothing you have to dust.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:08 pmL.O.V.E. it. And if I get the $500., I might just have to copy you!;) Reason enough not to pick me, I suppose…
July 29th, 2010 at 12:08 pmI love it! The bedrooms in my last house were a great shade of yellow and they just felt so cozy!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:08 pmThe lighted niches would look great with some artwork or blown-up pictures of your family. Your photography is so great, I’m sure you have lots of options for that.
I also think that some deep red accents would look great on the walls. I like to go to art.com for abstracts because they always have some good deals.
I love it. So much cheerier. I want to do my kitchen in a very similar color.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:08 pmBoy does my house need a serious paint job! My son has been sleeping in a pink room for 6 years…
July 29th, 2010 at 12:11 pmLove the way your house turned out. I agree with photos of the the family in the niches.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:12 pmSoo pretty. It came out great!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:12 pmI have a yellow guest bedroom, call it the butter room. Love it!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:13 pmI am SO jealous! I need yellow paint in my house immediately, including Prozac. That $500 gift card would go a long way toward it!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:13 pmgreat job! I hope I win so that my house can finally get a paint job, too…. or maybe not! haha. no, really, pick me!!!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:14 pmWe just finished painting our home office a rosy-pink, and I know *exactly* what you mean about bathing the house in Prozac. Color does so much! We have so many home-improvement plans, a $500 gift card to Lowes would be wonderful - we could put in Pergo in the newly painted home office!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:14 pmLooks great. Need to repaint my bedroom and bath asap. Heading to look at paint colors now…
July 29th, 2010 at 12:15 pmI’m considering what you should put in the niches, but if you want to go a step further to accent it considering using a pearl or copper glaze over the color. I think that would the light glimmer in that space and call attention to it. What about putting tall clear glass vases in earth tone colors ?
July 29th, 2010 at 12:16 pmit looks so bright and cheery! congrats-it’s like a whole new living space for the cost of a little paint.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:16 pmLove it, definitely a happy, warm color! If I were you I would hang family photos in a few of the niches, and find art on Etsy for the others. I have no idea what to do with those windows. Good luck!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:16 pmI am glad you are happy with your color. That would be a lot to change. I personally, like the cute little kids that adorn your house!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:16 pmLovely! I have a yellow sunroom that I love. But I also have a lot of other rooms whose colors I do NOT love, so I could really use this gift card!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:17 pmOh, I love love love it! It makes the house look like a giant down comforter! :o)
I think some sort of photo (or several of them) in the niches would be perfect. The watermelon pic comes of Miles springs to mind, of course, but you’ve shows us so many wonderful ones…as for the little “hidey-holes” (as my grandmother would call them), just remember that whatever you choose should be something that won’t show dust easily. I mean, really, who wants to crawl up there & dust crap off on a regular basis? Maybe a large stained glass piece? Or a piece of metal artwork, as several others suggested. Should be easy enough to find here in TX! ;o)
Anyway, just love it…& I, too, would love to win. We’re about to leave TX to move to FL & could always use some Lowe’s money!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:18 pmI have no advice to give as I am unable to get motivated to finish up our kitchen redo, but $500 would go a long way in motivating me.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:18 pmNice color! So happy!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:18 pmWe just bought a house and close on 8/16. We could really use this gift card.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:19 pmohhh, i would finally be able to repaint the house the various shades of purple. i know i know. never decorate when you are 8 months pregnant. what was my hormonal self thinking?!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:20 pmI love the color. If I win I can do my house!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:21 pmWhat a huge job that must have been! Love it!!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:21 pmThe color is great! Very homey
I chose something of the same color for my baby’s nursery, and it works well too 
I love the way the light changes the actual color throughout the day. As for the lighted niches, I would ask your kids to paint some canvas’ and then hang them there. Or if you’re afraid of what they actually might paint, you could take some of your wonderful photos, blow them up and frame them or have them transferred to canvas and then hang them under the lights. I know you take great photos…why not put them up around your house?
July 29th, 2010 at 12:22 pmIt looks professionally done! You did a great job! Earlier this year, just the thought of painting my son’s room was too much for me so I opted for a choo choo train wall decal instead. Your paint job inspires me to paint my small house or at least my son’s room.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:24 pmLooks great. All I have to say is I am glad I don’t have windows like that. I can barely find adequate window treatments for my extra tall and skinny windows in my old house.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:24 pmLooks beautiful! Maybe pictures of your kids hung in those recessed areas? Either a cluster of a few or a few GIANT ones? Nah, that’d be too much! You have some amazing photographs of different things, I think you should use those.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:24 pmI really like the color. As far as the windows go I have the same problem w/my house so maybe I will get ideas from your ideas.
Robbin
July 29th, 2010 at 12:24 pm1)Gauzy light curtains w/ a sheen for the windows. Something with a little shimmer perhaps? Color: champagne. Get them custom cut and get them Long, like pool on the floor long.
2)Cut outs: whether you think so or not the photos of your kids are amazing. Blow some up, frame ‘em, throw ‘em on the wall. Done.
3) Above the fire place: tapestry or interesting rug
Thanks for the contest! Your walls look lovely. Want to come pain mine next?
July 29th, 2010 at 12:26 pmgreat pictures. great colors. I look forward to seeing how the niches are filled. Pick me, random number generator!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:26 pmLove the color!! It is amazing how a simple color change can completely change the look and feel of a room. (I can say “simple” because I didn’t have to do the work.) For the niches, my 2 cents… don’t feel like you have to buy something right away just to fill them. Wait until you find something that you really love. Something that inspires you. Calls to you. It will happen.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:26 pmHmmm.. Since your house is like mine, (with boys!) anything sitting on that shelf is going to be knocked off with a football or some other projectile. I’d say either something heavy enough that it won’t budge or something that can be knocked around and survive…. The niches? need large photo prints or paintings…. or some kind of decorative wall hanging - like those wrought iron things….
July 29th, 2010 at 12:27 pmThe color looks great! Your house was beautiful before, it’s even more so now. Great job on all that painting!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:28 pmIt looks great! What a big project you accomplished.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:30 pmLove the color. Did you do all the painting yourself? I would add Red in color, I love red and yellow together. You need an interesting piece of metal art work to put in the niche attached to the wall so the kids can’t knock it down.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:31 pm16 gallons!? Holy paint, Batman!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:31 pmI love it too. My bathroom is a similar yellow, and it is very cheery. Pretty though. I’m completely impressed by how clutter-free your house looks.
In those lighted nitches, could you hang a large picture of each of your kids? Not even formal ones, but some of your favorite candids?
If you have 7 nitches, you could devote one to each kid.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:32 pmI kill all plants so niches and plant areas are covered by candlesticks of all sizes and types. I don’t go matchy-matchy either (which is hard when you are a math major like me)–I just said “blue and green candles with burgundy as a pop” and “black or silver candlesticks, minimum of gold” and let everyone in my extended family buy me candlesticks for birthdays and Christmas (My husband’s family insists upon Christmas and there are WAY TOO MANY of them). Plus–if there is a hurricane, I’ll have light.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:36 pmLove the yellow, my all time favorite color
July 29th, 2010 at 12:36 pmSo beautiful! I am so ready to paint over my dark walls with something light and airy
July 29th, 2010 at 12:37 pmI lurve Lowe’s! It is five minutes from my house and I lurve to go look. If I win I can spend!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:38 pmThe yellow looks great. Both my sister and mother have yellow throughout there houses here in Texas. The Texas light just lends itself to yellow!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:38 pmi love the cheerful-ness of it! good-bye baby poop brown!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:39 pmI love it - it turned out great!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:39 pmThe new color looks great! That’s a lot of painting - job well done.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:41 pmThat is a fantastic paint job. I am not usually one to choose yellow for my walls, but you have changed my mind. (Or at least opened it up a little to change.) And I deal with the occasional footprint on my walls, too. And I don’t ask anymore either.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:41 pmLove it!!! We have yellow in our kitchen and it is really relaxing and warm. I am about to paint 3 bedrooms, a hallway, and a bathroom upstairs, wish me luck!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:42 pmI literally just painting with Valspar last night. And a color that is very similar to that as well. I can’t believe how much I love it! We just bought our first home and that made such a difference. I cannot wait to tackle the rest. Great job on painting!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:44 pmIt looks very nice. I’d love to paint my family room that same color.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:45 pmLooks great. I have a very similiar color in my living room.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:46 pmLove the paint! Reminds me of my parents living room back home. I would love to do some decorating of my own. Your house is beautiful!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:46 pmI have to admit, it really is quite pretty. Maybe I can fix my newly ruined tiny bathroom with that color!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:48 pmI love how it turned out! Now I need to paint my main living area too!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:49 pmThat looks great- very elegant. I might have to use that color on my finished basement
July 29th, 2010 at 12:53 pmI like it!!….I think….I have paint issues. I paint, love it, then a week later I don’t like it. Help me Lowe’s!!!!!!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:54 pmWow, that looks great! A lot better than I pictured, actually. I guess I just have issues with yellow. But it does look very warm, not the bright blinding color I see in my mind when I think of painting my kitchen yellow.
And yay for easy cleaning!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:54 pmNow for some accent walls! I can’t wait to see what it looks like with some stuff on the walls.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:55 pmOoh! I went to UNC and I LOVE that there is a paint color named for the Carolina Inn! I can assure you that it’s a lovely & fun place though, so your color is well chosen.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:56 pmWow! Gorgeous! Ironically, we just purchased a light yellow paint to paint our guest bathroom. I have always been drawn to the light buttery yellow color and cream color scheme, but have been hesitant to follow through before now.
After reading, and seeing, your post (especially the Prozac comment!), I eagerly anticipate this weekend, when we will be doing the painting!
Next step … the bedroom!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:59 pmI love the color. It really makes your fireplace stand out where it kind of blended in before. I’m sorry I have no decorating advice and if you saw my house you would thank me for that.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:01 pmDefinately some iron/metal type of sculpture on that shelf. As for the windows, the space makes me feel that curtains won’t work well. I love the color. I have similar walls that never stop and was afraid to repaint until now. Thanks for sharing.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:03 pmGreat Job, Chris. My husband does the painting. I did my bedroom years ago. The switch plates are still off… Ergo, my husband does the painting. I love your yellow happy home!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:03 pmSo far, Valspar paint has never failed me! And I love yellow. Your remark that it changes colors with time of day is true of many yellows and makes it such a nice, versatile color.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:03 pmYou have such pretty kids. Take pictures of them and put in the niches!!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:04 pmI love it! I painted my house a different yellow, with Valspar from Lowe’s even, and I love that too. My house is very small, and it also works in a tiny house, in case anyone is wondering.
16 Gallons? Yikes.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:05 pmOkay, I will admit when I first saw the color I was like MAN! That is really yellow! However, when I saw the before and after pictures the yellow is exactly what you said it was, warm and cheery. Nice job. On that other stuff, I have no idea, but good luck.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:06 pmLove the color!! I hate painting with a passion so I am super impressed that you did this on such a big scale and with the kids around to “help!” Great job!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:06 pmYellow paint is really God’s Prozac. Looks GREAT. I love a newly painted space.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:06 pmi like the yellow with the dark furniture. and i LOVE the stools in the kitchen. all of it looks so nice together…. like… wine and cheese?
July 29th, 2010 at 1:10 pmLove the yellow. Seriously love it. Well done!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:10 pmYellow is indeed happy and it looks fantastic! But - 16 gallons?!
Curtains - I’d only do the bottom windows - maybe draw drapes over sheers, to give you the option of opening to see the view, or closing to keep it a bit cooler in the house while still letting in all the light from the top windows.
Niches - Are there any of your photos you love enough to have enlarged to poster size and framed? You’ve shown some awesome photos on your blog.
I’d offer to do cute quilted wallhangings for you, but by the time I’d be done, you would be ready to sell the house and move.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:10 pmI really love the yellow. Those niches… I see them all the time now but am continually confused by them. I guess they’re for Important Artwork? Which, I suppose, means that you should put the kids to work!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:10 pmThe yellow looks great! 16 gallons?? WOW–That’s a lot of paint!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:11 pmlooks great and makes the house look so much warmer!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:13 pmLooks gorgeous! I would have serious reservation about doing my whole house yellow, for all the reasons you listed, but it really came out great!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:14 pmLove the yellow! It really works well with all your spaces! For the “shelf” niches I suggest plants–green would work so well with the yellow! Plants also seem to make a room cozier and filled with life. And you can use fake plants for above the fireplace, so you don’t have to borrow your neighbor’s ladder regularly to water them.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:15 pmThe new paint job looks great–I’m wondering, though, if you are considering accent colors now that the big paint job is done. Can’t wait to see what you do with accent decorations!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:16 pmI really like the new color! It goes so well with your furniture and house. For the niches, I would blow up some your fabulous pictures. Maybe some nice spring prints, or something from the baseball field (I know those will be hard to find…you have so few of them). The green grass will really pop with those yellow walls. I never know what to do with weird shelf things (they just seem like a dusting nightmare). For the windows I would do plantation shutters in all of them either a dark wood or white, and then some nice curtains on the lower windows (they could even be faux curtains that don’t go all the way across).
July 29th, 2010 at 1:18 pmThe house looks great. Very homey and cozy, but pulled together.
The niches need some artwork. Get some inexpensive blank canvas from the hobby story, the kind that’s stretched on a wooden frame. Gather children and leftover housepaint outside. Give the kids paint brushes and let them go to town to create abstract art.
Wash children. Let artwork dry.
Hang in niches.
Revel in compliments.
Hey, it worked for us.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:20 pmThe yellow really does warm up the room. For curtains, I’d use the white sheer ones from Ikea- I think they come in pretty long lengths, as well.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:21 pmI have no useful comment. Those windows are so high, I would probably ignore them and tell visitors not to look up but that’s just the way I roll.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:22 pmI love the color! It really makes the whole area so happy and relaxed. You’ve inspired me to finally paint our house!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:22 pmIt looks really good! You may have converted me to being a fan of yellow walls.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:22 pmI recommend making the kids stand as living art in the lit niches. But that’s just me.
I guarantee you Miles will think it’s cool!
Loooooove the way the color turned out! I need to paint my bedroom (some sort of breezy Cape Cod vacationy light blue) and maybe repaint my kitchen. The problem with the kitchen is that I just painted it, but it came out too dark. But then I bought art to match it. If I correct it, I have to get new art. And I really like the old one. Decisions, decisions…
July 29th, 2010 at 1:22 pmI love the way that it makes the cabinets and the white trim pop! very beautiful!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:23 pmIt turned out beautiful! I love how your furnishing pop out now! I would do a wispy branchy thing on the shelf in a big vase! Good luck finishing everything!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:27 pmThe color looks wonderful, I love how it really brightened everything up.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:29 pmWhat about some pottery pieces for the niches? I’m not a good person to ask as I’m not much of a collector.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:29 pmLOVE the color! It is a HAPPY and SUNNY house
July 29th, 2010 at 1:33 pmI painted a bathroom a nice yellow like this, and used deep purple for accents– sounds painful, but actually works nice
July 29th, 2010 at 1:33 pmIt came out very nice! I’m sure you will not go over board on filling up EVERY SINGLE nook, cranny and open space with SOMETHING as some people tend to do. It’s nice to leave some open space on the wall… I think it’s a more clean and polished look. This makes me want to paint my walls … off to Lowes to select a color!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:36 pmI LOVE that color. My husband is anti yellow, so Im highly jealous.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:37 pmWow - you did an amazing job! The color is so soothing too! Now I feel like my whole (very small) house needs some new paint! And that would be much easier with a gift card. Thank you!!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:37 pmI think inside the niches should be art work, black and white photo collages of your kids would be awesome.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:37 pmOn the ledges I would do seasonal flower type arrangements. Fall leaves and such, winter maybe a greenery with some sparkly stuff, spring tulips and such. summer from memorial to labor I would do an arrangement that was red/white/blue. by changing them only every 3 months you eliminate the need to climb up there and dust! LOL
Window treatments, wow. I guess alot of the depends on if you want to cover the window at all or if you want lots of sun light or desire any privacy.
personally I would go middle of the road and pick some white lace or sheer curtains.
I love how it turned out.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:38 pmI didn’t think I would like such a big area all one color but this looks really good. As far a niches I am a huge fan of Cowboy/Texan. The niche you can see from what I assume is your front door would look cute with a Rust colored star. We have a big entry way with a cowhide hanging on the wall. Get lots of compliments but we also live on an angus farm. Not sure that is really your style.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:41 pmBeautiful!
Your lighted niches are calling for kid art in my head–if not all seven, one or two must want to help decorate, besides with illegal hand and footprints. Or maybe family pictures–are their enough niches for everyone to have their own? ;o)
Shelf would make a pretty perch for a model of the three-wheeled bike that you wrote about in GH last year. (I wish I had one of those bikes too, but it’s not going to fit in our garage with the cars and bikes, scooters, etc. for four kids.)
I painted a happy yellow in my kitchen and basement last year and it’s made a lot of difference (to me, anyway). Enjoy the sunshine on your walls.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:42 pmI love it!!
For the windows I’d either do plantation shutters or do what my neighbor’s did and have blinds that run on a remote control so you can close them when the sun is too bright in the room.
I’d put some kind of framed painting in the little niche thingy. Be sure you measure before you buy something. Learn from my mistakes!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:42 pmThat looks awesome! The color really fills up the space.
I’m sure you have mountains of kid artwork that you could rotate through those niches and shelves ;o)
July 29th, 2010 at 1:43 pmOh, I don’t usually go for yellow, but this looks fantastic. As for the niches, I would end up filling them with books? Old hardcovers could look nice…
July 29th, 2010 at 1:43 pmLove the color and I love the all pictures and stories you share of your life. Amazing!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:43 pmOh I have no advice but I LOVE the new color — what a difference!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:44 pmI L-O-V-E the color. I would never have had the courage to go with that — but I would have missed out on that wonderful warm glow. I have no clue on the windows or niches. But, I am hopeful that you will keep us infomed as you move through this process. I love watching house transformations. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:44 pmThe yellow looks great!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:46 pmI agree that yellow just brings a happy brightness to kitchens and living spaces.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:48 pmWe must be on the same wave length! I just finished my summer painting jobs last night - final coat in my daughter’s closet! Now to get all the junk out of the living room and back where it belongs. I wonder if anyone would notice if I just hauled it all to Goodwill!
I love the yellow by the way! It looks wonderful!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:49 pmMaybe that upper shelf could have an antique baby carriage or something. A family momento of some sort could be neat.
I love the yellow, so happy.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:53 pmIt looks so happy! I am so jealous.
We have “a guy” coming this weekend to start some interior painting for us. We SUCK so badly at picking out colors - he’s supposed to help us, and then do all the work. I am hoping it will turn out sort of like a tv show, where you throw some money at a hopefully-qualified designer/decorator/painter and two days later, walk into a room that is perfectly what was wanted. Here’s hoping!
Oh - artwork in the niches - paintings, photos in frames, collages even. On the shelf? IDK. I hate fake plants (dust). A HUGE hurricane lantern with a candle… or is that too generic?
July 29th, 2010 at 1:53 pmWe recently finished sprucing up our old house before putting it on the market and the last thing I want to do again is paint, but we’re building a new home so painting and decorating here I come.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:54 pmIt looks great- amazing how some paint can warm up a room.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:57 pmIt is just beautiful, so warm and cheerful.
July 29th, 2010 at 1:58 pmWhat a change1
July 29th, 2010 at 1:59 pmWhat a beautiful color! I have the same neverending walls in my house and would love to be able to re-paint them all!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:59 pmAbsolutely stunning! I would leave the windows alone if you don’t have neighbors around. Or you can install fabric window blinds with a top treatment to hide them behind, keeping them open during the day. Great job!!!!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:02 pmBeautiful color! Really does brighten everything. I stick with Valspar as well. It’s thicker than other paints I’ve tried, and so it doesn’t splatter and covers well.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:03 pmBeautiful!! I just went to Lowe’s today and bought 6 gallons of Valspar paint. I hope my job looks as lovely as yours:)
July 29th, 2010 at 2:04 pmI love yellow! One of my favorite colors. I’ve been to the Carolina Inn and it EXACTLY matches their lobby! How should I contact you when I want to make my reservation?
July 29th, 2010 at 2:06 pmI love it! It’s the same color I have in my living room and up the stairs…and you’re right about how it changes. Great job!!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:06 pmI am a big fan of leaving windows uncovered unless you need to cover them for privacy.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:07 pmThe yellow is lovely! It really brightens up the house!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:07 pmLooks great! That popped balloon on top of the fireplace would be the only thing I see every time I walked down the stairs, go borrow the ladder.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:08 pmIt really did open up the place!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:08 pmGreat job! When you said you were using a yellow, I cringed. I was WRONG. It is beautiful! Glad you’re happy with the results.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:11 pmNew paint always cheers a room! Nicely done (do you tape? Please tell me you freehand, because that would be a lot of taping! I can’t imagine.)
Anyway, the niches? Don’t know. Perhaps give each of those cute little kids all of your leftover paint from years gone by and let them have at it.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:11 pmGorgeous!! Wow– 16 gallons . . . I am in awe . . .
July 29th, 2010 at 2:14 pmAs someone that just installed window shades, curtains etc in every room of our new house I would recommend bringing in a professional - we only got about half way before we realized we needed some outside help but now they look great. The paint looks great - thanks for sharing!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:14 pmThe color is awesome! So bright and warm, I really like it. Good choice!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:15 pmBeautiful! I would like a dark brown on the edge of the nitches (not the whole background) I think you will have to wait until you pick out your artwork first and then decide. Maybe we can have another contest at that point????
July 29th, 2010 at 2:17 pmLooks great! If you’re brave, you could have your youngest two create some art work with paint and big canvases to go in your niches. One of a kind original masterpieces…or at the very least a lot of fun for them.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:17 pmLove that cheery yellow!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:19 pmLove the paint. You did a really nice job painting. And you are right- it really brightens everything up.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:20 pmI love that color! I’m not a huge fan of yellow but on the walls it is perfect!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:21 pmWow! That is a LOT of yellow. I don’t know if I would have been brave enough to try it but it came out great!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:21 pmIt looks great! I used Valspar on our previous house and it worked beautifully! I did a brown but now I think I’m LOVING yellow!!!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:22 pmvery pretty!! but wow, 16 gallons?!?!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:22 pmVery Cheery.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:23 pmI love yellow too and how my living room changes shades as the day goes on. Do you really want to be able to block the view/sun in the windows? If not, maybe just a cool set of artwork between the sets of windows? Thanks for the drawing!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:24 pmWow, absolutely stunning! We just painted one of our bedrooms a green, after I’d looked at the Valspar paint. They had a beautiful array of choices. My MIL moved in and this is now her bedroom. She sort of freaked at first, but now is in love with it.
I want my bedroom painted too.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:24 pmIt’s kind of crazy how much “happier” the room appears. Lovely
July 29th, 2010 at 2:28 pmWhat a big job that looked like and it turned out so beautiful! Love the yellow.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:28 pmLOVE your color! I am gonna get me some! Your home looks beautiful in the yellow! But, gosh, you are amazing to have painted it all yourself. Those are some tall walls!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:30 pmLove the color and your whole house too! Great giveaway!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:32 pmThat is beautiful.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:32 pmWe must repaint the house we just bought, and I am so conservative when it comes to paint colors…but DH wants color. Maybe that yellow will do for both of us!
It looks gorgeous! Yellow is absolutely my favorite color for walls.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:33 pmlooks beautiful. I would leave the windows like they are. The niches do need to be filled… may the ironwork some else suggested or maybe search etsy for a local artist that can help maybe with a custom piece. I would try to tie something into your new locale. beautiful house beautiful kids!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:37 pmYour paint job looks great!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:38 pmLooks great!! Now you can say that you really are back in “the big yellow house”…sort of. I bow to your mad painting skilz.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:39 pmThe color looks great - and does seem very cheery. And your house looks beautiful!! We are getting ready to do some painting soon and would love a head start on the project with a gift card
July 29th, 2010 at 2:40 pmOoh, that is an awesome color. Looks great!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:40 pmYour house looks beautiful. I love the new color and the overall uncluttered look of your house. I can’t believe that you tackled this project by yourself. You are an amazing writer, Mom and handywoman!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:41 pmI really like the yellow - it looks amazing! I’m not sure I could deal with 16 gallons of paint. My biggest paint project only used three gallons!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:41 pmI wasn’t sure I was going to like the yellow, since I’m not a big yellow fan. However, once I saw the before and after, it definitely went from a model home look to a personalized look and I like it! Also, very cute clutter. I have 3 and they’re often cluttering up my house as well. Why are there always socks everywhere?
Enjoy the newly painted house!
BTW, I’d go with matching framed photos of all the kids in those display areas. They scream for cool photos.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:41 pmI think the color looks great. It makes everything more homey. Yo.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:45 pmThe color looks great! I have a house that sort of goes on and on so it needs one color as well. Unfortunately when I was painting ours we had the house for sale so I picked a super neutral color. We finally gave up and took it off the market and now I really wish I had picked a color that I really loved. Just can’t bear the thought of painting all those crazy high walls again so it’ll probably stay the way it is for awhile. Would love to win…have many, many ways I could spend that very quickly.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:45 pmI love the yellow as well! Pick me please mr random # generator!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:46 pmLovely, just lovely. I second Ashley’s recommendation of rustic Mexican art
July 29th, 2010 at 2:48 pmLove it. My friend’s house has these cool motorized shutters that I can’t full explain, but really soften the light as it comes in while still allowing it to be light. Helpful, aren’t I?
July 29th, 2010 at 2:56 pmOohhh, I love the yellow! So bright and cheerful, but not too “warm” a color for the Texas climate!
I think large, framed, black-and-white photos of things that make you feel happy or at peace (kids, flowers, landscapes, bottles of gin, etc.) would look nice in the lighted niches. Simple, yet reflective of your family’s personality. Plus, they would be easy to keep dust-free.
I’m not really good with windows, since my default window treatment is a fancy curtain rod (on sale at Joann’s or Christmas Tree Shops) with sheer panels hemmed to the length of the window frame. The panes are either a bit darker than the walls or plain white.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:56 pmI second a previous comment- gets some canvases and have the kids make some modern art paintings for your niches. But outside so they don’t Jackson Pollock your nicely painted yellow walls.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:00 pmI like the yellow. It makes the fireplace stand out. No ideas for your walls as mine are still bare after 4.5 years.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:00 pmI love it! I just might have to use that color in my house!! And thanks for the tip on eggshell finish. I have flat paint with awful dirty handprints that won’t disappear…*sigh*
I think you should display your children’s art work in those cubbies. You give me the impression you saved pieces from all ages so you could display sweet toddler art from each kid at around Miles age so it would be consistent across the board. Enjoy your new cozy home!!!
July 29th, 2010 at 3:02 pmSplendid!!! I think some type of Mexican-Aztec artwork. Or framed artwork (enlarged) that your children have done over the years. Good Luck and Have FUN on your trip.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:03 pmThe color looks amazing…what I would have to do would be hire an interior decorator because I can’t even come up with suggestions for you! $500 to Lowe’s…I could easily give that to my husband to spend and make his day…THAT would be fun!!!
July 29th, 2010 at 3:04 pmI’ve been doing a lot of painting at my boyfriend’s new house lately. We only have a little bit left to do but we’d like to get some nice blinds for the windows. $500 would buy a lot of blinds…
July 29th, 2010 at 3:05 pmEvery room in our house is a different color. I love painted walls! It’s great on a budget too, ’cause such a huge statement can be made with just a bucket (or 16) of paint. I just did my first yellow room a few months ago!
July 29th, 2010 at 3:07 pmThe Big Yellow House. Hmmmm……..sounds oddly familiar
July 29th, 2010 at 3:08 pmLove the color — it’s very happy! I could definitely take lessons from you. I have helped paint only one room in my life and am seriously intimidated by the whole ordeal.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:09 pmCome on giftcard!! Momma needs a new shower!
July 29th, 2010 at 3:10 pmGorgeous! Makes me want to paint!!
July 29th, 2010 at 3:10 pmThe color was a great choice for the space but it almost doesn’t matter. Your house is almost as beautiful as your children.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:13 pmI wonder what it would look like if you put some kind of pattern or wallpaper on those insets - just on the back part? Might be a nice little pop!
Love the yellow, by the way!
July 29th, 2010 at 3:13 pm*love* the color! And how your house and mood have been transformed by a little paint!
July 29th, 2010 at 3:14 pmIt looks great!!
I’ve been trying to paint my house for two months. I’m still trying to pick a color. It’s sending me over the edge.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:14 pmI have to say: I am completely amused that you chose an actual colour - I remember years back painting the Big Yelllow House, your comment that it made you feel like living in the circus with clowns. We all grow!
July 29th, 2010 at 3:17 pmI love the yellow. Family pictures would be great in the lighted niches!
July 29th, 2010 at 3:17 pmWhat a difference! It looks fantastic - great job!
July 29th, 2010 at 3:17 pmI was going back and forth comparing the pictures to see which I liked better. I really liked the brown color before (but I LOVE me some browns, oranges, and greens in a house). I definitely think there are some areas where the yellow looks much better than the brown because it gives a nice contrast to the stonework.
I have no idea what to put in the niches (probably because I haven’t even hung anything on my walls in my living room because i cant decide what the big space needs). Something tall in the recessed lighted areas for sure.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:18 pmColor looks beautiful! Kids too!
July 29th, 2010 at 3:19 pmOh, wow. Yellow hasn’t been my favorite room color since my mom forced me to have an all yellow room (in her defense, the carpet we had was yellow and orange shag, so she was trying to make it match, but after five years I really hated that yellow bedspread and curtains). But I love your walls. I like how the yellow makes the fireplace pop–before it blended into the wall.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:20 pmlove it. wish my DH liked yellow!
July 29th, 2010 at 3:21 pmLove the color. Definitely artwork in the niches, perhaps a big fake plant or pottery on the high shelves, and as far as window treatments… how hot does it get in that room with the two story windows? If it is unreasonably hot, then shades on the top. If not, leave the top ones bare and go with some nice shades or sheer curtains on the bottom.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:23 pmI’m a yellow lover! Looks fabulous!
July 29th, 2010 at 3:23 pmGreat job; the color is fabulous with the natural lighting in your home.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:27 pmLooks great! I would love to have $500 to remodel my house! Have a wonderful trip!
July 29th, 2010 at 3:27 pmI really like that color - so soft and serene. I’d go so far as to say it feels as though your house took that Prozac bath and dried off with a Xanax towel. Ohm……..
July 29th, 2010 at 3:28 pmI am the very definition of a random commenter.
P.S. We toured a house once that had niches, but they were Hindu (I think?) and had their religious statues in their niches. So that’s an idea! (ha)
July 29th, 2010 at 3:32 pmMust say - that color certainly brightens up the room. It looks great!
July 29th, 2010 at 3:38 pmYour photos rock, Chris - perhaps 1 niche per child, a montage for each niche?
July 29th, 2010 at 3:39 pmIt’s nice.
Windows could go with a breezy white or cream sheer, a white with black trim, which would tie in the furniture, or any kind of pattern with a yellow accent in it.
I don’t even want to *carry* 16 gllons of paint in to my house. Urf. Glad to hear that it’s a good wiper-offer, this is so much more important with kids in the house.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:41 pmWow, 16 gallons of paint. You may not see me, but I’m bowing at your feet for your ability to get so much painting done in such a short time.
It really looks great. I love yellow. I painted one house exterior yellow, and another house yellow on the inside.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:42 pmI love the color. It looks great! I could use the $500 I have plenty of painting I need to do.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:42 pmLove the color! I am amazed that you were able to paint all of the walls and niches yourself. Just looking at how high some of the niches are makes me hyperventilate! Best of luck with the wall hangings and accessories. I feel like that’s always the hardest part.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:45 pmlove the yellow. I think the niches would be super nice painted another color. but if you are really not in to another color, then definitely some artwork that would be well showcased with its own niche — something colorful.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:47 pmLove your house and love the paint, but I really love how neat your house looks. Can you please, please, please, PLEASE, PLEEEEEASE tell me how you keep your house so neat. I am jealous, it looks like a magazine.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:47 pmLove the yellow. I recently finished painting my basement Lisbon Blue. It took me 6 months to choose the perfect color and another *cough*year*cough* to actually paint it. Something about ugly furniture and not being able to replace and oh why bother, but I’m glad I did. Now the basement is light and happy. Now I need to get my husband to carry through on his promise to paint the stairway.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:49 pmSuch a beautiful room! I think it turned out great!
July 29th, 2010 at 3:50 pmSuch a pretty color. Your house is just beautiful!
July 29th, 2010 at 3:52 pmLooks wonderful. I can’t believe you did all that painting yourself. Kudos to you!
July 29th, 2010 at 3:52 pmLove the yellow! The spot above the fireplace (with the popped balloon) looks like it could handle a nice, good quality fake plant. Real would be better, but how would you water it? I think adding a touch of green would be nice. The lighted niches, I would say, pictures or art - anything else is a pain to dust.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:54 pmOh, my gosh, what a beautiful color. We’ve done a Red Wall in our dining room (yes, in capitals) and I’ve been amazed at the difference it makes all through the first floor of the house. But it may be time to turn the intensity down a notch.
July 29th, 2010 at 3:55 pmThat is a beautiful color! I am not much of a yellow person, but that is really lovely. And your house is beautiful. Cute kids, too!
July 29th, 2010 at 3:56 pmI absolutely love the transformation. I was leary of yellow but I actually like it.. It looks cozy and comforting, something I’m sure you need in a house with so many kids (I have 6). My living/dining area really needs painted. Thanks for the inspiration
July 29th, 2010 at 3:59 pmLove the color. I’d put some pretty Mexican pottery up on that ledge, and pictures of the kids in the niches. I can’t figure out what to do with my own windows, so I’ve got nothing for you there.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:01 pmIt looks great! I want to know - did you do the painting yourself, or hire it out???
July 29th, 2010 at 4:03 pmTweet.. Tweet..
http://twitter.com/MommaChaos/statuses/19851423472
July 29th, 2010 at 4:05 pmIt looks beautiful! I love the color yellow, the outside of our house is a creamy yellow! We have all white walls at the moment and we have 4 boys under the age of 9, so really the walls aren’t white anymore, they are more of a dirty white =)
July 29th, 2010 at 4:06 pmCrap, that’s a whole lotta painting! If the niches weren’t lit I would suggest adding shelves in it to store books, etc, altough I guess you could use glass shelevs. They seem quite large and need tall, thin objects to fill them. I would go with photos or maybe some cool wrought iron work.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:07 pmLooks lovely. Your ability to keep that house so clean with 7 kids is truly impressive.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:08 pmI am surprised! I’m kind of anti-yellow and I’m loving this. It really brought some brightness where the walls could get dark before, and really compliments the browns.
As for the niches and whatnot I’m at a loss. I’m guessing art you love in the lit areas?
July 29th, 2010 at 4:09 pmI don’t even typically like light yellow and I think that looks great. But seriously, you did all of this yourself? That is amazing.
I wonder if I need to paint my dining room yellow. Hmmmm… or perhaps you could come over and paint it yellow? It’s only a tiny room compared to what you’ve done here!
July 29th, 2010 at 4:10 pmI’ve been rooting for yellow the whole time & I think it looks great! Our LR is yellow, but a little more muted shade. It is so cheery & warm.
My almost-6-year-old daughter and I think you should put some pictures of your family in at least one of the niches. I think you should think about finding an artist you admire & get him/her to do a watercolor of your whole family. Maybe as a collection of faces as opposed to in a big pose. ‘Cuz you know you’re never getting everybody to actually look good at the same time in a photograph!
July 29th, 2010 at 4:10 pmso impressed! that was a huge job! i think yellow makes a beautiful background to set off art & furniture, etc, too.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:11 pmI love the yellow! Very bright and cheery!
July 29th, 2010 at 4:12 pmLooks fantastic. Niches, no clue… flat vases with some sort of feathery/thin silk greenery inside? I told you I had no clue.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:13 pmWow! What a beautiful choice. Congratulations.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:17 pmThe house looks great! Thanks for the wonderful giveaway.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:17 pmYay! Yellow is my fav. My grownup brother is a geologist so we always had various rock specimens in our house’s alcoves growing up.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:18 pmOh wow! Love the color. It does look cheerful.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:19 pmAs for those niches.. Get some enlargements of photos you’ve taken. You’ve shared some nice ones over the years. The ones where you can see them moving- like a blur. I think it’d fit in with your cheerful walls.
Wow! It looks amazing! I can’t believe you painted all that. That is a lot of space! I totally think you need to fill in those insets with pictures of your kids. Maybe a couple blown up black and whites would be nice. Or ones with some really vibrant colors. You have mad photography skills so I know that won’t be an issue.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:19 pmAwwww ….full circle, it’s the Big Yellow House again!!! I love it!!! The place looks great and I am super impressed that you are able to get so much done!
July 29th, 2010 at 4:25 pmI love the yellow! What a beautiful choice, and you are right: It really seems to reflect a happy house! Speaking of which, my house, or rather, my half of a house (2-flat), could really use $500 from Lowes!
July 29th, 2010 at 4:27 pmI painted the whole interior of my old house that same yellow. I loved it so much. We’ve been in this house 5 years and 9 months and I’m STILL trying to figure out what color to paint the main floor.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:27 pmLong rectangular black and white photos are your kids original art work on canvas would look neat in the lighted niches. I love how the yellow makes the red candles on the fireplace pop. We used Valspar throughout our entire house last year & love it. It is so easy to clean. We used the seaside retreat colors. All that’s left is our garage.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:30 pmI love the yellow. It’s my favorite color to paint with. Good luck with the art decisions!
July 29th, 2010 at 4:33 pmI would choose the same color for my house. It is beautiful!
July 29th, 2010 at 4:37 pmI love the yellow….the best color for walls hands down!
July 29th, 2010 at 4:38 pmAs for the windows, you could do “top down bottom up” shades. I got mine from homedecorators.com. That way you have privacy but still let light in.
You could also go with a more earthy/rustic feel by going with bamboo blinds.
As for the niches…I dont care for mine. If money was no object and you didnt like them, I’d drywall over the niches above the stairs and keep the one downstairs and put a family picture in it or something rustic like others suggested. ie: texas stars, a family portrait taken outdoors.
You know what I think would look really awesome in that room? Rustic, dark wood beams going across the ceiling to tie in the couch or floor with the ceiling and bring down the height a little bit.
Beautiful, Chris! I think if I had the lighted nooks, I would put pictures in them. Probably large family portraits, maybe “actual art”, since my SIL is an artist. as for the windows… I am torn between: plain vanilla drapes (matching the fireplace), which don’t do anything but block out the sun and nosy neighbors; and a bright print drapery, something with bold colors that would add drama to the room. (With kids, you get enough drama in any room). In any case, unless you were needing to block out the sunlight, I would only cover the bottom windows, leaving the uppers uncovered for their lighting.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:39 pmLooks great and makes the measly painting job I have to finish seem so less frustrating! And I have no advice (sorry) because I can barely make any decisions for our new home.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:40 pmIt’s amazing what that color has done for your rooms, they look lively and happy! Sadly, I could use the Lowe’s cash as we are about to put our house on the market…pray for me.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:42 pmLooks awesome!! Niches: kid artwork, inexpensive frames, switch it up from time to time. YOu take awesome photos - how about some big blow-ups of those in the niches. A bit more expensive: go to a local art show and pick out a few things- you get original art, a real live artist gets paid!
July 29th, 2010 at 4:44 pmFor the shelf, I’d go with baskets, candles, or pottery. Bonus points if your kids make pottery - then you can put that in there!
So glad the choice worked out for you - it is really pretty and lively!
The great room in my previous home was yellow for several years and I miss it’s happy and cozy feel. I had an opportunity to paint my classroom a few years back so I researched the effects of wall color on learning. Interestingly, yellow seemed to be the best choice for the atmosphere I wanted to create. Now, in my new home by the lake I have some ugly bambooish wallpaper. Lots of visitors like it but the obvious seams really bother me. Believe me these things NEED some paint.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:44 pmI think it’s beautiful and I’m floored that you did it all yourself. Wow.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:45 pmI LOVE yellows! Especially the buttery ones. We have some yellow in our house and I have found that accents with the dark bronze finish along with reds and greenery look great up against that background.
Lori
July 29th, 2010 at 4:51 pmI’ve been toying with yellow for my own kitchen, family room combo, and it looks wonderful. Since you’re so good with the brush, how about a little trip to Akron, OH?
July 29th, 2010 at 4:53 pmWow, it looks gorgeous! I love my warm buttery yellow throughout the first floor. And I love how it changes thru the day. I think you need a big green potted plant (fake or real:) on the shelf. I think a collage of b&w family framed in black frames would look good or maybe some b&w wrapped canvases. For the windows, check out Smith & Noble, I love their cornice boxes.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:54 pmGreat paint colour! It really does look cheerful and friendly!
For the highlighted niches, what about hanging some art? A painting, or a small tapestry or something? Or some nicely framed family photographs? As for the ledge… hmm. Do you have any large-ish pottery or something?
(If, in the unlikely event the random number generator picks my comment, please ignore. I live in Canada– just wanted to comment on your post!)
July 29th, 2010 at 4:58 pmI love the yellow. It looks so bright and cheery.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:58 pmBeautiful house! I used yellow in my bedroom…had repaint once because the initial yellow I chose was awful, but love the warmth and relaxing feel it brings. Thanks for sharing!Beautiful kids too
July 29th, 2010 at 5:00 pmThe yellow is beautiful! I may be convinced now to go for it in my living room/foyer/staircase…I see just what you mean about “bathed in Prozac”!
Enjoy your “new” house!
July 29th, 2010 at 5:00 pmGorgeous color. I defy you to be un-cheery while surrounded by those walls. (Well, not you *specifically*. I mean, you have seven children who are in occasional need of dismemberment. That warrants the occasional un-cheery moment, I’d say.)
July 29th, 2010 at 5:04 pmThe color looks amazing!Congrats on having a happy house. We moved back in March and I haven’t tackled any of my painting projects yet, honestly I am still unboxing things.
July 29th, 2010 at 5:04 pmThat high shelf area is a tough one. I remember a townhouse I rented for a couple years which had a high shelf area. We put a Poinsettia plant up there one year and laughed about how it reminded us of the children’s chant “the cheese stands alone”.
July 29th, 2010 at 5:07 pmBeautiful colors. Loved your selection.
Very Cheery! Its looks nice.
July 29th, 2010 at 5:11 pmLeave the windows alone. I am increasingly convinced that curtains are clutter.
July 29th, 2010 at 5:11 pmI love the yellow. And the thought of 16 gallons isn’t helping me get going on the painting I am procrastinating. Wow.
July 29th, 2010 at 5:15 pmLove the color. It really makes it feel so warm and homey.
July 29th, 2010 at 5:16 pmit. is. gorgeous! i love how the color is all the same and yet varies because of lighting. nice job!
July 29th, 2010 at 5:16 pmThe color looks great and so different in the different areas of the house. I think some of your beautiful photographs of your children in black & white would look perfect in the niches. All the same frame, or better yet, frameless glass. Or all in the same color family. And for the space above, how about tying in your new state with some southwestern pots. Not really ugly tacky ones, but someting cool and sculptural.
July 29th, 2010 at 5:17 pmWe have a shade of yellow on our walls, too. We live in Washington State where it isn’t always sunny, so the light color makes the whole house, as you say, bathed in prozac. Wonderful!
July 29th, 2010 at 5:19 pmChristi
The color was a wonderful choice! Did you use any of hte accent colors?
For the niches, I think it would look nice if you printed some of your wonderful family photos (in b&w?), framed them, and put them in balanced, artfully arranged groupings. Just my two cents worth!
July 29th, 2010 at 5:20 pmI once tried yellow but it was the WRONG yellow- you got the RIGHT yellow. LOVELY!
July 29th, 2010 at 5:21 pmI would prop up large mirrors, or pieces of art in the niches. Ooh, or photos, since you are so great at photography! I mean super large, like almost filling the niche. I would probably not do anything with the fireplace shelf because it would be super hard to get up there and I am lazy.
I think it would be really dramatic to have long pieces of fabric hanging from ceiling to floor as curtains – but it would also be really impractical. It looks awesome!
July 29th, 2010 at 5:22 pmI am happy you love the yellow color! I am still in love with mine. Have you ever checked out etsy.com? I have been looking at a lot of original art work for reasonable prices over there. Maybe to fill your niches?
July 29th, 2010 at 5:24 pmI love the new color! Artwork for the niches? Soutwestern paintings with red in them? Girl, I am not the one to ask…but I hope one of the commenters comes up with something great!
July 29th, 2010 at 5:31 pmLooks great! After seeing how much you painted, my little kitchen paint job seems much more doable.
July 29th, 2010 at 5:31 pmI love the yellow! It is exactly the shade I’m looking at for our new house that is completely white walls right now. It does brighten up the house, and really opens up some of the spaces, especially your eating area and den (family room?). Good work!
July 29th, 2010 at 5:37 pmI love it. And I’m not even influenced by my love for the actual Carolina Inn
July 29th, 2010 at 5:39 pmInspired!
July 29th, 2010 at 5:40 pmI have no ideas, but I am going to copy whatever great ideas you get from other people because I don’t know what to do in my house either!
July 29th, 2010 at 5:46 pmLooks great! My arms and legs hurt just thinking about painting all of that space.
Cute kids too!
July 29th, 2010 at 5:48 pmOh please! I’d love a gift card so we can finally finish the guest room in our 1917 house.
July 29th, 2010 at 5:50 pmGreat color choice- I hope I can get a color swap make over for my place too
Thanks
July 29th, 2010 at 5:51 pmBeautiful! Loving the yellow!!
July 29th, 2010 at 5:53 pmLooks great, my whole kitchen/den hallway is about that yellow and we love it. Eggshell finish is the best!
July 29th, 2010 at 5:57 pmRecently painted both of my children’s rooms with Valspar paint. So far, I’m loving it. Would love 500 dollars to use on the rest of the house! And I love the yellow!!
July 29th, 2010 at 5:58 pmI love your yellow paint and am TOTALLY impressed that you did this yourself!
July 29th, 2010 at 6:02 pmThe room looks so cheerful and airy. I agree with several other comments. Some kind of white or light curtains or sheers would be a nice touch.
July 29th, 2010 at 6:07 pmI have NO idea what you could put up there. Your house is very similar to mine — crazy-high ceiling with high windows, strange ledges, and picture-cave-things. Additionally, we have a weird “space” above our front door, onto which my boys have thrown 1 pair of underwear, 3 balled up dirty socks, 1 deflated balloon, and 2 cat toys. I can’t get to them without getting our extension ladder, so I’m guessing they’ll be there until I’m dead.
The paint looks great!
July 29th, 2010 at 6:12 pmWOW! It does look so much brighter! Have you seen those remote control blinds? They might work for those high windows if you are trying to block that Texas Heat.
July 29th, 2010 at 6:13 pmOkay, now I think I have to paint my bedroom that color. It’s gorgeous!!
July 29th, 2010 at 6:16 pmLove the color…looks great!
July 29th, 2010 at 6:18 pmThe Yellow is beautiful. I am tempted to put it in my bedroom as I need to paint over the 1990’s green on the walls from the previous owners. I am at a loss for what to do with your windows….Id put up 2 inch white wood blinds and be done with it LOL.
July 29th, 2010 at 6:18 pmBest of Luck!the walls loook great !!
Great color!! What about roman curtains for your windows? Super contemporary and classy! And for the window niches, definitely some nice art work to compliment your new wall color.
July 29th, 2010 at 6:22 pmThe color is beautiful! How did you paint your really high walls?
July 29th, 2010 at 6:22 pmFor the niches I would use a large black chunky frame with enlarged family pictures or framed sports jerseys. Are you thinking of fabric on the windows or shutters? I think for that big of a space I would go with shutters and introduce fabric in throws and pillows. Love the paint job.
July 29th, 2010 at 6:27 pmMy house needs paint desperately: marker drawing on one wall, scuffs from my son repeatedly driving Hot Wheels car across another wall, dog scratches on window sill…… ANY new color would be better, and I do love your yellow.
July 29th, 2010 at 6:36 pmHow pretty! I would never have considered painting my living room yellow, but it looks fabulous!
July 29th, 2010 at 6:38 pmWe’ve picked a yellow for our bedroom. A buttery yellow. I hope we have as much success as you did with it! What about tall vases for the niches? Or prints of some kind of your favorite subject(s)?
July 29th, 2010 at 6:41 pmIt really looks great…..I hope that it still looks this good when you get back from your 10 vacation
July 29th, 2010 at 6:43 pmLove paint. Love money.
July 29th, 2010 at 6:44 pmI love it! What do your husband and kids think? Does the house feel more like home now?
July 29th, 2010 at 6:47 pmGreat job, love the color.
July 29th, 2010 at 6:49 pmIm not a huge fan of yellow, but I must say, I love it. I think your paint job may have changed my mind. Your home is gorgeous! Cool give away too, I could do lots of painting with that prize.
July 29th, 2010 at 6:52 pmIt looks beautiful! If the lighted niches were mine I would leave them empty just to have a space to see that wasn’t filled with toys or electronics….
July 29th, 2010 at 6:54 pmI was actually considering painting my bedroom yellow. Your house turned out beautiful…warm and cheery all at the same time. Can’t go wrong with that combo.
July 29th, 2010 at 6:55 pmwhen you said yellow and so so many walls…. I thought oh, no - too much. But it looks great. Love the warm happy feel!
July 29th, 2010 at 6:57 pm16 gallons! That’s a lot of paint
July 29th, 2010 at 7:09 pmPretty color! That’s so nice it comes clean easily. I have 6 kids and am forever trying to get hand and footprints off my walls too! Those high shelves would look great w/ some large pottery pieces! No idea for windows, though. All of mine are just covered w/ boring blinds.
July 29th, 2010 at 7:09 pmLove the yellow, I’ve tried twice to paint our sitting room yellow and I haven’t found a shade that looks good once it is on the wall.
July 29th, 2010 at 7:12 pmBathed in Prozac….love it. How are your arms and legs feeling?
July 29th, 2010 at 7:14 pmI love the new color. I am currently thinking of painting my kitchen and that money from Lowes would come in very handy. I would leave the windows as they are and hang a painting in the niche.
July 29th, 2010 at 7:14 pmLove the yellow! Very bright and cheery. I can’t wait to hear how you feel about this happy color when short winter days rolls around. If you are looking for decorating (window treatment) ideas I recommend checking out the nester. She does a great job of creating faux window treatments without breaking the bank. Check her out!
July 29th, 2010 at 7:14 pmLove it! It looks sunny and fun and warm and happy! As for the balloon - why don’t you just throw a kid up there to get it?
July 29th, 2010 at 7:14 pmI love the idea of big ironwork pieces of art in the niches, and even above the fireplace. It would have to be something truly huge, though, so it wouldn’t look lost in all that vastness of beautiful yellow.
And I second the idea for simple white linen-ish curtains or plantation shutters. But I’m boring like that, so maybe some of the other suggestions would look better.
July 29th, 2010 at 7:15 pmI would do black and white art work,, maybe photos in the niches,,or sillouettes!
I will also stick with white as window treatment to keep the airy , breezy, light feel of the rooms!
Did you thought about a nice big sculpture for the top of the corner shelf?
July 29th, 2010 at 7:18 pmI am sure the kids would like an animal!
Love the color! I have seen some cool things done with different size picture frames in niches!
July 29th, 2010 at 7:23 pmwonderful! I love the color yellow. My own kitchen is yellow but not as pretty… I may make my husband repaint! haha
July 29th, 2010 at 7:25 pmI love the yellow! Beautiful job painting!
July 29th, 2010 at 7:31 pmI thought yellow would be way too bright for that much wall space, but you proved me wrong. I love it. Good Job!
July 29th, 2010 at 7:32 pmI can see why you’re in love with it. what a difference color makes! great job.
July 29th, 2010 at 7:33 pmIt looks glorious! But holy crap, that’s a lot of painting. I’ll be happy just to have my living room/master bedroom/bathroom done. It’s maybe 1/5 of what you’ve done!
July 29th, 2010 at 7:38 pmIt came out great!
July 29th, 2010 at 7:41 pmI like the idea of family pictures - like Extreme Home Makeover does it - really large canvases either black and white or full color either way would be great. How dusty does your home get? I am always the practical one - how hard will it be to clean the item on your shelf area? I know I would hate to see dust and cobwebs on something and not being able to take care of it whenever I wanted.
July 29th, 2010 at 7:42 pmI love it! It looks perfect with your floors and your furniture. Could you do family portraits in the lighted niches or no?
July 29th, 2010 at 7:42 pmI love the color. As for windows, I have no advice. I’m still living with windows covered with wooden shades that I have grown to hate over the last 9 years.
July 29th, 2010 at 7:43 pmLove the yellow! I have my guest bedroom painted yellow and vow to ’stay’ in there if I find myself sick with fever as it looks so comforting. I guess if I were smart I’d sleep there when I’ve feeling ok and really reap the benefits…
July 29th, 2010 at 7:43 pmIt’s so pretty! And good job painting all that. I think I would’ve given up after one big wall.
July 29th, 2010 at 7:45 pmHanging some Persian rugs in those spaces would be pretty cool. We just bought our first house and that Lowe’s giftcard sure would come in handy!
July 29th, 2010 at 7:45 pmI was so excited about the prospect of the giftcard that I couldn’t even spell my own name correctly. How sad.
July 29th, 2010 at 7:47 pmI love the yellow! What a fabulous change for before. It makes me want to repaint some of our home yellow.
July 29th, 2010 at 7:49 pmLOVE it!!! I am getting ready to tackle a massive paint project here and now I’m leaning towards yellow
July 29th, 2010 at 7:51 pmI love the color you chose. Yellow can be a tricky one, but that color looks beautiful with the features of your home. I think some art pieces would look beautiful in the lighted niches. Maybe it’s to kitschy, but some abstract children’s art on canvases using colors that compliment your walls and accessories might be fun. Eh, who am I kidding, the accessories part is the part I can never figure out for myself either! Thanks for the interesting post and the chance at the Lowe’s card! That sure could come in handy!!
July 29th, 2010 at 7:52 pmThat’s an epic amount of painting - I’m truly impressed. And it looks lovely.
July 29th, 2010 at 7:55 pmHmmm…. those niches. Perhaps each kid can decorate one in their own way? Footprints and all?
July 29th, 2010 at 7:57 pmI love how it lightens the house up. The house before was a little dark for my taste ( not that it mattered, since I do not live there LOL ). It was a pretty house before…now it is gorgeous!! Enjoy the results of a prozac happy house!
July 29th, 2010 at 8:01 pmWow what a huge difference this paint has made……
you are right the house looks more peaceful and cheery…..
thanks so much for a chance to win to make my house more peaceful and cheery too!!!
Enjoy the rest of your summer……I see the back to school stuff is already out in the stores!
July 29th, 2010 at 8:03 pmGorgeous house and paint!!
July 29th, 2010 at 8:04 pmPrint some large portraits from some of your amazing photos of your kids, frame them in big, black frames and lean them up against the walls in the niches. That’s my two cents!!
The color is GORGEOUS! So bright and cheery, but still relatively neutral…
July 29th, 2010 at 8:05 pmI absolutely LOVE the colors that you’d chosen. Must say I am a little jealous about the amount of space you have; but the feeling is fading FAST! Just imagining the amount of time it must have taken is a bit daunting to say the least. I have a tiny dining room in comparison and THAT felt like an eternity. No idea about the windows, but as for the space… I suggest that you go through your photos and have the family’s favorites blown up and displayed. Not family portraits, but perhaps some your favorite places to visit, nature scenes, etc; maybe display some of your kids larger pieces of art. (good luck with THAT one - I still have my seventh grader’s first grade artwork stashed in the corner!) Just keep it simple and make it a family decision if you can. Otherwise, mom and dad decide!
July 29th, 2010 at 8:06 pmLove the yellow! I painted my kitchen “banana cream” b/c I loved the name — and yes, I pick my wine based on the label too.
July 29th, 2010 at 8:08 pmLooks great, congratulations! Inexpensive botanical prints would like really nice in the niches - a large pic in one and a cluster of smaller ones in another. Or you could keep it “real” with kids’ trophies/pics. Some fake ferns and pots/vases would look nice on the corner shelf.
July 29th, 2010 at 8:10 pmThe color is lovely and I’m sorry I am no help with the niche decorating…I have one of my own that I still don’t know what to do with it.
July 29th, 2010 at 8:13 pmOhh! I love the yellow!
It looks so bright and cheery.
July 29th, 2010 at 8:15 pmYou’ll really appreciate it when winter rolls round and it’s only 80 degrees in Texas, lol.
Love the yellow. My bathroom is almost the same color.
July 29th, 2010 at 8:20 pmThe yellow looks great!
My eldest son is heading off to college so we are going to do the room switcheroo redo. Fingers crossed.
July 29th, 2010 at 8:23 pmAnd bring on a thousand comments!
July 29th, 2010 at 8:23 pmI enjoy yellow as well. My child’s room has always (he’s 2.5, A-hem) been yellow. Something whimsical about it.
That looks wonderful! You make me want to paint my bedroom, which is cave-like in the olive green the previous owner put in there. I’m not one of those people who likes a dark cave bedroom. I like light.
July 29th, 2010 at 8:29 pmI’ve been out house hunting this week… so that gift card would come in handy in the near future. And… I can’t wait to see what you do with those huge niches, because I have my eye on a couple of houses with something similar, and have no idea what I’d put in them.
July 29th, 2010 at 8:51 pmI’m not eligible
and my parents are leaving the US in a week, so I can’t even pass the prize to them.
However, I also vote for framed art work in the nitches … the art teacher at my (elementary) school has the gr 7&8 kids do some awesome stuff and rotates the art in regularly in large glass frames (with minimal border) … maybe you could do something similar with some of your kids’ work? (especially anything like large pencil drawings, perspective is a popular art project and it always looks great … or pastels, or poster prints of famous stuff )
July 29th, 2010 at 8:53 pmLooks lovely! Can’t wait to paint my own house.
July 29th, 2010 at 8:55 pmI typed out a long post and lost it. Argh!
I noticed that the lower niche is visible from the entry, so a favorite piece of art would look great.
How about putting one of those indoor waterfalls into the niches that are higher up? If the kids can’t reach it, they won’t be able to make a mess. That would look fantastic in the lower niche, maybe when they get a little older or you can trust them not to play in it. Either that, or when they come in after a game they can shower right there! http://www.humidifall.com/
July 29th, 2010 at 8:56 pmAbout the shelf-like areas and lighted niches– you have to hit a Hobby Lobby for its 80% off aisle(s). I made off with an entire kitchen and living room’s worth of knick-knacks after stopping at the Hobby Lobby on 183 in north Austin. They filled up walls, fireplace mantle, and some similar shelf-like areas very well.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:09 pmThe color is bright and makes me happy–but the thought of painting all of that space makes me question your sanity! :)It looks great!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:11 pmLooks great! I’d love that Lowe’s card to get paint for the master bedroom we’re about to re-do.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:12 pmThe yellow looks fabulous!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:20 pmI don’t think they’re clutter…but I DO think they’re cuter!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:23 pmI’ve had bad luck painting entire spaces yellow but this looks great!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:23 pmLovely! I have a similar color and if I’d ever get off my butt to paint more, more walls in my house would have that same color…
July 29th, 2010 at 9:24 pmtotally gorgeous!! and I’m sure that any fresh paint would be nice, but this will be so fun to decorate around. You did good!! Congratulations!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:25 pmI like the idea of white wooden blinds on the windows. You could put a nice picture (Family shot maybe?) in the lighted niches! Happy Decorating!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:26 pmSo happy! I think you could do a large urn with branches for the shelf-like area.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:30 pmI am amazed at the transformation. We just saw a home with a kitchen painted in Valspar Savannah Red. Glad to know the quality of the paint is good…I will be buying some soon!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:32 pmLove the yellow and would love the gift card!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:32 pmI am amazed that you painted it all yourself. What a project?!? I have no idea what you should put on those niches. The kids are adorable.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:33 pmI love it! I would never have picked yellow but it looks great. What about putting photos and kids’ artwork in the niches? Maybe after 7 kids it gets old, but I enjoy having an ever changing gallery of my daughter’s work on the walls.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:35 pmI absolutely love and am inspired by your (big)! painting project. As far as your wall niches go, how about buying a few blank canvases @ Michael’s and have the kids create some original artwork?
July 29th, 2010 at 9:39 pmCongrats on completing the job. I would use some of those metal open carvings (filigree like) in the niches. The silhouettes would really stand out. A copper or rust piece would look nice against a deeper yellow or a complimetary color.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:48 pmWindows-I would leave top ones open. Bottom ones could have wood blinds or Hunter Douglas Silhouettes depending on if you need privacy. You can keep them open for a view and to keep the sun shining in, pulled all the way up or close completely at night. Or just simple panels on either end at level of fireplace with a rod in a deep wood finish.
Can’t wait to see the results.
Gorgeous!! I am going to paint my bedroom soon and I’ll definitely take a look at Valspar now!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:49 pmLove the new color. I’ve used Valspar in the past and really like it. Your house looks so much like my suburban new construction Texas house I can’t believe it - I loved having a new construction house and all that space, but it is a lot of work to warm it up to be homey and charming - the paint is a huge first step.
Carrie
July 29th, 2010 at 9:51 pmWow! Pretty walls! Enjoy!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:51 pmIt looks amazing! I love how it really opened up the darker areas and brought warmth into your home.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:52 pmMy favorite thing to hang is pictures my husband or I have taken of somewhere we went together (either as a couple or a family). Costco has great prices and quality for their photo enlargements, too.
Love the color!
July 29th, 2010 at 9:52 pmIt looks beautiful.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:00 pmI love the color and am totally impressed that you did it all yourself . . . where do you find the time?
July 29th, 2010 at 10:05 pmwhat a wonderful paint job!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:05 pmI might have thought you were a wee crazy to paint such a large expanse yellow. But it works! You did all that yourself? Well then you are crazy after all!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:09 pmLove, love, love the yellow - perfect for bright and cheery yet goes well with everything else! Great pick and great painting! Thanks for sharing with us!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:10 pmI love the color and I love your house!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:12 pmYour newly painted house does look like sunshine on a stick (a good thing)….I can appreciate that. With a mere four kids (although the fact that they can’t hear and are really, really loud, doubles them
, I don’t have nearly the time I need to paint, but due to the four kids we desperately need to.
Your post(s) in general inspire me to embrace the chaos that is our life
July 29th, 2010 at 10:16 pm-Melissa W.
Beautiful!! You did a fantastic job!
I think your photography is stunning so go some of your work blown up. You are so talented and your house shows it!!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:17 pmI love the yellow! Our living room and dining room are yellow too, a similar color, and I really love it. I agree, so cheery.
What about doing some canvas prints of some of the pictures of your kids and hanging those in the lighted niches? The other thing that would look cool would be some sort of tall thin statue type thing but that seems like it might not be the best option with boys being a large part of your household demographic.
The windows are tricky. Could you do more roman shades?
We’ve used Valspar for our last few painting projects and really like the way it goes on. Glad you had a good experience too. That gift certificate would be awesome!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:20 pmLove the yellow–our family room is yellow and I love how it changes with the light. One more vote for kids’ artwork and great family photos in the niches. Or how about a series of fun posters, maps or signs? Something bold and graphic.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:20 pmYou did pick a nice yellow. That particular shade even makes the floor look a few shades brighter. As for those niches? Family photos are always nice. You can also put frames of the kids art projects that you could change out every season. Again…great job finishing up the painting before the conference.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:23 pmI seriously love it. It looks so bright and open and cheery now!! I need to paint my living room (which I lovingly refer to as the cave) because it doesn’t have great natural light and the previous owner painted it dark brown. Yikes.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:25 pmI really like it. I was a little iffy about the amount of yellow your house was going to havve, but it’s not nearly as obtrusive as I was thinking. Glad you’re enjoying it and the handprints come off easily!!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:28 pmLove the yellow! Our bedroom is a very similar color and it makes me happy.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:37 pmDude, 16 gallons of paint!? I don’t even want to know how you or who ever you paid to get up to the tippy top of those walls to get them painted! It looks beautiful and cheery…and the ability to remove both finger prints and foot prints is a bonus! I haven’t been in a place where I painted, and I am very looking forward to the new apartment I am getting and to go a bit crazy and paint something! Here’s crossing fingers I get the giftcard! Although I don’t think I could pull off that color, but you are rocking it!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:40 pmGorgeous! And yellow can be hard. There is but a fine line between cheery and way too effing happy. You, my friend are definitely on the cheery side.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:46 pmLooks great! It would have taken me 27 years to paint that large of an area!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:47 pmI love the color too! in our hanging light fixture in the entryway there is a pair of elmo socks and a pretend pretzel. They’ve probably been there for a year. I blame the four boys and the stairs.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:47 pmLove the yellow… I hope I’ll be lucky enough to win the Lowe’s gift card so I can do some painting of my own!
July 29th, 2010 at 10:57 pmI love the color. It opens everything up and makes a large room look very welcoming.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:01 pmIt is so pretty and cheery! I love it! It almost makes me want to paint. Nahhhhh!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:03 pmwe had our new house painted before we moved in…trouble was..we picked the color and gave the number to the painter and he got flat paint…we wanted satan… so we repainted a year later and then have done a room or 2 a year. we still have the whole basement to go… painting can be scary stuff…
July 29th, 2010 at 11:05 pmI love your house and the new color, it matches the happy cute kids
July 29th, 2010 at 11:18 pmI recently redid my great room in yellow and LOVE it. Now I desperately need to do my hall and several– OK, ALL — of the bedrooms.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:18 pmMary, mom to many
LOVE the yellow! I’ve been repainting our new house as well, another GREAT Valspar color to recommend - Betsy’s Linen, it’s part of their historic line and it is the most fabulous white for the inside of closets!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:21 pmOooh, baby, what I could do with that gift card! I would buy a new patio door!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:23 pmdoes this mean you live in a big yellow house again?
July 29th, 2010 at 11:27 pm(sorry- i couldn’t resist!)
it looks great!
That red balloon cracked me up - couldn’t have been a white one, could it?!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:30 pmI like the yellow. The house is gorgeous… just thinking about doing all that painting exhausts me.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:30 pmThe yellow is lovely. So bright and happy without being totally in your face.
I literally just got home from putting five gallons of primer on less than half of the farm house that we’re renovating. So far we’ve purchased 23 gallons of paint and will likely need about 7 more. For a total of THIRTY gallons. It’s a good thing I like to paint. And a tall husband to tackle the ceilings.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:31 pmBeautiful yellow walls! We just painted a room with Valspar paint and we are really happy with it… now only 5 more rooms to go! Love your house!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:36 pmHOLY CRAP. 16 gallons of paint? I will no longer be annoyed at the thought of painting my bathroom.
If you do not have neighbors facing those windows, I would definitely leave them uncovered! There is nothing more beautiful in a room than natural light!
Great job, Chris. I am inspired.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:36 pmI love the yellow! Actually, the exterior of our house is currently yellow…though I hope to change that soon. I still like the yellow, I just need a change. I love the bright cheery colors in the house. This is especially true for me as we have lived for many, many years with wood paneling on the walls that the previous owners used as a quick fix. I have decided that it is an opportunity to make it more personalized, rather than thinking about the tremendous amount of work involved. Anyway…..love the color. Oh, maybe put a nice casual family portrait in one of the niches.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:37 pmI’d pick a nice color that you like to accent the yellow, and then get some kind of drapes for just the bottom windows in your living room with a fun rod. Just make sure they’re machine washable!! I have a brick red to accent my yellow walls. Then you can chance the accent color from room to room or from mood to mood.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:38 pmLove it and your cute kids!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:43 pmI just love the color…yellow is my favorite color of EVERYTHING! I also painted my husband’s office this week in a similar yellow with a hint more brown in it and just love it! Great job Chris!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:47 pmi agree…framed pics of the kids would add to the truly lovely room.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:51 pmI really like it. I like how you have one color throughout. You’re inspiring me.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:59 pm$500 would let me build my garden AND paint our living room/high ceiling room that leads into all other parts of the house! These two things would finally allow me to look around and say “I am HOME!” … after three years of living here!
July 30th, 2010 at 12:08 amI wasn’t sure I’d like yellow, but it looks wonderful. Bright and open. As for the windows, if you don’t need privacy (due to backyard neighbors), I’d leave them open or put in shutters on the lower windows only - not curtains or blinds.
July 30th, 2010 at 12:16 amAMAZING choices! Your kids are adorable too!
July 30th, 2010 at 12:24 amYay, I already feel like I won because you chose “my” signature color, pale yellow. I paint every house I live in pale yellow, top to bottom, except for the kids’ bedrooms and maybe the odd bathroom. We just moved into a new house and guess what swatch is taped up on the wall? Yup, my buttery yellow. It is so cheery, as you noticed!
July 30th, 2010 at 12:28 amThat color looks fantastic! I’m not a huge fan of yellow, but it truly does suit your space–and at 16 gallons, that’s a whole lot of space! I’m looking forward to seeing what you do next.
July 30th, 2010 at 12:40 amLove love love that color. Makes your house seem “homey”. Homey the house, yeah that’s it. Those niches cry for some large scale artwork of some kind. Maybe throw down some big canvases and let your kids go to town.
July 30th, 2010 at 12:43 amOh I love the color on the walls as much as the swatch! LOVE IT!
I like absolutely nothing on the windows. I love natural light pouring in!
July 30th, 2010 at 12:46 amI love it. YOU painted all of this? That is a lot of painting. I’m always pooped and sorry after the first hour.
July 30th, 2010 at 12:56 amI like paint! I have empty niches too and have no idea what to put in them. Sorry
July 30th, 2010 at 12:58 amI love the color! I am a horrible decorator, but I think a tall clay pot/vase would look nice on the corner shelf. You wouldn’t even have to put anything in it and a natural sandstone color would look nice with the yellow. Your windows are so big and pretty I wouldn’t cover them at all if you don’t need the privacy. Maybe just a long this drape on a small rod to either side to frame them and give the room more color.
July 30th, 2010 at 1:04 amI love the yellow! I’m painting my baby’s nursery tomorrow and I’m using the eggshell finish also. Glad to know that it handles kids well!
July 30th, 2010 at 1:14 amIt looks so much better; I love it. I don’t have any good ideas about window coverings, though.
July 30th, 2010 at 1:25 amYou’ve inspired me . . . to beg my husband to paint for me
Hey, I’ll help with the corners!
July 30th, 2010 at 1:34 amI have the same issue with my house and all of the rooms flowing into one another. I’m absolutely in love with what you’ve done and will be copying it. Well, I will be if I win that gift card.
July 30th, 2010 at 1:43 amLove the color! It really does warm up the house! I can’t even imagine painting all of that! Great job! ~~Pam
July 30th, 2010 at 1:54 amI love the color. It is so warm and cheery. Nice job!
July 30th, 2010 at 2:10 amLove Love Love it! Great job!!!
July 30th, 2010 at 2:12 amYour house looks BEAUTIFUL!!! And very cheerfull and welcoming! Congratulations on the painting being done!
July 30th, 2010 at 2:30 amI would put a painting of some sort or some large family photos in those lighted niches. Love the new color. It is definitely cheery.
July 30th, 2010 at 2:50 amI’m still not 100% sold on the color, but it sure does brighten the house and make everything cheerier! I think I would wake up happy every day there. Maybe. If, all of a sudden, my five kids also woke up happy every day too.
July 30th, 2010 at 2:59 amThe yellow looks really soothing. I’m currently trying to find a yellow for my living room but having a hard time. It gets very little natural light as there is only a french door going out to a covered patio.
And don’t you have a kid tall enough by now to get that popped balloon down?
July 30th, 2010 at 3:25 amThe yellow looks beautiful. Your home is lovely.
July 30th, 2010 at 5:01 amYellow seems very appropriate for Texas. Good choice!
July 30th, 2010 at 5:55 amBeautiful, I am inspired!
July 30th, 2010 at 6:02 amThats a lot of paint… your house looks fantastic though! Hope it is starting to feel more like ‘home’. Nothing original to add, but I would go with wood blinds on the windows, and some family pictures in the niches.
July 30th, 2010 at 6:30 amThe color is warm, I would put up nicely framed childrens art within the niches. And I also agree that they are a great place for family photos. Another idea is tapestries. I went to a open house and they had hung up tapestries and framed cloth that picked up the colors of the walls/floors.
Alice
July 30th, 2010 at 6:32 amI think framing family photos would look great in some of those nches. I would be annoyed by all of them, however, and trying to figure out what to do, and make sure they’re dusted, etc. Yikes.
July 30th, 2010 at 7:03 amLove the new color! It’s so light and airy!
July 30th, 2010 at 7:19 amI love the color..it is beautiful. Good luck with the rest of the task. 18 years and I am still trying to figure out what to do here!!!
July 30th, 2010 at 7:34 amLove the paint color! I’m hopeless in the decorating department… but your house is beautiful!!
July 30th, 2010 at 7:35 amLooks great! You can never go wrong with a sunny yellow.
July 30th, 2010 at 7:35 amThat paint job is so awesome! That must have been a LOT of work. I have four boys so I know that switching over to an eggshell finish would be smarter than my flat finish that I have now. Thanks for sharing the before and after pics.
July 30th, 2010 at 7:36 amJoy
How long did it take you to paint all that? And where did you ever find the time between sports practices, trips to the pool, etc?!? It looks great!
July 30th, 2010 at 7:40 amI LOVE the color! I lived in a garage apt just after college and the ‘living room’ was a color called Sunshine - it was perfect - so cheery and happy, but not blinding.
I’m no help when it comes to decorating. We’ve been in our new house for a year and haven’t changed a single thing. I do like the idea of family photos and children’s artwork, but I have seen family photos go overboard. Too many in a ‘public’ part of the house just doesn’t feel right to me. That being said, we have a wall in our upstairs hallway that is covered with family photos. The family before us had done that and left the nails so we’re just filling in the gaps.
July 30th, 2010 at 7:43 amI love the yellow! It’s very warm and inviting. Good choice!
July 30th, 2010 at 7:46 amI am so impressed you tackled that alone, on a big ladder with all those kids! If that was me, any one of my 3 would have knocked me over, or a gallon of paint while I was too high up to stop them.
July 30th, 2010 at 7:47 amIt looks beautiful!
Love the color…and great job. I am overly impressed yet not suprised you did this yourself. I dread painting and my home is not nearly as large as this.
Have you considered shutters for the windows? Plantation shutters i beleuve they maybe called, white wooden ones perhaps?
As for the niches…Chris ~ honestly? The amount of amazing photos I have seen on this site and you must ask? Yes I suppose some fancy piece of art might have been the intention of the builder…but honestly? I can vision black and white montages of the children…not the cookie cutter family sittings (as if you have those, you are way to cool)
July 30th, 2010 at 7:51 amthe ones that take you by suprise and end up classic’s…
their feet in a puddle…gathered on the front porch…I have seen so many the hardest part would be narrowing it down…oh and I love lowes!
Love the yellow, looks very similar to the yellow I want to paint my bedroom! Hope you are finally feeling settled now that you have made that house your own! I agree on the family photos in the niches but not snapshot size in stand frames, I would blowup your favorite family photos and hang them in warm brown frames inside the niches. Great work!
July 30th, 2010 at 8:01 amHee, in my laziness I would have lived with the boring old color and let it get filthy until Miles is about 20! Less chance of footprints on the new color that way. But you were right, it does look much warmer and happier.
The youngest kids are still young enough to have 3D art projects from school, a niche or two can rotate some of their work.
July 30th, 2010 at 8:17 amreally like the yellow. in fact, ithink it was my color of choice. but that it has “carolina” in it’s name and i’m from s carolina, it makes it even better.
July 30th, 2010 at 8:24 amOne of those designing shows (aka house porn) said that yellow walls are teh evul. Your house proves that yellow is gracious and pretty.
Inside the niches? Off season sports equipment storage. Or not.
July 30th, 2010 at 8:26 amLove the color. Looks great!
July 30th, 2010 at 8:28 amI did our guest room in a similar yellow, its warm and welcoming too! Now on to our bedroom…and I just don’t have a clue.
July 30th, 2010 at 8:36 amWow! You really brightened up that entryway! Looks awesome.
In the niches you should use colorful art. Don’t set things on the ledges, they are too shallow. I’m clueless what you should do with the windows. They are tricky.
July 30th, 2010 at 8:40 amIt looks great! Can I move in? jk kinda
July 30th, 2010 at 8:40 amThe yellow is great, I’ve been wanting to do our open area that color ever since seeing it in a neighbor’s house. If it were me I’d actually stay away from white on the windows and use that as an opportunity to either add a dark color or a bold bright color, depending on your taste-just not white!
July 30th, 2010 at 8:42 amLooks fantastic
July 30th, 2010 at 8:43 amthe yellow looks great! good choice. I have a similar sectional. I think adding a spice color would be a great addition. and without a doubt,,,,photos for the niches!
July 30th, 2010 at 8:43 amLove the color - it’s very cheery! I have no idea about the niches - if I did, the 3 in my house wouldn’t still be empty after 4 years…
July 30th, 2010 at 8:47 amThe yellow looks fantastic! I’d get some of your kid’s art work framed and put that in the light nitches- fun, funky and colorful!
July 30th, 2010 at 8:51 amLooks awesome! My main living area is also a (deeper) yellowish shade, so I know what you mean about how it changes with the light.
July 30th, 2010 at 8:52 amWow…I love what a difference the yellow paint makes…everything looks so much more homey!!
July 30th, 2010 at 8:54 amThe difference between before and after is amazing! Love it.
July 30th, 2010 at 8:56 amI’m not a fan of the yellow with the lighting, sorry. Probably won’t win since I didn’t lie.
But the lighting in the room in the hallway makes it look faded and old. Lights need to be changed to make the room snap
Chris says: The winner is picked by random number generator, so whatever your opinion you have an equal chance to win.
July 30th, 2010 at 9:00 amLove the color, looks very cheery. I could use the $500 to update my kitchen. It looks like 1986 which is bad since my house wasnt even built then.
July 30th, 2010 at 9:01 amLove the color. It looks great in such a large space and really warms your house.
July 30th, 2010 at 9:03 amGorgeous! My niches would be empty too, but I would like to think that I would find some unique artwork to put in there.
July 30th, 2010 at 9:04 amIm in love with the yellow.. its amazing how much it brightens the room. Plus it looks like it would go with practically any design style.
July 30th, 2010 at 9:04 amI loved the color- and how it changes with the light. Much more cheery. As for the niches, whatever you put there make sure that you still can use one of those long duster thingies on a pole (so something flattish), not something you have take down each time. Otherwise it is going to be one hella dustcatcher.
July 30th, 2010 at 9:05 amLovely. We just painted our basement in a similar color.
July 30th, 2010 at 9:07 amIt looks awesome. It’s warmer, brighter and definitely cheerier. My house is a similar color (chosen by previous owners) and I love it.
We have lighted niches as well, I love poppies, so my Mum (talented as she is) made custom wall hangings for me. They’re pretty, unique and help absorb the sound.
Great job!
July 30th, 2010 at 9:13 amHow about baseball trophies over the fireplace??? And put big black & white pictures of the kids in the niches… you could rotate the pictures so there are different kids featured every month… JK!!!!!!
Seems like you should stay simple with any window treatments… shutters would look beautiful. If you decide to go with curtains or drapes, look into using some supplies from Lowe’s - we used conduit for curtain rods in our son’s room - but he had a tech theme going in his room. In our master bedroom remodel we used copper pipe and my husband handmade corbels to support them. MUCH, MUCH cheaper than the expensive stuff the professionals want to sell you!!
July 30th, 2010 at 9:14 amI didn’t pick the yellow color for your rooms. However, I LOVE how the yellow looks! Thanks for sharing with us.
July 30th, 2010 at 9:16 amThat color really livens up the house. I’ve been thinking about painting my kitchen a nice yellow…
July 30th, 2010 at 9:18 amWow - it’s beautiful. We used a lot of greens and yellows when we did our house - yellow is hard to get right (we’ve gotten it way wrong in the past…) and you really nailed it. Many congrats and enjoy!
July 30th, 2010 at 9:19 amThe kids make the new paint job look great! And those hand and foot prints, they give the place “character” you know the “lived in look”
July 30th, 2010 at 9:30 amI love the yellow. It looks so great!
July 30th, 2010 at 9:31 amI love it! (And the gratuitous kiddos, of course.) The lighter, brighter (but not to bright) color is so much better than the two-tone before. I love how it brightens everything up. Now the windows, let me think on what to do with those as they are tall!
I’ve got paint swatches hanging on the wall of my kitchen, master bath and living room trying to decide on colors. Maybe in the next few weeks…
July 30th, 2010 at 9:41 amWe live in the house my husband was born and raised in…old farm house. 38 years later we are still remodeling and fixing it up. Currently redoing the upstairs! Your house is beautiful! $500 gift card from Lowe’s would be such a blessing to finish our 38 year project!
July 30th, 2010 at 9:42 amThis looks so fabulous. Warm and cheery!
July 30th, 2010 at 9:42 amI haven’t read all of the many many comments…but my thoughts…
1. I love the color!
2. For curtains I’d probably go with a light gauzy white linen-type curtain that drapes nearly to the floor or, if you can stand it since you have no pets that will then curl up in it, actually pools a bit on the floor. Something machine washable with minimum chance of needing ironing, preferably. I have those in my kitchen and dining room and love the way the light still streams in but they still give a little more home-y formality to the windows.
3. For the niches, do your kids make as much random artwork as ours do? I sense your not quite as pack-rat friendly as we are so perhaps it’s all long-gone but I’d be tempted to pick a few colors and buy a bunch of stretched canvas from a craft store and let each of the interested kids do a masterpiece or just pick a bunch of their artwork and frame it. Otherwise, you have some incredibly beautiful photos; nothing says home like a framed photo of your beautiful kids, preferably from when they were sweet enough to eat whole. Blow those up to big enough to see from across the great expanse and frame.
4. On the little triangle shelf, probably a big potted fake fern. Not a real one because ferns just die instantly at our house and I have a green-ish thumb and I know your track record with plants. And ferns just shed and need constant misting and are way more work than a highly primitive plant should be. But a really nice fake one with some fronds hanging down makes you look effortlessly nurturing and at that height no one can pinch the leaves to confirm if it’s real. It may need to be vacuumed once or twice a year to keep it looking fresh enough to pass for real but that sure beats watering. At our house it would collect all the toys that are semi-perm time-out.
July 30th, 2010 at 9:43 amYour house is gorgeous, and I love the color!
July 30th, 2010 at 9:50 amAWESOME!!!! I absolutely LOVE the color and what a difference it made in your home. I have painted almost the entire house with valspar paint and I have to say it did everything you said. My next project is painting and redoing the laundry room, and both girls want their bedrooms painted (again) so the $500 gift certificate would really, really come in handy…
July 30th, 2010 at 9:51 amGreat color choices. Your house is becoming a home.
July 30th, 2010 at 9:56 amI think the color you picked does exactly what you wanted the color to do…make everything cheerful and happy.
As for the windows…sadly, I think you’re going to have to get a professional in to make window coverings. The good news is that they will be tailored to the window, so a perfect fit. The bad news (that’s two fold) is: 1. if you thought you were in a tizzy over picking paint, which is “relatively” inexpensive, wait til you need to pick out material for window coverings…you’ll go nuts. and the obvious 2. cha-CHING! BUT, the overall effect will be stunning.
On the niches…I suggest you mix it up a bit, given there are so many. And I would use those to try out splashes of color. There are some fun metal sculptures out there that would add dimension to the space. Pictures would be fun too. And I know that interior designers would roll their eyes backwards into their heads at the mere mention…but flower (yes fake *insert eye roll*) arrangements can now be done in narrow spaces (you just have to watch for the right base to use).
I looked and saw that while Austin doesn’t have one there are a couple of Home Goods stores just outside of San Antonio. This is a GREAT place to look for accessories and knick-knacks that won’t cost a fortune. They also have some really nice art that is reasonably priced. Another place to look would be Kirklands (which does have a store in Austin).
July 30th, 2010 at 10:00 amBeautiful! Very cheery. I have no clue about what to put in the lighted alcove areas. Good luck!
July 30th, 2010 at 10:00 amLove Love LOVE it! I just knew a pretty golden yellow would warm up your beautiful rooms. Great job!
July 30th, 2010 at 10:09 amlove the color choice. it really brighted the place up. the niches…. i’d put family photos up. I love photographs and have them all over my house. when I was those in your house that is the first thing that came to mind. you take enough photo’s that is should be a problem to find something appropriate for each room. I was thinknig of a huge family portrait in the front entrance.
that is what i’d do but… it’s not my house.
good luck!
July 30th, 2010 at 10:20 amLove the color! Yellow is such a happy color and it’s hard to get it right. But, this looks fantastic. Congratulations on gettting that project done…that’s a lot of walls!
July 30th, 2010 at 10:21 amI love the fresh paint job…especially in the hall. That dark brown was a bit of a dungeon color. Looks GREAT.
July 30th, 2010 at 10:27 amI really love that yellow! It looks fantabulous.
July 30th, 2010 at 10:27 amIt looks gorgeous!!! It feels so much warmer and more cozy. My home is in need of a good prozac bath!
July 30th, 2010 at 10:33 amGreat color..love the eggshell but hate painting it. But with kids it is a must.
July 30th, 2010 at 10:40 amthe yellow looks great! i would definitely put some of your outstanding family photos in the niches.
July 30th, 2010 at 10:43 amThe thought of painting all those walls makes me hopelessly tired. Good thing you have seven pairs of hands to help!
July 30th, 2010 at 10:43 amLOVE the color and LOVE your house! And the kids are super cute too.
July 30th, 2010 at 10:47 amI’m a fan of yellow, too. The outside of my house is yellow, and our family room is yellow. But I don’t like the shade as much as yours - it seems too orangy-yellow. I would love a re-do!!
July 30th, 2010 at 10:55 amLove the color! I’m trying to convince my husband that we need to paint our living room and kitchen. He said we “just painted”. For the record, that was at least 5 years ago and I hate the color - it was supposed to be a light cream, but just looks like dirty white. Ick.
July 30th, 2010 at 10:55 amLove the color - idea for the lighted areas: black and white photos of your kids large print on canvas (that way if they “somehow” get knocked off the wall nothing will break) I’d probably put one per lighted wall.
July 30th, 2010 at 10:59 amLOVE IT. Would never have thought of using a yellow, but this one you chose looks so very soft and buttery. It really does reflect the light beutifully. Great choice!!
July 30th, 2010 at 11:05 amLooks wonderful! I’d do black and white photos for the niches, or art by local artists…I don’t know. I think I need some house prozac!
July 30th, 2010 at 11:10 amDelurking to say that I Love your walls! I am not bold enough to try a color like that.
July 30th, 2010 at 11:18 amMaybe some cool black and white photos in those lighted areas. You do take good pics and black and white looks nice with yellow. I say roman shades instead of curtains. I think the color is lovely.
July 30th, 2010 at 11:53 amLooks to beautiful. Bright and cheery. I like the windows left open. I think that style of window and architecture is meant to be simple. You should put pictures of the kids in the nook areas. Or big pieces of artwork.
July 30th, 2010 at 11:58 amMaybe hang some iron scroll work designs in the niches:)
July 30th, 2010 at 12:01 pmI love the color, it really freshens the room up. Perhaps you can use the niches as prizes for good behavior. On a weekly or monthly basis, the use of the niche could be a prize for the child who did all their chores and did them with a good attitude. They can pick their piece of artwork or create a new piece for display in one of the niches. It could encourage creativity and anything that promotes a better attitude is a good thing. You might get large pictures of spiderman or pink unicorns, but if they create them, they would be thrilled to see them lit up in a niche of their very own. But then again, I do not have kids, and this is just my wacky idea. However I do have walls, and would love to paint them…(well, I would love to have someone else come in and paint them.)
July 30th, 2010 at 12:03 pmIt looks great!
July 30th, 2010 at 12:07 pmLove the color.
Very pretty, super cheerful and thanks for sharing!
July 30th, 2010 at 12:24 pmWow, the yellow is beautiful and really warms and lightens up the room.
July 30th, 2010 at 12:38 pmWow, that’s great!!! What a beautiful house.
July 30th, 2010 at 12:45 pmLooks fantastic, good job! Painting is hard work but very satisfying. I just finished painting my hall bathroom and ready to tackle my bedroom today. I think I will sleep much better in my “bathed in Prozac” house, love it.
I chose the Olympic brand at Lowe’s- it covers ok, but I should have paid a little extra to get the Valspar.
July 30th, 2010 at 12:46 pmWhile yellow would not have been my choice for paint it looks so much better than the plain blah color it was before. Now as you get used to it maybe you can add a different color to the back walls of the niches???
July 30th, 2010 at 12:47 pmThe color is lovely - it’s very cheerful and summery. I have issues with those shelf-like walls - whatever you put up there will have to be dusted - I’m not a duster. Maybe you could get a cat - it could just jump up there periodically and be simultaneous art and a dust rag.
July 30th, 2010 at 1:10 pmI love that yellow! It makes the space look so cheery. I’ve been looking for a color for my bathroom and that just might be it.
July 30th, 2010 at 1:52 pmWhat a difference a coat of paint makes. Beautiful warm feeling. Niches . . . not a clue what to do with them. . . beautiful art piece of some sort?
July 30th, 2010 at 2:14 pmI would say you need some art in those niches. You can buy large blank canvases at Michael’s or Hobby Lobby and make your own abstract art (with acrylic paint) that will go with the colors you’ve picked for your room. If you get brave enough, your kids can even help make your abstract art. Have you seen that documentary film… “My Kid Could Paint That”? That made me think that anyone can make abstract art paintings. Maybe it would make the art more interesting if it held some kind of personal meaning because you or your family helped to make it! It sounds good in theory at least!
July 30th, 2010 at 2:32 pmyou have done a wonderful job, being a psych nurse I especially enjoyed the comment about Prozac! It was a dramatic change and beautiful and yes,,,,happy!
July 30th, 2010 at 2:36 pmsusan thomason
I love the yellow. My husband keeps telling me our house needs color - every room is some sort of taupe/tan shade. Maybe I will go with yellow!
Decorating . . i like the way the red candles pop on the mantel - maybe some flat art in the niches - paintings of poppies would really pop!
Good luck!
July 30th, 2010 at 2:38 pmHmmm, I am not a fan of yellows. Tried it in my bedroom and now I need to repaint. A gift card from Lowes would be very helpful.
Photos for the niches..or maybe paintings? Pictures of the kids or maybe Texas wildflowers? or both!
July 30th, 2010 at 2:58 pmOmigosh… that looks so peaceful and homey. Just beautiful, Chris.
July 30th, 2010 at 3:01 pmGreat, now I want to paint my house yellow.
July 30th, 2010 at 3:04 pmJust like you said, bright and cheery.
I am thinking you should hang your kids art work in the niche since they are lit for something along those lines. I did something like that in my back entry hall and people always commented on it and the variety of art that was back there.
July 30th, 2010 at 3:07 pmI grew up in a house with a yellow kitchen. It was VERY yellow! So, that is what I was picturing when you went with this color. I am very pleasantly surprised with how it turned out for you! It looks great. I love how much brighter the hallway by the stairs is.
July 30th, 2010 at 3:25 pmWhen you picked yellow… I thought “ugh… ” but I really like it. It brightens up the space! Good pick~!
July 30th, 2010 at 3:30 pmLOVE it!!! My kitchen is similar in color and now I want my dining room the same.
July 30th, 2010 at 4:18 pmTotally love the yellow & am having a fit that you used 16 gallons of paint. Wow. I also like how it makes everything look so much brighter than before.
July 30th, 2010 at 4:23 pmBeautiful color! My husband told me if I rode the Tower of Terror in Disney World with him that I could have “anything I wanted.” I chose a yellow bedroom. I rode the T of T and hated it. Then he started making me feel guilty about painting our bedroom a color that he loathes. I decided to choose another trip to Disney instead. I’m looking forward to our trip, but I’d sure love a yellow room
July 30th, 2010 at 4:24 pmNever thought I’d love the yellow…….
July 30th, 2010 at 4:25 pmLOVE THE YELLOW!!!!!!
It is very pretty. I want to paint my kitchen yellow; it’s currently a beige color, but my table is white and the chairs are light blue with striped cushions in blue, green, red and yellow (tiny stripes). I think yellow would be lovely with all of that.
July 30th, 2010 at 4:29 pmI love the results! I have a couple of rooms painted yellow and they never fail to cheer me up:) Have fun choosing what to put up on the walls and in the nooks - better you than me because I have no idea what I would do with those spaces!
July 30th, 2010 at 4:30 pmI really like the way it turned out. the before and after pictures I think are dramatic. The lighted niches? I know this was talked about before but I really think the inset back wall would look great with an accent color.
July 30th, 2010 at 4:51 pmLove it!!! Great job!!!
July 30th, 2010 at 4:56 pmLove the color. I have always wanted to paint a room yellow, but have been a little scared to try. Plus I hate to paint. If I win, I will totally paint something yellow.
July 30th, 2010 at 5:21 pmYour house is gorgeous! Great job on the painting. Thanks for the chance to win the GC for Lowe’s. We could definitely use it.
July 30th, 2010 at 5:24 pmI had yellow in my house when we moved in but we painted it last year. I miss my yellow house!
July 30th, 2010 at 5:29 pmI like the change a lot! It looks more personal!
July 30th, 2010 at 5:59 pmLooks great….Ive been trying to figure out how to paint my drab white walls. I was stuck because my house is open and some really tall walls like your home. I love the all one color look a lot more than I thought.
July 30th, 2010 at 6:05 pmHow did you finish that so fast? Painting takes me forever…I hate it…but when it’s done it’s like having a new house. I really love the yellow… it’s similar to the color I used on our downstairs two years ago… never finished the continuation to the upstairs…you are inspiring me to finish!
July 30th, 2010 at 6:07 pma huge improvement! can’t wait to see what you hang on the walls…
July 30th, 2010 at 6:25 pmSeriously? You painted all that yourself without falling off the ladder and breaking your neck? Well, more power to you girl! It looks great!
July 30th, 2010 at 6:45 pmBeautiful color! I really love how warm the space is without feeling too dark! THat’s a freaking big room, I don’t know how you painted it so quickly!
July 30th, 2010 at 6:55 pmYour house looks beautiful. Great job on the painting–I am impressed! I love the yellow. I live in a much older, less spacious house with more defined spaces and not a great deal of light. And I have lots of yellow because it is so cheery. My stepson looked at my living room and said, “It’s impossible to be depressed in here.” And I thought, exactly the point!
July 30th, 2010 at 6:55 pmI love the yellow. I would offer helpful suggestions for the windows and niches and such. But I’m about a terrible decorator. So I won’t.
July 30th, 2010 at 7:13 pmLooks amazing! I love how just a little splash of color can totally transform a room.
July 30th, 2010 at 7:31 pmohhh, beautiful! I have lots of projects that Lowe’s can help with!
July 30th, 2010 at 7:50 pmFor all decorating ideas… I swear by younghouselove.com!
July 30th, 2010 at 8:07 pmThose little nooks look like they were made for some great art. Or mirrors. I can’t afford art but can usually pick up some decent mirrors at Target. They reflect the room and make it look larger (not that you’re lacking for space:)
July 30th, 2010 at 8:17 pmIt is much warmer than before. I like the contrast of the yellow walls and black barstools.
July 30th, 2010 at 8:21 pmBeautiful; you did a great job!
July 30th, 2010 at 8:23 pmI really need the gift card; we are doing tons of painting right now and working on replacing some bathroom faucets.
….raising hand……pick me! pick me!
I hope I don’t have to tell you what to do next to enter the contest because I’m not good with niches.
July 30th, 2010 at 8:31 pmI was a doubter with the yellow. But it warmed it up nice and homey! I thought it might be too stark. Excellent job!
I like the change also. Definitely warm and sunny. I’m sure you’ve thought to put art into the lighted niches, but that’s where my creativity stops. I’ve been looking for art for my own living room for years.
July 30th, 2010 at 8:35 pmOk - I have to say I was a little leery of the color on the swatch when you first posted it- eww yellow? really? for inside a house? but….wow! The results are fabulous! I love it! So bright and happy looking! Might even inspire me to paint our house…oh, except that I paint worse than my 6 year old…heck maybe I’ll put her to work…
July 30th, 2010 at 8:43 pmI normally do not like yellow ..but this yellow does make your house look “cheery” and classy… great job.
July 30th, 2010 at 8:49 pmLooks great! Try a collection of glass or pottery vases in various heights on the ledges.
July 30th, 2010 at 9:04 pmWow! That looks fantastic…..I’m thinking about some seaglass green for my bedroom…
July 30th, 2010 at 9:17 pmLooks great! Very bright and cheerful!
July 30th, 2010 at 9:19 pmMy only comment is what a beautiful, bright home. Thanks for the opportunity
July 30th, 2010 at 9:22 pmBeautiful. I love yellow!!! How about your boy’s baseball trophies on all those ledges:)
July 30th, 2010 at 10:06 pmLove the yellow! It’s cheery, but not too yellow. Too yellow would be bad. I am moving in a few weeks and the whole house is painted a weird green color. Except for the master bedroom which is PURPLE with pink floral wallpaper (gag). I may copy this yellow color for my new house. Great job!
July 30th, 2010 at 10:08 pmThis is fantastic! I had a very similar color in the hallway of my first house and I still remember how happy it was.
July 30th, 2010 at 10:15 pmLovely. Yellow is my favorite paint color. My house is yellow with a dusty blue trim.
July 30th, 2010 at 10:45 pmWow– did you paint all those high walls yourself? I’m impressed! The color really is beautiful!
I have to admit I’ve never painted a wall. or a ceiling. or anything like that. Ever.
July 30th, 2010 at 11:24 pmChris, it look super good! I love it!
Sheesh, though, how fast do you paint? Will you come help me? Boston isn’t that far from NYC!
Have a great trip!
July 30th, 2010 at 11:25 pmGreat job with the painting! That’s a LOT of wall space to cover (as if I have to tell YOU!). I don’t think that I could have gone up that high on the ladder myself….
July 30th, 2010 at 11:41 pmIt looks gorgeous! When painting my open area rooms, I chose a yellow-y-ish color and am very pleased. Now, I have to repaint the bathroom because I swiftly ran into the store with my swatch and absentmindedly grabbed flat paint…FLAT…for the kids bathroom. Kill me.
July 30th, 2010 at 11:54 pmYou didn’t paint that yourself, did you?? How did you get up so high on those walls, I would have been terrified of falling off the ladder!
July 31st, 2010 at 12:19 amIt looks great.
The niches…those are places for big framed pictures, portraits, or random art like patchwork tile pieces or cool metal sculpture things you buy in Mexico or maybe neat antique wooden statues or plaques or ? you find in random antique stores.
Love the color, I have pale yellow on most of the walls in my house and I love how it changes depending on the time of the day. Looks like you did a super job, I am impressed.
July 31st, 2010 at 12:29 amI’m impressed you painted so much space. I don’t really trust myself to paint properly, so I think I will leave any painting to my boyfriend.
July 31st, 2010 at 12:40 amyour house is beautiful! i think in the niches should be some type of picture… i would go with something kind of geometric (not too bold, but something that doesn’t have lots of details since its in a “walk through” type of place. on the ledge, i think sometype of greenery would be pretty, maybe in a large, low vase
July 31st, 2010 at 1:03 amGorgeous! I know you’re glad it’s done!!
July 31st, 2010 at 1:13 am“Here comes the sun” is what I see…Love the HIGH ceilings, love the yellow, love the fellow and the little lass in the picture cleverly disguised as clutter.
July 31st, 2010 at 2:55 amIt’s soothing, it’s uplifting, it’s mellow all at once.
Perfectly echoing the beautiful chaos of a full family…
Right?
“Little darlin’, the smile’s returning to their faces”… Now that song will swill around your head like a bad moonshine hangover. Sorry about that…
Enjoy your yellow!
Kudos! Your home now looks so bright and welcoming. You chose well.
July 31st, 2010 at 3:08 amI think you made a perfect choice! The fact that it changes color depending on the lighting makes it ideal, in my opinion. Speaking of, have you thought about buying colored bulbs to accent specific spots? Maybe a blue one, and see if it makes a green area? Might be kinda cool to highlight a painting or something. You might want to use the lighted recessed areas to house the kids school artwork or projects (or poems or hobbies for the older ones) on an alternating basis, say a week at a time so everybody gets a chance. About the windows, you will (obviously) have to do custom blinds, and I would recommend motorized with a remote. More outlay at the start, but worth it in the long run as they make a real difference in the ability to control the light-or lack thereof. Plus, you could always add curtains over them if you wanted, without worrying about how sheer they are. Sorry this is so long!
July 31st, 2010 at 3:59 amI love that color! Great choice! your house looks amazing!
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July 31st, 2010 at 6:19 amLove the yellow! I have had at least one yellow room in every house I have lived in. Enjoy your new paint job!
July 31st, 2010 at 7:46 amLooks great! I have a lot of painting to do here as well and was dreading it…but seeing what you have accomplished makes me think I can handle it!
July 31st, 2010 at 8:11 amPlease tell me it’s not past 48 hours…
I love the color! We just painted my daughters room orange (yes, orange! but it’s a melon sort of orange) and now she needs new blinds, new doors for the closet, a new area rug, etc., etc.!
July 31st, 2010 at 8:12 amI have a big empty niche-y unreachable-without-a-ladder place over my front door, complete with a window. Mine has a dirty sock in it.
July 31st, 2010 at 9:21 amThat looks great, Chris! I have no idea what you’ll do with those niches, either– find some long, rectangular paintings, I guess. Maybe you could buy some canvases at Michael’s and have your kids do the painting. Outside.
July 31st, 2010 at 9:43 amLooks fabulous! I think yellow is very hard to get right, but looks like you did it.
July 31st, 2010 at 10:18 amI like the spot of red. I think you should decorate all the niches in popped balloon.
July 31st, 2010 at 10:18 amIt looks cheery. I love your house. I wish we could leave Connecticut too and move somewhere cheap enough to get a big house!
Well first of all, your house is beautiful! But I have absolutely no idea how you painted with all that height, I’m scared to death of heights and would probably kill myself getting up on a step stool, much less a ladder.
The lighted niches are easy, they are just asking for a photo display or a painting. All of the other high nooks and crannys not so easy, because whatever goes up there, is going to have to be put up with a ladder, meaning they should be light and easy to carry, and they are going to have to be periodically dusted on a ladder.
Fake plants can be light and at the heights that they’ll be at, it will be hard to tell that they are artificial.
Good Luck!
July 31st, 2010 at 10:44 amWe just did yellow in my house and I had the same reaction! Great job!
July 31st, 2010 at 11:21 amCan you come paint my house too? Fantastic job!
July 31st, 2010 at 11:25 amI love the yellow, but still miss your old house!
July 31st, 2010 at 11:34 amWow! It honestly never has occurred to me to paint the entire house the same color. Every room! It looks great though. I really hope I win the $500, because we’re closing on a house in 1 week that needs paint VERY badly. I mean VERY. VERY badly.
Thanks for the opportunity!
July 31st, 2010 at 11:53 amI love, love, love it!!!
We have a similar color in our living room and I love the different “looks” it gets throughout the day.
I’m getting ready to paint my master bedroom and would love the gift card.
*Fingers crossed*
July 31st, 2010 at 11:58 amIt’s awesome….very happy looking. Probably not as happy as you were when it was done thought.
July 31st, 2010 at 12:06 pmI painted all of my nurserys yellow. We never knew the sex of the baby and yellow would work for either. It was such a happy color! You can’t go wrong with a happy house.
July 31st, 2010 at 12:24 pmI just love the before and after pictures! Gives me some ideas of my own. I like the yellow and not crazy for going with too dark other colors.
July 31st, 2010 at 12:57 pmI would fill the lighted niches with some gallery wrapped photographs of your family. It looks great. I’d do some thick blinds on the windows.
Beautiful house, btw.
July 31st, 2010 at 1:29 pmLove love LOVE IT!!
Since you are an expert and all….wanna come paint my house
Just sayin’
July 31st, 2010 at 1:43 pmIt looks great! You have a beautiful home.
July 31st, 2010 at 2:44 pmgreat choice! looks very bright and cheery!
July 31st, 2010 at 2:53 pmMy house needs a facelift. Badly.
I *love* the color.
July 31st, 2010 at 3:04 pmthat’s a lot of painting! But it looks great; love the yellow!
July 31st, 2010 at 3:15 pmThe yellow is gorgeous, and so is your home.
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July 31st, 2010 at 3:35 pmThe yellow is just so cheerful! Great job!
July 31st, 2010 at 4:36 pmThat’s beautiful!! I’m glad you’re having a good experience with the eggshell. (I’ve had some not good experiences, but not with Valspar) The yellow is so cheery and soft.
July 31st, 2010 at 4:44 pmLooks beautiful! Our old house had the art niches and I never did figure out what to put in them- you’ll have to post pics when you figure something out.
July 31st, 2010 at 4:49 pmOh man. I need this more than you know!
July 31st, 2010 at 4:58 pmCool!
July 31st, 2010 at 6:45 pmThe color is cheery, elegant and inviting. I think that it is the perfect color for you and your family. I have a slightly darker shade of that in my kitchen.
My fifteen year old son is a walking Valspar commercial. I love painting and repainting the house and he always says - MOM You gotta get Valspar! He watches too much tv. :-0
July 31st, 2010 at 7:03 pmi love your paint job…. now that you are a paint expert, will you come paint my house??? please…..
July 31st, 2010 at 7:28 pmlooks fab - would love to see some of the kids’ drawings filling the extra spaces
July 31st, 2010 at 7:29 pmThe color is great. I just can’t get over that you painted ALL THAT WALL SPACE by yourself!!!! Oh my. Why do they MAKE houses like that?! (I live in New England).
July 31st, 2010 at 7:37 pmGood work, Chris!
I love your Big Yellow House!
July 31st, 2010 at 9:08 pmThe yellow looks so cheery! Hope this helps your house feel more like a home. I’ve recently decided that the need for a remodeled bathroom trumps need for a new car, so I’m nervously working on paint choices as well as lights, cabinets, etc.
July 31st, 2010 at 9:17 pmI love that color - makes me want to repaint my house … again. Except for the whole having to get everything put away/out of the way first part! So cheery and bright!
July 31st, 2010 at 9:20 pmI love the yellow. We did a bright yellow in our downstairs and the hallway upstairs and I love it. It amazed me after we painted how it changed colors during the day with the sunlight. In the daytime it looks much lighter than it does at night. As for what to put on the walls, I am horrible about that. I have some family pictures up on a few walls and that is about it. Good luck on your transformation completion
July 31st, 2010 at 10:08 pmIt looks crisp, clean, and refreshing! It’s funny that you are thinking about what to hang, etc., because when I first saw your pics, I thought, “Wow! Her rooms look so nice, so interesting with very little ’stuff’; why do I always think I gotta hang stuff?”
So, I’ll be back to see what you decide. I’m secretly hoping you don’t hang anything.
July 31st, 2010 at 10:09 pmLove it!!! I can’t believe you did it yourself. You paint like a professional. Wow….
July 31st, 2010 at 10:14 pmBeautiful! Makes me want to paint my entire house yellow. I was going to paint my kitchen a deep plum color, but now, its going to be yellow. =)
July 31st, 2010 at 10:34 pmLove the color. Great job!
July 31st, 2010 at 11:03 pmThe thought of painting my house is so overwhelming I can’t even get my head around it so I’m always so amazed at people who get it done. I would have never thought of yellow, but it really came out great!
July 31st, 2010 at 11:11 pmWow, I just painted my small bathroom and it was ton of work, can’t believe you did the whole thing alone!
July 31st, 2010 at 11:12 pmit looks good, though. Welcoming.
Sure you dont want to paint it black so the kids go somewhere else?
I think maybe blow up some off your best pics into posters. Black and white shots… The windows, hmmm. WHite celular shades let light in but block the heat. easy to open when you want to. Just a valance over in a color that matches or goes with the furniture. Guess matching leather would not work on a window. Really no idea what to do with the dust catcher. Could prop another pic in the corner. i guess. Just avoid baskets/vases that the kids will use for targets.
July 31st, 2010 at 11:13 pmWow - what a difference! The niches need art of course.
I think you guys should buy some big canvasas and have the whole family “paint” them. Not only would it be fun (except that whole clean up thing of course), but a great momento. Though the one on in the entry would be a great place for a family photo (or photo turned canvas) in a nice oversized frame…
August 1st, 2010 at 12:48 amThat is a lot of yellow. It brightens it up, but where do you go to have a dull moment?
August 1st, 2010 at 1:08 amI LOVE your house. The color looks great and I am jealous of all your niches and pot shelves!
August 1st, 2010 at 1:25 amChris, it looks fantastic! Much like the color I have in my own family room. The yellow certainly does warm up the place.
August 1st, 2010 at 2:57 amWow.. I love it! Our new house is all beige inside. I moved from a colorful interior to beige! My livingroom used to be yellow and you’ve really made me want to go paint yellow in here!!! I love how bright it made the house
August 1st, 2010 at 3:28 amI just got back from a beach vacation. I had read a decorating magazine. One of the feature houses had all the rooms painted yellow. I think it is very chic and I love it. I had never thought of doing that with color, although I have seen it with white.
August 1st, 2010 at 6:49 amyour house looks amazing. i’m in the process of building a new bathroom and laundry room so that $500 would get spent in .3 seconds.
August 1st, 2010 at 9:00 amI’m lucky — I live in a log home, so there’s no need to even think about painting. I actually liked the darker color in the niches, and think that whatever you put into these now needs to be large. Any cute little stuff will be lost.
Get a tall ladder — you’re gonna need it in that house.
August 1st, 2010 at 9:05 amI really love it–the yellow is warm without being too bright. My sister-in-law has a lot of those niches in her house and put various ironwork things in them, which she got at Hobby Lobby and Marshalls.
August 1st, 2010 at 9:38 amthat yellow is great! i would love to paint our new living room (or the bathroom that is in dire need of a redo). it’s such a versatile color in every light!
August 1st, 2010 at 9:41 amFirst of all, love the color. It really makes the stone work and door ways stand out.
Second, in the corner niche, I would but a beautiful large vase with sprigs of eucalyptus or some other large (dried or fake) plant that would take up a good amount of vertical space.
Third, I support the above idea of putting some of your best pictures in black and white poster size in the 2 lighted niches.
Aaaaand, that’s all.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:44 pmGreat job on getting it done! I really like how the color turned out - and the fact that it changes with the light.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:40 pmI have no advice on the window coverings or ledges. However, I’m looking forward to seeing what you decide. =)
I absolutely love the paint color! It really makes your house look all warm and glowy. Beautiful!
August 1st, 2010 at 2:50 pmI would place art inside the lighted niches. I would hang a flat screen above the fireplace. For the windows, I would frame them with drapes!
August 1st, 2010 at 2:58 pmLove the color! For the windows, some of the windows you could use roman shades and I always love plantation shutters. The rest of the windows, I would have a professional come in to make window treatments. You’ll be amazed at the difference!
August 1st, 2010 at 3:16 pmBEAUTIFUL!!! I bet you are glad it is DONE!
August 1st, 2010 at 5:33 pmThat yellow is certainly gorgeous. Sunny yet tranquil rather like a mellow sunset. For your niches I suggest gathering some of your favorite sayings about family, life, favorite Biblical passages and either finding someone who has a Cricut personal die cut machine (or purchase one yourself!) and cutting custom quotes for each niche. Each one would be showcased with the light and ‘framed’ automatically within the niche. No chance of damage to your paint. I would recommend either a bronze or coffee colored vinyl to keep the contrast from being too stark — or try admiral blue for that complimentary color. You could add florishes or decorative lettering to complement your personal style.
I love ‘neked’ windows myself… but then you always have to dress inside…
August 1st, 2010 at 6:43 pmI adore your paint color. Yellow was the predominant color in my last house and even after seven years I never got tired of it. As you said, the different light changes the color through the day but it was always beautiful and cheerful. You did good…Enjoy!
August 1st, 2010 at 7:56 pmLove the color!
As for the lighted niches, you need photos or art. Since you have such a beautiful family and great shots you have taken of them, I think shots of the family, perhaps in black and white would be very complimentary. I’d use wood frames as an accent.
August 1st, 2010 at 8:11 pmLooks great! I think some of your kids’ artwork, matted and framed up in the lighted areas would be really cool. There’s no better artist than your own kids!!
August 1st, 2010 at 8:19 pmIt looks great! I have to say though, that I liked the calf poop brown from before
August 1st, 2010 at 8:45 pmLove love love the color! It came out great and is so warm and inviting. I love the idea of putting some of your pictures that you share with us on those walls. You have some of the most amazing shots.
August 1st, 2010 at 9:47 pmWhen can you come paint my living room that oh so, soft and lovely color? I told my family I was contemplating going with a yellow/gold color with some red furniture, and they thought I was completely nuts. For your next conest, could we have your readers pick MY house colors?
Jen
August 1st, 2010 at 9:58 pmThe Carolina Inn Lobby Yellow was my favorite and you did a beautiful job with it. Everything looks so fresh and airy. I’d probably leave the upper windows alone and maybe go with louvered wooden blinds on the lower windows because I like lots of light and avoid drapes because I have asthma. Maybe tall vases with dried flower arrangements in the niches? And put some of your own artwork on the walls.
August 1st, 2010 at 10:12 pmExcellent job. You can come paint my house anytime!
August 1st, 2010 at 10:36 pmbeautiful! picking yellows is very tricky–especially with those huge walls you have. looks like you picked a winner.
August 1st, 2010 at 10:53 pmIt looks great! I think some photographs or artwork in interesting frames would be good. You can rotate them when the seasons change or when you just need something new to look at. Thanks for the contest.
August 2nd, 2010 at 12:09 amIt’s a bright, happy color. It also contrasts well with the wood and stone and makes those features stand out more. Nice job!
August 2nd, 2010 at 12:10 amhttp://twitter.com/slehan/status/20113064837
August 2nd, 2010 at 12:11 amyou have a great house and a good eye for color
August 2nd, 2010 at 12:16 amIt looks beautiful! I can’t even imagine painting that many walls at once - i’m impressed with myself when i paint one small room.
August 2nd, 2010 at 1:35 amI like what happened in the hallway especially- it went from dark to light with the same amount of light! We have some high ceilings and you did a great job- did you use scaffolding or ladders? In any case, it looks great.
August 2nd, 2010 at 2:49 amThe niches could have a rotation of your kids artwork- ever changing as they grow
http://twitter.com/tannawings/status/20120759405
August 2nd, 2010 at 2:52 ama tweety!
Great job, we have the same problem getting at high area.
August 2nd, 2010 at 7:31 amI would love a $500.00 gift certificate to Lowes. Did you pain that yourself?
August 2nd, 2010 at 8:49 amlove it…happy color…that is a lot of paint and a lot of wall space…can’t wait to see what is next….
August 2nd, 2010 at 9:03 amThe color looks great! Picking just the right color is tough. I always find it so hard trying to decorate the walls or windows. Our windows and walls look very bare right now.
We recently finished painting most of our house and I plan on reading through your comments for inspiration of my own!
August 2nd, 2010 at 10:39 amLOVE the paint job. I, too, did yellow recently and you’re right, its amazing how much different it looks at different times of the day. It also looks different on walls next to each other depending upon the sun. I really like it. I’m interested to see what you do with the big windows as I have similar ones and haven’t done anything with them (and maybe I just won’t!).
Ask Miles to paint a picture to put in the art niche.
August 2nd, 2010 at 10:56 amIt looks good! It’s making me want to finish painting my house. We’ve only been here for 4 and a half years with a partically painted kitchen and builders primer in most of the rooms. I think I’ll pick up my roller and pan and get painting.
August 2nd, 2010 at 11:03 amNice work.. do the painters come with the gift card? I saw a beautiful blue that must go in my bedroom!
August 2nd, 2010 at 11:15 amGreat job! It looks fantastic
August 2nd, 2010 at 11:18 amPick me random number generator! Pick me!
August 2nd, 2010 at 11:31 amPick me! Pick me! Pick me!
August 2nd, 2010 at 12:07 pmSeriously though, I need a little color in my life. Things are looking a little too beige in here….
So much brighter-
August 2nd, 2010 at 12:29 pmI like the windows like they are, simple and
letting in the light.
And for the nooks- some pops of bright colored
pottery or kid’s artwork would look awesome!
Looks great! I stay clear of yellows for some reason. Maybe I will have to give it a try in my next room.
August 2nd, 2010 at 12:36 pmAgonizing over paint colors myself. I like the warm yellow tones also. To fill a space on the wall consider a great quote in vinyl lettering to put near the entry or by the kitchen. check out Leen the vinyl Queen. You can just buy one of hers or create your own.
August 2nd, 2010 at 12:59 pmWow…how cute. I would never have picked yellow, but that shade is perfect and sunny. Looks fantastic. Maybe you could let the kids at canvases in the backyard, and hang up the results in the niches!
August 2nd, 2010 at 1:18 pmnice color choice!
August 2nd, 2010 at 1:34 pmThanks for the giveaway!
To be honest, I have always been scared of yellow and have shied away from decorating with it. But your photos have inspired me to try painting my living room a soft yellow.
August 2nd, 2010 at 1:34 pmYou have a beautiful house! Large canvases or shadowboxes with collages of photos, your children’s artwork, etc. would be perfect to hang in the niches. I’m inspired to update my walls now - thank you!
August 2nd, 2010 at 1:43 pmI like the yellow - I think in most of your pictures, it def shows as an improvement from the before b/c it either brightens or warms up the look. i have to agree with most people, put some of your black and whites in the wall spots - as for the big shelf, what about a big (fake) flower arrangement - I generally don’t like fake plants, but I think up there you could pull it off and plus, they don’t look as fake as they used too
Can’t wait to see the final product on what you decide, make sure you share!
August 2nd, 2010 at 2:51 pmIt looks AWESOME. Yellow is one of my favorite colors, and I am definitely planning on painting some part of the inside of my house yellow.. Brightens everything up!
Great choice!
August 2nd, 2010 at 2:58 pmI love the color! It really warms up the space!
August 2nd, 2010 at 3:21 pmI really do love it. It is so cheery. I would love to do something similar with my house!!!
August 2nd, 2010 at 3:36 pmI hope for your sake that the random number generator comes up with a small number so you don’t have to count all of these…but for my sake I kinda hope you do!
August 2nd, 2010 at 4:08 pmLooks great! We prefer cooler colors but the yellow looks perfect!
August 2nd, 2010 at 4:10 pmLooks. Awesome. Way to get it done.
August 2nd, 2010 at 4:47 pmIf those niches are as shallow as they seem, I would definitely go with art/photos–something somewhat flat.
August 2nd, 2010 at 5:39 pmLove the color, turned out great!
August 2nd, 2010 at 5:45 pmSo pretty!
August 2nd, 2010 at 5:52 pmMe likey!!
I come from a family of 7 boys and I know how hard it is to have a “pretty house” with all that testosterone floating around… I think a few minor touches here and there could add some dimension to your decor… like a table runner made form old doilies (saw this online - LOVE it - have yet to make one myself!) and maybe just fresh flowers that are durable (similar to filler flowers).
I just was recommended your site and I can’t get enough… you seem to be a wonderful lady… and mom.. and wife.. and blogger… and decorator… and cook! Get it girl!!
August 2nd, 2010 at 6:01 pmOur kitchen is yellow, but it’s not the right kind of paint. I would repaint it first, with kitchen paint.
August 2nd, 2010 at 6:09 pmThe color looks great! Very eye pleasing! I have my den that I would like to do the same in.
Thank you for the wonderful giveaway! 
August 2nd, 2010 at 6:12 pmI could repaint the whole house - and a barn - with that much paint!!!
August 2nd, 2010 at 6:14 pmI’d love to repaint my room with several different shades of the same color, but not yellow. I think I would prefer purple.
August 2nd, 2010 at 6:15 pmIt turned out awesome. I really want to paint but hubby says there is nothing wrong with the paint job and we can’t paint just because of color. UGH
August 2nd, 2010 at 7:03 pmI want my house to be bathed in Prozac!!!
August 2nd, 2010 at 7:15 pmYou are such a talented photographer…you should have your favorite pics of your kids through the years printed on canvas and put them in the niches.
August 2nd, 2010 at 7:51 pmI’m considering using your color in our bedroom where I made the only huge oops when painting/decorating our house after we built it, so thanks a bunch for sharing the finished project. It helps to see photos of the color in so many different angles/lighting.
August 2nd, 2010 at 8:31 pmFramed paintings or prints in the lit niches, perhaps one or two can be kid art, and up on the triangular shelf, how about a few large majolica jars or vases. They are very happy looking and usually have some yellow in them, especially the Raffaelesco pattern. …Or some large patterned baskets?
August 2nd, 2010 at 8:38 pmColor looks fantastic. We moved into a house that’s 40 years old and really the whole thing could use a fresh coat of paint.
August 2nd, 2010 at 8:54 pmI absolutely love the color and what a gorgeous home you have! Yellow is a hard color to pick, but when you get the right shade, the result is stunning. My family room and kitchen are done in yellow, and I love it!
August 2nd, 2010 at 9:13 pmI love everything about it, what a gorgeous house!
August 2nd, 2010 at 9:14 pmI really like it because it makes it look much more up-to-date, crisp and pretty. I would put paintings in there and on the shelves interesting art peices. As for the windows, if you want to go dramatic do drapes that are one piece from top to bottom. That will glam it up. Ones you pull back. It could be pretty pricey but will look WOW!~
August 2nd, 2010 at 9:26 pmI love how it turned out! I have, what looks like a similar, yellow in my main living area and love it! I wondered how many gallons it took. 16 is nothing to sneeze at…good work!
August 2nd, 2010 at 9:56 pmYour photos really do credit to the paint.
August 2nd, 2010 at 11:01 pmBeautiful yellow. Love it.
August 2nd, 2010 at 11:15 pmI LOVE it. I picked the same color for my kitchen - of course that was last year and I still hadn’t painted.
The niche opposite sort of catty wampass to the stairs could have some sort of vase with some sort of silk flower
I think the biggest change is the view with the big armoire and the stone jugs. big chnage it just looks HAPPY!
August 2nd, 2010 at 11:28 pmLove. Love. Love it.
August 2nd, 2010 at 11:58 pmWow! It looks so beautiful. I actually like the windows open like that.
August 3rd, 2010 at 12:00 amLove the color. I’m impressed that you painted it yourself. That is a lot of wall!
August 3rd, 2010 at 2:08 amYour home is absolutely gorgeous. I think some large black and white family photos would be great additions for the shelving areas.
August 3rd, 2010 at 3:09 amIt definitely looks so much better with some color, I despise it when people only have white everything! My first thought was wow how did you reach up to all those vaulted ceilings and my second thought was wow I wish I had that house, amazing!
August 3rd, 2010 at 4:18 amI really love the color you chose it really brightened and opened up everything. great choices. Hope you had lots of help with all that space.
mightynaynay(at)cs.com
August 3rd, 2010 at 5:05 am