I’m finally getting round to sharing my living room make over with you which happened back in October last year but it was such a busy build up to Christmas and New Year that I never got round to writing this post.
Front half of the living room before the makeover
Rear half of the living room before the makeover.
So what made me decide to change from the navy blue walls? In all honesty I didn’t fall out of love with it, I just fancied a change, I wanted to go a little bit lighter and this paint had been on for almost 4 years so it was starting to get a bit grubby. Also I had fallen head over heels with the finish and texture of Bauwerk colour’s lime paint. I’ve always loved the industrial, bare plaster look and that’s what this reminds me of. So I sent off for some colour cards as they have so many gorgeous colours to choose from so it was impossible trying to make a decision just from looking at them online.
Inspiration from Bauwerk colour Instagram.
Bauwerk colour cards… Such a tough choice as they’re all so gorgeous!
These are the two shades that I decided to go for.
I’m a little bit of a nightmare when faced with lots of choices and very indecisive (drives my husband round the twist!) So after lots of browsing on the Bauwerk website, Instagram and pinterest I finally decided to go for Jet and Feather. I wanted a pale grey with a darker feature wall. The guys at Bauwerk are so helpful too so if you have any questions you can just send them an email. They advised me to purchase a natural bristled brush to apply the paint and I’m so glad that I did as the paint went on so well using this. It arrived well wrapped and with full instructions. When I say instructions you’re probably thinking why do you need instructions for a tin of paint?! Well don’t forget this is lime paint so it is totally different to normal emulsion it is made with clay, minerals and beautiful natural pigments. One of the major plus points is that they do not harm the environment in their manufacture and disposal, and most importantly do not harm our health. The pigments settle in the bottom so when first opened it looks very thin and watery on the surface and very thick and clumped together at the bottom, it’s important to give it a very good mix initially and continue to stir throughout so it doesn’t settle. Once mixed the paint is still much thinner than conventional paints, it makes it easier to apply plus it is not made out of plastics like conventional paints which are sticky, it works best thin as it absorbs into the wall that way.
When you first open the paint it looks like this.
Once mixed this is the consistency.
I painted over the navy with a basic white wash first, I wasn’t too worried about giving it a full coverage as thats the good thing about the Bauwerk paint, it looks even better if its a bit patchy…. in my opinion anyway! So now for the fun bit, I was a bit nervous about applying the lime paint at first because it is so different to what I’m used to but once I got started it was super easy. It’s almost like a colour stain, Bauwerk Colour recommend that you apply it using a criss-cross motion, it is so much fun and requires minimum effort because the lime paint is so thin. The colour absorbs into the wall leaving a very matt, chalky finish.
1st Coat of Bauwerk colour in Feather
1st coat of Bauwerk colour in jet.
The lime paint is not recommended for use on wood, so for all the woodwork like the skirting boards and door frames etc… I colour matched the paint with Little Greene Company’s eggshell as they had a grey which was very similar. For the fireplace I had some Frenchic paint left in panther from when I did my daughters bedroom as part of the Revamp, Restyle, Reveal project so I used this for the wooden surround and then I painted the tiles using Hammerite metal paint in gold with a hammered finish. I found the perfect industrial style mirror at Cox & Cox. Such a transformation don’t you think?
So here are some photo’s of the finished room. I hope you love it as much as I do, if you have any questions just leave me a comment below and don’t forget you can subscribe to my blog by entering your name and email address in the box at the bottom.
Your living room looks beautiful, I have been meaning to experiment with lime paint for some time now myself and the pictures showing how it goes on are so useful – this has inspired me to finally have a go! I love the finished result, you have styled it amazingly too!
Thank you so much, glad it has inspired you to give it a go, you will love it x
Oh my! This is spectacular! I feared at first that you’d lose that moody, cozy look! It’s even better now. I love your style. I always enlarge the pictures and examine every detail! It’s all so whimsical and magical. The masked Buddha head is my current fave. Well done!
I was worried about that too, I do still love the navy but it’s lovely to have a change. So glad you like it, thank you x
I really like the transformation, it’s still cosy and modern but with a little more light around the place. Love the finish on it, too, such a gorgeous texture! K x
Thank you so much, I’m so glad you like it x
So Kerry did you not have to use a primer first as your walls were already painted? The Bauwerk website recommends this but not sure if it’s necessary?
Hi Emma, no I just applied a very rough coat of white emulsion to cover the navy. Then the lime paint went on great x
Hi Kerry
I’ve just found your blog, as I’m following the Revamp, Restyle….. What a find and a treat! love it!
Would you be able to let me know, where you go the prints of the lady with the feathers on your mantle piece? It’s gorg! Looking forward to seeing your new revamp. Very exciting. I’ve just re-decorated my down stairs cloak room. It’s amazing, how fresh paint, and gorg wall paper, can be a real treat for the soul! Easily pleased! x 🙂
Hi Kerry,
Okay, so to get a more defined patchy effect would you suggest less coats? Their website suggests 3 coats, but some of their pictures of the finished article seem to portray quite a standard finish and others are clearly patchy. What would you suggest?
Cheers
Jamie
Hi Jamie,
So sorry, I’ve only just seen this message. I would say less coats for a more patchy finish and really messy brush strokes.
Thanks, Kerry
Oh wow Kerry … I love and I’ve chosen Jet too …could I ask what little green colour you used on the woodwork? I’m
Painting my tiled floor white as I’ve white shutters… any thoughts as to what shade of white? Pondering on this!!!! Thank you in advance
Hi! I just came across this post and it looks wonderful!
I’m about to order the lime paint but I’m not sure how much to order. I’m not sure if the company’s online calculator works because when I double the surface area the amount of litres did not double as you would expect. Out of curiosity how many litres did you use for you’re space and how big is the room you painted ?
Many thanks in advance!
Hi,
The paint goes a long way. Especially if you’re painting over a light surface. So I would say the online calculator is pretty accurate. There are some great tutorials on the Bauwerk Instagram. Good luck, I’m sure you’ll love the paint as much as me. Kerry
Room looks great!
Did you need to use a sealant? I’ve read mixed reviews and a few say the colour rubs off really easily so just wondered If you had that problem with a darker colour
Hello,
It looks great, do you mind me asking what white you put down first? I have just painted a room with white matt paint and want to go for some Bauwerk!
Thanks
Soory for the late reply. I just used a matt white emulsion.
how has these walls aged? Do you get white residue on your hands if you touch it?
Hi, No you don’t get any residue. The paint is brilliant.