I want to paint our living room and upstairs hallway a nice shade of gray. Not too light, not too dark, not silvery, not lavender tinted, not blue but with a blue tint to it, and not gray that looks like I slapped concrete on the wall. And yes, I went into the paint store and asked for exactly *that* gray. They must get nuts like me in there a lot because he was so helpful and didn't even look at me like I was crazy...which I'm sure I sounded. Many many many paint chips and a few samples later and this is what my living room wall looks like.
Gosh, who knew this would be so hard?! My couch is blue so I wanted something to compliment it but that didn't look blue. The sofa also has tan in it but the kitchen is tan and I want to break away from having the whole house looking beige. I think I have it narrowed down to that middle color up there. It's called Coventry Gray. It has an ever so slight tan undertone to it and seems to blend well with the kitchen.
In my search for the perfect gray, I headed off to Google and found a lot of talk on paint colors!
Finding the perfect gray was easy for Kasey. Look at how great her kitchen looks!
You can see more here:
Lola B's
House Beautiful did a great feature on gray colors. You can see the slide show and get ideas on their website.
http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/colors/26-shades-of-gray
I love the serene look of this space:
Photo: Better Homes and Gardens You can't go wrong pairing gray with touches of black:
https://www.decorpad.com/relatedPhotos.htm?photoId=7924¤tPage=1 Apartment Therapy had this gorgeous living room:
Nantucket Gray by Benjamin Moore seems to be popular in all the searches I did online. Would you believe that is a paint chip I don't have? I need to go back for it and take a look before I commit to Coventry Gray. Here are two images I found using the Nantucket Gray search.
This color looks amazing on the exterior of a home:
I also looked around this great website by Lesley David Design. She has a passion for paint colors and even offers consultations if you need helping deciding. Here is a list of some favorites:
I also want to say thank you for all the well wishes for my daughter. She is feeling much better and was able to run around on Easter and eat massive amounts of candy with her brother and sister. I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday. Between spring break and Hailey being sick, I haven't had much time to keep up with my blogging. I'm ready for them to head back to school and get back to normal around here.....for a little while anyway. Summer vacation is looming.
Ack!!
Ack!!
Next up on my google search list: Activities to keep the kids busy this summer!
34 comments:
Sounds like a good choice Michelle! I do like the center paint color. :)
Three years ago when I went to SW to buy the paint for our MB I went for a light "Gray". I ended up with "Misty" by Martha Stewart.
It sure looked like it was a Gray color at the store.
To make a long story short when we started painting we realized it was really "Blue".
We never did change it.
I like it now....:)
I can't wait to see the results. I love what paint can do for a space.
Amazing! ~Melissa :)
Hi Michelle. I'm amazed at how popular gray is all the sudden. It's so serene and beautiful. I can imagine that it will be hard to decide...not too blue, not too tan, not to beigeish...
I know you will come up with the right one.
Y'all get well.
Michelle, you just can't go wrong with the your choice. I love my gray slate porcelain floors. The Coventry is a great shade. I find that gray really brings out other colors, and it is going to compliment your tans in a very classy way. Think of a man's gray tailored suit. It is always a classic choice. I can't wait to see the finished project!
Who knew there were so many grays?!? I know you will come up with just the right shade and I can't wait to see it!
I'm glad your daughter is feeling better.♥
I am in the process of looking for the perfect gray for our MB. I can not believe how many people are going with this color. I love gray and in my room we have black furniture and white bedding. I was told that Comfort Gray at Sherwin Williams was a good gray color. Can't wait to see the finished product!
When we first moved into our new house, I painted my living room olive green. I knew right away that I didn't like it that much, but I decided that I would give it a try. I thought that I had gotten used to it, but I realized after a couple of years that I still didn't really like it. So I painted the room a light green. Hated it! Then I painted it a mid tone green. I thought that I liked it, but after just a few months, I realized that I didn't care for it either. So I decided that I wanted to paint the living room grey. I decided on a color called Twilight Grey from Behr. I love it!! Finally, I have a color in my living room that I enjoy. It makes all the colors of the furniture look so nice, and it just feels really soothing. I love the color. In some lights it looks blue and in some lights it looks grey.
Sorry that got so long winded, but I just wanted to say go for the grey! I think you'll really like it. :)
I had never thought of grey. But as I see how lovely it looks, I may have to try it out down the road. Can't wait to see the finished product.
Bristol
Oh girl I am so glad to hear Hailey is doing better..can't wait to see what you LR looks like all done..I have never had a gray room yet and I do love the color..I just want to paint my MB and dread the thought of that ha ha!! thanks for coming by and hope you have a great week...hugs and smiles Gl♥ria
Funny how I never would have thought of gray for a wall color until recently! I LOVE the color of Kasey's kitchen. I like the color you've ALMOST chosen too! Good luck with your search.
I love all the paint colors on the wall...it is the only way to do it. Can't wait to see the finished project.
Hi Michelle,
Paint choices sure can be tough! I do have to say I love that Nantucket grey, maybe it's the name. Good luck and I am sure it will be beautiful. Cindy
it sounds like you may have found the perfect grey. I dont know about you, but i find picking colors is an agonizing journey...lol i stress each time. I wasnt aware that your daughter wasnt well, sorry missed that somehow, but im pleased to hear she is doing better and was able to enjoy her easter.
hugs
janet
Ooh! I think that the Coventry or Nantucket grays are very rich and warm -for gray. I think I would go with either one. I used to have a room painted Dove gray (from Glidden) which is very similar a tannish gray and it made the room very cozy, and like you said it would blend with your tan kitchen. I think that you want to keep the feel of your rooms compatible so you would want a warm gray to go with your warm kitchen. ~ Robyn
I SO know what you're going through! Greys are so tough because they can have so many undertones. In my newly super-light pink living room with tan tiled fireplace I FINALLY decided on Pearl Ash from Olympic (they're VOC free, so I always try Olympic first!) It's a lighter version of the Coventry Gray, and photographs look beautiful against it! Good luck!
oh I love grey, if you go neutral grey I don't think you can go wrong
teams beautifully with black and white
Sarah
Hi Michelle!
I think you are making a good choice! You sound like me-I have to know all of my choices before choosing! LoL! Have a good week-smiles-Tam!
YEAH for paint color...BOO for choices!!
Reading your post i got that ugh feeling. i'm trying to pick a color for my family room and living room. it's so hard because they are all the same room. ok...ok...of to the paint store i go. thanks for the reminder that this is a process!
bye!!
Yay for gray!!! My living room/dining room/hallway are all gray. I think the specific gray is perfect. I'll take some pictures tonight and find the name of the paint color for you. I would highly recommend it.
Hi Michelle...I love your new header. Your blog looks so classy! Love it! I laughed when I saw your "wall of paints chips"...only because I had the same thing at my house for months with my walls. And you still can't tell anything until you've painted the whole room!! Good luck! I'm sure it will be wonderful no matter which one you choose!!...hugs...Debbie
I love the look of grey walls. Of course, our living room, hall & bedroom are still boring old beige, but I cant decide on real colors for those areas. But when we decided to paint our 2nd bathroom (it's outside of the main house, but still connected... it's in the screen room. It also houses our washer, dryer & extra fridge), we decided to try something different and go grey. I love it! We also painted my 7 year olds room grey with one blue wall.
Grey can be a tricky color. I found two different shades of grey that I like and I used them upstairs in my son's room and in my husband's office. They were by Dutch Boy, one was called Nantucket Grey and the other one was called Pewter Essence. The trick I think with grey is to have accent colors that pop so it doesn't look too washed out. Good luck.
LeAnn
I feel your pain...choosing a paint color is soooo difficult for me. I buy many sample pints and place them on each wall in a room. The same color with different lighting can look totally different to me.
Good luck on the choosing!
Love your blue pics.
Hi Michelle :)
I'm so glad to hear Hailey is better! It sucks to be sick on holidays.
I think the spelling 'Grey' is English and 'Gray' is American, but it's a great color no matter how you spell it LOL
I like the middle one too or the one on the left of it the best. Nantucket seems to have a green tint to it, but I think it's pretty too. All of them are great and I've seen your magic, so you can do no wrong :)
rue
Hi Mishelle! My first visit to your place! I'm in the process of painting my entire home grey! I've finished the foyer, family/kitchen and dining and did it in Behr's Silver Screen! For me it is the perfect shade and I'm using blacks with it! Looks good on a sunny or cloudy day!! I'm a person who has tried every color under the sun (not kidding either!) and so far the grey is doing it for me!!!lol I think you'll love it too since I also am eliminating tan/beige! I started a while ago and am happy to see grey is becoming popular! Good luck! I'll be back soon to check the results of your pick! Have a great day - Sincerely, Jeannette
I think what you have picked out is just perfecto!
Grey.
Gray.
Seriously, why did you have to show us the "inbetween", because now I can hardly wait....
xo
I love the grey in the decorpad picture. Grey is difficult, isn't it? I tried over and over for our living room and could just never get it right so now it is beige. Good luck!
so glad you chose "gray" and not "grey"...my ex bf was named grey, and he is so not cool. HA! love your house and your blog:) noticed you have a couple chalkboard accessories here and there and thought you might enjoy my burlap chalkcloth tags. if you want to take a peek i sell them on etsy
www.coastline.etsy.com .... i enjoy making them so much, that i thought i'd share!
Check out this blog for some beautiful gray inspiration www.vosgesparis.blogspot.com it's in Dutch (I think) but it doesn't matter, the photos are stunning. Good luck with your gray search, I'm sure the results will be great! Can't wait to see the finished product!
Good-ness...so many choices! I love the photo of all the paint chips stuck to the wall...that is a lot of choices! good luck~
Congratulations on your feature over at Julias'! You really are an amazing designer and really deserve it :)
rue
Okay, I took a picture of my gray walls for you. :) You can see it on my blog at http://jadeinmywindow.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/rebellion-of-gray/
I put the color name and formula there, too. Just to give you one more thing to think about! hehe
Hi,
I did Nantucket Grey on my vanity in my bathroom. It is more of a sage green then a grey, but it is very pretty.
I completely understand you.. its so difficult with grays
My problem is that i already bought paint, but when i tested it at home it turned out to be too cold (windows are directed to north/east - it also makes everything appear in colder hues) You see my planned color palette in room is gray-tan-beige-white-brownish (basically overall look is light warmish gray with accents) and current color is just out of place.
I must admit that shade by it self ir truly beautiful , but just doesnt fit in.
At this point i am mixing and adding ocher/terracotta/yellow in to my paint (my wall is like artists palette)
My mistake was that i bought neutral gray(black palette) not warmer(brownish black palette) i should of think instead of being fooled by lightening at market.
oh.. those tricky grays.. :)
I hope that everyting ends up with right shade of grey, for both of us
:))
Post a Comment