This makeover started with a difficult homeowner lesson — ice dams our first winter in the house. No comprende ice dams? In short, the icicles hanging outside, can cause flooding on the INSIDE. Major, MAJOR problemo. There was silver lining, though … insurance covered a new paint job.

We jumped at the chance to drop the bold brick red, and created an oasis of calm with Benjamin Moore’s Shoreline. Ahhhhh. It’s an overlooked color in all the discussions about gray paint. I brought home a zillion paint chips, narrowed it down to four and stared at them for days (weeks?) before deciding. Shoreline, our winner, is warm and soft, but not so warm and soft it slips into brownish or taupe.

Shoreline barely has any blue, so you don’t get chilly looking at it padding around barefoot in your bedroom. It’s aptly named … like beaching it in the offseason with the protection of a big fat sweater.

Go to Coastal French Master Bedroom, Stage 2

Go to the whole house Before & After Picture Index