Color… Moving in, Charles and I knew that we wanted to add a pop of color to our apartment – in particular the common living areas.
We considered painting an accent wall and removable wallpaper but the fact that we’re renting and are both pretty low key in the amount of effort we wanted to spend decorating our place, we didn’t go with either of those options for the following reasons:
Issues
1) Painting a whole wall a dark color would mean we would have to paint it back when we eventually move out which we didn’t want to deal with – I also hear going from dark colored walls back to white is a hassle. In addition to that, we really liked our white (with a warm, yellow undertone) walls and how they made the place feel bright and more spacious than what it is.
2) While removable wallpaper is removable, from reading reviews – it sounded like a lot of work to put up. And Charles and I didn’t want to “work hard” to make our apartment a home, we wanted something quick, fun and easy.
Solution
In an effort to keep our walls white, we decided to add small pop of color by painting the main entrance door frame.
Well, more like I did. Charles wasn’t 100% sure about how it would look and I literally had to present a case to him with photo evidence of other painted door frames via the internet to show him that the final product would look supercool. Eventually, he got on board (when I told him he wouldn’t have to do anything lol).
What was also great about this option is that when we eventually move out, we just have to paint the door frame back to white. Not a whole wall.
The day before we moved our furniture into the apartment, I went and got all the items I needed to paint the door frame with = quick stop at Home Depot and then at a paint store to get the color I wanted since Home Depot didn’t carry the particular color I was looking for.
Here’s The List Of Things I Got For This Project
- A small paintbrush (or two, I wasn’t sure what size I needed so I got two different widths just to be safe)
- A paint tray
- Step stool – used one we already had
- Tarp to cover the floor
- Frog Tape
- A pint of paint – after a bit of research, I went with Benjamin Moore’s “Caribbean Blue Water“. Considering the fact that Charles and I both love traveling to the Caribbean, this shade of blue felt just right for our home.
^^ via Snapchat – you can find me at “setarrra“
The process for painting the door frame was simple. I used the frog tape to line the edges around the door frame for a clean paint job. Put the tarp down. Poured the paint in the tray and got to work. I painted with the door open to make sure I didn’t get any thing on the door.
Less than 10-15 minutes later (I did two coats), below is a photo of the final product.
Voila! Not the most perfect paint job (see that blue paint spill in the bottom right) but since this was the first time I ever painted anything home-oriented, I gave myself a pat on the back for a job well done overall.
^^ I liked it so much that I went ahead and did the kitchen and bathroom door frames as well!
^^ As for our bedroom door frame, I didn’t paint it blue because I thought it might be too much. Charles wants me to go ahead and paint it blue for “consistency” sake but I’m thinking I should paint it a different color = yellow.
Since we’re at a impasse right now, it’s currently still a plain white color. According to my mom, I should just wait for Charles to go out of town for a weekend and then paint it yellow “because if I wait for him to come around, it will never get done”. I’m seriously considering it lol.
^^ Before we moved our furniture in.
^^ And this is what our place looks like currently with our furniture in place – still have a bit of unpacking to do but it’s coming along! Our living room is south facing so it gets more direct light in the afternoon (when I took this photo) which is why it’s so bright. I painted the door frames in the morning, hence a more dull/soft lighting in the previous photos.
We plan to eventually fill the space above our couch with a gallery of photos from our #blackandyellowtravels which I think will really pull the space the together with the door frame. Oh, and we also want to get an area rug and hang some plants on the wall annnnd get a few small, portable seating options for when we have guests over…
One thing at a time though a.k.a. one paycheck at a time haha.
And that’s that. A quick and easy pop of color for our home that perfectly complements our bright and airy white walls.
What are some easy DIY projects you’ve done to add a pop of color to your home?
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