Living Room Trim Progress


I spent yesterday filling nail holes with wood putty, sanding, caulking gaps, washing, taping off the floor, priming, and painting. I have one more coat to go today on one half of the room, and then the trim in the living room will be done! After that I’ll begin the task of making our house look less like a disaster.

Comments

55 responses to “Living Room Trim Progress”

  1. LisaInIllinois Avatar
    LisaInIllinois

    I hate the mess involved in painting! We are repainting the master bedroom and the upstairs is a disaster! But, it’s worth it in the end. Looks lovely!

  2. Elisa @ What the Vita Avatar

    It’s amazing how painting wood trim white makes a home look NEW! Am trying to convince mom to paint her wood trim white :)

  3. Karen Avatar
    Karen

    It looks lovely. Congratulations.

  4. Mallory Avatar

    It looks fantastic!

  5. casey Avatar

    wow. even in the mess I can see the beauty of the white trim! looks so good!

  6. Kate Avatar

    Looks great so far! Did you use a special camera lens for the pictures? Otherwise you must have been crammed into the corner to get such a wide shot!

    1. Making it Lovely Avatar

      I was crammed in the corner! But I also have a wide angle lens. ;)

  7. Aleigh Avatar

    I have a question about your lighting choices, Nicole. I love that you have so much modern lighting in your home, even though it’s old. I live in a 75-year-old bungalow and the ceiling lights that came with the house are not original, but are in a sort of cheap (and ugly) arts and crafts style. The entry, kitchen, and living room all open up into one another, so I’ve been hesitant to change them since they match–seems like if I change one, I need to change them all. I don’t have super-high ceilings, and my furniture is a mixture of traditional and modern…but I’m completely stumped on the lighting choices. I need a ceiling light for my entry, one for my living room, and a chandelier/pendant for over my dining room table. Do they need to be cohesive? How do I find three lights for three different areas that complement one another? Help!

    Aleigh

    1. Making it Lovely Avatar

      This is a great question! I think the lighting fixtures should all work together, especially if you can see them from multiple rooms. That said though, it’s totally fine if they don’t match. Change the one that bothers you the most, and see after that how you feel about the rest.

      I’ll try to put a post together with different lighting options (one of my “Let’s…” series with 10 or so choices)!

      1. Aleigh Avatar

        That would be AWESOME. Thanks, Nicole! —Aleigh

  8. Nicole Avatar
    Nicole

    It’s looking fantastic! And thanks for sharing your ‘in progress’ photos… helps to see that even you (your house always looks amazing!) have a mess on your hands mid-project ;)

  9. Cristina Avatar

    It’s looking very nice! I love the sharp contrast between the white baseboard and the wood floor. Looks great!

  10. jbhat Avatar
    jbhat

    Ugh, painting. The results are always worth it, but the process is awful. There is always so much more to doing a good paint job than standing there with a brush. Good for you for tackling it. It’s so pretty.

    jbhat

  11. Caitlin B Avatar
    Caitlin B

    Oh man, that pic of the paint can/brush is freaking me out! Don’t get it on your pretty floors!!

  12. Molly the Waffler Avatar

    I almost didn’t recognize your living room with the couch pulled forward! The trim is looking great.

  13. Sarah K Avatar
    Sarah K

    It looks great!

  14. Lydia Avatar

    It looks so great!!!!

  15. Your Mother Avatar
    Your Mother

    It looks great!

  16. annie Avatar

    Looks fabulous!

  17. Marianne Avatar

    I love it! I can’t wait to see side by side before and afters as I think the difference will be astounding. I love wood tones but I like them in a moderate amount. Love the white!!

  18. Tiffany Avatar

    Wow. I love it.

  19. Amanda Avatar
    Amanda

    That really does look gorgeous. I love it! Makes it look so fresh.

  20. Miss B. Avatar

    You have such beautiful large windows, I never noticed that, but this angle you can see they are everywhere. I am always thrilled to watch you work your magic!

    1. Making it Lovely Avatar

      I never had a wide angle lens before, so I was never able to capture so much of the interior until now.

  21. Puck at cottageofstone Avatar

    I didn’t want to like the painted wood… But I love it!

  22. Carrie Avatar

    Oh, I love it! It’s amazing how a simple (albeit time-consuming!) change can make such a dramatic difference.

  23. Jim Avatar

    Looking pretty good so far…love the wooden flooring!

  24. Christina W. Avatar
    Christina W.

    it looks really good! your wall color is so pretty with the natural light coming in through the curtainless windows, also. i think most of the pics of it on here have been lamp lit!

  25. modern jane Avatar

    Ahhh! Such a good decision! I love it.. especially with you paint color! And I’ve said it before but I still love that rug!

  26. j strepelis Avatar

    Wow! I always thought your living room was lovely but quietly serene. the white creates a totally different -bright energetic-sharp affect. Great and well worth the work

  27. Jaimie Avatar
    Jaimie

    Wow, I love your trim. Our house’s trim has no character, but that’s not surprising, since it’s a mid-90’s generic builder. I’m also painting my trim and doors white. It was an awful yellow-beige when we moved in. The process is tedious and takes forever, but it is SOOOO worth it. It’s a breath of fresh air.

    1. Making it Lovely Avatar

      Ugh, that yellowy beige was so ugly and prevalent. White is so much prettier.

  28. Erin Avatar
    Erin

    Looking great! Thank you for sharing pics of the mid-project process. :)

  29. jessibee Avatar
    jessibee

    It looks so nice and fresh! The white trim really brings out different aspects of the pink wall color too. It looks even MORE lovely now!

  30. elizabeth@lovelylittleparties Avatar

    this looks great! It’s incredible how such a small thing as paint can make a huge difference!

  31. Sandy Avatar

    The white trim looks so much better!!!! I’m so glad you went ahead and painted it. It is so fresh and bright. Changes the whole feel of the room. It must just make you smile when you walk in the room!

  32. emma Avatar

    Your house a disaster ??? Don t be so hard with you
    You are such a inspiration for many of us. :D

  33. trouble Avatar

    Your room is so cute. ^ ^

  34. Jessie Avatar

    It looks beautiful! I love white trim!

  35. Megan Avatar

    The trim painted white makes it look like a new room! Good eye!

  36. Amelia @ House Pretty Avatar

    The prep and clean-up is always the worst! It’s looking great though!

  37. Jillian@TheHumbleGourmet Avatar

    I adore crisp, white trim. It looks fantastic!

  38. julie. Avatar
    julie.

    It looks AMAZING and so much better. wow!

  39. Ali Avatar
    Ali

    Amazing transformation! Way to go!

    ~ Ali

  40. anna Avatar
    anna

    Nicole – It looks fabulous. Question: you may have answered this a long time ago but where is your TV console from? We’ve been looking for something similar with wood/white finish.

  41. Krystal Avatar
    Krystal

    I love the pendant light you have hanging in your living room… I want one, where did you find it? What’s it called?
    Thanks.

    1. Making it Lovely Avatar

      It’s a George Nelson Saucer Pendant. Ours is an original that came with the house, but they’re still being produced and are available at various places.

  42. Paula @ The Pretty Bee Avatar

    Ugh-what a mundane task! It looks great, though & the details are well worth the effort. I’m doing the exact same in my own home–Bright white baseboards & doors!

  43. Tarah Avatar
    Tarah

    I love the color of your walls! What is the color? Ive been on the hunt for the perfect pink, its hard :)

    1. Making it Lovely Avatar

      It’s Wild Aster, from Benjamin Moore. I also put together a whole bunch of great pink paints here!

  44. Cindy Avatar
    Cindy

    Hi Nicole – I love the white trim! My boyfriend and I are moving into a new house we just bought and I want to paint all of the trim white, however he wants to keep the wood trim. It is dated 80’s trim and not nice looking at all , don’t get me wrong, I love antique wood furniture and I even owned a log cabin at one time, so I do like wood, but this house would look so much nicer with all white trim – How can I convince him of this? any suggestions would be appreciated as this is quickly becoming a heated argument with us . . .

  45. […] 2012 – I finally painted the trim in the living room, almost finishing it throughout the house. I think people were about done freaking out by that […]

  46. […] to paint the woodwork in the house. I know that I have become notorious for painting wood because I did it to the trim in my last house, but that wood was awful. This wood is […]

  47. Megan Asbrock Avatar
    Megan Asbrock

    I really like the choice of colors for a family room…first impression is very calming. I am slowly redoing the trim in our very woody circa 1981 colonial and I am curious about the concept of painting trim off whites or nude hues in lieu of the Classic white…have you tried this Ever? I wonder if you use an alternative color choice for the trim, must you now do this throughout the house….are there aNY rules regarding this type of paint technique?

    When I saw the photo of your living room it almost looked as though you painted your trim some sort of pale pinkish off white and Ithe looked great…I really like the pallet choice for this liv8ng space…very clean and relaxing….though I can’t find the right color, I know the mood I want the colors etc to stimulate….

    Also have you discovered any interesting paint palate websites …how did you get the inspiration for this color combo….. sorry for all the questions!