We finished painting the guest room. And boy is it bold. Seriously, it’s like no room we’ve ever painted before. And we luuurve it. With a capital urv. This is probably the most accurate pic (well I guess it’s as accurate as your monitor) of the dark teal that we went with:
The color was of course inspired by none other than Sue the Napkin. It’s kind of similar to Dragonfly (the color that we painted the backs of the built-ins in the future dining room) but when we held up a ton of swatches in the guest room we preferred this color (Dragonfly was darker and greener).
It’s called Plumage by Martha Stewart, but of course we got it color matched to Olympic Premium paint since it’s No-VOC (even the colorants they add are now VOC free). We went with an eggshell finish (so it’s a bit more wipeable and durable than flat but not too shiny since it’s such a deep tone, which can show lots of flaws and imperfections when it’s glossy). Lowe’s actually had a bit of trouble getting a good match, so if your paint pro can’t get it close enough – our lady finally got it within .03% accuracy – Olympic’s Azalea Leaf is an extremely similar alternative. Of course you can also just go with Martha’s Plumage and not color match it to any other base to avoid matching worries completely.
But back to the whole room painting process. Let’s just say that as soon as we started rolling it on there were some oh em gee moments. And a fair amount of melodramatic nail biting.
But after we got to the second coat, the coverage was great and it was looking deep and rich and bold and fun. See how much more coverage coat two gave us below (the wall on the right has two coats while the wall on the left just has one). Pardon the semi-odd coloring in this shot and the one above, they were taken at night so the rest are more accurate thanks to daylight.
After we completed that second coat we were sold. Seriously. We got all hyper and slap happy. There’s just something about pairing in your face color with crisp white trim that makes you giddy. And amazingly enough, we got ‘er done with just one gallon of paint (with some to spare actually) since it only called for two coats – probably thanks to the tinted primer we used beforehand.
The first thing we did this morning was run into the guest room to admire it in the daylight. How can a $22 paint job make such a difference? It’s amazing. We were about to snap some after pics for you guys when the doorbell rang. It was our new guest bed arriving 30 minutes early. So it ended up in the pics since we didn’t have a moment to take any without it (more details on our mattress buying adventures later). Anyway, here’s the view of the room from the adjoined guest bathroom:
And here’s a shot of it from the hall:
The off centered windows are definitely going to make the floor plan interesting, but we’ll share how we land on our final layout when we, uh, land on a final layout. We’re just going to play around with things until we figure out what we like best.
Oh and you’ll notice that we painted over some of the wall warts (as they so lovingly call them) like the vents and an old Bell Atlantic phone jack to the left of the white outlet plate above. They were already painted over by the previous owners so we repainted them to match the new wall color. We did keep all of the unpainted outlets unpainted though.
Speaking of painting over things, after a surprising number of requests I finally remembered to make a cutting in video, so you can enjoy the riveting play by play below and see how I use my favorite brush to get a nice clean line next to baseboards and trim:
As for down the road projects, we’d love to add crown molding and possibly paint the ceiling a lighter tone than the wall (or at least freshen it up with crisper white paint along with the trim). But that’s definitely not something we have time for with my mom & stepdad rolling into town this Thursday.
So there you have our dark teal guest room. Now we just have to hang the headboard, dress the bed, get a shower curtain and bath mat, change out the toilet seat (it’s old and rusty), hang curtains (if we have time), and figure out the side table & lamp sitch (might not get to that either). Should be an interesting few days…
BethanyB says
‘luuurve’ the paint as well. lol. It looks JUST like the color on sue. Oh and thanks for the video.
Emily says
I just thought I’d share a painting tip we learned a few years ago. To preserve and prolong the life of your brushes, buy a paint brush spinner (we bought ours at Sherwin Williams). When your brushes are to the point of getting dry and crusty or just plain messy, rinse it in a mixture of water and liquid fabric softener, then to get the brush instantly dry, use the spinner off an on for about a minute. We learned this at a home expo and it works wonders! We do this about every hour with our brushes. Also- breath into the paint can and quickly put that top on when its not in use…something about the CO2 is good for the paint and prevents it from drying out!
Jenny @ Art, Wine and Design says
Beautiful! I’m so glad you went bold. I was totally fell for the first picture with the primer and couldn’t figure out what you were thinking (until I finished the post). Very cute. The blue turned out great. XOXO
Nikki says
You guys are so cute! Way to be bold the color is gorgeous : )
Sanja says
It’s so seasidey fresh and clean! Love it, love it, love it!
Taylor says
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! When you go bold, you go bold. Yay you! We have a light blue on our bedroom walls, but this may inspire a dramatic change in the near future. Thanks for inspiring me. :)
Cate says
WOW!! LOVE the color! It POPS!! You guys do an amazing job!! And I LOVE LOVE LOVE all your unique finds!! BRAVO my friend! :) P.s. Thank you for the video on cutting in. I HATE painting walls and this was such a help!
–
Cate
from http://www.seecatecreate.wordpress.com
LeeAnn says
Love this color! And as always, I will be waiting with bated breath to see how this room progresses! Have you guys ever considered making a formal list of your favorite home/thrift stores in Richmond? I know from time to time you make mention of them in your postings, but I never think to write them down. Since I have family in the area, I would love to visit a few when we come for a visit!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, we’re actually planning a big Richmond-related post this Friday about all the places (food, activities, shopping, etc) that we love to drop in on. Stay tuned for that!
xo,
s
Noel says
Wahoo! I’ll to be in Richmond on Sunday, so I’m definitely looking forward to that post! Perfect timing!
And the guest room looks awesome (of course)! You guys always do such a great job. I love how you’re able to take risks and still have such awesome results. I’m just a little envious! Haha :)
Robin says
wahoo!!! My husband and I are moving to Richmond this summer so this would be great!
Ashley @ pure + lovely says
BRILLIANT. I’m a light color gal but this is BEAUTIMOUS.
Jaeyde says
Beautiful color!
Liliana says
Love the color choice guys, can’t wait to see the finished product! By the way, this weekend I anxiously waited to see this room finished…now I cam feel comfortable going bold on a small room!
Question, how do you determine a palette for your home? I have not thought about doing this but instead, have been thinking of each room and it purpose and then try to imagine what colors would be best for each room and its intended use, know what I mean?
Thanks and again, love the color!
~ L.
YoungHouseLove says
We try to make sure all the colors that we bring into the house relate in some way (check out the post about Sue The Napkin, which we linked to from this post). Using that napkin as our whole house color palette inspiration helps us see that not only will they all work together, but they’ll be fun and have some energy (and they all don’t have to be super dark, there’s a nice range). We also did a post about landing on a whole house color scheme a while back here: https://www.younghouselove.com/2010/02/our-homes-recently-expanded-color-palette/
Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kaely says
Oh, I really love that color. I love dark saturated colors on walls, especially with crisp white trim.
I just wanted to say that people shouldn’t shy away from semi-gloss paint though, if they like the sheen. Our walls are all semi-gloss and while yes it does show every little nook and cranny in our drywall (which is far from flawless), I kind of like that. It adds to the character.
Jennifer C. says
My dad taught me how to cut in…since he’s done some semi-professional house painting. He didn’t allow painter’s tape in our house growing up! :) My best tips are to use a good brush – Purdy is the brand we love – because you need to smoosh the brush and feather out the bristles at the end so that the bristles are just feathered out towards the molding or corner or whatever you’re trying to cut around. A high quality brush helps you do this so easier. Also an angled brush – not a “straight across one” Hope that helps someone.
Emily says
Nice. And I’m glad you mentioned that the project was $22. I just watched a show on the DIY network and a guy was updating his condo (trying to stay under budget) and the paint for his living room (already white and not very big) was $140! I think it’s great how you routinely tell us how home improvement can be done on the cheap!
Sarah@grownupnow says
I love love love LOVE it. I’m glad you guys decided to adventure a little outside of your comfort zone; it looks so fantastic!
Kate Ediger says
I was painting this weekend, will be again tonight, and actually did a search here for cutting in, hoping there was a how-to video that I had missed. Thank you, thank you! The hardest part is tonights painting and I will try your technique! Love the color! It reads similar to SW Still Water on my screen, which I’m using for trim color. Thanks again for the video!!
Teresa says
In your post, you commented that they were able to color match your color with 0.03% accuracy. How did you find this out? I have had items color matched but I have never been told how close they were able to get. This seems like a super neat tool that would also put my mind at ease about color matching.
YoungHouseLove says
I always ask. I’m curious like that. Haha. Their new technology (at least the one at our local Lowe’s) puts the percentage on the screen (and if they can’t get accurate enough a big bullseye comes up, which is never something you want to see!
xo,
s
Leslie says
Great Color. Love it!
Melissa says
LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!!!!!!!!
I love orange as an accent color to go along with teal. ;)
M.K. says
I ***love*** this color. I wanted to paint our bedroom a dark teal like this, but couldn’t envision the test patch in the whole room and just didn’t have the courage. It looks amazing and I’m inspired!
Ange says
LOVE IT! This is very simillar to the colour I want to paint in my kitchen. Hubs, is not a fan of blue in general & he really doesn’t like this colour. He thinks it will make our already small kitchen too dark. I’m the one in there most of the time, as a SAHM & I love it. So, I slapped a rather intrusive, not very neat blob of sample paint on the wall. Yep, I still love it. He hates it more, & now is searching for a colour since he hates the blob too. :) I suggested maybe a new kitchen remodel would be a nice compromise. LOL!
Mary Ann says
Nice color,but too gloomy for my taste.In bedrooms I like soft,calm,soothing colors-BUT,it would be grteat for a dress or shoes.Anyhow,enjoy!
Meghan Wilker says
Any tips on how you guys paint the vent covers? They blend so nicely, but I’m always worried about doing that and making them difficult to open or close. (Even though we never open OR close them, so I’m not sure why I care.)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, it’s true we never do that either. I just brushed on two thin and even coats like I did while cutting in. The first one looked terrible but by the second coat it looked nice and even. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lori @ Richmond, BABY! says
Great job guys! Love it!
jaclyn says
beautifully delicious! can’t wait to see how the rest of the room unfolds.
Jennifer says
Looks AMAZING!
(ha, and silly me thought your primer was the final color…I only thought that b/c I’ve done that before making the walls have 2 different colors for contrast and it worked :) )
The color has some peacock inspiration to it too. Really, great color!
Glad your parents will have a mattress to sleep on too Sherry! :D Perfect timing.
Kelly Anne says
Love it! The color is extremely similar to Glidden’s Peacock something-or-other that I just used in a bathroom. My room has a great window that gets AMAZING light, and the window is that not-really-see-through glass brick so there’s no need for window treatments that obscure the pretty light. Dad came over and said it was so dark he didn’t think he could even pee in there, but I absolutely love it (and have no trouble, ahem, “using” the room). I think I love the color even better in a full-size room like you’ve done it though!
Rachel Austin says
Love is not a strong enough word for how I feel about that color! I think it is beyond perfect for a bedroom! Or bathroom. Or living room. Love it!
Jessi says
Found you guys a few days ago and have now spend many many hours reading back posts. I think you guys are wonderful and I’m so glad that you’re able to do this as a job, you were certainly meant for it! We’re getting ready to buy our next house and you guys have me wanting to find the biggest fixer upper ever just so I can try stuff out. I’m curious…do you stay in a house until you feel like it’s done and then move on? Or have you/will you move for other reasons? I bet the people who bought your last house wanted it furnished :)
YoungHouseLove says
Well we’ve only ever owned two houses (this one and our first one). I actually never thought we’d move from our first one. I thought it was our forever house for sure (I mean we got married in the backyard!!!) but it was a whole different ballgame once Clara was born and John came on as a full time blogger (suddenly we went from having two empty spare bedrooms to having a packed nursery and a guest room which also had to double as an office for two people and a playroom since we watch Clara all day while we work). It just felt a bit too cramped and we were also kind of bored since we ran out of projects- or at least ran out of projects that excited us as much as the ones we had done for the first four years of home ownership. So to answer your question, I think we like to move when it makes sense for our family, our business, and our sanity – but it’s definitely not something we want to do often. I would say that this is definitely our forever house, but I know now that I should never say never!
xo,
s
Cali says
I love this color! We are expecting (team green) and want to paint the nursery this color with a soft lime green as the accent color. We are hoping to add in white molding and a white crib for a really fresh look.
For a small room, would you consider only painting 1 wall this dark color? If you did, would you paint the other three a softer teal or leave them white?
Thanks so much!
YoungHouseLove says
One wall in the deep teal color with three walls that were a softer shade of the color would look really nice with white trim and doors and ceiling! And congrats on the bun in the oven!
xo,
s
Claudia says
It looks great! Now, about the off centered windows…perhaps you could put the bed at an angle against the corner of the room (the corner where the walls with each window meet). A friend of mine had her master bed at an angle at her house due to the small size of the bedroom, and it was quite interesting not only visually but also practically. Btw, I love how resourceful, energetic, efficient, hard-working, and gorgeous you all are! I’ve got a bub who just turned 7 months yesterday and I can’t even manage to brush my teeth in the morning, so I don’t know how you guys handle all this awesomeness; great multi-tasking!
lisa says
Dark colors go through the oddest shade changes when drying—I painted a wall a beautiful dark spruce, and the rest of the room a very pale tint of the same color. Somewhere in the middle, it looked like Crayola green, and I nearly sat down and cried….especially by the not very good lamplight we were using (I hate hate hate overhead lights!)
So I went to bed, convinced that I was going to buy more paint and redo the whole room…..it was fine in the morning!
Beth says
love this color and love this site! i never comment, but always love reading and i draw tons of inspiration from your posts.
thank you and happy president’s day :D
Maky says
Absolutely LOVE it!!! If I ever own a house or a place of my own, teal is one colour that will go into one of the rooms!!! Can’t wait to see what else you do with the room!
Megan says
I LOVE that color! I’m always wanting to go for a bold fun color like that, but we have cherry woodwork all over our house. I find it so hard to pick fun colors that work with this woodwork! White trim makes the colors pop so much better. Do you have any good color suggestions?
YoungHouseLove says
Sage, celery, artichoke, gold, amber, warm honey, and wheat tones all look awesome with natural woodwork. You can also bring home paint swatches and tape them right next to the molding to rsee what looks best. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lee says
Camera settings- can you share your fav camera settings for getting the best shots of rooms/color?
YoungHouseLove says
We like to shoot in A mode and manually white balance things first. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lindsey Portugal says
Is your molding white or off-white? In these pictures/video it almost looks off-white. Maybe it is just the color playing tricks with my eyes?
YoungHouseLove says
It’s white, but it doesn’t always read as perfectly white due to daylight, angle, etc. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Linda says
I luv this color but so wished you had painted the ceiling anything but white….a really pale grey would look amazing.
Oh, have you tried Purdy’s angled 2″ brush? The best for cutting in paint in my opinion. Looks like everything is coming together nicely. Enjoy seeing what ya’ll are up to.
YoungHouseLove says
We definitely have ceiling plans down the line (check out the post for more info). And as for that Purdy brush, it’s great… but we linked to our absolute favorite one in this post. I’m obsessed.
xo,
s
Mel says
The guest room paint looks GREAT! Bold, vibrant and beautiful! Well done! And, it somehow even has a calm, crisp vibe – I think it’s because of how you coupled it with the nice white trim and because the color has so much depth!! Yay!! can’t wait to see the rest of the room!
ps – As a perfectionist with a very imperfect (and often messy) home, here are some little things I put in the guest room before guests arrive. Somehow always makes me feel a little better and the guests always seem to enjoy it too!
– A small little notebook and pencil on the bedside table. Our guests always leave a little note, often dated with the time of their visit. Now the notebook is filled with little entries like: “1-10-2011: Snug as a bug in a rug, thanks for the hospitality!”
– You’ve got to have guest towels anyways, so why not roll them up and stick them in a basket in the guest room? Quick and easy touch that feels welcoming and lux.
– If possible, I either put in fresh flowers or a little travel size sample of shampoo/conditioner/lotion. This one may be over the top, but its fun and easy.
Beth says
That is my very favorite color from Sue the Napkin. It looks lovely!
Relevant Notes says
I love the color!! So pretty and bold.
Kalen says
Beautiful! This looks like the color that my husband and I went with for our accent wall in our open kitchen/living room! Living in an apartment, color is about the easiest thing to make a space look original. On a side note, I also had trouble getting a photograph to come out to be the same as the wall. ^.^
Megan says
Love it!!! I am trying to lighten up all the colors in my house but now I may rethink that idea!
Kaity says
Love love love love! :-)
Tonya says
LOVE the guest room! I am obsessed with the color. Thanks for the paint info. Can’t wait to see it complete.
Sara @ House Bella says
I am absolutely loving it! Can’t wait to see the rest. The color looks very similar to Behr’s Observatory that we did on the grid wall.
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
Very bold. LOVE the color.
Jen {Savvy Homegirl} says
That is a BEAUTIFUL colour!! I love it!
Nicole says
Our bedroom is the same color… but that’s where we have stopped. Love the color but haven’t figured out the rest of the decor yet. I can’t wait to see what you two come up with so that we can be inspired!
Jesse Rader says
Love it. We were painting over my daughters room and she picked out a similar color and at first I was afraid but I love the boldness of it!!!