The other project. Code name: "Inevitable"

The "other project" that has prevented me from getting any more sewing done lately has also come at Mallory's request (my my, I am catering to her whims lately, aren't I!?) She has been asking to have her bedroom painted pink and we finally caved in.

The thing is, I still think of our house being brand new, but this year will mark 5 years that we have been here. And while I bemoaned redoing a 'brand new' bedroom, the truth of it was that after we pulled the furniture away from the walls and took stock of what we were dealing with, it actually seemed like a good idea to paint. There were many nicks and holes that had to be patched up (especially where her old rocking chair used to bash into the wall), and a grimy little handprint line right above the mattress level of her bed. The fact that contractors don't exactly use top-quality paint for a new home job also meant that the usual wear and tear was starting to show. So despite the fact that I really, really loved "Georgian Green" (I think) and how nicely our whole house's palette tied together... it was time for Mallory to have a say in what her room looks like. I got to decorate two rooms for her without her say and I guess you can't expect to have a little girl and never get a request for a girly paint colour.

But while we were OK with painting her room pink, I got to decide the exact colour. If I had taken Mallory to the paint store to see the chip display, you can bet we would have walked out of there with the loudest, brightest, most bubblegum pink imaginable. We have developed a process for picking paint colours that we like, and it comes down to two rules: pick something lighter and muddier than you think you really want, and then once it's up on the wall it won't scream at you.

So the pink I picked for Mallory was actually a pale, fleshy looking colour, that doesn't do a whole lot for me on its own. It's called Fairest Pink:

I picked this colour and then to confirm it, I looked into the name of a paint colour I have always admired in online photos of a blogger's home. It comes from the same colour line (Benjamin Moore) but is called Wild Aster. Here it is: 

The fact that the colours are so darn close gave me some confidence that this colour was going to give me the effect I wanted.

At the last minute I panicked a bit, and considered going with Ballerina Pink:

But I think your first instinct is usually the right one, so I stuck with Fairest Pink.

Here's the room, mid-painting. Hard to tell from the picture (and it was a stormy day, so it's kind of grey and dark) but it really did turn out to be a lovely soft colour that looks a little drab as a paint chip, but when you walk into the room, there is no denying that it is pink.

Of course, as with any home project, this bedroom update has morphed into something bigger than was ever intended. The time seemed right to make a few other changes in tandem with the painting. My childhood bed has been down in the basement all this time and we decided it would be a good time now to switch Mallory from the single daybed into my old double bed. But, that bed is an old yellowy pine piece. So I have been painting it as well... and it's taken several coats to cover it. Paint the headboard, footboard, and side rails, let dry, flip, paint again, let dry, flip... three coats each side and counting... I think tonight might be the last coat, but I am not 100% certain about that. The painting is going on in the basement - we might get the bed upstairs and realize in the natural light that it really requires another coat! After all this work, I am hoping the paint finish is as durable as the Benjamin Moore salesperson promised it would be. We also painted a side table to use as a night stand, and there is a desk in the queue still to be painted.

There is more cash to be spent now as well. We had the double bed in the basement, but no mattress or box spring to go with it, so those have to be purchased. And we had to buy a new double duvet, duvet cover and sheets as well. So what started out as a project that would only cost as much as a can of paint, has now turned into several hundred dollars. Ouch. Not good when I had just put myself on a post-Christmas spending reduction!!

Anyway, I'm hoping this weekend will see the end of (or nearly so) Mallory's Bedroom Overhaul. I would like to put the furniture back and reclaim the closet that has been stuffed full of so many odds and ends these past few weeks, roll up the drop cloths that are all over our floors, and put away the spackle, the sandpaper, the brushes and rollers and paint trays... all of the clutter that comes out when a project is underway.