Young House Love

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Painting The Bathroom Elephant Gray By Benjamin Moore

We’re about to hop on a plane back from Boston (which is thankfully not canceled, despite the snowy weather), so this post is up a little early for ya but your comments might not pop up for a little while. Anyway, we’ve debated potential colors for the walls in this hall bathroom from almost the day that we moved in. For a while we were on the deep blue train, but after putting that in the adjacent guest bedroom, we’ve been going back and forth between several other options. Dark? Light? Colorful? Muted?

BathShelf 10 After Far

We finally found our focus when we put that bright fish painting on our whitewashed shelf. Suddenly we had a direction. Toned-down-but-not-completely-neutral walls with colorful accents (sort of like we’ve been doing throughout the rest of our house, but this time with a new undertone – plum). Yup, we went for it. Sherry flipped through our paint deck and plucked out Elephant Gray by Benjamin Moore (we went for a nice bathroom-friendly satin finish, and only needed a quart for the job). Like many of our walls, it was grayish – but unlike Moonshine, it had a warmer plummy undertone to it.

BathPaint 1 Starting To Roll

Just like we’ve done in our other bathrooms, we chose to paint the ceiling the same color as the walls. We find that in small rooms like these it actually makes the room feel bigger because the ceiling isn’t some jarring white plane and it all feels seamless and lofty. The pic below is a bit grainy because I had to zoom way in. My painting outfit involved just boxers and while maybe I should be flattered that Sherry thought that was worth sharing, I decided we should maintain some mystery in my relationship with you guys…

BathPaint 2 John Rolling Ceiling

It wasn’t until we finished that we both stepped back and said “oh yeah, this kind of reminds us of Granny’s bathroom.” We were both so happy with how her bathroom makeover turned out, perhaps it was a subconscious inspiration. They look more similar in these photos than they do in person, since Granny’s “Hint of Violet” was lighter and felt more purple than gray while ours is definitely darker and more plummy (less pinky and pastel than Granny’s).

GrannyThree 3 After

But either way, the idea of having a Granny-inspired bathroom in our own house is kind of awesome.

BathPaint 3 After Full1

See how it pulls from the painting a bit, while providing a nice backdrop for the brighter oranges and blues – which we’ll definitely be bringing out a lot more with some crazy bold fabric that Sherry wants to use for a roman shade.

BathPaint 4 Fish Painting1

Here’s the other side of the room too. It’s nice that the soft and moody tone of the paint looks nice with some of the metal accents – like our iron horse head towel hook and the ORB light – to fit right in. But looking at these photos, it makes it painfully obvious how much we need to frame out that builder-bland mirror. Soon I hope!

BathPaint 5 After Other Side1

That’s probably next on our list. Well, that or making a roman shade. Sherry’s got fabric hanging around that she’s been dying to use so we’ll see who wins and gets ‘er done first. #maytheoddsbeeverinmyfavor

BathPaint 3 After Full1

The best part about this latest update? That fact that we’re making the existing tile work. I was not excited at the idea of busting that stuff out and starting all over, and it’s in much better shape than the tile in our first house’s bathroom, for which we’re eternally grateful! You know we love to use what we’ve got. So thanks to just a quart of paint, the room definitely looks a lot more polished and welcoming than it did just a few days ago:

BathShelf 10 After Far

What are you guys painting? Are you psyched that we went with a plummy gray after dropping the word plum at least thirty times in the past two years since we moved in? I gotta say, I’m a dude and I love my plum bathroom. Just don’t call it purple. For some reason that’s not nearly as enticing…

Comments

  2. sarah says

    Looks amazing! My fingers are itching to start painting now. But it would be a mistake to paint in a rental when I’m leaving in just under a year…. right!?

    Reply

    • Erin says

      Not a mistake at all Sarah! My husband and I relocate often due to our jobs and one of the first things we do once we settle in is make our new house/apartment/condo our home with paint and photos up on the wall. Paint and nail holes can be covered up in no time! Go for it!

  3. Kristi says

    Very pretty! I myself, am a fan of purpley-plum – so this color is right up my alley. Really brings out some of the color on the fish picture. Can’t wait to see the roman shade! I’ve been wanting to DIY one for my kitchen window and this is going to be perfect timing!

    Had such a blast at the book signing in Boston last night. Totally worth the commute in the snowy weather. I made friends in line, I ate one of the yummiest sugar cookies ever, sipped a delish hot chocolate – and oh yeah – got my book signed! You guys are just so awesome, and energetic and sincere. Sherry – with every person that stepped up to you, you were just as equally enthusiastic! So genuine and nice!! Thanks for making the trip to see us!

    Also – my idea of getting a Christmas ornament from each stop on your book tour…since you’ve already been to a few and may have missed the opportunity to buy one – how about cutting out the shape of the state in a nice holiday paper and hanging that from the tree? Just an idea of course.

    Have fun tonight!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes, I love that idea!!!! And it was amazing to meet you. So glad you had a great time. We had a blast and were so grateful that you guys came out in the snow!

      xo,
      s

  5. Meagan says

    Have you ever considered painting the vanity in that bathroom black? I know y’all love white – I totally love white too, but for some reason seeing the new paint color in there just makes me want that vanity painted black. Maybe to tie in with the black tile border. I don’t know…just a thought for you. But I love the new color!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We definitely have been debating a ton of options! The room is pretty small/tight (more than it looks in pics) so we want to be sure it won’t close things in and look like a big heavy piece of furniture… will keep you posted!

      xo,
      s

  6. Stephanie says

    I have been contemplating that color for my bedroom for approximately 6 months now. I think I should probably just pull the trigger after seeing how great it looks in your bathroom!

    p.s. It was so awesome to meet you guys last night. Totally worth the 2 hour wait and the freezing commute home! :) I started flipping through the book when I got home but had to go to bed before I got far. Sorry my hometown decided to welcome you with snow. Winter is my favorite time in Boston. Something about cold air and the city just feels so right. Glad they’re letting you leave! :)

    Reply

  7. Kyla says

    I’ve been wanting to paint our small half-bath downstairs and have been debating whether or not to paint the ceiling as well. The room itself is rather small, maybe only 5′ by 3′, but the ceilings are high, around 10′. Do you think painting the ceiling will have the same effect or do you think that it will be too much color in the same room with the ceilings being so high? Love your blog. You are both hilarious and it is very inspiring for a young, new homeowner!

    Reply

  8. Hannah says

    I’ve been dying to frame our boring builder’s mirror, so I’m excited to see how you guys do it and maybe pick up a tip or two. Oh and the plum walls look soooooooo much better than the boring white. Can’t wait to see all the orange accents you’ll add.

    Reply

  10. Jen. says

    Love the color! And — I like that you’re keeping the tile. It’s nice to see someone do an update without ripping perfectly good, if not trendy, tile out and starting over.

    (Says the woman with yellow bathroom tile … most days I like it, especially now that the room is painted blue-grey instead of ketchup red. :) )

    Reply

  11. Adam Hurst says

    Hey I was just wondering since you are keeping the tile if you ever got that rush spot out and what finally worked for you after all those hints you got from readers.

    Reply

  13. Jess @ Little House. Big Heart. says

    Love it!

    Have you thought of painting the vanity? That same color (or a toned down version of it) would look really good and bring that vibe the rest of the way down the room. As it is, it seems a little disconnected (all white on bottom, gruple on top)?

    Reply

  14. Heather says

    I LOVE that you went with a plummy color! I was hoping you were going to! I’d love to maybe see an even darker plum somewhere :) …something to go with Sue the Napkin’s purple. Do you think you might?

    Reply

  15. Maureen says

    Great color! And, it’s nice to hear that you have incorporated gray throughout the house. We were worried about doing too much of a good thing but there are so many shades to pick from!

    We bought a new house two weeks ago and started painting the 50’s builder trim (which was in REALLY bad shape) white less than a week after we moved in! Tedious, but it makes SUCH a huge difference!

    Reply

  16. Meri says

    Love! When you cut around the mirror, do you literally just cut around it? We have those dreaded mirrors as well, and I can’t decide if I should jam a craft brush down a ways. TIA!

    Reply

  18. Cassidy says

    I’ve been trying to find a purple-y gray for years and I always end up with a cooler, blue gray. Does this color read as “lavender” in person as it does in these photos?

    Reply

  20. Natalia says

    I didn’t think I’d really like that color but it looks great! It’s pretty crazy what a difference just a little bit of paint can make. I think painting the ceiling the same color does make a big difference too. Now I wish I didn’t have crown molding in my (tiny) bathroom so I could do the same!

    Reply

  21. Kiki says

    Wow, I love how one coat of paint really transformed this room! Normally I wouldn’t like the plummy undertone in a grey color, but this is really lovely. I love how light + clean it looks. :)

    Reply

  23. Sam M. | Atkinson Drive says

    I’m on the gray train! We just purchased SW Grayish. I think I’ll start in the upstairs hallway with some stripes, but eventually I want it in the whole house!
    I love the color you guys picked – purple always scares me a bit, but it’s gorgeous! “Not like my favorite dress in college purple, but puuurple…” {haha please tell me you get that commercial reference!}

    Reply

  24. Nicole says

    I absolutely dig the color and love how is plays off the black and white tile.

    when I read: #maytheoddsbeeverinmyfavor, my brain must still be waking up because I pretty sure I saw something about “odd beaver fever.” What does that challenge include? Perhaps more photo zooms and cropping. Haha.

    Reply

  27. Megan @ Rappsody in Rooms says

    Oh I like it! I like that it is a different shade of grey too! There is so much grey walls out there right now it is fun to shake it up a little while staying in that family.

    I also agree about owning the tile. Be thankful it’s not pink tile that ours used to be (along with a pink toilet, sink, shower). Ouch!

    Reply

  28. Lena says

    Amazing what some paint can do. Looks like a different room. The before looks all dirty and worn including the tile and the after has such a nice clean and fresh look. Love your old tile.

    Reply

  30. Brooke says

    Love that color – my parents used it in their kitchen, and it’s gorgeous. We’re not painting much lately – most of our rooms have had a color makeover. Can’t wait to see the roman shade – I’ve been thinking about one for my own bathroom window.

    Reply

  31. Heather says

    I actually painted our teeny-tiny master bath this weekend. We were going to wallpaper since the walls are so awful, but since we’re moving in 8 months, we just decided to paint.

    I chose a really similar color (Behr Timber wolf) and I love it for the same reasons. I love that tiny little bit of a blueish purple in the color.

    I can’t wait to have the room functional again… it still needs a toilet, a vanity and a working shower. You know, tiny things like that =)

    Reply

  32. Lindsay says

    i vote for doing the roman shade next! mostly b/c i want to DIY a roman shade for my bathroom right now, but want to see how you do it first for guidance purposes :)

    Reply

  34. Marilyn says

    Getting ready to paint the hallway upstairs; but, struggling with a color. There are 4 bedrooms off of it and the colors are yellow, gray and two different shades of aqua (one darker, one lighter). The problem is part of the hall wall can be seen from a open stairwell downstairs and I don’t know if it should be the same color and just pick a color to work with all the room. Any thoughts, the downstairs color is Pittsburgh “Cocktail Onion” which looks more tan in my lighting.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I would consider picking the same color or a slightly lighter shade of one of the rooms for the hallway- maybe the gray one? That should connect everything while still being light and neutral. Hope it helps!

      xo
      s

  35. Beth says

    The tile looks 1,000% better with the new plum wall color. Nice job! I appreciate it when DIY-ers (like yourselves) do things to improve their homes without doing a gut-job. I mean, I appreciate a good total transformation. But on my graduate student budget, I’m just not there. So when there are inexpensive ways to make what you already have look even better, I’m thrilled! Here’s hoping your book gives me lots of ideas :-) (I haven’t gotten a copy yet, but will before the MN signing!!!)

    Reply

  36. Gretchen @ BoxyColonial says

    ooh, nice! I’ve been itching to paint a room purple, but I haven’t figured out where yet. I do have a neglected hall bath that needs some help, though….hmm….

    And I love the tile! I would have been sad if you had ripped it out!

    Reply

  37. Lindsey d. says

    Question – In your first house, you advocated using just a few colors in multiple rooms (so the bath might be the same color as the hall or bedroom) to create a larger, more cohesive space that flows. In this house, you seem to be picking a new paint color in nearly every room, even if they are similar (grey in your bedroom, a different grey in the living room, hall, dining room and office, a third grey in this bath). Why the switch? Is it because this house is bigger or are y’all simply taking more chances? Wouldn’t it be easier to stick to the same neutral and switch things up with accessories/art?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      This house is bigger so it seems less choppy than the first house did. We do still try to make it feel like every room comes from the same house (all have white, pops of color, accents in green or yellow or blue, etc). I think the key is for all the rooms to “go” but not match like crazy. But we can easily switch things from room to room (our office chairs could go in our guest room, our art can go in any room, most furnishings are neutral, etc). Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  38. KellyJo says

    I love the plum! I am just about to start my basement guest bathroom makeover – paint color is the only thing holding me up. The room has zero natural sunlight, and my existing tile is in PERFECT shape – except it’s peach. Any suggestions on what goes with peach tile??

    Reply

  40. Eileen says

    Wow. It is really amazing how finished the bathroom looks now! This week, we repaired Sandy storm damage – had to replace a foot of drywall all around the perimeter of the basement because our sump pit overflowed and soaked the carpet. Next up: priming and repainting, then vinyl flooring. The room has one wall of Baltimore Ravens purple and three walls of hubby’s 2nd fave color, orange. I couldn’t convince him maybe we should tone down the orange on this go around. Sigh. The good news is, it will require way less paint if we match to the existing wall color rather than start over.

    Reply

  41. Kate says

    Love the wall color! Have you considered painting the cabinet black? The random black tiles and lights bother me for some reason. How are you going to frame the mirror? We did one bath’s mirror in a dark wood frame to match the cabinet and another’s in blue mosaic tiles – the tiles are by far our favorite.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes, I keep thinking about it. The only thing is that the room is small (much tighter than it looks in pics) so I worry about the vanity looking big/heavy (right now it’s nice because the white tile in the shower and on the walls feels balanced with it). Will keep you posted for sure! As for framing out the mirror, I’m not sure what we’ll use but we’re so excited to get to it! That mirror is crying out for some love! Haha.

      xo
      s

  42. Chelsea says

    We just did our bathroom and also used a purpley gray paint. We put in a black and white floor and white subway tile walls. We thought the color we picked for the walls was more of a true gray and were a little hesitant when we first put it on the walls but I really like it now. It almost gives a little bit of a spa feel without being obvious. Anyway, I love your wall color and the way it ties in with the art. That’s something I’ve been struggling with in our bathroom, finding colorful art that still goes with the black/white tile and the purple/gray walls.

    Reply

  43. Laura says

    I loved seeing that you painted your ceiling. We always have painted our ceilings because we like how it *feels* and it really does get rid of that shock of white! Guests seeing it for the first time usually are say something like, *wow, I never thought of painting the ceiling, but I like it!*

    (By the way…I’m anxiously awaiting the arrival of your book on my doorstep. I’m going to curl up with it this weekend!!)

    Reply

  44. Amy says

    I used Elephant Grey in our living room and love it. In our house it reads more grey/brown, but plum peaks through at times too. It’s a great color and I love it with your b&w tile.

    Reply

  45. Eva says

    The only surface in my entire home that we haven’t refinished in one way or another is a built-in closet in our bedroom, not the walk-in style though, like you have in the US. We have been debating the color ever since we moved in over a year ago… and I thought I had purchased some peach paint back in January and painted some swaps on the closet but my hubby insists its just PINK, so we finally got around to choosing a new color and left the store with the color nude… which I am hoping will go well with our pastel grey walls, white ceiling, teak furniture and some accent colors. So this weekend, we will be painting again :)

    Reply

  46. Amy @ Paint Wine Repeat says

    I’m consistently on the fence between painting the interior of my house neutral or going for bold. You guys just convinced me that I can have my cake and eat it, too! What an awesome way to get colour without overwhelming visitors to the guest bathroom. Awesome ;)

    Reply

  47. Shelley @ Green Eggs and Hamlet says

    We recently painted our hall bathroom as well. Of all the colors, we ended up picking Benjamin Moore Quiet Moments, which I know you guys are familiar with. :) I had to laugh when that ended up being the winning paint color.

    I’m trying to convince my husband that we should also paint the ceiling in that bathroom but he thinks that’s weird and that it will only highlight the soffit above the sink. Wish me luck!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Do it! Good luck. My theory is that white walls in small spaces actually call more attention to themselves so the soffit may actually disappear more when painted.

      -John

  48. Erin {Home Everyday} says

    I LOVE THIS! It is not overtly plum (didn’t use purple), but it is just a teensy bit of color. I love how the ORB light looks with it. Also, just like Sherry is dying to use the fabric for the Roman shade, I’m DYING to see it! Also, on Saturday in Chicago I will be the crazy girl embarrassing her husband to no end chatting with you like we are old friends :)

    Reply

  50. Rosa says

    I don’t know if you’ve thought of this, but I’d bring up the mirror and frame it out with wood, which I’d paint black. It would bring out the black in the tile trim and the light fixture.

    The paint is a great color.

    Reply

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