Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan

In an effort to bring light into dark spaces, we've been painting the rooms on the main floor of the cottage...one room at a time. I'm picking a paint palette of neutral pastels from  Benjamin Moore. Thus far, we've painted the office, laundry room, and pantry in sunny Philadelphia Cream. We've also painted the foyer wall and guest room in Guildford Green. And soon, we will be adding a hint of blue to the great room with either Palladian Blue or Woodlawn Blue. I haven't decided yet!

In hallways, I like to find a neutral that will tie all the room colors together. Here is what the hallway looked like before we painted...a white with gray undertones, making it both cool and dark at the same time. We chose to warm it up a little with Manchester Tan, and it really did the trick!

And here it is now:

Aaah, lovely spring! And my husband always starts the job with a fresh coat of white on the ceilings and finishes with a fresh coat of white on the trim. Now it really stands out!

I wasn't sure about the pale green before, but I love it paired with the Manchester Tan.

I really like the flow of colors as I move from one space to the next.

And here's a peek as it moves from the foyer down the hallway to the bedrooms.

This color will also wrap around to one of the back walls of the great room, going down the staircase to the basement.

When you have large open spaces with multiple walls and angles, it's best to break up the job in smaller manageable sections.

I've been looking at blues on Pinterest to find my favorite, and I'm narrowing it down. But really, it would be best to have some paint samples to put on the walls. It's a big space in the great room, with a tall ceiling. I don't want to screw this one up. And can we talk about the price of paint? Benjamin Moore is expensive at $50 a gallon! But I really do love their color selections, and they carry it at the ACE Hardware down the street, so it's convenient.

Does anyone remember Martha Stewart paints? We used them in one of our houses, and I loved her palette of colors, too! These are very similar.

We are hoping to get the majority of the main floor painted by the first week of May. Sam will have his confirmation at church that week, and it will be nice to have it mostly completed for the open house we will host that day.

My husband also wants it completed so that he can enjoy bike season without weekend painting jobs. Win win! I guess this cold spring is good for house painting.

I would love to get the kitchen cabinets painted as well, but we will probably hold off on that for a few months. I would like to pick out new appliances and do the space all at one time.

Spring cleaning, one space at a time.

Blessings, cafe friends!