Tag: Inspiration

THE CASTLE COLLECTION: THE BEDROOMS
February 22, 2023In case you missed it, Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines® has released ten brand new colors, The Castle Collection, specially designed for Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Castle renovation in Waco,Texas. Featuring a beautiful range of warm neutrals to moody accents, these deep and rich colors will turn any space into a timeless classic.
This year on The Perfect Finish, we will be highlighting specific rooms to showcase the Castle Collection in detail. And be sure to check out the newest season of the Gaines’ hit TV show Fixer Upper: The Castle to catch these colors in action.
Today, we are highlighting two of the featured rooms inside the Castle project: the Girls’ Room and the Boys’ Room, each painted in one of the Castle Collection Colors.
THE GIRLS’ ROOM
This bedroom is painted Rosy Pink, a dusty, subtle pink with a nostalgic tone, which was specifically created with this room in mind. Paired with clean white trim and white light fixtures, this room becomes a soothing and inviting space.
With natural light streaming into this room from the large windows, Rosy Pink gives the space a warm glow. Named after Joanna Gaines’s grandmother, this paint color is bound to make any child (and adult) excited to call this room their own.
“This color is inspired by my grandmother, Agnes Rose. It’s a subtle pink with a vintage style.” – Joanna Gaines
Metal accents and vintage style décor add to this nostalgic vibe and make the timeless tone of the color really stand out.
This bedroom also features a fireplace, just one of seven throughout the Castle project. Coated in Rosy Pink with a moody mauve tile surround, this becomes a centerpiece of the space.
THE BOYS’ ROOM
The Boys’ Room features Castle Collection color, Estate, a deep sage with a soft gray undertone. With Estate cascading up onto the ceiling and trim, over the fireplace, and onto the doors, there is a grandeur and sophistication that envelopes this room.
This color was specially curated and designed for this room in the Castle, like many of the colors in the Castle Collection. With Estate covering every crevasse in this space, it’s easy to see the depth of this regal color.
Complemented by a black leather chair, brass bedframe, an antique desk, and décor accents with a classic style, this room’s design will make anybody swoon.
A special edition of Fixer Upper: The Castle is available on the Gaines’ Magnolia Network, Discovery+ and HBOMax. The season follows Chip and Joanna through six episodes of the renovation journey, including the development of The Castle Collection color palette.
Don’t forget to check back here at the Perfect Finish to read more about specific rooms and paint colors featured in the Castle project.
Inspired by these bedrooms and looking for complementary colors for your own space? The curated palette below offers shades that complement and coordinate with Estate and Rosy Pink from Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines.
ROSY PINK COMPLEMENTARY PALETTE
Moody Fig (From the Castle Collection)
Garden Party
Rocking House
Solid Wood
Silos White
ESTATE COMPLEMENTARY PALETTE
Vintage Crown (From the Castle Collection)
Renewed
Coffee Nook
One Horn White
Vintage Weathervane
These paint colors are available at Ace Hardware, Lowe’s and Magnolia.com/shop.

Our Favorite Projects of 2022
November 17, 2022The end of the year is right around the corner, which means it’s time to look back on some of our biggest accomplishments of 2022. What better way to recap the last 12 months than to revisit some of your favorite projects? From kitchens to bathrooms to living spaces, 2022 did not disappoint. When it came to updating, revamping, and overhauling, the year was full of inspiring home makeovers, so let’s recap some of our biggest standouts, and get excited to tackle another year of home improvement.
1. How to Prime Kitchen Cabinets for Color That Pops
You may remember this gorgeous kitchen update from earlier in the year. This project featured three different kitchen inspirations, all using KILZ 3®PREMIUM Interior and Exterior Primer, which came to life thanks to varied design concepts and paint combos that gave the original space some much needed personality. Two toned kitchen cabinets were a theme for this project, and using subtle, yet distinct colors that played off one another, we achieved a polished effect that would make any pro proud. See the full project.
2. Pro Spotlight: Angela Cacace Creates a Spacious and Fresh Feeling Bathroom
This outdated bathroom was in desperate need of a makeover, and pro designer and contractor, Angela Cacace, took everything from budget to aesthetic to difficulty into consideration. She used KILZ® Mold and Mildew Resistant Primer to start, and then finished the room using light and airy paint selections from the Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines® collection to make the bathroom feel fresh, bright, and spacious. Achieving the creamy and neutral result was no small feat considering the hot pink “before” color of the walls and the heavy black cabinets. Primer was an absolute must for this project, and the true star of the show. See the full project.
3. Restoration vs. Original – What’s the Difference?
For this article, we talked to John Golamco, Project Manager and Primer Category lead with the KILZ® brand. His 25 years of experience gave him critical insight into this category. He explained the fundamental differences between the primers and compared them in more detail. According to John, KILZ® Original is an oil-based primer that works great for blocking severe stains and odors. It also has a more pungent solvent odor and requires mineral spirits or paint thinner to clean up. KILZ Restoration® on the other hand is a water-based primer that also blocks severe stains and odors but has lower VOCs and meets all national regulations. It’s a low-odor primer and can be cleaned up easily using soap and water. See the full article.
4. PRO SPOTLIGHT: Make A Front Door Pop with Jared Foster
We know a thing or two about details, which is exactly what we wanted to highlight with this front door refresh. Carpenter, Jared Foster, sought to complement the already calm vibe of his front porch with an equally relaxed color scheme, and he walked us through his process in bringing it to life. “Once I laid on the primer and allowed it to dry, I was able to spray the door and trim using BEHR® paint, remove all the paper and tape and enjoy the new look. All and all, this project was completed in 48 hours. Having used KILZ 3® PREMIUM Interior and Exterior Primer,I knew this door color would pop,” said Jared. See the full project.
5. Creating a Family Room that Brings People Together
This chic, yet cozy family room makeover was all about encouraging togetherness. Using a modern farmhouse look as inspiration, we crafted a similar feel with soft white paint, dark accents, and intentional décor. Taking the room from light to dark meant priming the walls for the best possible paint application, so we used KILZ 2® All-Purpose Primer, which made the job a breeze thanks to its great adhesion and fast-drying formula. The finished room breathed new life into a familiar space and created a relaxed, yet sophisticated atmosphere, perfect for spending time with loved ones. See the full project.
This was a great year for DIY home makeovers, and even though the year is ending, we’re not slowing down. Whether you’re taking a little break or busy planning next year’s projects, we hope this inspirational list gives you the motivation you need to make your vision come to life. Thanks for spending the year with us. We can’t wait to see what new ideas you’ll bring to life in 2023.
Always remember to refer to our website kilz.com or product back labels for additional information on which primer is right for your project and detailed instructions on how to apply our products. Check out our Coverage Calculator to understand your estimated paint needs for your upcoming project.

THE CASTLE COLLECTION: TEN NEW COLORS FROM MAGNOLIA HOME BY JOANNA GAINES®
October 14, 2022The Castle Collection has been released by Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines®, a paint palette of ten brand new colors inspired by Magnolia’s Castle renovation, a historic landmark in Waco, Texas. The Castle Collection is comprised of ten rich and timeless paint colors that honor the Castle’s history, each specially designed and curated by Joanna Gaines.
“I wanted to honor the history of the castle with rich, unique colors that would complement its grand and traditional aesthetic, while still creating a timeless palette for any style of home.” – Joanna Gaines
The Castle restoration is the centerpiece of the Gaines’s newest season of their hit TV show. A special edition of their series Fixer Upper: The Castle premiered on the Gaines’ Magnolia Network, Discovery+ and HBO Max on October 14th, 2022. The season follows Chip and Joanna through six episodes of the restoration journey, including the development of The Castle Collection color palette.
Different personal connections or Castle inspirations helped Joanna to name each of the ten unique colors from the Castle collection palette. They are used through the completed castle, and will be featured on Fixer Upper: The Castle.
Rosy Pink: A dusty subtle pink with a nostalgic tone
Castle Cream: A creamy, soft white with a timeless essence
Step Stool Green: A lively, deep olive
Cottage Grove: A moody navy infused with a deep green hue
Drawing Room: A soft French Gray
Estate: A deep sage, with a soft gray undertone
Conservatory: A rich and warm dark charcoal gray
Plaster: A light beige with a warm soothing tone
Moody Fig: A beautifully saturated burgundy
Vintage Crown: an elegant, muted gold
These paint colors are now available at Ace Hardware, Lowe’s and Magnolia.com/shop.

A DIY Bathroom You Can’t Wait to Show Off
August 31, 2022While your bathroom isn’t exactly a gathering place like most of the other rooms in your house, it’s one of the most visited. If that’s not reason enough to make it as comfortable and pleasant as possible, our bathroom inspiration makeover will give you just the push you need to elevate yours with style and functionality in mind.
If you’ve ever visited a bathroom outside your home and been impressed by its aesthetic, you know this is a room with great potential to shine. And while our bathroom renovation is modest and family friendly, it has its own unique flair as well. Our simple, yet chic, farmhouse-inspired look is basic enough to work inside any home, but with a few thoughtful details, it’s also distinguished and refined.
After the initial labor—removing the drywall, fixtures, bathtub, etc.—we were able to prime the old, brown walls before applying a fresh coat of paint. Because of the moisture-prone nature of a bathroom, the ideal choice for this job was KILZ® Mold and Mildew Primer. This water-based primer-sealer-stain blocker is specially designed for residential surfaces in high humidity, moisture, and temperature environments.
Taking our bathroom walls from dark to light, was a breeze thanks to our primer’s ability to hide the previous color. It offers excellent adhesion and provides a solid anchor for paints. The EPA-registered active ingredient in this primer creates a mold and mildew-resistant film, specially formulated to protect the primed surfaces from these issues so you can paint with confidence.
Once dry, painting the walls with a bright, yet neutral white, could not have been simpler. The paint went on smooth and blemish-free, and thanks to our primer, no traces of the previous, dull, brown paint could poke through. Natural light from the window made it easy to build upon the brightness in this space with finishing touches from the fixtures, tile, lighting, and décor. Lastly, the sliding glass shower door creates clean lines, beautiful transparency, and an overall modern feel.
To update an older bathroom, you’ll want to first consider the scope of the project. For example, our renovation included a newly-tiled shower, brand new flooring, updated lighting and fixtures, and a modern vanity. We chose to accentuate brightness by adding decorative accents to complement the color palette, however, you may choose a look that’s vibrant and colorful or something more bold and dramatic. Working out the details is where you get to put on your designer hat and let your creativity shine.
At the end of the day, the perfect primer is essential to achieving a beautiful result, which is why we can’t recommend KILZ products enough for jobs like these. We hope this bathroom makeover inspires you to assemble your group, or embark solo, and create something special in one the most-visited areas of your home.
Always remember to refer to our website kilz.com or product back labels for additional information on which primer is right for your project and detailed instructions on how to apply our products. Check out our Coverage Calculator to understand your estimated paint needs for your upcoming project.

MAGNOLIA HOME: TURN YOUR BEDROOM INTO A SERENE ESCAPE
August 1, 2022Our bedrooms should reflect our own personal style. Choices in accents and décor, bedding, or furniture can immediately change the feel of the space you lay your head. Bedrooms serve as the place we escape to relax and rejuvenate after a long day, so making your bedroom a haven for yourself is important. Color can play a big part of the overall vibe of your bedroom and choosing a serene color that will complement your personal style will help you feel at home.
“When you can ground a room in an understated neutral, it allows you to get creative and personalize the space with furniture, textiles, and accents that stand out.” – Joanna Gaines
This bedroom extenuates a sophisticated style, while bringing in natural materials to soften the modern décor. The walls and ceilings are bathed in a featured color from the Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines® paint line, Blanched, a warm beige destined to bring serenity to any space. The neutral color allows for the stained accent wall to be the wow factor.
Adding in other materials is a great way to add depth and texture. The wooden accent wall is colored in Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines’s Interior Wood Stain in an earthy yet warm tone, Woodsy Escape. The interior stain is available in twelve curated colors to enhance the natural beauty of your interior wood surfaces.
Complementing the space with gold accents, like those on the sconces and nightstand hardware, clean bedding, and textured nightstands, bring modern and natural elements together seamlessly, evoking a relaxing and serene bedroom for you to unwind and rejuvenate.
Inspired by this serene bedroom and looking for complementary colors for your own space? The curated palette below offers shades that complement and coordinate with Blanched.
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Creating a Family Room that Brings People Together
August 1, 2022Ready to breathe new life into the heart of your home this year? Start your family room renovation before the holiday chaos, and enjoy a space that feels cozy and bright all year long. Your family room should invite people in, feel comfortable, and encourage togetherness, and with the right template, you can create a room that’s not only gorgeous, but also practical, warm, and perfect for gathering with loved ones.
With so many family room designs to choose from, it’s up to you to find the perfect one. We were inspired by a modern farmhouse look, which we achieved with soft white paint, dark accents, and carefully styled décor. Taking our room from light to dark required that we first primed the walls for a better paint application, so we chose KILZ 2® All-Purpose Primer, which simplified the job thanks to its multipurpose formula.
It’s fast drying, water-based, and able to be used on multiple surfaces—such as plaster, drywall, wood, and brick. Great at blocking stains, it also has excellent adhesion, and is mildew resistant with a very mild odor. KILZ 2® All-Purpose Primer helps lessen the number of coats of paint required—a perfect solution for making over your family room quickly and professionally with minimal disruption to your life.
Once primed and dried, we got to work painting our accent walls and cubbies with BEHR® Interior Paint in Carbon N520-7. We also added this color to the inner window framing, to add a bit of depth, and to the beams across the ceiling to further complete the farmhouse look.
For contrast, we used BEHR® Interior Paint in two shades of white to brighten up the rest of the space. For the walls, we chose Shoelace OR-W13, and Ultra Pure White® for the trim and ceiling. The dark accents work to draw focus to the back wall—housing the fireplace and TV—and allowed us to situate the furniture in a way that creates a natural gathering space inside the room. From here, it was time to get creative and have fun with the décor.
Choosing a neutral color palette was an easy decision because it worked well with the existing brick detail and created an added layer of warmth. We wanted the room to feel relaxed and cozy, yet modern and sophisticated, which our beige couch and area rug help achieve. We brightened up the cubbies with a few wicker baskets, ceramic bowls, and vases, and sprinkled in a bit of greenery around the room. Our wooden coffee table pulls focus to the room’s center, while hints of blue and gray in the pillows and throw help to create a finished farmhouse look.
As always, we hope you find this room transformation inspiring. It’s easy to start any project—big or small— with the help of any KILZ® Primer. Whether you choose to embark on this project with friends or family, or go at it alone, once completed, your beautiful, new family room will reward you with memories for years to come. With a bit of time and effort, it’s easy to give your loved ones the gift of togetherness this year.
Always remember to refer to our website kilz.com or product back labels for additional information on which primer is right for your project and detailed instructions on how to apply our products. Check out our Coverage Calculator to understand your estimated paint needs for your upcoming project.

MAGNOLIA HOME: ADDING STYLE WITH MODERN KITCHEN CABINETS
May 26, 2022Kitchens are so often the place that friends & family spend the most amount of time together. Whether it’s cooking, eating, sharing stories, or making new memories, the kitchen is truly the heart of any home. A distinctive and modern kitchen cabinet color is always a great way to create a stunning kitchen that all your guests will love.
“I love the contrast of a sophisticated green paired with an off-white. These colors work together to give this kitchen depth and visual interest without it feeling overwhelming.” – Joanna Gaines
In this kitchen, the stylish monochromatic cabinets elevate the space while also providing a calming and sophisticated backdrop for any personalized decor. The cabinets are coated in a featured color from the Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines® paint line, Locally Grown, which is a deep hunter green dusted with olive tones. When paired with metallic hardware, the darker undertones contrast beautifully and draw attention to the rich color.
Adding in other modern features and textures can change the look and feel of your kitchen. The wooden open shelving provides a great space to display some of your favorite items and décor elements, such as ceramic dishes, glassware, and greenery. Natural wood materials and a simple stacked white tile backsplash offer an air of whimsy but simultaneously capture a modern style. These finishes will continue to highlight a chic kitchen cabinet color, like Locally Grown, and breathe life into your kitchen for years to come.
Other ways to bring in more natural tones are through your ceiling and flooring material selections. Choose a color or stain for your 5th and 6th walls (Floor & Ceiling) that complement your refreshed kitchen cabinets. Add a pop of white on your countertops and you will have a kitchen that is sure to stun.
Inspired by this modern kitchen and looking for complimentary colors for your own space? The curated palette below offers shades that complement and coordinate with Locally Grown.

A Home Office Designed for Focus and Productivity
April 12, 2022Working from home requires your full attention and focus, but with so many things around the house competing for your attention, it may feel impossible to tackle even the smallest items on your to-do list. Feeling overwhelmed may even be the reason you’ve put off designing a functional home office, but there’s no time like the present to get to work.
Your home office should be a dedicated workspace where you can distance yourself from distraction, confidently attend those virtual meetings, and really be productive. We hope this room makeover motivates you to finally get started creating a practical space in your home where you can go when you need to get things done.
Whether you’re renovating an old office or creating a space from scratch, it’s important to form a vision from the start. Our goal was to transform an outdated office from dark and stuffy to modern, bright, and airy, and because we knew we wanted fresh paint to help accomplish this, our first step was to find the best primer for the job. We chose KILZ Restoration® Interior Primer for a few reasons. Because we wanted to refresh a built-in shelving unit, as well as walls, we chose a multi-surface primer formulated for use on wood, drywall, plaster, brick and more. Since some older rooms can have their share of imperfections, we also love that this primer conceals tough stains and odors like a charm.
Before getting started, we prepped the room by cleaning all the surfaces we planned to prime. This is an important step, as smooth and clean surfaces ensure a perfect primer application and even better coat of paint. Sometimes old surfaces need quick sanding or scrub down, so if this applies to you, make sure everything is clean and dry before you begin priming. For rooms that may have suffered damage (smoke, fire, water, mold), you’ll need to address these problems beforehand, however, KILZ Restoration® Interior Primer is ideal for jobs of this kind thanks to its odor and stain blocking formula and thick consistency, which is great for filling in small cracks and splitting.
Because of the nature of the shelving unit in our home office, we chose to prime using both a brush for all those nooks and crannies and a roller for larger surface areas, like the walls. Once we evenly applied primer to all our surfaces, we let it dry—which can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours, depending on the number of coats used and humidity in the room—and then prepared to paint. We wanted to create a statement with color, which is why we chose BEHR® Caribe PPU13-01 for the shelves, and BEHR® Ultra Pure White for the walls. This paint combo makes the walls appear brighter in contrast with the vibrant teal shelves, creating a sophisticated-casual vibe that is clean and current, and primed for productivity.
There’s already great light in this room thanks to its extra-large window, but our fresh white walls reflect the sunlight and considerably helped to brighten up the room. We chose a modern, asymmetrical desk to replace the more substantial, yet outdated one, and we added a light gray rug underneath to further cheer up the space. Other inspired, minimalist touches are seen in the standing lamp and shelving décor. This clean, contemporary vibe creates an atmosphere where you are free to focus for hours on end.
We’re so pleased with how this room came together, and how beautifully our paint came to life on two different surfaces. Achieving these clean and vibrant colors with a smooth matte finish would have been a much larger task had we not made the effort to prime first. Keep this in mind the next time you’re ready to tackle a room makeover, so that your DIY project turns out just as skilled as the pros and gets you excited for the next one.
Always remember to refer to our website kilz.com or product back labels for additional information on which primer is right for your project and detailed instructions on how to apply our products. Check out our Coverage Calculator to understand your estimated paint needs for your upcoming project.

Priming Your Bedroom for Rest and Relaxation
March 16, 2022If you’ve been putting off starting a new project, you’re not alone. Winter’s increasingly shorter days can make us feel like there’s never enough time to start something new, let alone finish it. But with the arrival of spring and daylight savings, now’s the time to shift your mindset, pick up that paint brush, and get to work. We’re ready to put an end to putting things off and excited to share with you our professional tips for transforming your primary bedroom into the ultimate oasis.
As with any renovation involving a fresh coat of paint, this process starts with a primer best suited to the job. In this instance, we chose KILZ 2® All-Purpose Interior and Exterior Primer for its fast-drying, multi-surface, and stain-blocking technology, as well as its excellent adhesion, mildew resistance—great for humidity-prone homes—and sealing properties. Its ability to hide stains from rust, marker, water, and grease makes it a top choice among DIYers, and an ideal product for painting over any existing color you might have on your walls or cabinets.
For the theme of our relaxing bedroom makeover, we chose ‘minimalist serenity,’ a purposeful contrast to the chaos often lurking outside our homes. To effectively renew the space, we painted the walls and window seat with Tribute Eggshell Ultra Bright White TB-01. This bright white paint achieves a peaceful elegance that’s, at the same time, cozy and welcoming.
To make the transformation from gray to vibrant white paint as seamless as possible, we were careful to prime thoroughly beforehand, lessening the need for multiple coats and allowing our color to shine its truest. For time and convenience, we chose to use specialty paint applicators for wall corners and window edges.
Once our walls were dry, we focused on elements of décor that would elevate the space. Our whimsical interior comes to life with subtle pops of warmth in the throw pillows, blankets, accent mirrors, and lamp bases, as well as neutral-toned furniture, which grounds the space. The black, four-poster, canopy bed frame is a beautiful accent piece and serves as the focal point of the room. An adjacent window seat provides a cozy sitting nook, and a perfect place for unwinding with a book or cup of tea before bedtime.
Transforming an ordinary bedroom into a personal haven is easy to do with the right tools and intention. For a room that feels clean, bright, and tranquil, we recommend neutral tones paired with minimalist décor, but your taste may vary. Gorgeous color that catches your eye and draws you into the space is the first step in achieving a room’s vibe, which is why it is so important to prime up top and cut out any surprises where extra time or money are concerned.
We hope our bedroom renewal motivates you to start on a makeover of your own. Once you see just how simple KILZ 2® All-Purpose Interior and Exterior Primer makes it to lay the foundation for your project, you can have confidence to start and finish quickly. And with that extra time on your hands, you can begin tackling even more things on your to-do list.
Always remember to refer to our website kilz.com or product back labels for additional information on which primer is right for your project and detailed instructions on how to apply our products. Check out our Coverage Calculator to understand your estimated paint needs for your upcoming project.
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