Quarantine Living Room Refresh with Clare Paint

This is sponspored post. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

Hey guys! It tis me, the one and only, Jessica!!!! I came on here to let y’all know that I did something and I have NO REGRETS!!! If you follow me on social media then you probably know how much I loathed my white walls in my living room! When we moved in I made the biggest mistake ever by not getting a feel for the space before I painted. I didn’t even consider the direction of my space, which is crucial when choosing a paint color, especially a neutral color. Anyways, after years and years of me agonizing over paint colors I finally chosen one.

Clare contacted me last fall about collaborating and the crazy thing is, I was stalking them prior to their contact. I was interested in them essentially because of their zero VOC paint. For those who do not know, VOC stands for “Volatile Organic Compound” and lets off gases that are harmful for the environment. I have fixed windows in all of the main areas of my home so I don’t really have good ventilation, so zero VOC is an added bonus to my home and to my health. However, just because there is zero VOC, I would still advise you to paint with a door or window open for good air flow. Clare paint products are also Greenguard Gold certified and sustainable by using recycled material for their products!

Clare Paint Samples

It gets ugly before it gets better! Prior to sampling Clare Paint, I painted every wall in my living room different neutrals, soft pinks, browns, taupes, etc…I had backup colors but I wasn’t in love with any of the paint samples no matter how much I told myself I did. I researched and researched north facing colors til I went cross-eyed, I still wasn’t in love. Here I have this room that is huge (measuring 20’x25′), north facing, with two skylight both tinted in different colors, plus a cream and green kitchen that looks into the living room. I mean…come on!!! This brings me to one of the cool ways Clare Paint offers samples, instead of painting random samples throughout your home they have peel and stick vinyl-like samples in the colors they provide. I moved the samples from wall to wall to see how I liked the light shining on it and if it changed colors throughout the day. I was also able to see how it complemented the kitchen cabinetry. *This was one of the main reasons I went with the color I went with (we will talk about that color in a bit). I love a good functional sample, however, I found myself wishing they were larger maybe measuring 12″x16″. I loved being able to move the samples around but in some areas I had a hard time visualizing what that color would look like in different areas of the room.

Another feature that Clare offers when it comes to aiding in choosing a color is the Clare Color Genius quiz. This quiz can help those who are having a hard time choosing a color. Question is…did I use it? Yes, I did and I sampled those colors. However, I did not go with any of the colors that the genius spit out at me. I do think that the colors they chose for me would have worked in a more intimate setting, or if my kitchen didn’t have such a strong green, or if I didn’t have wacky skylights. All of the colors it spit out, I actually liked but they would not have worked with my furniture or some of the elements in my space.

Clare Painting Kit

Another cool thing about Clare Paint that I thoroughly enjoyed is that I was able to order paint supplies via their website. I am a sloppy, irresponsible painter and I feel like I am always running back to the home improvement store for something I forgot or ran out of. Thanks to Clare, I had more than enough extra supplies along with the stuff I already had. I found the extension pole to be the most helpful item out of the paint kit. I painted my ceilings and I didn’t even get a crick in my neck. the last time I painted the beams in here I got a crick in my neck because I did it all by hand and me constantly looking up…ouch! I also LOVED the painters tape. I liked it more than I did regular painters tape. It has a Washi tape type feel to it and it is sticky but not tacky.

The Many Shades of Grayish

Now, the moment you have all been waiting for…the color I chose to go with was Grayish. I went with this color because it complemented the green cabinets in my kitchen and was reminiscent of muted colors used castles and old English homes back in the days. When I first painted Grayish, I freaked out a bit because next to the stark white, it was a bit of a shock and more gray. I decided to paint my ceiling, beams, builtins, and walls all in Grayish and yo, it looks amazing. I absolutely love it. In the beginning it looked more gray, but after the color sets it looks like a dusty blue (I think because the room is North facing)…not baby blue, but a soft blue with a bit more soul. Certain times during the day it looks a bit more neutral, especially when photographed. When I photographed my space, I did so in the span of two days during different time frames so that you can see all the many different shades of grayish.

Clare Paint Takeaways

Pros:

1. Great coverage- I did two coats of paint everywhere in this room and I felt like the coverage was amazing! I chose to hand paint and roll the paint because my sprayer leaves a texture and I am convinced it sprays out too much paint. On the walls alone, I used 1.5 gallons of Clare paint total. I used one gallon on the ceiling, and one gallon on my builtins, beams, and trim work. The last time I painted this space we used so much paint, about 3-4 gallons JUST on the walls and that isn’t including the 5 gallon primer that we used on the wall.
2. Shipping is fast and it is a one-stop shop!
3. Clare Color Genius quiz is a great tool to use for those who need it.
4. Zero VOC and sustainable

Cons:

1. I wish the peel and stick sample sizes were larger.

For more before photos of this space, check out: Vintage Eclectic Living Room Moodboard and Move-in home tour

I promise you, this wall is painted. LOL! Thank you Clare for sponsoring this paint. I love it!