Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Dunn Edwards. All opinions are my own and always will be! Thanks for supporting the content that keeps Jojotastic going.
IT’S HERE!!! Many, many weeks late and tons of wild adventures along the way, but I am so incredibly excited to finally reveal a big portion of our cabin renovation! There is a TON to talk about when it comes to the renovation of this space, but to me this absolute biggest change is the paint thanks to Dunn Edwards. Typically, I like to reveal one room at a time here on the blog because the post can get so long… but here’s the thing about having such an open house: there’s nowhere to stop the fresh paint! So we decided to tackle an epic project that literally transformed almost half of our home. Let’s dig into all of the details of our cabin paint reveal (plus a discount code to help you pick paint with confidence)!
Our Cabin Renovation: All About Our Paint Reveal
Ok ok… I just HAD to share one more glamour shot before we look at the before photos again. Think of it as a buffer for your eyes!
Before Photos
Let’s take a journey down memory lane reallll quick as a refresher for what the house used to look like… There wasn’t much to love: chalky toothpaste blue walls painted in a thin, watered down coat that barely covered the mustard underneath.
Or perhaps the extreme amounts of drips and banged up trim and wall surfaces? But also, don’t forget the pastel technicolor dining room of even more baby blue, mustard, and sage green. And not to be outdone, there were approximately 7 different shades of not-quite-white for the trim, moulding, doors, ceilings, etc.
Can you tell we had our work cut out for us??
The Paint Selection Process
When Dunn Edwards reached out to partner ion our cabin renovation, I knew exactly what I wanted to do… but it was a matter of getting the info necessary to pull it off. I am someone who feels an overwhelming need to see every option imaginable before making a final decision, but when it comes to paint that method has never served me. For example, I swatched 12 different options to select a shade of white for our old bungalow… and then 2 years later ended up hating what I chose and repainting the entire house.
So when I learned that Dunn Edwards offers Professional Color Consultations, I was immediately onboard. I worked with a Color Advisor (hi, Jessica!) to take the guesswork out of this project… and I am SO grateful. The Dunn Edwards Professional Color Consultant is basically like a concierge, but for paint selection! We met digitally to discuss my design goals, review my inspiration boards, and even so that I could give her a walking tour of the cabin to see how weird of a space it is.
From there, I received color palette recommendations plus oversized swatches to help me make the decision. After it was narrowed down, I had the option of getting a Sample Bundle to actually paint swatches on the walls… but I was so confident in how much Jessica “got it” when it came to my vision, that we proceeded directly to paint. Now, I don’t recommend that for everyone, but it worked out so well for us and I have absolutely zero regrets.
Here are the swatches I ultimately chose. I used tape to attach them to the wall so that I could move them around the house at various times of day and light conditions. The light changes really dramatically here even within the hour, but these swatches are very true to what we ended up with!
Once we started painting, I was also in near-constant contact with Jessica as we worked through the project. She was able to lend her expert opinion on what type of primer to use on our wood ceiling in order to seal in the tannins, for example. Another surprising and totally awesome recommendation was that we use exterior paint for our green trim and doors so that it would be less likely to chip in the future (since those areas usually show more wear and tear). And of course, I bombarded her with progress shots of the cabin renovation along the way!
If you struggle to choose paint colors, I cannot recommend this service enough. I say this without hyperbole: this is the first time I’ve ever painted with 100% confident in my color selection. If you have any questions about working with a Dunn Edwards Professional Color Advisor, leave a comment on this post and I’ll help you out! Plus, use code Jojotastic25 for 25% off your consultation — it is wellllll worth it and probably the only way I will be picking color from now on.
All About Our Paint Selection
For the walls, I wanted a creamy white that was pretty neutral, but would still warm things up during our cold, long winters. I’ve always dreamed of painting my doors a pop color and what is more cabin-appropriate than green?? But I didn’t want a traditional pine green… I wanted something more modern and way more unique. And lastly, we needed colors that would complement alllll of the wood and timber in our space. The wood skews very orange, so I’m really glad I had an expert on board to help me make the decision!
The Paint Products We Used
Just in case you have questions about the exact paint and colors we used, here’s a complete list:
- Dunn Edwards EZ Prime Primer — we used this on any wood that we wanted to paint including our dining room ceiling
- B-I-N Primer — because we didn’t know anything about the type of wood or how it was treated on our ceiling, we decided to use a shellac-based primer to make extra certain that the tannins wouldn’t show through on the ceiling
- Dunn Edwards Evershield Exterior Eggshell/Low Sheen in Ecological (DE5719) — we used this for windows, doors, bookshelf, closet interiors
- Dunn Edwards Everest Eggshell/Low Sheen in Birch White (DEW329) — we used this for walls, ceilings, and the baseboards
I have LOADS of follow up posts in the works including a step-by-step guide detailing how exactly we prepped the space for painting with a sprayer, a full source list for all of the decor in the photos, and more. Stay tuned for those in the coming weeks! Plus, a project is never TRULY finished, as you can tell based on the stairs in these photos. I’ll be working on those in the coming weeks + have an awesome DIY coming detailing how I plan to revamp them.
Given everything we’ve been through with this cabin, I am so incredibly proud of how it turned out and how well Sean and I handled every curveball thrown our way. And if you followed the journey along on Instagram, I cannot tell you enough how much we appreciated your support during this! Let me know how you like the reveal by leaving a comment — I cannot wait to hear what you think.
I want to use this service!
I HIGHLY recommend!!!