Tag: Living Room

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: Classic and Cozy Living Room
August 2, 2021Contrasting dark and light colors in a room’s design can make a classic statement. In this modern living room featuring Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines® paint, a softer take on the traditional black and white paint pairing offers a modern yet welcoming feel.
“The contrast of the dark trim and light walls brings this room to life, giving it both a traditional and a modern feel.” – Joanna Gaines
The fireplace was a natural focal point for this living room design and painting it a darker hue was an easy way to make it stand out in the large and open space. The chosen color from the Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines paint line, Prairie Smoke, is a softer almost black with green undertones. It pairs perfectly with the wall’s creamy weathered white paint color, Shiplap – a can’t-go-wrong neutral from the Market Collection palette. A curated collection of 25 colors personally crafted by Joanna Gaines, the Market Collection takes the guesswork out of choosing coordinating colors.
Painting the windows and large French doors in the same dark color complements the fireplace, while still letting it draw the eye. The black and white backdrop created by the chosen paint colors offered many design possibilities for the living room’s furniture and décor items. A warm-toned leather sofa and plush neutral throw pillows bring a sense of relaxation and coziness into the open and airy living room.
A jewel toned area rug, sleek metal and glass coffee table and a modern wood and leather armchair create a welcoming space for conversation. And to bring the outdoors in, two large Fiddle Leaf Fig trees flank either side of the fireplace, topped with a beautiful landscape painting.
Inspired by this modern living room and looking for colors that complement a black and white color scheme for your own space? The curated palette below offers shades that complement Prairie Smoke and Shiplap.
Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines paint is available at select Ace Hardware store locations, and online at AceHardware.com and Magnolia.com.

Smart Spaces with Emily Henderson
February 19, 2021One of the biggest design “trends” we’re seeing as we move into this new year is multi-functional spaces. We put “” around the word trends, simply because while we are seeing plenty of beautiful multi-purpose spaces pop-up, the trigger for these transformations is often an essential need. The need for a place to log on to your zoom calls that isn’t your couch or kitchen island, the need for kiddos to have a place to do their schoolwork that doesn’t devour the dining room table, and even the need to have a place for some peace and quiet (meditation corner anyone?) since the local yoga studio is still closed.
Functional spaces are key to thriving in 2021, so why not make them beautiful too! One of our favorite interior designers and great friend of the KILZ® Brand, Emily Henderson, is a true pro when it comes to designing spaces that not only look amazing but work hard to meet her client’s needs. And like any seasoned designer, Emily knows that proper prep work is essential to professional quality results for every project both large and small. We sat down with Emily to get her tips and tricks for creating multi-functional spaces, learn how she properly preps her projects and get a sneak peek at a home office reveal she’s currently overseeing.
Hi Emily! We’re so excited to have you on the blog today. You’ve been a KILZ fan for some time, can you share what you love most about KILZ and why you trust KILZ products for your own projects and for your clients?
Hiya, thank you! A couple things: first – and I think this is the biggest one – it’s just a huge time saver. And it emboldens us to take more risks. And lastly, I guess it’s just a good, functional product. I can elaborate!
I think it’s a pretty commonly shared opinion that painting is the most affordable, most impactful thing you can do to change the look of the space. I agree with that! But if you want to make sure that your paint job actually looks good, you’re going to want a great blank canvas behind it. KILZ is the brand that all of our painting contractors use to prime our spaces, so there was a default level of trust there already – if you’re ever on a construction site before paint goes up, I’m sure you’ll see tubs of KILZ everywhere – but they use it because it makes their lives easier. Walls are smoother, paint sticks better, some of the primers even have mold- or mildew-fighting properties. (We used one of those primers in our windowless basement bathroom.) Instead of schlopping on coat after coat of paint and hoping for even coverage, it’s nice when you can just prime and then roll out two coats.
But also, it’s fun to have KILZ in your back pocket. My team in particular has been able to go crazy with paint in their apartments – you know, like green trim in the bedroom or purple stripes in the bathroom, but done tastefully! – with the knowledge that they’ll be able to change it back easily when they move out without losing their security deposit. We are genuinely big fans.
What’s one project in particular that you couldn’t have completed without KILZ? And which primer did you use?
Oh boy, where do I begin? Top of mind would be this living room that my team, lead by Julie Rose, just finished. It was in a historical LA building, right off the first-floor courtyard, and it was dripping with charm…but that black accent wall wasn’t doing any favors. It was just bumming us out. There was only one window in the space, which faced into the heart of the building, and it just made the room feel dark and depressed.
There were a couple problems in the space that we all deal with – not a ton of storage, a pass through layout, you know, the classics – but the main one was really that this wall was overshadowing everything in the space…literally. So we settled on painting the whole space, including the trim, in ‘Chalk Gray,’ brought out our painting contractor and he primed the whole wall in under half an hour – our photographer, Sara Tramp, had popped in to grab progress shots and he had already almost finished by the time she was set up and ready to go.
Those photos were taken after one coat. One coat! Do you know how long that would have taken to cover up with just white paint? We ended up priming every wall in the apartment so we’d have a nice, even base and a clean backdrop for our new gray walls and by the time we finished, it was such a beautiful space. The before and afters were staggering. It was like we had breathed new life into the architectural details – once everything had been cleaned up, you could finally see the beautiful moulding and the warm wooden details actually stood out. I’m so proud of how this one turned out.
Now let’s talk about prep. What is your advice for a novice DIYer looking to take on a painting project? How much time should they allocate to prep and what steps should they absolutely not skip?
If you’re painting the whole room, take the time to do it right. Sure, you can change paint, but not in the same way that you can swap out a throw pillow or blanket. Before doing anything else, I’d recommend taking 10 minutes to look around and to find and fill all your tiny nail holes or hairline cracks. If you ignore these things and paint straight over them, your eye is going to be drawn straight to them every time you walk in.
My team is split on the value of painter’s tape – actually, my photographer recently painted all of her closet trim freehand after installing a gorgeous wallpaper, out of fear that any tape would pull it off – so I think that if you have a pretty steady hand and a couple of baby wipes, you should feel free to go proceed without taping. You can also throw down drop cloths and make sure to move all your furniture out or to push it to the middle of the room and cover it!
From there, I’d recommend jumping straight into priming. For an average sized room – let’s say 11’ x 12’ – it should take about an hour or two, plus it’ll save you a ton of time on the back end, since you won’t need to paint as many coats to achieve vibrant coverage. The whole process, from filling holes to moving pieces to priming, shouldn’t take more than half a day and it’s definitely worth it.
Like we mentioned in the intro, you’re a true pro when it comes to designing multi-functional spaces. What are the key things you consider when presented with a project to create a room that will meet various needs?
Wow, thank you! There are three big questions to ask: who is using the space? What are the functional requirements? And how do you want it to feel?
For example, a multi-functional space shared exclusively by children, like a playroom or a homework room, and a multi-functional space that needs to work for the whole family, like a rec room, need to be designed differently. A room for kids will have softer pieces to abate the potential for injuries, more open floor space to encourage play, more nooks for alone time, etc. whereas you may float more pieces in a whole family space to encourage smaller zones for each task at hand.
Once you’ve nailed down who is using the space and what it’s for, the most important thing to figure out is how you want it to feel. Try to pick a few words that describe the vibe you’re going for. On my team, some favorites recently have been “warm grandpa library,” “bright art deco discotec,” and “moody old world restaurant.” Picking how you want it to feel when you walk in will really help dictate pieces, layout, and will remove a layer of design analysis paralysis that I think we all struggle with occasionally.
Home offices are by far one of the most popular spaces we’re seeing people DIY. What is your favorite office project you’ve completed recently? (And did you use primer?!)
Did we use primer? You jest. Of course we did! My team, again led by Julie Rose, recently finished this teenager’s bedroom makeover, which obviously had to include a multifunctional office space for some homeschooling. I actually designed this space about a decade ago, so it was thrilling to be able to work on its update.
We ended up choosing this vanity in particular because of its size and storage – it wasn’t too heavy for the space and it can pull double duty as the perfect sized desk for a high school student who’s currently just learning from her laptop.
I guess that rolls into my main tips for folks looking to build an office or WFH space. Look for pieces that can serve a few purposes that you’ll still want to look at after you’ve returned to work or school. If you’re able to, try to grab a desk that’s the appropriate scale for your room. This one is a great size for a teen, though I know that some adults will need more space and closed storage. Finally – and the tip I love the most, as a stylist – see how you can accessorize your WFH or homeschooling space to make it feel a little less sterile. The mirror above this desk in question is across from the windows, so in addition to being a great place to get ready in the morning – there’s a cabinet with closed storage in the room, too, in case you’re wondering where the non-school products are kept – it also does a great job of bouncing light around the room.
You know I couldn’t leave without a paint transformation photo. Just such a bright, happy, serene bedroom and homeschool space!
One of the biggest woes of a home-office-lacking DIYer is that they just don’t have space for an office. What creative hacks or solutions have you seen to create an office in a small or unique space?
OH BOY. Let me tell you about the project we’re working on right now with one of my favorite new designers, Keyanna Bowen! She’s figured out an incredible way to separate her space and I can’t wait to see it all finished.
Here’s where we’re starting from. Beautiful! Just kidding – there’s obviously a ton of charm in this room, but it just needs a little bit of a boost. Keyanna wants this space to still serve as a guest room and as a yoga space, so we can’t go all-in on just decking it out as an office. I’m sure that’s a problem most folks at home are familiar with, too! Key’s plan, though, is awesome: she’s planning on building a rope wall partition. A rope wall partition! It’ll hang from the ceiling and it will still let in light while defining the office as its own separate space.
Over the past year, I think my favorite WFH spaces or DIY offices have been the ones where folks have turned their closet into a whole desk setup (long live the cloffice!) or folks who, like Key, have figured out a functional way to use a previously-awkward nook. I’m so inspired! If you aren’t blessed by architecture, though, the idea still stands: is there a way to carve out a corner of your home with privacy screens? Can you hang a similar partition in your living room to give the illusion of a separate workspace? The possibilities are endless.
A word we hear a lot when talking about multi-functional room design is zoning. Can you share what exactly that is and some tips to do it right?
I love a zone! I talked about it a little earlier, but it’s really about figuring out how to clearly define the different functions that take place in each part of a room. The best part: it’s very easy to do! You can set up separate zones in minutes by anchoring areas with different rugs. Key does it beautifully above, with the office and lounge areas both being really clearly defined by their rugs. It makes total sense, because when our brains see different flooring, they think, “oh, different room.”
Zoning is really essential for folks with open concept layouts – especially now! So in this project – from 2016, oh my gosh, though it’s still one of my all-time favorites – we created a huge and comfortable family room by flanking this super-soft rug with a huge, u-shaped sectional and two graphic chairs. It’s bright and open, but still definitively its own space.
A few feet away, and anchored by a flat, easily-cleanable dhurrie rug, is the dining area. You’ll probably notice a lot of repeating elements: graphic hits of black and white, light woods, and pastels. Keeping a cohesive color palette isn’t always necessary – I am all for exploring, playing, and getting weird – but it does make the design process easier and it’ll make your rooms feel more relaxed and comfortable.
Switching gears to home-school rooms and kid’s study spaces. What was the biggest hurdle in creating a functional space for little ones?
Making spaces so that kids will actually use them! I think that a lot of the time, design-minded people like myself can get really hung-up on the vision. We want to make something beautiful and impressive and worth sharing, but kids don’t necessarily share those same motivations. They just want a fun place to play, learn, and explore.
The playroom is actually the space I struggle with most. My kids are still very young – 5 and 7 – so we’re early in the homeschool process, but they love art and playing with legos, so once I chose to design for those two hobbies in particular, it immediately became more functional and the kids used the space way more.
To that end, I’d ask: what do your kids like doing? How does your child actually study or do homework? If they love drawing, give them a space for that and relinquish your dreams of them ever actually wanting to play with the enormous dollhouse you bought in the hopes that you could play with it together. (Speaking to myself, here.) If you build it, with your kids and their specific tastes and interests in mind, they will come.
Can you share a recent personal or client projects you’ve done that included a room for kids? And of course, we want to know how primer came into play!
I’m in love with this room that my team, again led by Julie Rose (are you sensing a theme here?), recently completed for a little girl. We wanted to make a magical bedroom with a specialty art area and I think we really made it sing.
As for how we used primer – it went everywhere! We actually primed underneath the wallpaper, per our installer’s recommendation. It covered up the previous paint and served as a plain backdrop so that the white pieces of wallpaper would appear clean and fresh, but it also worked as a bit of a barrier so that the wallpaper paste didn’t bond with the walls too much. While wallpaper is pretty permanent, priming first can make the removal process a bit less painful in that you won’t need to worry about ripping off chunks of drywall by accident.
We also obviously had to prime that art nook so that all of our magical, fairy-inspired colors would show up. We love the way it turned out and so did the family.
Before we wrap up, let’s talk about the project that we’ve partnered with you on… that also includes your design mentee Key! Can you tell us about her, the project and give us any sneak peeks?
Woops, I guess I already spilled the beans a little bit on this one, but I’d love to talk more about Key! Earlier this year, my team and I decided to take on a mentee – I’ve been so incredibly fortunate to find success in this field and I’m now surrounded by people who are experts in editorial and social and more, so I wanted to share the wealth and hopefully, help more folks find long-term career stability in this weird world of internet design and influencing.
Key was an instant, unanimous pick from the team. She’s an incredible interior photographer in her own right, but we knew once we read her writing and peeked at her own DIY rental renovations – that’s her kitchen above – that she would be the next big thing. She’s warm and creative but she’s also detail-oriented with a perfectionist mindset, which is what it takes to make and shoot and share beautiful spaces for the internet!
We’ll be making her office over – the periwinkle one I shared above – and we’re so excited to work with KILZ because it’s actually covered in oil-based paint, which you can’t cover without using a specialty primer. We’ll have an official update in a few weeks, but I can share the general design direction which is going to knock your socks off…
My team and I have been working with Key to secure all the main furniture pieces and BOY, they’re great. (Also, do you see that rope wall partition on the bottom right? It’s so good, isn’t it?) I know it’s only February, but I have a feeling that this is going to be one of our top makeovers of the year. We’re so thrilled to reveal it to you all and so grateful that KILZ has given us the opportunity to work on such a fun project, together. Cheers to beautiful and multifunctional rooms in 2021!
Author is paid sponsor of KILZ Primer. 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.

Mid-Century Modern Living Room Makeover
January 19, 2021A lackluster living room is warmed up with new modern design elements, including a spark of mid-century style and a freshly primed and painted fireplace that pops against on-trend navy walls. For this painting project that includes sealing porous brick and covering an old wall color, KILZ 2® All-Purpose primer is perfect for the job as it’s formulated for a variety of surface types.
Brick is a naturally porous surface and will typically soak up a lot of paint if not properly sealed with the right primer, making proper prep essential when painting a fireplace. KILZ 2 All-Purpose is the right choice for the job, as the versatile multi-surface sealer is able to work overtime and coat both the fireplace and walls. Even when painting a darker color over a light color, it is essential to prime first to ensure that the new dark shade appears as the exact color you’re expecting.
Once the fireplace and walls are properly primed and allowed to dry, it’s time for paint! KILZ Complete Coat® in Swiss Coffee LJ240A transforms the fireplace into a creamy white focal point for the large living room, highlighted by walls painted in a stylish navy shade – Prussian Blue RD100-02.
Primer and paint make a huge impact in this living room makeover and create the perfect setting for contemporary furniture and décor. A warm leather couch and two snowy-white armchairs flanking the freshly painted fireplace evoke a mid-century feel, while pops of navy in pillows and artwork are the perfect companion for the new navy walls.
Read on below for step-by-step instructions to prime and paint living room walls and a brick fireplace.
WALLS
Step 1:
Wipe down walls with a damp cloth to ensure they are clean and free of dust. Allow to dry.
Step 2:
Tape around the fireplace, baseboards and moldings with painter’s tape to ensure you don’t get primer or paint where you don’t want it!
Step 3:
Next, apply 1 coat of KILZ 2® All-Purpose (stirring thoroughly before and occasionally during use) to the walls and allow to dry. Apply primer using a brush first to “cut in” around the edges, then use a roller to fill in.
Step 4:
Once primer is dry, apply KILZ Complete Coat® in Prussian Blue using the same application method as the primer (using a brush first to cut in around the edges 4 to 6 feet at a time, then use a roller to fill in those sections before moving along).
Step 5:
Remove the tape before the paint is fully dry.
FIREPLACE
Step 1:
First, you’ll want to clean the old brick fireplace. If it’s extra dirty, start with a vacuum and use the crevice tool attachment to clean between the bricks. Next, wipe down the fireplace with a damp cloth to ensure all surfaces are clean and free of any lingering dust. Allow to dry.
Step 2:
Tape around the fireplace to protect the walls and floor. Also tape around the mantel and where the brick meets the firebox (the inside where the wood goes!) to keep that area protected from paint and primer.
Step 3:
Now it’s time to prime! Using KILZ 2® All-Purpose primer, start with an angled brush to cut in around the mantle.
Step 4:
Next, use a roller to cover the brick faces with primer. If needed, go back with a small angled brush to fill in any remaining grout areas. Allow to dry.
Step 5:
Once your primer is dry, apply KILZ Complete Coat® in Swiss Coffee using the same application method as the primer (use a brush first to cut in and then use a roller).
Step 6:
Remove the painter’s tape before your paint is fully dry.
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.

Chalk Style Paint Accent Furniture
June 1, 2020Upcycling accent furniture pieces with paint is a fun and easy DIY project that can be completed in as a little as a day. From bookshelves to small tables and chairs, a coat of paint can instantly give new life to thrift store furniture find. And if that one piece of furniture doesn’t fit your new color scheme, paint it!
One of our favorite paints for small furniture projects is KILZ® Chalk Style Paint. It adds history and character to any piece, goes on thick for excellent hide and requires very little surface preparation. Depending on the furniture piece, you might want to lightly sand it prior to painting; and always ensure your surface is clean and free of dust before you paint.
If picking up a paint brush isn’t your style, KILZ Chalk Spray Paint is another great choice for painting accent furniture. Ideal for small indoor and outdoor project, KILZ Chalk Spray Paint delivers a premium matte finish with enhanced adhesion. Available in six beautiful colors, including two of our favorite blue hues – Authentic Navy and Blue Juniper.
To enhance durability of your chalk style paint project, we recommend sealing the surface afterward with KILZ Clear Sealing Wax. Or for a more antique look, seal with KILZ Dark Sealing Wax.

Our Favorite 2020 Design Trends
January 7, 2020While the KILZ® brand is known first and foremost for our hardworking primers, color and design are also important to our team! Primer might technically be colorless, but it is a crucial step in adding color to your walls, cabinets and furniture pieces. Primer should often be the first step in achieving a new look for your space, so in a sense you can consider primer a part of the design process just as much as paint.
As we enter a new year, we’re excited to share a few color and design trends to help you along the way to completing your painting and renovation projects. Color and design trends are everywhere, and there is no one size fits all in terms of the hottest hue or best design style – but we’ve rounded up a few of our 2020 favorites to help inspire your project planning process in this new year.
Kitchens Are King:
In 2020, you’re going to see kitchen renovations and remodels popping like corn at the movies! (Translation: they’re everywhere and on everyone’s minds). In 2020, we’ll be exploring more kitchen color trends and design hacks on the blog to help you renovate your kitchen on budgets both big and small.
Not Over Navy:
Blues and grays have been popular paint colors in recent years and we’re nowhere near done with them. From kitchens to bedrooms and cabinets to walls, navy can often act as a “dark neutral” to give a pop of color to a space while also keeping it classic. And we’re not alone in our love for navy, Pantone named Classic Blue the Color of 2020. Look out for some of our favorite shades of Navy in upcoming How-To posts later this year (spoiler alert – we’re painting everything from living room walls to dining room chairs in this easy to love shade!).
Fireplaces that Pop:
Who doesn’t love the crackling of a warm fire on a cold winter’s day? And for a fireplace design that pops both inside and out, we’re loving bright white bricks against colored walls and monochrome fireplaces in unexpected shades.
Full Circle Design:
Patterns and shapes are easy ways to add fun and unexpected touches to any room, and for 2020 we’re loving circles! From painting round pops of color on an accent wall to circular inspired décor items like mirrors, fabric and lighting, curved shapes and lines bring a nice softness to any design style.
Color Blocking Children’s Spaces:
A little one’s room is the perfect place to play with pops of colors and interesting patterns or color placement. In 2019 we showcased a nursery makeover with a sweet striped wall, and we’re excited to explore more color blocking in 2020 for kid’s rooms.

Pro Tips for Painting Over a Dark or Light Wall
December 6, 2019A fresh coat of paint can go a long way in changing the look and feel of your space, and the last thing you want after meticulously selecting your perfect shade of white is for the old, unattractive color to seep through! One of our favorite neutrals is KILZ® Tribute® paint in Alaskan Mist and it was the perfect color to lighten up this living room.
Taking the heavy olive-green walls to a bright white could have posed a challenge, including a need for excess coats of paint which we definitely wanted to avoid. It was time to prime! We chose KILZ 3™ Premium primer for its thicker, high hiding formula. This water-based primer hides surface imperfections and reduces the need for multiple coats of paint to allow a truer, richer color from the topcoat. A coat of KILZ 3™ Premium primer on the unpleasant green walls followed by paint in Alaskan Mist, and the color change was complete!
If dark paint colors are what you’re after, we have professional primer tips for a light to dark color change as well. It might seem like a dark color like KILZ Complete Coat® paint in Night Magic can easily cover a lighter one in this bedroom refresh, so why prime? However, if you want that deep gray with dark blue undertones to look just right, we would suggest priming first with KILZ 2® All-Purpose primer. This water-based primer offers enhanced hiding, making it ideal for changing colors and helping to lessen the number of coats of paint required.
When painting to hide a previous color, KILZ® Primer reduces the need for multiple coats of paint to allow truer, richer color from your topcoat.

Light and Bright Living Room Makeover
September 24, 2019A lackluster living room gets a fresh facelift in this light and bright living room makeover. It’s no secret that white is a classic paint hue and when done right, new white walls can really open up a space. Alaskan Mist, a bright white with soft green undertones, was the perfect neutral shade to breathe new life into this dark and drab room.
Taking the walls from a heavy olive green to a soft and subtle white might seem like a painting project that would require extra coats to cover the old color. But think again! We know something the professional painters know – that starting with a coat of primer before painting that new hue on your walls will ensure the truest color from your topcoat, with less coats required. When painting over a dark color with a lighter shade, KILZ 3™ Premium primer is the product pros often choose. The fast drying, water-based primer has a thicker, high hiding formula that hides surfaces imperfections and leaves you with a clean slate for your chosen paint color.
In this living room makeover one coat of KILZ 3™ Premium primer did the trick, covering up the previous dark green paint color and leaving the walls ready for paint. Once the primer was dry, we applied KILZ® Tribute® paint in Alaskan Mist, and the results were stunning! The living room instantly appears larger and more inviting with the soft white walls. Next, we added two floating shelves above the sofa and few new décor items, bringing in natural tones like greens and greiges with accessories and plants, and adding a pop of rose gold metallic with a chic table lamp. A plush off-white rug brought a bit of extra warmth to the space, leaving us with a totally transformed living room – no new furniture required!
This living room makeover just goes to show that a fresh coat of paint and primer can go a long way in refreshing the overall look and feel of a space. If you’re ready to tackle a color change paint project, continue on below for step by step instructions.
WALL COLOR CHANGE DARK TO LIGHT:
*Make sure to read and follow all application instructions on your chosen primer and paint products, including ensuring adequate ventilation in your project area and adherence to all noted safety precautions.
Step 1:
Wipe down the walls with a damp cloth to ensure they are clean and free of dust. Allow the surface to dry.
Step 2:
Tape around the baseboards, trim and moldings.
Step 3:
To ensure full coverage of the existing dark color, apply 1 coat of KILZ 3™ Premium primer – stirring thoroughly before and occasionally during use. Apply primer using a brush first to “cut in” around the edges, then use a roller to fill in. Allow 1-hour dry time.
Step 4:
Next, apply KILZ® Tribute® paint in Alaskan Mist. Use a brush first to cut in around the edges 4 to 6 feet at a time, then use a roller to fill in those sections before moving along.
Alaskan Mist
Step 5:
Remove tape prior to paint drying.

Bold Living Room Color Change Made Easy!
August 23, 2018The first order of business is updating the room’s wall color, beginning with a coat of KILZ 2® Latex Primer, which blocks stains, resists mildew and hides the old, outdated color. This step essentially returns the walls to a neutral white color—the perfect canvas for whatever color comes next.
In this case, we’ve chosen one of the season’s most popular paints and colors: KILZ TRIBUTE® in a deep, rich blue color called Harbor Town (TB-49). To contrast, we created an accent wall with a complementary neutral—KILZ TRIBUTE in Champagne White (TB-06).
Add some additional color punch with some wild, graphic patterns on curtains or linens and suddenly your barely breathing living room is a fun, inviting space perfect for everything from entertaining to recharging your own batteries at the end of a long day.
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