Here's the thing. Color changes everything! Paint is the easiest and least expensive way to make a dramatic impact and I am here for it. You know what I'm also here for? Color! It's back (I tried, but it never really left my home) and I couldn't be more excited about it! If you want to use color but aren't into saturated and bright tones, I get it. The trick is to look for understated, muddy (or muted) tones with depth. Dax's new paint color checks all the boxes. It's bold, it's blue, but it's classy guys. It's Clark+Kensington Gothic Iron and we could not love it more. Gothic Iron is part of a gorgeous collection from Clark+Kensington's 2021 Color Trends called "Understated Impact," and man is that the perfect way to describe it. 

This was my first time using Clark+Kensington paint, sold exclusively at Ace Hardware. I'll be honest, Ace Hardware wasn't a store I frequented in the past. But now you can't keep me away. ha. Getting paint and other DIY tools I needed for Dax's room was so easy and convenient with Ace. I love that you can quickly run in (safety is important- social distancing is required and everyone wears a mask) without getting lost or taking 20 minutes to head to the furthest corner of the store. Getting paint often takes me 40+ minutes, but at Ace Hardware it took about 15! If you followed along in stories, you know I sampled my heart out. For those, I simply placed the order online and an associate brought them out to me at the store. Easy and safe. For the actual paint, I went into the store, wearing a mask of course. But the cool thing is Ace Hardware offers local delivery over $50 for FREE*! You can get your paint much more quickly since it's not coming from a warehouse hundreds of miles away-- Super convenient since 70% of the population lives within 15 minutes of one of Ace's 4200 stores!

*Participation and delivery area vary by store. Delivery today available on in-stock orders placed by noon or on orders placed at least 2 hours before store closing time, whichever is earlier.

Ok but back to Dax's room. I've been working on it slowly and haphazardly but I needed to paint it if I was going to make any real progress. The walls were light (and therefore very dirty) and looked dingy. I wanted to use color but didn't want it to be something he'd outgrow. Enter Ace Hardware and Clark+Kensington's 2021 Color Palettes. Dax's favorite color is blue and when I saw "Gothic Iron," I knew it would work for what I had in mind.

Let's talk about inspiration. Does it count as inspiration if it's your own project? I love how the playroom turned out and wanted to do something similar in Dax's room. I also wanted to try my hand (our hands if you count my husband and father-in-law who helped me bring my vision to life) of a modern and unique accent wall. A steel toned moody blue was perfect for the accent wall I had in mind (I shared that inspiration image in this post). I love a theme but try not to go too heavy on a theme since kids' interests change so quickly. The rug, the paint color, and the military vehicles poster were my jumping-off points but the end result was a modern take on red, white, and blue with vintage/mod vibes.

Once I had a plan in place, I began rearranging his room to make room for books and a few toys. I suggest doing this any time you tackle a room design. Physically move things around and use painter's tape to imagine where things will go! Then it was time to tape and get to painting!

I forgot to photograph painting the top but I chose Clark+Kensington Silent White and am so happy with how it turned out. It's a true white without blue/pink hues (in our lighting that is, always sample in your own space!). I wish I'd discovered it when I painted the girls' room! As for the line, I used a chalk line to keep it straight but I should've used a laser level. FYI despite its name, a chalk line is permanent. Oops.