Waaaaaay back in November I had the carpeting in our house replaced.  Our dog, Lacey, had been ill for about 2 years and had managed to pee and poo on every single square inch of the house. 🤦🏻‍♀️. The only upside to her passing this past summer was that the girls and I could finally remove the carpet and underpad and start fresh with a hygienic home.

BUT, if you are like me, then you know an opportunity existed before the new carpeting was installed to paint/repaint areas of the house without worry about drips and splatters.

My family room was the recipient of a small makeover (with big impact).

grey built-ins, Benjamin Moore Metropolis

The built-ins were white when we first moved in then, several years later, I decided to paint them and the adjacent wall in Benjamin Moore’s Metropolis – a dark grey with brown undertones.

grey built-ins, Benjamin Moore Metropolis

It was great, for a time – but I’m slowly making over my home one room at a time and this was still pre-divorce decor.  It was time for a fresh start here too.

grey built-ins, Benjamin Moore Metropolis

I absolutely adore how my Home office makeover turned out, so bringing Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy into this space was a no brainer.  

I started with the built-in units because the dry time on the Advance formula paint is 16 hours before recoating.

Hale navy built-ins, family room built-ins, Benjamin Moore hale navy, family room makeover

 

What I did debate back and forth on was whether to paint the TV section in Hale Navy as well, or to match it to the other walls in the room – Benjamin Moore’s Stone Hearth.

Seemed easier to go light then dark, so I gave it a chance:

Hale navy built-ins, family room built-ins, Benjamin Moore hale navy, family room makeover

Yup – all navy would have been too much.  Nice in the summer when daylight hours are longer, but too dark and brooding for those early winter nights.

Problem now is – the mantle stands out with nothing to coordinate to.

Decided to Hale navy the mantle too.

It’s just paint right?  It can always be repainted if you hate it.

Hale navy built-ins, family room built-ins, Benjamin Moore hale navy, family room makeover

 

I used my Wagner Flexio 4000 to get into every nook and cranny in the mantle moldings – those tooth moldings would have taken a lifetime by hand!

I’m not sure… I think it looks better?

Hale navy built-ins, family room built-ins, Benjamin Moore hale navy, family room makeover

Three coats of Hale navy on the built-ins and mantle and three coats of Stone Hearth on the wall and she’s done.  (with just a few drips and slips on the old carpet)

Hale navy built-ins, family room built-ins, Benjamin Moore hale navy, family room makeover

I think it looks sort of Victorian maybe?  It certainly reminds me of English homes where the architectural details have been painted dark over time.

Hale navy built-ins, family room built-ins, Benjamin Moore hale navy, family room makeover

The entire wall in Hale Navy would have either made the fireplace glaringly stand out – if I left it white – or lost altogether if I painted it navy.  I think the alternating colours was the way to go.

I write that now, but if the blog is still chugging along a few years from now, I’ll be writing how it needs to be lighter and brighter or darker and moodier. 😂

I’m a DIYer – what can I say? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Hale navy built-ins, family room built-ins, Benjamin Moore hale navy, family room makeover

Hale navy built-ins, family room built-ins, Benjamin Moore hale navy, family room makeover

I do love how my little decor pieces stand out against the dark colour.  Would you believe that at least half of them are handmade (or changed by me from initial purchase)?

Hale navy built-ins, family room built-ins, Benjamin Moore hale navy, family room makeover

The carpeting arrived about a week after I finished these Hale Navy built-ins, then I rushed to get my Christmas tree up for the Holidays so I don’t have any after photos that include the new carpet, without a tree in them.  To see more you can click over to my Christmas 2021 blog post.

Not a big job, but certainly a BIG change – 1 gallon of Hale Navy in Advance formula paint (pearl/satin) and 1 gallon in Stone Hearth wall latex in eggshell.

The best part, the entire makeover was complete in less than a weekend!

The magic of paint eh? 😍

Have a great one!

One Response

  1. The Hale Navy is gorgeous! I love that you have painted the built ins & the mantel, too! We just purchased a new front door & the factory painted it with Hale Navy! Next we painted our shutters with it! It’s a great color & can’t imagine getting tired of it anytime soon!