After five days of unpacking, I was overcome by dreadful paint colors on dirty walls.
Paint is cheapest way to transform a space
Since paint is the cheapest way to transform a space, this was the logical starting point, and I was all in.
Deciding to tackle the worst looking room first, I walked into the basement with a shudder.
By definition, basements are dismal.
Lacking lots of windows for streaming sunshine and outdoor views, basements feel confining.
And of all the paint colors in the house, the pink mocha was one of the worst. (Check the bloody powder room here.)
My son’s room was also pink mocha, but I will do that one next.
At least he has great views from his two bedroom windows to bring in glorious sunlight to brighten the space.
Although the basement is actually a walkout, the far end has a glorious picture window and French patio door…so I love that! Good bones!
The pink mocha painted walls screamed basement cave
What the basement needed was sunshine, so I decided to paint it.
Besides, most of the boxes had been unpacked, leaving mostly homeschool books and supplies taking up tons of space in the gloomy basement.
I shoved all the boxes out of the way of the landing area from upstairs, which is almost a room unto itself.
Since it’s an open concept basement, I easily shoved the tons of homeschool boxes around the corner and against the wall of the other partitioned off room.
That way I could easily work my way around this first landing area, all the way around the perimeter, saving that small wall where the moving boxes were piled up, for last.
Painting creamy sunny yellow paint onto dismal walls
Before dipping the paintbrush into the creamy sunny yellow, I finally took an obligatory before photo of the basement…my only one.
The picture does not do the pink mocha cave credit. It’s truly much more gloomier than this.
Cutting in the creamy yellow paint into the corners on top of the Pink Mocha…what a difference!
Wow! No photo editing was done to this picture.
That is merely one coat of sunny creamy yellow on the pink mocha. I should have primed first, but didn’t have the patience for that…which created a fun result!
I knocked out this smaller section first, the landing zone from the upstairs foyer to the right. To the left is the laundry room closet.
Behind me is the rest of the basement, larger than this small space, still gloomy, with a large area requiring another layer of creamy sunshine yellow.
In the header photo can be seen the creamy yellow walls on the left side of the picture and to the right the sponge painted Pink Mocha.
Rainy days while painting dismal basement
While rain slowly dripped outdoors, nourishing our established gardens that I inherited with the purchase of the house, I couldn’t wait to see what would bloom.
Meanwhile I painted in the cold, dark, and dreary basement, surrounded by moving boxes. (Edgar Allan Poe could have written a great poem about this experience.)
Sun finally comes out
When I was nearly complete with only one wall to go needing a final coat, I saw the reflection of the sun shining over my shoulder.
Delighted that the sun finally came out, I looked outdoors…only to find the continued steady dripping of spring rain.
The sunshine was cast by the walls, reflecting the lamp enabling me to see.
Previously the pink mocha was absorbing all the light from the lamp.
Finally the walls, nearly completely painted with creamy yellow, reflected light!
