DIY Walk-In Closet Progress, Week Four (Paint Color Selection, Closet Rods, Clothes Hamper Issue, And More)
I’m coming to the end of week four on my DIY walk-in closet project, and I feel like I didn’t get as much done this week as I did in prior weeks. Part of that is because I spent a lot of this week just trying to decide on a paint color.
First, I tried several blues from Home Depot and one from Lowe’s. (You can see those details here.)
And then I tried out seven different corals from Home Depot. (You can see those details here.)
And then after comparing the two and giving it a lot of thought, I finally decided to go with blue. So yesterday, I headed to Sherwin Williams and grabbed six more paint colors to test out. From top to bottom, these are (1) Open Air, (2) Billowy Breeze, (3) French Moire, (4) Sleepy Hollow, (5) Sleepy Blue, and (6) Jetstream.
In yesterday’s post, I had mentioned Faded Flaxflower, but I ruled it out immediately when I saw it in person because it has very definite purple undertones. I also ruled out Moonmist immediately because it was too light for my taste. But these six all seemed like good contenders.
I also realized that I should select paint colors from Sherwin Williams more. Their colors just hit differently. And their paint is excellent quality. I’ve always shopped for paint colors at Home Depot just because I’m there all the time, and it’s so convenient. But I’ll be heading to Sherwin Williams more often for paint in the future. Here’s a look at the Home Depot blues on the left, and the Sherwin Williams blues on the right.
Anyway, I won’t keep you in suspense. I’m going with the second color, Billowy Breeze, which looks amazing with the teals that I have in the house. It almost looks like a much lighter version of my kitchen cabinet color. It was my immediate favorite, even before I got all six samples painted on the cabinets. I went ahead and did all six just to be sure, though. But I already had my heart set on Billowy Breeze.
In other news, after deciding to carry the wallpaper into the laundry area and the back wall of the closet, I had to order two more rolls. I was afraid that waiting for those might hold up progress because my first order took about two months to get here. But that was over the holidays at the end of the year, so these arrived much faster. They got here yesterday, so as soon as I get these cabinets painted, I’ll be ready to install wallpaper!
My closet rods also arrived. I went with these oval shaped brushed gold closet rods (affiliate link), and they’re beautiful! These have great customer ratings. I went with oval because I thought the oval shape might make them stronger and wouldn’t require center supports (at least, that made sense in my mind 😀 ).
The finish is really beautiful. It’s called matte brass on the product listing, but it’s not as bright as it looks on the product listing. I was kind of thankful for that, to be honest. They’ll cut it to the exact size you need, but I didn’t know my exact sizes at the time I ordered them. So I’ll be using my miter saw to cut them myself. I think these are going to be beautiful against the blue cabinets.
I’ve decided to order to more for my necklace storage. I finally made myself sit down and think through all of the details about my necklace storage and jewelry (ring and earrings) drawer that will have the glass top. I had been putting that off because I was focused on all of the big stuff in the closet, but the glass-top drawer will require tempered glass cut to a custom size, and I needed to go ahead and get that ordered. I ended up ordering 1/4-inch clear tempered glass from One Day Glass, which I found after searching for tempered glass online. The 1/4-inch-thick piece of tempered glass cut to 42″ x 14 3/4″ cost $83.15 with shipping.
Regarding those cabinets that flank the doorway, I’ve decided to leave the doors off. But that means that my plan for storing my step ladder in the right cabinet won’t work. I wanted to see if I could go back to my original idea, but instead of putting the step ladder to the right of the laundry hampers, I put it on the left in the corner. It does stick out a bit, but since it’s in the corner, I think it looks just fine!
But in order to test out my idea and test out the measurements, I had to unbox the other laundry hamper. And I have another problem, as you can see. The two laundry hampers are slightly different colors. Ugh. I don’t want to send them back, so I need to come up with a solution to make them look the same color. Either I need to stain the lighter one, or I need to bleach the darker one. I haven’t decided which option I’ll test out.
So here’s where the walk-in closet project stands as of this morning as I’m closing out week four of the project. I added the corbels to the two end cabinets since those will stay open, but I still need to sand them. I have wood filler on all the nail holes in all of the trim, but I’ve only gotten half of it sanded so far. I’m still reworking the shelves in the two end cabinets, and I hope to get those finished today.
And then I need to focus on priming, caulking, and painting.
So there has been progress this week, but at the same time, I feel like I’m at the same point I was at last Friday when I had hoped to get the priming, caulking, and painting done last weekend. *Sigh* I’m trying not to be too hard on myself. Last Friday, I didn’t have any of the molding installed, and now I do. And then I decided to add corbels, which took time. And I just need to be patient and work diligently. This is, after all, the biggest build I’ve ever done.
But at the same time, for my own mental wellbeing and motivation, I need to start seeing some of the big items checked off of my list. Now that I have my paint color selected, and I won’t be distracted with that over the weekend, I’m hoping I can stay focused and make some great progress on this project!
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
#2 was my immediate pick when scrolling down, so yay! Glad that is the one you are choosing.
Have you considered painting the legs of the stepladder color #3? That way it would blend in with the cabinet while not pretending to be invisible. I think I mentioned I like making work for myself so yeah… 😉
Your laundry baskets tell you which is for light clothes and which is for dark clothes! 🙂 I kid, I can see how when they are sitting out in the open together the difference would be frustrating to see. Also I picked Billowy Breeze before scrolling down and seeing your choice, it is going to look amazing. Its a really lovely colour and now I wonder where I can use it…
I thought the same thing about lights and darks, only I’m not kidding! 😀
Me, three!
Me also!
Same!
So did I!
I had the same thought
I also thought “how cool to have them different tones for darks and lights. It could be something that would bug you though, so, you do you!
Love the colors you chose too. I love blues so I went for them immediately. I am getting drawn to coral more and more with it being out so much in design.
Enjoy your weekend.
I had the same thought! They blend well together and you’d know immediately which hamper had what in it.
I know! I deliberately bought two different colored laundry bins so I (and my spouse) could have one each. This helps me later to be more efficient with folding/putting away.
Man, I thought I had such an amazing idea! Great minds! 😉
Same, make a light and dark sign for each, call it good. That way it looks intentional.
Use the darker baskets for darks and the lighter one for whites!
Yoi are doing great,Kristi! Great advice about using Sherwin Williams vs Home Depot paint. I can tell the difference you are talking about. I think I actually have a chip fan from them a friend gave me. You are rolling along amazingly!
I’m glad you’ve decided to go with SW paint. I live in Cleveland and this is a local company! Yippee! Also, the quality of the paints in the big box stores is different than in the company stores – and within their lines of product. The SW color is going to work well for you! Good luck on the next steps – you’ll see so much progress when that color is on your cabinets. Be patient with yourself – you’ll get there.
What sheen are you going to use? Flat, matte, eggshell, etc? What line – Emerald, Duration, SuperPaint? I have had good results with Emerald (pricey but worth it) and Duration (more open time) in their matte and eggshell finishes. Can’t wait to see what you decide!
It’s definitely worth signing up for their Paint Perks. They regularly have sales of 20-40% off their paint. I stock up or plan my projects around these discounts, especially for large quantities or their urethane enamel for trim.
I personally think the difference in color in the hampers is perfectly fine and would never register as a flaw. They’ll be beautiful against the new blue paint.
Aaaannnnd the streak is safe! Billowy Breeze was my immediate favorite as well. I’m delighted by everything you do, but I love that extra boost of validation when my taste aligns with yours. 🙂
Good luck this weekend! You. Are. Fabulous.
Hi Kristi: Billowly Breeze would be my pick too. I think it is a great choice.
Don’t be hard on yourself, you are making amazing progress! Compare this to your pantry. This is a much larger space and I think the timing is similar (if I can remember correctly). I am not the one doing the work but with the size and the lack of open
shelving, this project appears to require more planning and be a more complex job. Keep the faith, you will have this finished in no time at the pace you are going!!! Just make sure that you take some time out, along the way, so you don’t burn yourself out. Have a great weekend!
LOVE the blue you chose, I went back and forth on pink/blue….but I agree, you made the best decision and it’s going to be more of a neutral. It takes so much time with color….we are definitely Sherwin peeps!
You could consider ordering one more basket and seeing if any two of the three are close enough, then returning the odd one out
My first thought in seeing the two hamper colors: what a clever take on light and dark laundry — subtle, yet clear and beautiful!
Kristi, I also highly recommend Sherwin-Williams paints. Years ago I bought my paint from the big box stores but after using Sherwin-Williams I would never go back. Price is higher but the quality is worth every penny!
Your closet will be beautiful and I understand the thrill of seeing it all painted. I’m having trouble wrapping my mind around painting the shelves before sanding your floor. Obviously the shelves will need to be thoroughly cleaned of construction dust before painting. Then when you sand the floors it’s going to make a mess of them all over again. Any items you put on the shelves in the mean time will have to be removed so they don’t get infiltrated with dust. And after sanding the floors, your shelves will again need a thorough cleaning before using. For me, the idea of having to clean all those nooks and crannies twice is just too much.
I had hoped to do the floors first, but the Bona Red Out was delayed in shipping because of availability. So I don’t want to wait. If I get the cabinets painted before it gets here, I’ll drape them with plastic before working on the floors to protect them from the dust.
I knew you would have a great answer. Knowing me, I would wait for the floor stuff to arrive finish up the floors and then go on with the project of painting. Either way, you would still have to cover something. Your way is much better and will keep the project going!
Couldn’t you start making the drawers while you wait? I hate to see you doing double work!
That’s a great idea!
You won’t be sorry you switched. I won’t use anything other than Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore.
Love the color you picked! Really enjoy seeing your awesome progress!
You really put a lot into picking a paint color. I don’t know anyone who goes to that must trouble to pick out a color.
I guess that is a good way to do it, but just think of the time you spent. Oh well it was your time and now you will be happy with it.
I know you surely must be anxious to get the washer and dryer move in and working.
Gotta go……
Love the new color, and I agree about Sherwin-Williams, they make great paint. I’d leave the hampers be, I know about your feeling for symmetry, but one is for lights and one is for darks, so go with the problem that is now a solution, you’ll know which is which. If you choose to make them the same, go with the stain route, bleaching that sea grass stuff is terrible, voice of experience here. But remember your clothes will be in this basket, whatever you do to it, may seep through and stain the clothes. Have fun and remember to rest every now and again, it’s a marathon not a sprint.
Cheers to you and Matt!
Stain the darker one a little bit more. It makes perfect sense to me – the darker, stained one for colours, the lighter one for whites. 🙂
I love your process for choosing paint colour ! This is the second time that I haven’t been a fan of your early choices and then you land on something different and I think: that is the perfect colour ! This latest set of paint colours are so much nicer and the Billowy Breeze is going to look fabulous !!
And yes, it would be nice to be further along in the process but take time to enjoy the journey as well as the destination. It will always be a few steps forward and one step back and that is okay, that is the design process. Once it is finished, you won’t be thinking about the extra time that you spent to get exactly what you want; you will be too busy enjoying the perfect finished product !
Love the color choice and especially the closet rod. A helpful tip I learned while working retail in ladies’ wear: to help the clothes hangers slide smoothly and keep your bars looking beautiful, rub the metal bars with crumpled sheets of waxed paper.
Looking good!
I must admit I let out a sigh of relief when I read you were going blue 🙂 And it’s not even my closet! I only use SW paint, Emerald for me. I could tell a difference in the value of the colors immediately. SW paint goes on so smoothly and covers so well, not to mention it wears well. Personally, I think you have made tremendous progress in a month. I’m looking forward to the rest of the journey.
The 2 different colored baskets looks intentional – one for darks and one for lights.
I, too, have always used only Sherwin-Williams paint, ever since I had to paint multiple coats throughout an entire apartment (even after priming) with the Behr paint a friend wanted. I’ll never use anything but SW. It goes on so much better and provides such better coverage! Once you’ve used it, you’ll never go back.
Don’t beat yourself up about the progress! You had decisions to make, and you still got things done! But if I might ask, don’t you think sanding the floor should come before you prime and paint? Then you can clean up the dust, leave the floor naked, paint, then wallpaper then stain the floor. At least that’s how I might do it, unless you have another plan in mind. By the way, I LOVE the color, and my son in law the painting pro always uses SW paints! He’s tried others and always goes back to them!!!
At first I was seeing the blues to the right of the large coral flowers in the wallpaper and thinking you were trying to blend the paint with those. Now seeing the more aqua/green/turquoise paint samples, the areas with those tones to the left of the coral flowers are more pronounced. I also like Billowy Breeze the best and think it will look great with the grass cloth. Finding the perfect paint color takes time and you won’t regret the time you spent selecting your color. When I saw the laundry baskets I thought you intentionally bought the two different colors. I like the two colors and wouldn’t want to attempt staining or bleaching one to match the other. That sounds like a nightmare! If you need them to match, I’d definitely return them.
Could you paint the hampers with one of the corals that you liked to bring that into the room?
The closet build is looking so good! Those corbels and crown trim really bring elegance. I’m kinda sad you are departing from Behr because that’s the paint brand I use (for price, quality, convenience/not making an extra stop at this overstretched season of my life, and limiting my choices for less stress). But I definitely concede that their colors tend to be more saturated and not nuanced like SW, as well as having fewer good pale neutrals/whites.
Remember that the SHEEN of SW paint is less shiny by a full step than the comparably named Behr sheen! You may need to adjust from eggshell to satin, etc.