White Walls, Shiplap & a Whole Lot of Love
For those of you who’ve followed me for a while (thanks for drinkin’ the Kool-Aid), you’ll know that 99% of my work is Online Colour Consulting (E-Design) and I take only a limited amount of local projects each year – like one or two…maybe. But regardless, when my sister and brother-in-law decided to build their dream home, I HAD to reserve a front-row seat on that bus. In fact, they bribed me with copious amounts of wine, not knowing they couldn’t have stopped me anyway – we’re family! But I still took the wine.
Another fun part of the story is that Sarah and Brett had been transients for over 2 years (I mean, not like homeless…but kind of homeless) and were SO excited to finally settle down. However, with a newborn and 2-year-old, settling in was low on the list and they were living out of boxes – literally. ANYWAYS, shortly after moving in, they went on a vacation and while they were away…I kind of took over (which is SO unlike me).
I unpacked every single box, and put my OCD to good use arranging cabinets, cupboards, the garage, storage room and closets – I even folded Brett’s underwear. Using a modest budget (with secret permission from him so I could surprise Sarah), I outfitted the house as much as humanly possible. They had a few basics to start – a sofa, two chairs and a sectional, but really, not much else for me to play with, so I had my work cut out for me!
Are you ready for a tour? Let’s start in the entryway
The Entryway
I love this space. It’s still waiting for a high shelf, board and batten and hooks (which is why the clock is so high), but even then, it’s still a beautiful place to walk in to!
Urban Barn clock (here). Adley area rug (here)
The clock is a big boy at 40″, he’s from Urban Barn and is a glorious beastie. The area rug is an indoor-outdoor rug, so it’s good and hardy for muddy feet and flat enough that the door doesn’t catch on it.
Next, let’s take a peek at that beautiful black front door…
FULL PAINT COLOUR LIST AT THE END OF THE BLOG POST
Front Door: Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black
And if you sit your lil’ toosh down on that bench and look ahead, you’ll see a GORGEOUS powder room that makes me GREEN with envy!
The Green Powder Room
Seriously, I’m lovin’ on this vanity, which was a brave choice for someone who wanted all-white walls! Partnered with the hexagon tile floor and gold fixtures, it’s a small space with a BIG personality.
And see how the entryway rug ties into the green in the powder room? It’s ALLLLL about connections baby.
And seriously, look at the link between the vanity hardware and the floor – MAD love.
Hexagon knobs Wayfair (here). Blais Light Fixture Wayfair (here). Faucet TBA. Mirror Home Sense
You can also get a feel for the layout, as the staircase going downstairs is to the right of the powder room…
And up as well…
Looking at the last two photos, notice how the shiplap is continuous (but separated by a ceiling) from the bottom stairwell to the top one! I chose SW Web Gray for the shiplap feature wall as it’s a great partner to the kitchen island, which we’ll get to shortly.
And while I know it’s popular to do wood on stairs, it’s also a) expensive and b) not great for acoustics unless you install a runner, which is another added cost. I’m a BIG fan of carpet on stairs and chose it for our own home too. With all of the activity in this area, there’s WAY more sound absorption and it was considerably more budget-friendly. Those reasons are also why we did carpet in the master bedroom (wink wink).
Read more: Where Should I do a Feature Wall and What Colour Should it be?
The Living Room
In this open concept home, the kitchen, living room and dining room share the same square footage, so it was SUPER important that we had colour connections via furnishings and accents.
I love the balance of the fireplace and the built-in cabinets, which are also handy for putting kid’s toys in when company comes over.
The marble coffee table wasn’t finished/installed by the time I did the photoshoot (I’m exaggerating, it was just me with my camera, a bottle of wine and a funnel, but I like to sound fancy), so I had to go back with my i-phone and grab a quickie shot, which explains the quality. It’s a stunning table from Vancouver Island owned, BC Marble Products and what a friggin’ amazing slab it must’ve come from – I can’t even IMAGINE an entire kitchen in this product!
The gallery wall was almost the death of me. I couldn’t use nails as there was a vent RIGHT behind the frames, so I used a popular velcro-style hanging strip and may or may not have wanted to shoot myself trying to get the damn things in a perfectly square display. Er…mer…gerd. Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer using nails.
Below, you’ll see that we chose SW Cyberspace for the built-ins which are a) the same colour as the island and b) the darker version of the shiplap feature wall in the neighbouring stairwell. If we’d done the built-ins white, I think we might’ve overdosed a bit and lost the opportunity for some contrast and connection with the adjoining spaces.
And the fireplace – I just love me some mixed textures. With white shiplap on the top and painted veneer brick tile on the bottom, the textures add some subtle interest, without changing the paint colours.
If you’re wondering what white we chose for all of these surfaces, it’s none other than one of my FAVE white paint colours – Sherwin Williams Pure White. This home has a great blend of south, east and north-facing windows, so you can get a good feel for how it changes on a room-by-room basis!
Read more: North, East, South, West, Which Paint Colour is the Best?
Mosely area rug (here). Odin pouf (here). Higuchi black side table (here) Chairs: n/a. Similar look here/here/here
The Kitchen and Dining Room
The kitchen is DEFINITELY the heart of the home in this project as Sarah is an EPIC chef, to which my subtle buddha belly can attest to. And in case this is all ringing a vague bell, you might’ve already checked out the FULL kitchen in this blog post here.
Bar stools from Wayfair (here). Pendant lights (out of stock, but similar version here)
If you’re admiring the floors, they’re an awesome naturally finished product from Goodfellow flooring – durable and budget-friendly! We did the same product in our own home but chose a slightly darker stain (Stone White Oak).
The dining table and chairs also came late to the party, so again, I’ve got a slightly-blurry i-phone for now. Or maybe, you need to cut back on the wine as it’s PERFECTLY clear on my end of the screen, just sayin’.
Captains chairs (here). White dining chairs (here). Bradding dining table (here)
I’m in LOOOVE with the two captains chairs from Pier 1, that pattern just slays me. And we actually had that same dining table in our last home, which I loved so much I got it for Sarah too, so I could relive the glory of it again.
I made sure to coordinate the dining chairs with the counter stools as I didn’t want too many different styles going on and wanted the consistency of the white as well.
And btw, I’m sure you know that the ONLY painter I use in my own home is Delea of Details Painting, so naturally, we got her to paint this one too and she did a great job (as usual).
Read more: Paint Colour Review of Sherwin Williams Pure White
The Playroom
At the top of the stairs, we decided to use the space above the garage for a playroom (originally slated to be storage). But first, let’s look at the landing, leading to the playroom…
Both the bench and the bike canvas were from my secret garage stash and it’s like they were MEANT for this spot. I’m gonna miss that bench though…
And more of that shiplap staircase wall we looked at earlier…
Light fixture (here)
In the above photo, you can see how the 2 storey entryway opens up to the landing at the top of the stairs, letting SO much light spread throughout the top floor! And that light fixture is one of my FAVES and I have a similar, larger version in our home which is pretty badass.
Now for the playroom…
Buffalo check poufs (here)
Seriously, could it be any cuter? I stretched the budget FAR on this bad boy. The cutie-patootie poufs are from Walmart and almost ALL of the furniture and storage items are from good old Ikea!
And she might just be my fave thing ever…(Home Sense)
Now, I’m not known for being brief, and there are SO many more beautiful spaces in this home that I want to show you, so from here on out, I’m just going to give you snippets of a few of my fave spots so you can keep your sanity (mine is irrelevant, it’s loooooong gone).
The Master Bathroom
Just look at that large white hexagon tile. Sarah and Brett shouldn’t be surprised to find me showering in their bathroom one day. I know they’re crossing their fingers…
The Family Room
I LOVE the gallery wall in the family room, it’s full of some of my favourite people. And because I used NAILS, it was way easier to hang than the four pieces in the living room!
Really though, by the time I got to the family room, the budget was exhausted (and so was I). I was able to use their original pieces and grabbed a bookcase from my hoard for under the TV! I also love that we were able to continue the shiplap look down here, which was a great way to add personality to this space without spending a ton of money. We went with SW Grizzle Gray, which is a wicked gorgeous darker green-gray.
The Laundry Room
We chose a budget-friendly laminate countertop from Formica for the laundry room and it turned out awesome. It looks like marble, without as much maintenance and is perfect for this busy lil’ household.
Read more: The New Era of Laminate Countertops and Why It Rocks
So, there you have it – well, most of it anyways!
Need help with YOUR home?
Check out my E-DESIGN services, I’d love to help!
Chat soon,
PAINT COLOUR LIST
- Walls, trims, ceilings: Sherwin Williams Pure White
- Kitchen and bathroom cabinets: Sherwin Williams Pure White
- Front door: Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black
- Kitchen island and living room built-ins: Sherwin Williams Cyberspace
- Powder room vanity: Sherwin Williams Isle of Pines
- Feature wall in the family room: Sherwin Williams Grizzle Gray
- Feature walls in staircases: SW Web Gray
- FLOORING: Natural Wirebrished Oak from Goodfellow
Your best yet!! So fun seeing your projects , keep up the good work (and the good wine)!
Author
Thank you, Kathy!!
Love it! Nice and bright but not sterile. I looked but didn’t see- are the bathroom countertops also quartz or a different product?
Author
Thank you Millicent! The ensuite bathroom has the same countertop as the kitchen, which is LG Minuet. The kids bath/downstairs bath (not shown) AND the laundry room has laminate countertop!
It’s beautiful! What paint color is on the baseboards/trim?
Author
That is ALSO Pure White, same as the walls! If you’re seeing a shift, it’s ONLY the change in sheen – not paint colour!
Fabulous!!! I love your work so much! Can you share: what are the undertones for SW Cyberspace? ( is it green or purple ?)
Author
Thank you Barb! Cyberspace is ABSOLUTELY a beautiful navy blue! A lighter version can grab the very tiniest wink of green, but it doesn’t come up in Cyberspace.
Hi Kylie,
First, wow… like really, WOW! I LOVE the white and contrasting colors. I know you have made fantastic recommendations for our exterior and interior (hey, everyone, I HIGHLY recommend Kylie’s e-design service – we have soooo many people stop and take pictures of our house because of the incredible paint color! ), but do you think this color scheme would work in our interior with West and East facing light?
Obviously, we still haven’t gotten our interior painted despite your incredible input… but it’s booked for February and we’ve chosen Passive… but now I’m thinking, white, white, white!
You’re awesome.
Thanks,
Diane
Author
Awww, thanks Diane! I’m so glad you love it AND your exterior! And if you were keeping your existing finishes, Pure White would be a super tough sell, however, seeing as MOST of it’s on the chopping block, you could check out BM White Dove, which is just a wink softer to accommodate the earth tones of your fireplace stone! You’d do it on trim too ;).
Thanks, Kylie. Makes sense that the white would be hard to make work until we get other features, like our floors and kitchen re-done, but do like your suggestion that if we were to go all in, to choose WD. You’re so smart, oh-very-wise one. Thank you!!
Absolutely gorgeous! I love every bit of it. The dress-up area in the playroom is the icing on the cake. Lovely!
Author
Thank you Michi! It is seriously so cute and it was almost ALL Ikea, just rods and clips!
Wow! This is basically my dream, that someone talented would come in to make all of the hard decisions and make my house beautiful! Sarah and Brett are super lucky to have you, Kylie! And this family home is stunning.
Author
Awww, thank you, Stephanie, good to hear from you! It is a beautiful home for beautiful people!
Oh, my GOSH! You did SUCH a great job! How STUNNED were your sister and brother-in-law? What a gift of love. I wish the heck you loved me – ha! :o)
Author
OH seriously, you should have seen her FACE! He obviously knew what happened, so when they got home, he took a video of her. She was literally speechless, it took her a few minutes to digest it all. From boxes to beautiful!
I am having SO much fun just THINKING about it. Experience of a lifetime. :o)
It all looks so lovely. Fresh, up to date. What a wonderful thing to come home to!! You and your brother in law earned serious serious points!! That you show most rooms of the house and how you coordinated and created flow with colors and color placement is the best best best thing about this post!
Hi Kylie. So beautiful! Love the floor. Where did you buy it in Nanaimo and is it hardwood or engineered floor? Thanks a bunch!
Author
Hellooooo Olena, good to hear from you! It is a wicked awesome floor from Goodfellow. I got it from Jordans (Shaun) for $6 a sq ft, which is fantastic for how hardy it is! We put it in my sis-in-laws home too (the natural version) and it’s just gorgeous :).
Gorgeous! Do you know where the bookcase is from in the foyer? Thank you!
Author
Wellll, it was from my garage stash, it’s a piece I picked up years ago at Home Sense!
I love their home, and am very fond of the painting hanging at the end of the wall going down the stairway (photo 8). Are they willing to share the source?
Thank you for sharing your talents with us!
Author
You betcha, that was from Pier 1!
There isn’t one thing I didn’t gush overrrr. Wowwwww!!!! Girl! You’ve got talent and humor and…lol. I really love it. What lucky ducks they are to have you. It’s clean-lined but warm. It’s crisp yet texture-filled. It’s just perfect! You inspire me.
Author
Well, thanks Robin – it is a beautiful home and they suit it so well ;).
Beautiful home. You did a great job. You certainly are talented
Omg Kylie! I LOVE this!!! You did an AMAZING job!!! Perfect timing too, as I was seriously considering SW Pure White for our open layout too. I also get light from all directions (including sky lights), which has wreaked havoc on me picking a paint color. I have lots of natural light, and a 2 story entry & Family Room, separated by a bridge walk-way. The Entry faces the North & the Family Room the South. With that said, in the above pics, can you tell me what rooms face what direction – especially would love to know which ones face the North. Also, I imagine you took these pics in the height of the day? How does the home feel when it’s early morning/late evening, or when it’s gray outside – again, especially the areas that face the North.
P.S. If you need to see pics of my home, you have them already from a color consult from October 2018 ( order 31337) – no I still haven’t picked a color & my husband is going to kill me LOL! – I just can’t get past how all the walls change color in my home based on all the different lighting, and how my orangish floors don’t help. I’ve always LOVED white, so I just recently decided to go that direction – I just never reached out to tell you and get your input (my bad – really bad). But after seeing this gorgeous home, this is the perfect opportunity. I already tried BM Simply White (too yellowish) & Cloud White (too peachy on a main wall). I’m now between BM White Dove & SW Pure White – but having been leaning towards Pure White. Maybe I should email you? But omg, the house above – just WOW!
Where did the shower base come from, in the shower with the hexagon tiles?
Thank you!
Karen
Beautiful and cozy! Kylie, would you please share the tile (name, color, where purchased) on the kitchen backsplash? I am going for the SW Pure White on my cabinets with Colonial White granite (hope I don’t regret not splurging on quartzite or quartz) and am trying to find the right white tile! Thank you so much!
Author
Hi Susie, I don’t remember the name, but it is a 4×12 tile from City Tile in Nanaimo with the bevelled edge :).
So kind of you to take the time to respond, Kylie! Thank you! Such a fan!
Kylie! I have looked at this post a few times, like so many of your other posts, b/c I love it. I’m redoing our 90s master bath for the forever leaking shower and outdated everything. I have a similar color palette, as I’m going to do a white, double herringbone pattern on the shower wall and dark slate for the floor. Do you prefer the shower floor be white to go with the shower wall, or a small tile that coordinates with the 12”x48” large slate, so it looks like a continuous floor? Also, do you have recommendations for the freestanding tub? Gotta make that choice too! Thanks so much! Susie
Hi Kylie
Thanks so much for your entertaining and invaluable posts. Just wanted to let you know that as I write this, my whole open plan main floor is being painted in SW Pure White … ALL of it … walls, ceiling, trim … the lot! I’m going with the SW Iron Ore inside front door though. I’ve tried several times to bag an e-design with you, but I’m obviously too slow. I chose this colour and drew my bravery entirely from this post about your sister’s lovely home. My thinking was that if you would choose it for your sister then it should be good enough for me! So thank you again.
Author
Oh, Angela, I LOVE to hear this. I know, it can be so hard to get a consult, they often sell out in seconds! But that’s JUST what my blog is for, to hopefully have enough info/help to get you going anyway!
I haven’t seen your home, but seriously, Pure White is just freakin’ fantastic and Iron Ore is a stunner, being a soft black. And you know, when readers find inspiration from my site, i LOVE to see after photos to see how it all turned out!
Oh thank you so much for your reply, Kylie. My all-white bravery meter just got a huge boost! It’s coming along really nicely and I would be honored to send some photos when everything’s finished. It might take a couple of weeks though. Thanks again for providing so much inspiration and information.
Hi Kylie
I finally have some photos of my all Pure White home. I am really happy with the result … thanks again for the inspiration. I feel it has completely modernized my 1998 home. I also painted my kitchen cabinets BM Cinder Grey. If you would like to see them, please could you let me know how to send them to you.
Thanks.
Hey Kylie, love everything about this post!! Lots of inspiration. Do you remember where you or your sis-in law got your black chandeliers over the tables? Wayfair has similar. Thanks so much for your great blogs/posts!
Author
That’s EXACTLY where it’s from, I have the same one in my dining room too!
Hi Kylie! Just found your blog/posts and they have been life saving. Never thought there was so much behind every color.
I can see that the window’s casement/stops in your sister’s house are white. Is that the original white of the windows or did you painted them pure white too? They look pretty good.
In my case I kept the “Andersen White” and went with pure white in the the trims, walls, ceilings, but just doesn’t work that well.
Thank you so much for your amazing insights!
Author
Hi Diego! We just kept those the white that they were and it all looks great!