For this post I received product from Clare Paint, however all opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for continuing to support the brands that support PrepFord Wife.
We recently refreshed our bedroom, just in time for the new year with Clare Paint. Why were we refreshing this bedroom in the first place? I know it feels a bit like design for designs’ sake since this room just got stenciled early this summer. Marcus and I agreed though that even with the stencil, this room didn’t feel like we wanted it to. Instead of being a relaxing, oasis that we couldn’t wait to get home to, our bedroom felt a bit hodge podge and disjointed. I never really got the opportunity to pull the styling together after painting.
An Honest Review of Clare Paint
What is Clare Paint?
Clare is a direct to consumer paint brand founded by interior designer, Nicole Gibbons, with a mission to make painting simpler. Nicole is what initially drew my eye to Clare as I’m always on the look out for fabulous black women owned businesses and have included her and Clare in several round ups on the blog before. Clare paint works to take the hassle out of shopping for paint. From choosing a color, to getting it to your door, Clare makes it easy.
What’s to Love
The Process
I loved the process of picking Clare Paint. I went through the Clare Color Genius, a two minute quiz on their site, to guide me to the perfect color for our space. It asked the basic and obvious questions like what space are you painting, what size, and then gets down into the warm fuzzy questions like describe the vibe you’re going for in your space in three words. (In case you’re wondering I picked Moody, Playful and Classic.) Clare has only 55 curated colors with some of the cutest millennial names so it made it easy for me to decide on colors after completing the quiz. I added the recommended three colors plus four more to the cart as samples and patiently waited.
The Samples
Swatches Left to Right: Hyperlink, Blue Ivy, Views, Current Mood, Makes Waves, Deep Dive, Good Jeans
The samples come as large peel and stick color swatches that we lived with for about a week. What I love most about them is that I was able to move them around, view them at multiple times of the day and hold them up against the other colors that would live in the room. Not as easy with the smaller samples that we also lived with.
Hubby and I had different opinions about which color was the right one so we swapped the order and ignored the names to make sure we didn’t have a bias. We knew we wanted moody but also beachy and warm a la Serena and Lily while still feeling a bit like a library. Wanting a lot out of a color, huh? We finally settled on the color, “Views”, a soothing blue-green for the walls and “Snowy Day” for the trim. Closest runner up for the walls? Blue Ivy. For the trim? Views for a monochromatic look.
The Delivery
This would not ordinarily be something I focus on but you guys have seen me have an idea, think about it in two instastories and then start on it that night. So time was of the essence for me and for a company that boast about its fast delivery, it was really important to me to note this. My order arrived within three days of me placing it. Thems Amazon Prime shipment times.
When I opened the package each can was tightly and safely packaged with plastic and clips. I guess you don’t want any accidents when shipping paint. I was initially worried about the plastic as a self proclaimed recycling nerd, but Clare has a focus on sustainability where their shipping and packaging materials are made from 100% recycled paperboard and 90% post-consumer content. Their paint containers, trays and liners are also made from recycled materials which warmed my little heart.
The Paint Itself
Now for the part you actually care about. How’s the paint? It’s. Amazing. I don’t know how many good things I can say about it! It’s Zero VOC, so it’s free from toxic, carbon-based solvents that cause air pollution. Which was great because I wanted to get it all done in one day and be sleeping in our bed that night. It gave off virtually no scent! Clare paint is GREENGUARD gold certified. This means their paint meets the world’s most stringent emissions standards.
But most importantly, it was so easy! I’ve never seen a water-based interior paint with this kind of coverage. It’s a self-priming paint that applies evenly and quickly. I was able to use one coat to cover the stencils on the wall in under 30 minutes. It just rolled on so thick and so smooth.
And if you are someone who finds yourself easily intimidated by paint, don’t be! Their paints and supplies come with instructions to guide you every step of the way which I found to be absolutely genius. Really takes some of the pressure off if you are painting for the first time or starting a new project that is more intimating that ones you’ve done before.
When I painted the room I started with the ceiling, as the package instructed. I was able to complete the ceiling in under fifteen minutes! Without prompting, my husband came in the room and said “the ceiling looks SO fresh. What were we doing before?” Which is so true. It rolled on thick and smooth with no roller marks or drips. The color of the ceiling paint, aptly named “Fresh Kicks” gave our room such a fresh feel while making the room look bigger.
The Reveal
Rattan Headboard ((similar // similar)) // Similar nightstands // European Pillowcase // Striped Pillow Shams // Bumblebee Lumbar Pillow // Striped Duvet Cover // Striped Throw // Striped Sheet set // Tote // Wall Sconce // Raleigh Flag // Extra long bed skirt
Harlem candle // Stacked containers // Glass dome // Beekeeper’s bible // Similar beetle figurine
Vintage lamp // Ikea Stacked Boxes // Sold Out Mirror, Available in Pink // Water bottle
There. That’s better. Thanks to Clare Paint, our bedroom is in a much better place. Views gave our bedroom direction and clarity. It feels refreshing and beachy in the day and relaxing and moody at night. It truly is what we were hoping for and Clare made the experience so easy.
Interested in trying out Clare for yourself, use PREPFORDWIFE5 for $5 off your first ten swatches.