Hanging out in California with Behr Paint and the Sunset Magazine Idea House

Earlier this month, the folks at Behr invited me and some fellow bloggers and writers to join them out in California to see the Sunset Magazine Idea House, meet some of the great people at Behr and see how they develop and make their paint. I’ve been working with Behr this year as one of the DIY Experts and I was so excited to get the chance to see so much of it first hand!

Sunset Magazine Idea House

On the first night we were there, we all headed out to Manhattan Beach to tour the Sunset Magazine Idea House.

Almost the entire interior of this 4500 sq ft house was painted with Behr Marquee in Cameo White, which has quickly become my favourite white paint. I used it in the Marquee Exterior Paint to paint some outdoor chairs earlier this month.

The house has a great modern California vibe to it, with awesome textiles and wood pieces throughout.

The textured finish on this accent wall in the playroom was really cool – up close you could see all the detail and layers of paint. I would love to know how they did it!

A master bedroom like this would be a dream come true – not only is it bright and airy, but it also has huge sliding doors that open up to a balcony overlooking the backyard.

Isn’t it lovely?

You could also enjoy the views from this huge, deep tub. All it needs is a stack of decor magazines, a scented candle and some bubbles, and that’s where you’d find me.

The backyard is full of great features – like this really cool caged river rock vegetable garden.

It was so awesome getting to meet all the other guests over those few days. They were all truly inspiring women and I hope you get a chance to check out their pages too:

Liz from Liz Marie Blog · Robin from All Things Heart and Home · Kim from Newly Woodwards · me · Jennifer with Clean and Scentsible · Jennifer · Abby with Just a Girl and Her Blog · Caylin · Mandy with Sugar Bee Crafts · Debra · Kate with Catching Up with Kate · Christina with The Frugal Homemaker · Lindsey with The Pleated Poppy.

After touring the house, we grabbed some yummy food (all inspired by the Marquee colour palettes!) and enjoyed the rest of the evening out in the beautiful backyard.

It was so nice to sit out and chat with each other, and that’s when I realized that I’d found something else I loved about California – no mosquitos!!! You could never sit outside like this in the fall (even on a nice night) without getting eaten alive back home. You can add that to the list of why Cali rocks (trust me, it was a long list by the time I left).

Hanging Out with Behr Paint

The next morning we headed over to Behr’s corporate offices to meet with some of the team and learn more about their products. I never realized how much hard work and creativity goes into developing paint colours and then creating the products. The team there really does have a passion for great design and creating quality products, so it was awesome to see so much of it first hand.

I started using the Behr Marquee paint this year and I’ve really been loving it. It’s crazy to think that they start with around 2000 colours and then through careful research narrow it down to 372 colours. My favourite feature about this paint is that it’s not only low vocs but it also has one coat coverage on previously painted surfaces – which is pretty amazing when you look at some of the vibrancy of these colours.

I also liked these split finish paint chips that show each colour in gloss and eggshell on the same card.

I was so excited when I saw these jars of paint brushes, because I knew it meant we were going to get crafty!

We got to play around with some of the really vibrant colours like Strawberry Wine and Electric Blue.

I went with a Prussian Plum and Amber Brew to make a fall themed picture frame. Of course I was one of the last people painting because I always take it way too seriously (I want clean edges!), but it was tons of fun.

In the afternoon, we got to meet up with some of the guys who test the paint on big boards. It was fun to see how a professional actually paints!

Using Torch Red, Paul showed us just how effective Marquee Interior Paint is at covering in just one coat. It completely covered all the blue, red, white and black areas of the boards.

The team was also really happy to give us some of their painting tips, to pass onto you guys. The biggest thing you can do to improve how you paint, is having the right tools.

• High quality rollers like Purdy and Wooster will give you great results and prevent unwanted fibers in your painted surface. Woven rollers work best as foam tends to slip and slide.
• Invest in a good quality, comfortable roller pole to save your back and help you get into the corners.
• A locking roller frame is easier to remove the roller and keeps it’s shape over time, compared to a wire one.
• Roller nap size is important based on the texture of your wall and the sheen of the paint. For smooth walls, go with a 3/8″ thick roller, while more textured walls need 1/2″. You also need to decrease the nap size whenever you increase the sheen of the paint.
• If you do have fibers on your roller, try running it along a piece of painters tape before you start painting, to remove any loose fibers.
• Synthetic brushes or synthetic blend brushes are best for acrylic paints.
• For the best results, you really need to saturate your roller with paint. Do 15-20 rolls in the paint to completely cover it.
• When using a brush, only go 1/3 to 1/2 up the brush, otherwise you can get paint up under the ferrule (the metal part that holds the bristles to the handle), and if paint dries in there, it can fray the bristles.
• Don’t squeeze the paint onto the wall, it shouldn’t take a lot of force to get the paint on the walls.
• Go straight up and down in a W or M shape and roll onto the previous sections to keep a wet edge. Work within a 2′ x 2′ area, about shoulder width, and then reload the roller with more paint.

Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa and it was absolutely amazing. It had little hidden alcoves, pools and lagoons everywhere.

There is this cool pathway and bridge that goes over the road and takes you right to the beach.

I can officially say that I’ve been in the Pacific Ocean now.

Thank you to the wonderful team at Behr paint for bringing us all out there. It was such a great experience and it left me with so many new ideas churning in my head. Bring on the paint brushes!