Paint; Our Color Palette + B&A Shots!

Paint, paint, paint. Talk about some tough decision making! It's taken me four years to nail down our color palette. I don't know how many color swatches I've snagged from home improvement stores since our building project kicked off, but the count is in the hundreds at least. I guess I've become sort of a paint swatch fanatic. I'll grab swatches on non-paint-related shopping trips for colors that we really have no plans for using. But you never know. (And the fact that they're free is very encouraging.) But after much time (might I say years?) of swatch-grabbing, color comparison, deliberation, hemming and hawing, whining, and then more deliberation, here's our palette. (Note: We haven't chosen a shade of peacock blue yet, hence the "?" on the blue block.)

Our color palette- see it on the walls below!

  

Pittsburgh Paint is the brand we use. There's nothing special about the brand as far as we can tell, it's just what our nearest supplier in South Dakota happens to carry.

Speaking of suppliers, here's a helpful tip; if you're planning on doing a lot of painting either all at once or over time, negotiate a bulk discount rate. By doing this ourselves, we get a high quality line of paint for cheaper than what we'd pay at Walmart for a standard line. What if we find a color from another brand that we want? Most (if not all) paint suppliers can match any color for no extra fee. In fact, the color we'll be buying the most of, Tuscan Tan, had to be matched. You just have to know the brand, line, and the manufacturer of the color you want so that your local hardware knows who to call for the formula. This information is usually on any color swatch, so just have it on hand when you go to get your paint mixed. Sometimes you'll also need to know which store your swatch came from. There are certain private label lines carried by only one store, like Lowe's, for instance, and your paint supplier may need that information in order to know who to call for the formula.

But enough talk, let's see some walls! Here are some before and after paint shots of our house. (Although "after" implies that these rooms are finished, which is far from the case, but you understand. Also, please excuse the construction mess and the old ratty mattresses that are also featured here, haha!)

Sitting & Dining Room

 Study

Second stairway in Great Room (partially finished)

 

Kitchen

Master bedroom

Master Bathroom

Upstairs hallway

So there's our progress with paint so far. As far as our palette goes, the only thing left is to find a perfect shade of peacock blue (suggestions?). As far as the physical painting itself, the fat lady is far from singing.

Anybody try any bold or unusual colors on their walls lately? Or even a neutral one you really love? We all know it's quite a gamble to chose a color based on those little 2x2 swatches, and so helpful to get tried and true tips!