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Sherwin Williams Makeover Part 1 – Plus a $100 for your room makeover!

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I was so overly excited to hear that I would be able to make over our blah family room.  It really needed a lot of help.  Do you see the spots on the wall (see picture below)…makes ya think it was painted in stripes!    The previous owners of the house loved brown.  I like brown, but not when everything is brown.  Light brown, dark brown, medium brown and kinda stripey brown.  I really wanted to brighten up the room and see if I could make the room look bigger and engage the ‘ahhhh’ feeling.  It is such a small room, so I was up for the de-browning challenge.  Bring. It. On. Sherwin. Williams.
   1 alison room before (1)
How about another angle of the stripes.  Jealous?  I didn’t think so…

1 alison room before (3)

Let’s take a look at the other side of the room.  Do you see that rectangle ‘ghost’ picture?  So do I.  Kinda creepy.  I’m hoping it’s a glare from the picture frame on the opposite wall.

1 alison room before (4)

We started off using Sherwin-Williams’ Color Visualizer tool on the Sherwin-Williams website.  I registered using a username and password.  The website had easy step-by-step instruction on how to upload a picture of the room you want to paint. It was extremely helpful because you can pick from any Sherwin-Williams paint color and drag it onto your picture you uploaded.  It then automatically changes the wall color in your picture to the paint color you chose.  Hello coolness…yes, we tried orange walls.  Not to my liking, but it was cool to see how ugly orange would be in that room for when 1970 rolls back around.  In the end I picked a very lovely light gray color called Gray Screen.    

1 alison room before (2)

Here is a bit of a hint…and look how it looked on my screen.  It was cool to change the wall so easily.  Too bad I couldn’t click ‘save’ and it would just paint my wall automatically.  Mr. Sherwin…get on that.

1 alison room before (5)

I then went to the Sherwin-Williams store and bought SuperPaint in color SW 7070 Gray Screen.   See picture above…and below.

1 alison room before (6)1 alison room before (7)

We prepped the room for the painters to come.  We took out all of the previous decorations and pictures on the walls.  We moved everything else into the center of the room.  My little girls thought we were building forts!  Yes, kinda…just don’t touch the walls!

1 alison room before (9)

The painters came and painted the room in one day.  I noticed they used frog tape and were able to make the lines really straight on the base boards and ceilings.   When I first saw the room, I was so happy with the results of the paint.  The room already looked so much bigger.  Thinking of keeping the green trim…hmm?

1 alison room before (10)

In the following days we hung the blinds back up and changed out the electrical sockets.  Seriously exciting, as lame as it sounds.  The previous owners had just painted over them, so we really needed to replace them with white ones.  We went to Lowe’s and bought about 6 electric outlets and plates.  Another small thing we did that we thought might look nice was to paint the door handle on the sliding glass door.  Something so small looks so much better now.  Now our room was ready to start decorating.   Hello fun.

1 alison room before (14)

Okay, so you just get the sneak peak now of what is in progress.  You’ll have to wait a bit to see the rest.  It’s seriously worth it.  Oh, and while we are waiting for the paint to dry…go over to Sherwin-Williams and start playing with your wall colors.  Let me know if ya choose Orange.

 giveaway   *** Win a $100 Sherwin-Williams gift card from BlogHer!***

giveaway_enter

How do you find color inspiration for home projects?

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

  1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
  2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
  3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
  4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 5/1/2013-5/19/2013.

Be sure to visit the Sherwin-Williams brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

About Alison

Alison is one of the 3 founders of HowDoesShe.com She is the mama of 4 rockin' kids who love PB and J's. She has one fantastic husband who is the love of her life and loves long walks on the beach!

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Comments

  2. Kelly D says

    I find color inspiration from nature. I like greens, blues and browns so I usually go for these types of shades.

    Reply

    • Jessica W says

      I find color inspiration for home projects from the furniture and artwork throughout the space. I find a focal point for the room that I love and base the colors around that.

      Reply

  8. Carrie says

    I’m currently stripping wallpaper in our main bathroom and I LOVE SW paint. I’d love to win!

    Reply

  9. Stacey wright says

    We just moved in to a new home a month ago. White walls everywhere. Except one bathroom where they painted all the trim blue. [shrug] wonder what I’d paint first?

    Reply

  10. Brooke says

    I think looking at color swatches and going with the ones that speak to your emotions is the best method!

    Reply

  12. debb says

    I love the computer paint program that you can put your own picture into- so much fun and soooo helpful with color decisions! I find inspiration for colors all over – mags, blogs, tv – too much inspiration sometimes!

    Reply

  15. Whitney says

    Lately all of my inspiration comes from Pinterest! But to be 100% sure we always get samples of a few different colors…it usually ends up being the one we thought we would like the least that we like the most. Much better to find out from a small square on the wall than have to repaint a whole room!

    Reply

  26. sara says

    I usually scour pinterest for inspiration. When we painted our house before moving in I used Martha Stewart coordinating colors which was helpful.

    Reply

  28. Judy says

    My color inspiration is usually beachy… but I still spend lots of time standing around in the store checking out the colors and buying samples. So this technology is really awesome in eliminating that step.

    Reply

  31. Carrie says

    Better Homes & Gardens is a great source for me and when I go to people’s homes or businesses that aren’t sterile white I pay attention to paint colors.

    Reply

  32. michele says

    I get my inspiration from magazines and television shows. We live in an old rental that needs a serious makeover. Our livingroom is tan, my bedroom is brown, sons bedroom is an orangish red, daughters room off white, kitchen is green.

    Reply

  35. Karyn Manor says

    I get color inspiration from clothing, such as s patterned shirt or dress, and my imagination! I LOVE to do different painted patters such as stripes, dots, etc. And, I’m painting pretty much every room in our house this summer! This would be an awesome start!!! Thank you!

    Reply

  40. hausfrauChelsea says

    I gravitate toward colors that complement my family – if my husband enjoys a certain color, I tend to have that. My little reminds me of bright, happy days, so I use colors that make me think of joyful things.

    Reply

  41. Julia says

    My color inspiration….is basically fanning out the color deck on my desk and waiting for a color to grab me! Sometimes this does go awry though

    Reply

  44. Carrie says

    I like to look to nature for color inspiration — flowers, trees, bright blue skies…Or Pinterest. There’s always Pinterest.

    Reply

  48. Ashlei Davis says

    I use the Sherwin Williams we sit also! I love how I can make my color exactly what i want and see what it will look like before I buy it!

    Reply

  49. Amber says

    I find color inspiration by thinking of my favorite places. Either that I’ve traveled to, dream of traveling to, or places I feel most at home. Then I try to emulate that in the paint colors I choose.

    Reply

  50. Maddy says

    We just found out we’re MOVING (yes!) and my new landlord will let us paint! Help me convince him? Since it’s a basement, I’ll be looking at lots of bright places for inspiration.

    Reply

  53. Stacia says

    I find color inspiration by looking at pictures of furnished and decorated rooms online and in magazines.

    Reply

  54. Theresa Sea says

    Gosh, I get color inspiration from everywhere! Nature, books, magazines, pillows…you name it!

    Reply

  56. rachel d says

    I find color inspiration from a variety of sources including nature, magazines, Pinterest, and home makeover websites! I bought a condo and haven’t had the money to paint the bedroom yet! I’ve been looking for inspiration anywhere I can so I can get the colors just right.

    Reply

  57. Kristi says

    I have two ways … the first (and most of what I do) find a color from a paint swatch that I LOVE and can’t live without! There’s NOT one white wall in my home! My new – want to do – is adding a pinkish-purple- red to my living room (my living room is man cave – we have deer mounts, hunting pics, etc) … Man cave is going to meet shabby chic!
    And the second way is by finding a piece of fabric that I can use – like my recent redo of my bedroom. I’ve had the comforter stored for 2 1/2 yrs, finally changed my paint colors to match my “new” bed spread!
    I JUST LOVE COLORS!!!!!

    Reply

  62. Shelley C says

    I use quilts or fabric for my color inspiration. I am so lame at choosing color on my own that it is nice to have all the colors chosen for me 🙂

    Reply

  66. Lisa S says

    That Sherman Williams visualizer tool is great! I would love to win this promotion and lighten up my living room too.

    Reply

  67. Tammy says

    I’m not very adventurous when it comes to paint colors. I hate painting so I try to go low key. I pick colors I like that tend to be more toward the neutral end. I don’t like having to repaint when the color goes wrong. I’ve done that one too many times. We’re getting ready to paint a bedroom, hallway and entryway and I’m leaning towards more color for the hallway since it’s dark and right now it is very white.

    Reply

  68. amy g says

    I have a hard time pickin g out a wall color. I usually find a fabric or a pillow that caught my eye and start from there.

    Reply

  69. Nicole Cet says

    Honestly, I find inspiration everywhere. It’s whichever colors speak to me that day… probably why I have a keylime green room (It glows out the windows at night when the lights are on) and an electric blue striped room.

    That are both in desperate need of new paint!!!

    Reply

  71. Kim says

    Right now my inspiration started from my dishes. 2 Christmasses ago I received g
    red dishes from my husband. Sigh, we had no red in the house. So I’ve slowly been adding it to the house. My next project is to paint the kitchen cabinets; red below and cream or white on top.

    Reply

  77. ronda m says

    I always go with earth tones and then add a pop of color with an accent wall. I LOVE to paint!

    Reply

  80. Jen J. says

    Lately I am finding color inspiration from fabric. I love beautiful fabric and it’s inspired ALOT in my home!

    Reply

  84. Stephanie Larison says

    I find inspiration on pinterest, and country home type mags. I love the country homey feel look to a home. My faves to use are dark blues and whites.

    Reply

  86. Kandi says

    I find color inspiration for a room by trying to imagine how I want that room to make me feel. Happy, upbeat, relaxed, etc.

    Reply

  87. Lisa S says

    I love picking through the “mis-mixed” paints! Still waiting to find a bright yellow someday for my kitchen! :o]

    Reply

  93. Aggie says

    I find color everywhere – material, plates, pictures, OPW (other peoples walls), parks…When we lived in New England, I saw a house being painted a “golden yellow”, it was a beautiful color. We were going to paint the outside of the house anyway. I hired the painters and told them I wanted the same color.

    Reply

  95. Livivua Chandler says

    i find color inspirations for home projects by visiting stores in our town. I also go looking at homes that are on the market to see what they have in their home!

    Reply

  104. Lorena Keech says

    I pull magazine pictures out as I browse and keep them in a file. When I need a little inspiration, I sort through the pages to get ideas.

    Reply

  109. Kerry says

    I usually find my inspiration from a piece of artwork that I want to hang in the room. Or if it’s my bedroom I find my inspiration in a comforter I love. And then I match the paint to that.

    Reply

  110. Wild Orchid says

    I find inspiration in my favorite decor accessories.

    Thanks for the chance to win!
    wildorchid985 at gmail dot com

    Reply

  112. ky2here says

    We have an Eastlake Victorian so it’s easy to find color inspiration from other Victorian homes. Thanks for offering this.

    ky2here at msn dot com

    Reply

  114. Margot C says

    Once a maker of look-books of cut-outs from magazines I now bookmark blogs and websites to capture color combinations that I want. I can show them to the clerk at Home Dept on my phone.

    Reply

  116. Becky Richied says

    tweet: Inspiration and ideas from magazines and from google.

    Inspiration and ideas from magazines and from google.

    Reply

  117. Jasmine says

    I like to look through pictures on pinterest for inspiration as well as sweetlittleluxuries.com. The latter has really beautiful posts on home decor.

    Reply

  120. cindy bruzzese says

    I really need to try that color visualizer. We recently moved and the entire house is taupe. Thanks for the sweepstakes!

    Reply

  121. Amy Tong says

    You make it seems so easy on your project. 🙂 I usually find color inspiration for my home projects by picking colors that I love and feel comfortable to look at for a long time.

    amy [at] utry [dot] it

    Reply

  125. Jennifer says

    I look for timeless colors that flow well with the rest of the home… but with a great color pop for fun!

    Reply

  130. Deb C says

    I get my inspiration from the fabric I am using on furniture or draperies, or from a piece of artwork I am using in the room.

    Reply

  143. Betty C says

    I have a favorite photo in my bedroom of a patchwork quilt. The colors in the quilt are my inspiration whenever I want to redo the room. I just wish I could make the quilt for my own bed.

    Reply

  145. jenelle says

    So excited to learn about this we are painting our severly outdated living room soon this would help tons!!

    Reply

  146. Laurie Emerson says

    I find inspiration for my colors by the seasons. I love the vivid oranges and yellows and red from fall so usually use those colors for paint. I use silver for winter and a lot of pastels from spring.

    Reply

  148. susan smoaks says

    I like to find my color inspiration for my home in nature. The colors found in nature are beautiful!

    susansmoaks at gmail dot com

    Reply

  149. Leslie S. says

    I get my inspiration from my favorite object in a room.I base my colors around that.Thanks!
    lstanziani(at)yahoo(dot)com

    Reply

  151. cassandra says

    i find inspiration for some rooms by picking a single decoration I like for the room and using it to design the entire room around including paint!

    Reply

  153. Stephanie G says

    I like to look at colorful projects on home improvement websites and colors in nature for color inspiration!

    Reply

  155. Tabathia B says

    I always find great inspirations from the DIY channel and magazines

    tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com

    Reply

  157. Trisha McKee says

    I usually have one centerpiece of art that I choose for a room, and I paint and decorate around that.

    Reply
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