painting the fifth wall (a.k.a. the ceiling)...

The other day I did something I've never done before. I painted a ceiling, all 5 feet 2 inches of me. I've always painted my "fifth" wall white and kept the color for the other four walls. Adding color to the ceiling made such a difference on my porch. The walls have not even been painted yet and I'm loving the change I see already. The rest of the room will be painted Benjamin Moore's Decorators White so the blue on the ceiling will make a striking difference. I used Benjamin Moore's Harbor Fog which is a gorgeous shade of sky blue. Not too dark to bring the ceiling down and not too light to not be noticeable. 

So what is the most important item I learned in this entire process? Painting a ceiling is messy. It was definitely a good idea that I started off with the ceiling first. Splatters of paint are all over the floor, which will be painted last. I even had paint in my eyelashes. I used my favorite brush, the shortcut angle brush by Wooster and cut around the edges and the ceiling fan. I then attached the extension pole to my roller and rolled out the rest of the ceiling. I ended up doing two coats of Benjamin Moore’s Harbor Fog Exterior paint in a flat finish. Two hours and two blisters later I was done. It makes such a difference. The mustard yellow on the ceiling is gone and replaced by a refreshing shade of blue. There is one section of the room where the white molding touches the ceiling and in that little area I get a visual of what the entire room will eventually look like. 

I'm giddy. 

painting a ceiling fan

The ceiling fan on my porch was my first project I tackled. It was not much to look at but I was not in the market to buy a new one, for a couple reason. First of all it still works. Second of all, with some coats of paint I was fairly certain I could give it the look I wanted. I love the look of a black ceiling fan so with a couple coats of Behr Premium Plus Ultra exterior paint (I chose to use paint and primer in one in black) I took what was originally a white ceiling fan...

to this… 

This was the first on my list of projects since I would next be painting the ceiling. I had initially thought about taking the ceiling fan down and spray painting it. The spray painting part would have been easy with this method. The taking it down part would not have been. I decided to switch gears and hand paint the entire thing. I used my favorite brush for about 90% of the fan. Once I got the the area closest to the ceiling I used one of my children's watercolor brushes. Two coats later and I had a brand new looking ceiling fan, saving myself about $200 in the process.

Painting the ceiling itself it next. I can’t wait to see how the fan looks once I have the gorgeous shade of Benjamin Moore Harbor Fog up there! Check out my pinterest board to see what I mean!

project porch {the before pictures}

Before I began work on the porch I took the all important “before" shots. It is a typical three season porch that can be found on countless homes, especially here in New England. The floors are just painted wooden plank floors with no foundation. The walls are wood bead board and the one wall against the house is the original exterior wood siding. The walls are all painted the same color as the exterior of our home, that oh so lovely and nauseating shade of yellow. The floors are painted in the equally appealing shade of brown green that my front shutters used to be.

The porch was previously full of outdoor style toys such as a climbing structure, a swing and some ride on toys. It was like an indoor playspace in there. While we were doing our basement renovation it became the storage room for everything that needed to find a new home. Here is what it looked like two weeks ago...

I sold some items on Craigslist and got rid of any broken toys. Other items were placed on the curb for free. Eventually the porch was emptied except for a bookcase and bistro table and chairs, which have found a new home here.

Let me describe the room a bit more for you, starting with the windows.

They are jalousie windows with screens. When they are cranked open we get a great breeze. The only problem is that they aren't too pretty to look at. At all. They are metal, crusty looking and old! No matter how many times I clean them they still look the same. They do keep the room very bright since there are basically no walls, just lots of window.

The ceiling is wooden breadboard that is crying out for a good coat of paint. From what I can tell they were originally just stained wood. A quick coat of paint was added on top again in that not too appealing shade of mustard yellow. A white ceiling fan is in the middle of the room. It does not have a light on it and I was tempted to remove it except it is great for that extra breeze. It will stay, with some updates. 

There is one hardwired wall fixture next to the door which leads into the kitchen. It does not give off too much light at the moment. I have some plans for that fixture as well. 

The door leading to the kitchen is a typical 9 lite wooden door, compete with a doorbell which my children love to torment me with. Luckily it only rings once while the front door rings twice. When we first moved in I picked up on this fact a little quicker than they did. It saved me a couple trips to the front door. I think the fact that they were yelling “UPS” at the same time didn’t help their cause. During the warmer month this door is open all day. That is not the case in the winter. It gets cold here! 

The door to the yard is old and will be replaced. The purchase of a new door is the biggest purchase of this entire project, except for paint. New steps leading down to the patio will be added as well since the old ones are well past their prime. They are rotted, falling apart and full of potential splinters!

I've working with what I have again for this room. One day I'd love to open it up to the kitchen with a foundation and heat and new windows and comfortable seating and and a small table and actual flooring. I could go on and on. For now a couple coats of paint and more will make it into a room we can use and enjoy. 

the beach inspired color plan for the porch

Things are progressing along in my plans for the porch. Painting for me is always the biggest step in a project. The color on the walls sets the tone for the room. Most of the time I choose to go neutral in order to let the fabric and accessories be the colorful aspect in the room. This porch will be a little different. 

I want it to have a beach inspired style. I’m not talking sand and seashells everywhere. The beach inspiration will come in the colors and textures. I am painting the walls and trim Benjamin Moore Decorators White but I will be treating the ceiling as the fifth wall, which will be painted with Benjamin Moore Harbor Fog. 

The floors will add to the beach inspired style as well. I love stripes and I’ve been pining picture after picture of painted and more importantly striped floors. So the plan is to paint some stripes using Benjamin Moore Decorators White and Coventry Gray. 

I’ve got some work ahead of me but I can’t wait to see the finished product! Come follow my “Great look for a porch” Pinterest board to get some ideas of your own!

My dream of a kitchen...

The style of my current kitchen is what I lovingly call "working with what I have." It works for me for now, until I create the kitchen of my dreams of course. One of my biggest complaints about my kitchen it the state of my appliances. The stove and dishwasher were purchased by the previous owners before we bought the house. The are new, but not great. Add to that the fact that they are white. I'm more of a stainless style type of person. My refrigerator is stainless steel as is the microwave which I had installed once we moved in. 

The kitchen of my dreams looks quite a bit different, starting with appliances that actually go together. The concept of a "suite" of appliances which complement each other help create a beautiful, functional kitchen. Electrolux's "Suite Design" is a great example of this. 

The clean lines and sleek design are a compliment to any kitchen. The counter depth refrigerator enhances the built in look. Matching appliances become the jumping off point for the rest of your kitchen design.  A “suite” approach to your kitchen appliances can work in any style kitchen. Modern, minimalist, industrial, loft, country, eclectic, traditional or contemporary. The kitchens shown above have differing styles while the appliances are similar. The focus of renovating a kitchen can then be on how you want to incorporate what you like and what your family needs.

For now I feel the focal point of my current kitchen is the fact that the appliances don’t match! As I said, it will do for now. One day I hope to recreate the kitchens I see in my head. A island, a wall of pantry cabinets, a large sink, lots of light, some open shelving and matching appliances!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.