Good morning, friends! While I’m still in Patagonia this week, I couldn’t help but share a few updates back at home. After re-doing my bedroom a few months back, I developed a serious itch to keep updating my little condo, and I decided to add a little more color to my living room by adding a fresh coat of navy paint to my chimney {to double as a much needed accent wall!}

When I first moved into my condo a few years ago, the entire open floor plan was painted an eggshell/taupe color that was pretty, but didn’t give my space too much personality. I used to have a rather irrational fear of painting anything {especially a bright color – it seemed so permanent!}, but after dipping my toes into colorful decor when re-painting my bedroom, I realized that bringing a lot more color into my home was just what I needed to make the space seem fresh. Now I’m having to resist the urge to paint every wall in my house…only time will tell how that goes 😉 Since my living room was literally 50 shades of grey {with no color whatsoever!}, I decided that I needed a bold, relaxing color to anchor my living room. Not entirely sure where to start, so I enlisted my friends at Dutch Boy Paint to help me figure out what color palette would work best in my cozy living room space. Dutch Boy Paint has the best colors {seriously, I’m hooked for life!}- and I love that their top quality Platinum Paint & Primer product. It has both primer and paint that means I only have to paint one quick coat! Since the last few redecorating adventures have happened late at night after work, there’s nothing I appreciate more than a quick paint job. To help me figure out what paint colors {and existing colors in my living room} would look good together, I looked into their new “Simply Yours” tool and came up with my own custom palette. Since I’ve been on a serious navy kick, I opted for their Rich Cobalt (139-7DB), which was the perfect, vibrant navy color for my little condo. I picked up the color at my local Menards {where they mix it to perfection themselves} and used the Dutch Boy Color Visualizer to help me prep for painting the accent wall in my living room.

To make sure I was totally ready for the paint job ahead, I referenced my customized “Simply Yours” palette throughout the decorating process – adding in colors I already had in the space and discovering what other colors would work well. I loved bringing in a little green with the plant in the corner, the grey of the rug I already had, and the ivory color of the rest of my walls to really visualize how the room came together with my own palette. Having a palette handy made it so much easier to plan and decorate, and I even pinned my palette so I can have it handy if I decide to update the space even more!

If you’re planning on redoing a room {or just thinking through the next space you’d like to tackle}, you can create your own color palette with the “Simply Yours” tool and be entered to win some cool prizes, like a color consultation from a Dutch Boy Color & Design expert and a Dutch Boy Paints prize pack! Make sure to hurry because the last day to enter the sweepstakes and use the tool is 11/24, it’s really a lifesaver if you’re planning any upcoming design and painting projects!To upgrade my current gallery wall situation {I’m embarrassed to say that half of the old gallery I had before were framed greeting cards – whoops!} I decided to settle on some more “adult” and chic pieces that would last for years to come. I picked up out a few pieces from Minted – including a few photo prints of Paris {one of my favorite trips I took with my dad}, this gorgeous framed horse photo and the sketch and cactus print. They all add a little sophistication to my new accent wall, and I love the white frames juxtaposed with the dark, moody Dutch Boy navy color. While my living room used to be very “meh”, it’s now one of my favorite spaces in my home thanks to a quick coat of paint and some new pictures!I’m so excited to come home to my updated living room in just a few weeks – but for now I’m enjoying some much needed vacation days! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and take some time to unwind too. And with all that extra free time, maybe you can plan your next room makeover too? 😉

A special thanks to Tom for being the rock star that he is and helping me paint and hang my new gallery wall! And thank to Dutch Boy Paint for sponsoring this post – as always, all opinions are my own.