Yup, we went for it. We slapped up two paint colors that we love (and already had on hand) in our bedroom to see if darker walls (which is something John that has been campaigning for over the last few months) is the way to go.
Remember when we poorly photoshopped it a while back? Except picture it more brown-gray, like a putty color (instead of blue-gray), since there are plenty of colors in the rug and the bedding already. We tried one of our favorite smoky gray colors (Gray Horse by Benjamin Moore) which is under the chair rail in the office and also tried the darker and moodier color that’s more of a browny-gray that we used in our attached bathroom (Rockport Gray by BM). Let’s just say that we were definitely surprised by our swatches. See how dark Gray Horse looks in our office under the chair rail (especially on the left of the pic)? At least in person it feels pretty dark since it’s a few shades darker than the Moonshine color that’s above the rail.
Well, check out how much lighter/less obvious it reads in the bedroom (the one on the top)? Meanwhile Rockport Gray was awesome (the one on the bottom). It was love at first swipe. This picture doesn’t quite capture the putty-ness of it (it’s almost equal parts mocha and gray) but it really is an awesome color.
I painted some test swatches of each one in three places in the room (just to be sure we liked how it read on a bunch of different planes) like:
- the wall next to the bedroom door
- the wall next to the bathroom doorway
- the wall behind the bed (since we wanted something dark to help the headboard really pop)
See how you can barely see the Gray Horse swatch under the right half of the mirror, but the Rockport gray one further to the right makes the headboard look awesomesauce? At least in our imagination when we picture it on that whole wall…
Bingo. Rockport Gray it is. Especially since it’s already in our bathroom, so it makes sense to bring it out into the bedroom. Plenty of main bedrooms have the same color in the bathroom as the bedroom, and it totally lets the headboard be the star (while there are still some bright colors in the other bedding and the rug). So although it’s a neutral, it’s not a boring choice when you look at the room as a whole. We’re also thinking that we could add a very soft light blue tone to the ceiling to compliment the moody gray walls someday. Could be fun, right?
Rockport Gray is the darkest color we’ve used in this house except for the dark teal in the guest room and on the back of the dining room built-ins, but that’s kind of what’s nice about it (the whole house feels balanced with some pops of color, some lighter tones, and some darker colors all working together as one big master-palette if that makes sense). It’s fun to have a nice mix going on. Like the soft pink in Clara’s room…
… some greeny-yellow in the kitchen and laundry room…
… dark teal in the guest room…
…and on the back of the dining room built-ins…
… and light gray in the living room and dining room.
We’re learning that the rooms with more neutral walls (like gray) are usually the rooms that we have fun adding a lot more color with accessories (like a bright rug, headboard, pillows, art, etc). See how the bright art and accessories in the office (along with those happy chairs) layer over light neutral walls and give the room a vibrant feeling – even with soft and neutral walls?
Same deal with the living room (neutral walls + bright pops of color in the rug, art, and pillows = a nice balance). The dining room follows suit too (soft and neutral walls + colorful curtains + dark pops of color in the back of the built-ins + our new/old painted buffet).
In other words, rooms with more neutral wall colors seem to free us up to more color-possibilities, so we can layer in a lot of things “over” them if that makes sense.
So that’s where we are. We picked a color. Actually we’re here…
Be back tomorrow with the after pics (and a time lapse video) once it’s all dry and put back together! What have you been painting lately? Do you repaint rooms when the urge strikes? Thankfully repainting is one of the cheapest ways to change things up, and it usually only takes us around a day to complete. So you don’t have to live with a paint color that you don’t love since it’s usually one of the easiest & most inexpensive changes to make. In our first house we painted every single room twice to get it right except for our bedroom, so it’s hilarious to us that the first room that we’re repainting here is none other than our bedroom!
In other words: we’re definitely still just using the same method we relied on six years ago when we moved into our first house: trial and error. It sounds kinda risky, but it’s the best way that we’ve found to learn what we like and don’t like (and inch towards a house that feels even more like home). We’ve definitely learned that being frozen in indecision or trying to love something you just don’t (by forcing yourself to work with it) don’t work nearly as well as being brave, diving in, and making a change. So here’s hoping we can knock the rest of this out by the end of the day…
Psst- We took our favorite monthly picture of Clara ever. That girl has officially gone diva. Check out her moves over on Young House Life.
It really looks great with the headboard.
Woo hoo! This is exciting!
I love the grays! I am a huge fan of gray walls with bright pops of colors in other areas, to me it seems European in a way. But the biggest question is is it grey or gray in your house?
Haha- I think we alternate. Maybe gray a bit more- but grey sneaks in there too.
xo,
s
Ooo – I like! I like the other color you had too but something about this grey feels so cozy!
It looks awesome!! I think it’ll make the room feel so much more luxurious.
I’m going to be tackling a repainting of our guest room while my boyfriend is out of town. (I like giving myself projects to occupy my time in his absence.) Right now the room is a light purple that’s *so* not our style (it was the color painted when we moved in), and I think I’m going to go with Ally’s Earring by Benjamin Moore to make it a bit more neutral and play with colorful accessories. I’ll send pictures when I’m done!
Ooh pretty! Can’t wait for pics!
xo,
s
Love it!! I have three gallons of Rockport gray in the garage just waiting to go up in our living/dining room. Can’t wait for your after pics tomorrow!
Can’t. wait. to. someday. own. a. place. to. paint.
lucky!
Mmmm, already feels so cozy. Are you using the same semi-gloss finish as in the bathroom??
We’re using eggshell in there (since semi-gloss can be a little shiny so it’s best for a bathroom or kitchen).
xo,
s
We’ve been painting fanatics lately! We had a bunch of plaster repairs done in our house just after getting our floors refinished and so we obviously had a lot of paint patching to do, then I decided it was a great to time give all of the closets a fresh coat of paint, as well as all of the floor grates…not to mention the paint projects I’ve been doing for parties (including this one…http://thisnestisbest.com/2012/07/09/you-are-my-sunshine-baby-shower/).
Still working on getting the house back together and getting pictures up on the blog…kudos to the two of you for showing so many progress pics!
Adorable! Thanks for sharing the link!
xo,
s
We just painted our bedroom Sherwin Williams Rain this past weekend. I am in love with our new lighter color. Like yours it will be perfect for adding accent colors to. Now all I need to do is paint the trim and get the furniture back in place.
I think yours is going to look very sophisticated in it’s new color.
Love the new color! Are you still using Sue the Napkin? Haven’t seen much of her lately.
She is definitely still our muse! And this color is definitely worked in there (a sort of dark brown/gray).
xo,
s
That’s going to look great with the headboard and your accessories :)
That color will be beautiful in your bedroom! I recently painted the inside of the front door a beachy light blue color and it changed the whole feel of our entryway! (And it’s a front door, so it took me, like, four hours – including the dry time between coats.) One of these weekends, I’m going to paint the inside of the back door and finally get to work on making curtains from the fabric that inspired the whole look. Baby steps!!
Ooo. Love the dark, dramatic gray! Dare I say it’s appropriately sexy for a boudoir?
So fun! We actually just picked out a gray for our nursery and will be accenting with Lime Green, Teal, and Chocolate brown. :-) Soft walls bring out the bright colors.
I love it! I’m currently trying to convince my husband we need to add a
Iittle grey (or greige!) into our lives. He thinks it’s sterile – I think it’s one of the warmest colors on the palette! Thanks for the inspiration!
I love the new paint color! I also love your blog…I found it through StumbleUpon a few months ago and have been looking at it religiously since. You both are so creative and inspiring! Also, I wanted to say that I follow a few other blogs, but your blog is the most professional I’ve seen. You guys put so much effort into everything, from the way the site is organized to how consistently you post, how you respond to most commenters’ questions, etc. Thank you so much for all of the hard work you do! You have a beautiful house and family :)
Aw thanks so much Katie! You’re so sweet. Glad you found us :)
xo,
s
Gray tones Have become a favorite of ours at home but trying to convey how they truly look via photo has been annoying at the best of times. I like how you tested patches in numerous places. I need to do that next time I repaint.
Last year we went from a gobi desert (behr) tan to a rocky mountain (valspar) gray and have not looked back. Coupled with a wine red Estate Vineyard (behr) in the small dining area, I think we have found a winning combination. Now we just need a way to paint ceilings with out hurting our backs.
Those colors are gorgeous! I’ve seen the swatches and they’re amazing!
xo
s
I love Gray! The Majority of our house is Wood Smoke by Glidden. Gray is so easy to build off of. I can’t wait to see the room all done :)
-Liz Marie
Can’t wait to see the reveal! I love how it looks with your headboard, already!
I am totally on board with this one. I am digging the switch. It really does make the headboard stand out more.
I’m definitely using gray on my bedroom in the near future, so this is great for me to see! Thanks for sharing your thought/swatch process.
I love changing up paint colors! We just did a warm taupe in our bedroom. I love the way it looks! Makes me happy every time I wake up, but I’m not opposed to changing it. Here are some photos of our makeover: http://bit.ly/JVroHV
Fun!
xo,
s
I really loved the Carolina Club blue (or whatver it was) color up there, and it made me really want to paint my room that color but my husband is on the verge of chopping my hands off if I repaint any more rooms! I’m sure they gray will feel great in there once its up!
Pretty! We went with an antique tin grey in our master – but only on one wall. The other three walls are white. Can’t wait to see how this looks with your headboard. :-)
Love the grey! And yes I have been painting. What do most people do on their vacations, go to the beach, camp, visit family. Me? I spent my vacation in the closet. I ripped out shelves, painted, stenciled, organized. I continue to spend my time in the closet, I love it so much!
Haha- I love that.
xo,
s
..I painted my kitchen Rockport Gray a few weeks ago and it looks awesome. I just stand in there and stare at it. Did you notice how different it looks when it is wet? Our dining room is actually Gentle Tide & that clor looks really nice with it!
Yes, it’s such a mutating color. It looks so different when it’s wet, dry, in different lighting, etc. I love how it’s brown sometimes and gray other times.
xo,
s
Looks great! I am just now getting to the realization that I DON’T have to paint every room. I am trying to be better about adding colors with accessories but I am accessory challenged!
Oh yes, white is an awesome backdrop for layering in color too! It’s amazing how many rooms in design books and mags have pretty white walls and still look full of color and personality!
xo,
s
Love the new color! Great choice!
Ooh, like! I’m about to repaint my bedroom, too, and I considered Rockport Gray but decided to go for just a little more putty, so I landed on Copley Gray (which I love in the living room of a house you crashed a while back).
I love the grey. We just moved into a new townhouse and have been painting every room. The entire place was painted a very horrid gold. Now it’s a lovely neutral with pops of color too. My favorite is our living room where our fireplace is a peacock blue (Glidden). I love touches of color. It makes me so happy.
I like how this looks with the new headboard…but I’m REALLY sad to see Carolina Country Club Blue (or whatever it’s called) go away. Soooooo pretty.*sniffle* Goodbye old friend!
Definitely like it a lot!
I have BM’s Rockport Gray swatch sitting in my bedroom! and I stare at it at every night and every morning (well only for the last couple days). I’m very indecisive. Here’s my question I’ve been battling – wouldn’t it maybe getting kinda depressing to wake up to an all gray room every morning, even just subconsciously? I love the coziness and moodiness like you said that it gives which is great in the evening, but over time what if it subconsciously gets you down? Did you guys worry about that at all? At the same time, a light or bright colour maybe nice and airy and cheerful in the morning but wouldnt give much drama or warmth to the room the rest of the time. Somehow picking a colour for the master bedroom is the hardest for me. Any thoughts on this dilemma? Also, what finish did you choose?
Thanks! Sorry for the little rant!
I think as long as you have enough crisp white to break it up (glossy white trim, a white comforter, white curtains) it can feel fresh and clean and not drab and sad. Especially if you add other pops of color with accent pillows, art, a fabric headboard, etc. I always think the personality of a room comes from much more than just the wall color, it’s the whole mix of everything in the room and the vibe it puts out! As for the finish, we used eggshell. So far we love it.
xo,
s
Just make sure to have a fun sight from your bed. A bright painting, colourful flowers, a cool vase,… Well, Sherry explained it all! :)
I love it! My bedroom is the same color. Sometimes I lay in bed and stare at the walls….especially the walls with my sea glass lamps. The reflection is so pretty. The awkward part about those sentences is that I’m not kidding. I can see myself ending up on that strange addiction show in a relationship with my walls.
Love it! Could you possibly put the dimensions of the room with the amount of paint you used?? I am thinking of redoing our bedroom, and I want to see if I can get away with one gallon or will need 2. Thanks!
We’ll share that in tomorrow’s post when we’re done!
xo,
s
Thank you!! I know you guys are always so good about putting up a breakdown for everything, but I just wanted to throw that in there just in case ;)
Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
This looks incredible. Good change!
Loved seeing all the colors in your home! You have such a pretty home – moreso due to your touches/ decorating. The gray is perfect for the bedroom! I’d love to paint the main part of my home a light warm gray, but gotta wait for budget to allow – it’s a project I’ll pay someone to do. But, I may start by doing our office myself. Anyway, I am in the process of asking a few bloggers that I love if they will send over their go-to greiges and then I’ll compile them in a post. I will email you some info in case you are interested in participating. It’s super easy info. Paint colors are so tough sometimes, so it’s good to create a resource as a starting point.
Sounds like fun!
xo,
s
The timing on this is perfect! We painted our livingroom about 9 months ago and I”m over it…I want something more neutral. I just dread moving the sofa and removing our shelving.
Love it! I can’t wait to see how it looks with the room all put together! Side by side B&As please! :P
And, I just repainted my kitchen, dining room, and picked a different color for my living room than I had already bought 3yrs ago. Yes, had paint for 3 yrs and never painted…. I blame the cathedral ceilings.
Silly lady at the paint counter told us to use grey primer though, so it took about 5 coats of light yellow paint to cover the grey. :-\ In the kitchen. With all that cutting in… oh. my. gosh. I went back and got white primer to cover the grey primer that covered the green walls. whew. 3days later and it was finally done.
Whew- sounds like so much work! I bet it was all worth it though!
xo,
s
Such a great color.
Sherry,
I had a YHL dream last night..it so weird though.
I had a sleepover at the Petersik house and in the morning I used Clara’s toothbrush by mistake!! I was so embarrassed and kept apologizing to you..although you said it was no big deal since you could DIY a new toothbrush for Clara..hahaha!!! Oh and I saw John’s family going away on a boat somewhere..but John never made an appearance.
And then after I woke up I felt like an Idiot that I didn’t ask you any DIY/home improvement questions having spent a day with you!! LOL!
Haha- that’s so funny! I love that we were capable of DIYing a toothbrush in your dream. Haha.
xo,
s
Haha..that was funniest part! Sorry for hijacking your post to something else though.Love the gray color!
Wow this looks like it’s gonna turn out good. We have a lighter gray on our walls but this gray looks really good too. We are still in the phase of “should we paint the bathroom the same color as the bedroom?” but seeing how good the darker shade is now I’m gonna have to show this to the Hubs and see what he thinks of bringing this shade into the bathroom. But so far guys it’s looking really nice. Good paint pushing John!
My best, Lynn
Love it! I’m working on redoing our guest bath right now and I love changing the color! It totally transforms the room!
Just about to paint my bedroom grey too! Thanks for some great colors to try!
I love Rockport Gray. We considered it for our living room but it looked way too dark than the husband was ready for. So we chose a blue/gray instead. I love Clara’s pink walls! What color is that? We’re expecting a daughter this fall and we’re torn between pink or yellow for her room. The room only has one window and doesn’t get any direct light so I’m trying to pick a light color that can brighten it up and still be visible without being too dark. We also have a chair rail in there so we’re considering doing 2 shades of whatever we pick.
That’s Proposal by Benjamin Moore. Very soft with sort of gray-ish undertones so it’s not too pastel-y. We love it.
xo,
s
Love Rockport Grey! We just painted our kitchen that color and are using yellow & turquoise for the pops of color. I especially love that, if the mood strikes me down the road, I can just switch out the art, floor mats, and random items with another color to totally change the feel.
Also, I’m super glad you haven’t updated your ‘Paint Colors’ tab yet! =) I love the blue that was in your bedroom and think it would lend itself to a nice spa feel in a larger master bath if I ever have one. (My bathroom now is microscopic…thanks 1940s!). Grabbed that color and wrote it down before you switched over the pic.
Loving how the bedroom is coming together!
I’m definitely from the school of trial and error as well. We’re in the middle of renovating our bathroom and I brought the project to a halt by painting three times before I found a color I liked! The first color was actually Glidden’s Gently Tide based on your first house, but unfortunately the tile we bought didn’t match the sample we were given so it had to go last minute (total bummer).
I am super into the bold grey. That’s what we have in our bedroom and we love it, and you will too! It’s cozy and sophisticated and makes the white trim really pop. (Hate over use of that expression but it’s warranted here)
Yesterday we updated hardware in the kitchen (goodbye 1930s drawer pulls, hello 2012 drawer pulls) and we’ve little by little been painting the trim on the outside of the house from burgundy to white. Hard to get too much done in a day when it’s 105 out… I’m sure you know how it goes (especially John working on the deck!)
Haha, totally know how it goes! Sounds like you got a lot done! Congrats!
xo,
s