We’re back to share phase two of our sunroom makeover. After painting the dark daybed white and bringing in an old guest-room dresser and mirror during phase one (our “work-with-what-you-have” stage), we focused on two simple changes that amplified what was already working in the space: paint and curtain rods. First up, paint.
We’d long wanted to paint the sunroom ceiling a welcoming aqua. In the South it’s common to paint porch ceilings a light blue, and we thought the hue would feel especially lovely in this indoor/outdoor room. The ceiling had been the same tan tone as the walls since we moved in, so it was an obvious place to add color.
When choosing paint, we always start by tacking a few swatches onto the surface we plan to paint so we can observe them at different times of day. After studying samples over mornings, afternoons and evenings, we settled on Tide Pools by Behr. It reads as a soft aqua—bright enough to be noticeable without feeling overwhelming—and it never looked like white in any light. Since this sunroom functions as an unheated, uncooled indoor/outdoor space, we chose an exterior satin, semi-gloss finish to achieve a glossy, pool-like sheen.
John handled the painting while I was on baby duty. He taped the perimeter with Frog Tape to protect the molding, then used a brush for edging and a roller for the main surface. A pole extender can ease the strain of overhead painting, but John worked it out with a small stepstool and some long reaches.
After two coats, the ceiling’s semi-gloss finish transformed the room. The color and sheen make the space feel larger and airier—almost as if the ceiling opened up to a big blue sky. To get a crisp edge, remove painter’s tape right after the final coat is applied so the paint doesn’t dry and peel back with the tape. Also press the tape down firmly when applying it to prevent seepage.
Next we tackled the curtains, which instantly elevated the room’s polish. Previously, John had MacGyvered Ikea Vivan panels into each corner using twine and nails so they looked like they floated in place. While that trick worked, we wanted sleek, dark rods to coordinate with the deep-painted door frames and to add function: now we can draw the curtains along the rods to diffuse light when needed (handy for Clara’s weekly photos).
We used simple, streamlined curtain rods from Ikea and omitted the finials for a cleaner look. The room spans about 20 feet, so one rod wasn’t long enough; we mounted two rods end-to-end and positioned the brackets so the rods meet cleanly in the middle, creating the appearance of a single continuous rod.
To make the corners feel uninterrupted, we installed rods so their ends extended slightly past the corner bracket and touched each other. That allowed us to pull the curtain panels smoothly around the corner, producing a seamless, continuous drape with two panels—one on each rod—appearing as a single curtain when closed.
We also hemmed the Vivan panels because their original length pooled messily on the floor. Instead of using Ikea’s webbed hem tape, we prefer Heavy Duty Heat N’ Bond iron-on hem tape from a craft store. First wash and dry your panels so you can account for shrinkage. Hang them on the rod, decide the desired hem length, then iron the hem with the tape. We aim for curtains that graze the floor for a relaxed, breezy look rather than a perfectly tailored finish.
That wraps up phase two of our three-part sunroom mini-makeover. So far our out-of-pocket cost has been minimal: roughly $20 for ceiling paint and about $40 for four extra-long curtain rods from Ikea. Most other items were repurposed from around the house.
Phase three will be the biggest change yet, so stay tuned—we’ll share those details soon. In the meantime, have you taken on any multi-phase projects or broken a large task into smaller steps? We find that tackling a project in manageable stages makes the whole process less stressful and more enjoyable. Tell us about your projects!
Psst—Don’t forget to check out our post over on BabyCenter about the alphabet magnet idea we used on the magnetic wall in Clara’s playroom/office/guest room. We finally figured out the magnet situation and shared how we did it.