This Living Room's Airy Transformation Is So Satisfying

"Between the color (beige, of course), the brick (red, of course), and the clunky ceiling fan, this generously sized room actually felt so much smaller than it really was. The secret to getting rid of the cave-like feel: The perfect white paint color (Sherwin-Williams' Pure White) applied all over. For the walls, it's in an eggshell finish; for the moldings, it's semigloss; for the ceiling, it's flat. That white paint is on the fireplace, too, in a formula made especially for masonry."

"When I think about the living rooms I love most - from Apartment Therapy's own house tours and Before & Afters, or from social media - there's a definite pattern. The rooms I most want to hang out in tend to be filled with rich colors, ample bookcases, and lots of art. Texture and color are what make spaces feel cozy to me, so I'm not generally one to fawn over an all-white living room."

Preferred living rooms often feature rich colors, ample bookcases, and abundant art, yet an all-white living room can feel exceptionally comfortable and casual. A late-1990s/early-2000s living room with beige walls, red brick, and a bulky ceiling fan appeared cave-like and smaller than its actual size. Applying Sherwin-Williams' Pure White uniformly — eggshell on walls, semigloss on moldings, flat on the ceiling, and masonry-formula on the fireplace — brightened the room, made ceilings appear higher, and windows seem larger. The transformation required no power tools and only a single paint shade. Proper surface preparation is important to achieve a flawless finish.

Read at Apartment Therapy