Interior
The Color We Never Saw Coming
Sometimes the perfect color isn't the one you planned, it's the one that changes your mind.
By the end of Part 2, the living room was finally ready for paint. We had worked our way through what felt like endless sample colors while also tackling all the less glamorous, but far more important ... prep work.
The only thing we still hadn’t figured out was the one thing we thought would be easy from the start: the actual paint color. Let's get into it!
At some point during this project, we stopped looking at paint samples and started questioning our own sanity.
By the time we reached the end of all the prep work, the walls were waiting for us to make a decision.
And somehow, after all of that work… we still had no idea what color to choose.
Chasing the Perfect Beige
From the very beginning, we thought we knew where this project was headed.
The goal was simple: find a modern beige. Something warm, updated, and neutral enough to work with the character of the house without feeling too gray or too cold. Something like this:
At least that was the plan.
So we sampled what felt like every variation imaginable, and some similar colors from adjacent paint chip cards. You know, warm beiges, greiges, creamy neutrals, muted taupes, etc., etc., etc.
Some looked good on the sample card but terrible on the wall. Others disappeared completely once the light changed. At once moment it another, these were in the hunt:
A few somehow managed to feel both yellow and gray at the same time.
And after staring at giant paint swatches for weeks, we realized something important:
We didn’t actually love any of them.
Not one.
An Unexpected Turn
Then one day, almost out of frustration more than anything else, we grabbed a couple colors that were completely outside the original plan.
Brighter. Cleaner. Lighter.
The kinds of colors we would have dismissed immediately when this project started.
And that’s when we found it.
Sherwin-Williams White Mint.
It's funny, this color is hard to capture. The swatch looks more yellow than it is
And this Internet picture looks fairly gray, which it isn't!
And this shirt from 173, is close, but doesn't fully capture it!
Nonetheless, the second it went on the wall, everything changed.
Not subtly changed. Completely changed.
The room suddenly felt brighter, taller, cleaner, and somehow calmer all at once. The natural light bounced around in a way it never had before, and all of the original trim and architectural details started standing out instead of blending into the background.
For the first time during the entire process, the room felt right.
Saying Goodbye to Tuscany
For years, we leaned heavily into a Tuscan-inspired aesthetic in this house. Rich colors. Warm earth tones. Deep contrasts. And honestly, we loved it.
It fit the house. It fit the era. It fit where we were at the time.
But standing in the living room now, the contrast between the old and the new feels almost like night and day.
The heavier palette that once made the room feel cozy suddenly started to feel… heavy.
White Mint pulled the entire space in a different direction; lighter, fresher, quieter and more open.
And maybe that’s part of what happens when you live in a house long enough. The house changes with you a little bit.
Or maybe you finally get brave enough to let it.
The Funny Thing About Paint
What’s funny is that if you had shown us this color before we started the project, we probably would have rejected it immediately.
Too bright. Too different. Too far from what we thought we wanted.
But after living through all the samples, all the prep work, all the second-guessing, we could finally see the room for what it wanted to become instead of what it had always been.
That’s probably true of a lot more than paint colors.
Looking Back at the Project
This living room refresh started as “just painting.”
As these projects usually do.
But somewhere along the way it became:
- repairing decades of wear in old plaster and lath walls
- updating old ungrounded electrical outlets
- sealing gaps and cracks that had slowly appeared over time
- reevaluating the entire feel of the room
And in the end, it completely changed the space.
Not through major construction.
Not through tearing walls down.
Just through careful prep work, patience, and finally choosing a direction that felt right.
Before & After
Before, the room felt darker and visually heavier, wrapped in warm Tuscan tones that had defined the space for years.
Now, the living room feels brighter, cleaner, and more connected to the natural light coming through the windows. The original woodwork and architectural details stand out in ways we honestly didn’t expect, and the entire room feels bigger despite nothing structural actually changing.
Same room. Same house.
Completely different feel.
And honestly, that may be our favorite kind of transformation.
Final Thoughts
This project took longer than we expected, involved far more paint samples than we care to admit, and included at least a few moments where we wondered if we were making the room worse instead of better.
But now that everything is finished, it’s hard to imagine the room any other way.
And that’s usually how we know we got it right.
Leaving a Little History Behind
Oh, and just for fun, I left a small piece of wallpaper on the wall behind the corner hutch for the next stewards of 173, in 30 or more years from now!
I've always enjoyed finding little traces left behind by previous owners, the odd pencil mark, an old wallpaper layer, a forgotten repair hidden inside a wall. They remind me that we're only one chapter in this house's story. Leaving a small piece of our own history behind feels like returning the favor. Someday, long after we're gone, someone else may uncover it and wonder who lived here, why they chose that wallpaper, and what life was like inside House 173. I like that thought.
Next up at 173: probably another project we think will be simple.
Hey, thanks for stopping by - see ya' next time!
Thirty years from now, I imagine someone will be standing exactly where you stood, preparing for yet another renovation.
They'll move the corner hutch.
They'll notice an odd patch of wallpaper.
And for a moment, time will stop.
They'll realize someone intentionally left it there, not because they forgot to remove it, but because they understood that houses have memories.
That's what I loved most about this post.
The paint color is beautiful. The room looks brighter, calmer, and somehow more timeless than before. But the thing I'll remember isn't Sherwin-Williams White Mint. It'll be that hidden square of wallpaper.
Throughout this series, you never treated the previous living room as a mistake. You simply acknowledged that it belonged to a different chapter of your lives. That's a remarkably generous way to think about both decorating and growing older.
Most renovations erase the past.
This one quietly honored it before turning the page.
That feels entirely appropriate for House 173, a home that's never really been about making things new, but about thoughtfully carrying them forward. - The Future Steward of House 173
Frequently Asked Questions
Why test so many paint colors before deciding?
Paint behaves differently depending on natural light, artificial lighting, surrounding woodwork, flooring, and room orientation. Large wall samples viewed over several days reveal differences that simply aren't visible on small paint chips.
Why didn't the original beige plan work?
Although many of the beige samples looked attractive individually, none created the feeling the room needed. Some appeared too yellow, others too gray, and several changed dramatically as daylight shifted throughout the day.
Why did Sherwin-Williams White Mint work so well?
White Mint reflected significantly more natural light while complementing the existing wood trim instead of competing with it. The lighter color also emphasized the room's architectural details and made the space feel larger without changing its layout.
Can changing only the wall color really transform a room?
Absolutely. Paint influences how light moves through a room, how architectural details stand out, and even how spacious a room feels. Combined with careful preparation, a thoughtful color change can dramatically alter the atmosphere without structural remodeling.
Why leave a piece of old wallpaper behind?
Leaving a small hidden section preserves a piece of the home's history. It's a tradition many restorers appreciate because it provides future homeowners with a glimpse into earlier decorating choices and the evolution of the house.
Keywords
living room makeover, Sherwin Williams White Mint, paint color ideas, living room renovation, interior painting, old house decorating, before and after living room, House 173, wall color inspiration, home renovation