Monday, July 13, 2015

Vintage Farmhouse Living Room Wall Update!


I love when my friend Grace comes to visit because we always project together! She was here at the end of June and I wanted to update this wall behind our piano.

First, here is the before taken last summer:


I love the painting David gave me for a wedding gift but have thought it always looked a little lost on this wall - I moved it to our bedroom and love it all the more because it fits the wall and with our dark wood just seems to be a better place for it! Crazy how it takes over a decade to figure out the right place for things sometimes!!!


Earlier this Spring, I thought I wanted to do a blue-gray on this wall but nothing was really jumping out at me. Then, on our trip - in both Colorado and Iowa, I found some reasonable vintage farm goodies: chicken feeder, chippy window frame and grain sack towel. I already had the funky vintage First Aid box and Carrie gave me the always-lovely Gracelaced print for my birthday which is hanging on a Target Dollar Spot clearance clip board.

The barn lights really make the whole thing I think. They were tricky and more of an investment than the $5 paint, but I love the difference they make! So, I bought two outdoor barn lights at Lowe's and used this tutorial for converting them to plug in lights. We plugged them both into a power strip {already had} and use that for our on/off switch. It is working great! Converting the lights was super easy but mounting them proved trickier than I thought it would be. After another trip back to Lowe's to ask - we had the info we needed and success!

I ended up painting the wall with a $5 sample size of paint from Lowe's: Sherwin Williams HGTV Functional Gray. Ok, I have to pause here and say what a deal this $5 sample can is. Their sample size is almost a quart - with one quart of paint you could do any number of projects and at only $5! Awesome!


I initially wanted to paint the piano too - but after painting the piano bench and taking it back off again because I didn't like it, I'm going to have to think on that for a while! I would love to paint it a creamy color however, finger prints/dirt are a consideration at this stage of our life. Plus I have so much cream/white/neutral already. We'll see...


We had this entire wall done in one day plus a pool party! The wall was quick and easy and I love the warmth of the color. The added lights really round out the lighting in our living room and it is so cute to hear each of my children say how much they like it!



I think this about wraps up the summer house projects I was hoping to get done! Yay! Love these little updates that make a big difference and are hard to find time for during the school year.

Also, it stirs up gratitude in my heart for the home God has provided us and the opportunities we have to share it with others by welcoming them inside!



8 comments:

Ginger said...

You hid the cords very well!

Wendi said...

Love it! The picture with your curtains peeking out shows how that color makes them really pop. I think it would look nice if you were to paint the backside of your front door that color. If you hadn't mentioned the cords I would have thought they were hard wired.

Unknown said...

Cute! Really like the lamps! You have such a talent for decorating :). Even more fun to do it with a friend!
Christina

sandi s said...

I love the whole look! I do love the lights and such a good idea to change them. Hugs,

Shelby said...

Gorgeous Monica, I love the color and your talent is amazing. Especially being thrifty:) Love how it turned out friend.

Elise said...

I think this is my favorite wall in the history of ever! LOVE it!

Mom said...

Looks great! :)

Anonymous said...

Your wall looks great!!! Warm and welcoming!~tammy