My New Favourite White Paint – Week 2 Of The One Room Challenge

Today I’m revealing the new wall colour for our kitchen refresh and providing an update on my One Room Challenge project. It’s now week 2 of the challenge! You can read last week’s post here and view all the participant’s projects here. Last week, I was unsure whether I wanted to paint the walls or not, but I decided to just go for it. Our kitchen cabinets are a creamy white colour, so choosing a colour to coordinate with was a challenge. I found our previously blue-grey walls brought out the yellow in the cabinets because there were some purple undertones in the grey paint. It’s also been a really long time since I’ve had white walls and I’ve been craving the warmth and brightness of white. In the process, I found my new favourite white paint.

White Paint Choices

I have a shortlist of my favourite white paints and they include:

• Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore for crisp white walls
• Alabaster by Sherwin Williams to give walls a warm inviting look
• Cloud White for creamy white walls
• Sheer by C2 Paint for doors and trim
• Casement and Raw Silk by Fusion Mineral Paint for painted furniture

My New Favourite White Paint

For the kitchen refresh, I wanted a paint colour with similar undertones as our cabinets but in a slighter lighter shade. I first became aware of Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore when I saw it in the Studio McGee home. They lightened it to 75% strength and the look is fresh, yet warm and inviting. Here is Swiss Coffee at regular strength.

Before Photo And Mood Board

This is the BEFORE photo of our kitchen with our previous paint colour, Sparrow, by Behr. I did enjoy this colour for the past five years, but I was ready for a change. I’m moving to a more monochromatic palette with black accents and touches of living green plants.

In case you didn’t read A Modern Kitchen Update- Week One of the One Room Challenge, I’m sharing my mood board again here, so you can see the direction I’m going with the paint colour and design of the space. Most of the projects I’m sharing are very affordable DIY projects that can be completed in a few hours to a day. As you can see, the only thing I’ve accomplished so far is the painting- but week 3 promises to be a big one.

The Painting Process

I purchased two gallons of Benjamin Moore Regal Select Paint in an Eggshell finish. This is my go-to paint for walls in our home. I also purchased some new microfibre rollers and grabbed my favourite brushes (a 2” angled brush and a tiny artist’s brush for touch-ups).

To get started, I wiped down the walls with warm soapy water, repaired a few small dings, and removed any electrical covers (covering them with tape). The walls did not feel at all greasy, but I washed the wall above the oven with TSP anyways just to make sure the new paint would adhere properly. Right before painting, I removed the window coverings and cleared the counters since I would be standing on them to paint.

I have been painting walls for 30 years and I find it relaxing and therapeutic. However, painting above cabinets with arms outstretched can be a little uncomfortable. I took a break between paint coats every two hours and I wasn’t nearly as tired as I thought I’d be at the end of the day.

My method for painting is usually to cut all my edges first and then return to fill in with the roller once the edges are dry. I don’t use tape or drop cloths unless I’m painting a room with carpet. I don’t love using painter’s tape because inevitably there are spots where the paint bleeds underneath. My hand is pretty steady and I can achieve a straight edge freehand style. I don’t use drop cloths because I rarely spill paint and Benjamin Moore is nice and thick and doesn’t spatter. I keep a wet dishtowel with me as I paint to wipe up any stray paint drops.

How Many Coats?

I was really hoping two coats of paint would be sufficient, even though I heard that mid-tone greys can be hard to cover with white. I ended up applying three coats to get full coverage. The photo below was taken after one paint coat. After two coats, there was a slight unevenness, so I applied the third coat. The entire kitchen and breakfast area took about 6 hours and I ended up using about 2/3 of a one-gallon can of paint. My biggest painting tip- put on some of your favourite music, a podcast, or an audiobook and enjoy the process.

The Paint Reveal

Here a few images of the new paint colour in our kitchen- I have found my new favourite white paint. I’m amazed by how much brighter the space feels now. And the new colour really complements our cabinet colour. What do you think? Keep in mind that this is only week 2 of an 8-week challenge. There are lots more changes coming that will complement the new paint colour.

Painting the walls a similar colour as the cabinets visually opens up the space and doesn’t draw attention to the fact that the cabinets aren’t ceiling height. It creates a less busy, and more simplistic look, which will allow some of the new design elements to shine.

The Breakfast Area

I have included our breakfast area in our One Room Challenge because it is part of our kitchen. I love how bright this area looks now and how the new paint colour looks next to both the cabinets and the curtains.

What Other Progress Did I Make This Week On The One Room Challenge?

• Purchased nearly all the materials needed for the final 6 weeks of the challenge
• Decluttered the kitchen and did a deep clean of the kitchen cabinets and breakfast area curtains
• Worked out collaborations for some fabulous artwork for the space as well as a beautiful new floor runner

My plan for the coming week is to make the new Roman blinds for the windows behind the kitchen sink and install the new light fixture over the sink. I also need to paint our family room in my favourite new white paint because the family room is open to the kitchen.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my week 2 progress on the One Room Challenge and finding out what my new favourite white paint colour is. Next week I’ll be sharing how to make functional fabric Roman blinds and share how the new light fixture looks in our kitchen. Happy decorating friends!

To see week three progress: Step-By-Step Lined Roman Shades – Week 3 of the One Room Challenge