Sing the title if you like — it fits the mood. Yesterday we spent the day painting the living room, and between tending to Clara and keeping up with the blog, it turned into a 12-hour marathon from 9am to 9pm. The good news: the living room is officially painted in Moonshine. Even better: the hallway got the same treatment while we were on a roll.
The morning started slowly. Sherry posted the first blog entry of the day to answer questions, Clara needed breakfast, and I spent time clearing and taping the room. We didn’t open the first paint can until about 11am. We chose Moonshine and had it color-matched to Olympic No-VOC paint in a satin finish — a finish that reads almost like flat paint in the room but adds durability and wipeability, which is a huge plus with kids.
Things picked up once Clara took an unusually long nap from late morning into early afternoon. We focused on painting instead of blog comments for a few hours, and made steady progress. Sherry powered through — despite getting a splinter in her cheek from the floor — and learned a lesson about sliding around while cutting in baseboards (yoga pants and paint don’t mix when there’s a rogue splinter involved).
Sherry handled the cutting-in while I rolled, as usual, and she even filled several deep holes in the brick wall with paintable DAP caulk so the results would look more finished. Little details like that make a big difference and really improved the overall look.
After Clara woke up we alternated baby duty and painting, which slowed us a bit but made the day manageable. As the light faded it became harder to tell the wet paint from the existing white, but we kept going, taking breaks for meals, diaper changes, and short naps. By about 5:30pm we had applied two coats to the living room — enough for full coverage — and started on two hallway vestibules. Once Clara was in bed at 8pm we opened a second gallon to finish the hallways, and by 9pm we were cleaning up and ready to collapse on the couch, which was still pushed into a little island in the center of the room.
It was too dark for photos last night, so we took after shots the following morning:
Photos don’t always capture the true effect, but in person the room feels noticeably warmer. We expected gray to read cool, but the softer silvery-gray tone replaced the starkness of the white and created a much cozier atmosphere — like being inside a softly glowing cloud. We’re both in love with Moonshine.
We didn’t want the walls to compete with future accents, so we kept the color understated. Our plan is to add bold textiles — large curtains on the sliders, colorful art, and possibly painted furniture — and eventually a large charcoal sectional, moving away from the all-white, slipcovered look from our previous house. Some spaces in the house will get more saturated color, like the hall bathroom and guest bedroom, but for the main living areas we preferred a softer backdrop that will let furnishings and accessories stand out.
Because one wall is brick, we thought a very bold wall color might feel odd against that texture. Brick often reads better in lighter, neutral tones, so keeping the brick and surrounding walls in similar hues helps the room feel cohesive. We considered leaving the fireplace bump-out white, but that looked unbalanced, so we painted it the same Moonshine color for a unified look. We can always make it bolder later if we decide to.
The hallway really reinforced that Moonshine was the right choice — it looks soft and defined against crisp white trim. That contrast will make the living room pop even more once we paint the trim.
A close-up shows the silvery quality of the gray and how nicely it plays off glossier white trim:
Next up: painting the trim and baseboards in the living room, which is why the furniture remains clustered in the center. We’re leaving the ceiling beams as-is for now while we consider options — Sherry has floated the idea of a rich charcoal stain or paint, and we’ll likely mock that up digitally before committing. Hopefully we’ll have finished trim photos to share next week, with luck, timing, and maybe another epic nap from Clara on our side.
Psst — the repair techs came by to fix our new washer during the painting chaos and eliminated an annoying whistle. Victory.
Psssst — we also announced this week’s giveaway winners.