I have a very large great room in the lower level of my house.
For quite some time, I have wanted to paint that room, but it just seemed so
daunting, particularly considering that I’m troubled with carpal tunnel. It
took me a week to paint the master bathroom because I can only do a little at
a time. So, when a man who has painted for my family for the last 30 years got
in touch with me and asked if I had any work for him, I jumped at that
opportunity. But, there is good and bad in everything; I was deliriously happy
with the idea of having that room, at long last, painted (I am not a fan of "Contractor's White"), but plunged into the
depths of despair at the thought of having to select the paint.
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| Source: Pinterest |
If you read this blog with any regularity, you know that one of my mottoes is,
“Go Big or Go Home.” The upstairs part of my house is done in neutrals and it’s
serene, I like that, but the great room downstairs, designed to spark
conversation, conviviality, and fun, needs to be dramatic. I found this picture
on Pinterest, and considering I have a similar chair (as you can see below),
and some of those exact same baskets, I knew I wanted to paint my wall a dark
shade of gray.
But, and you can trust me on this one, there are way more than Fifty Shades of
Gray! My painter left with me a couple of fan decks to aid in making my
selection, and I was shocked at how many different shades there actually were.
There is blue gray, and brown gray, and green gray, and gray gray, there are
even purple-y grays. It was a nightmare! He told me to get a couple of paint
samples, put them on the wall, and make my choice from there. I cannot tell you
how stressful it was for me to select paint. I finally settled on three colors:
Armory, Downpour, and Volcanic Ash. I thought to myself how the same guy who
names lipstick and nail polish, must also name paint. The paint color that I
really wanted was called Zombie. How exotic does that sound? Unfortunately, it
was so dark as to look as though big, black hefty bags had been affixed to the
wall. No, that would not do.
Why am I telling you all this, you ask yourself, yawning. I’ll tell you why,
because I want you to help me select this paint. I put big patches of it in
various parts of the room so that I could look at it at different times
throughout the day. As I mentioned, I’m looking for bold, in a room that is
roughly 20’ x 30’.
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| Source: Pinterest |
I moved most of the furniture to the center of the room (and I
needed a big nap after that), but moved one piece and the accessories (Very
sentimental because the piece of furniture itself belonged to Jim, and the bust
and brass lamp belonged to my mother) back into place so that I could see what
they would look like up against the wall. Before you begin to wonder whether or
not I have truly lost my mind, let me add that, in late fall, white crown
molding is going to be installed all around the top of the room, as is a white
fireplace flanked on either side by window seats. (See above inspiration photo.) I am
also planning a gallery wall of white painted frames holding black-and-white
photos from my travels.
So, here are two pictures of the paint, which color do you
like? Color number one Downpour? Color number two Armory? Or
color number three Volcanic Ash? I think I’ve made my selection, but I’d
appreciate it if you would weigh in.
Funnily enough, son number two and I separately ranked the exact
same colors, for the exact same reasons. That apple did not fall far from the
tree.
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I love Volcanic Ash - I painted a color similar to that in my "library" years ago (two houses ago that I owned) and I never got tired of it - it was perfect. It might have been a touch darker - anyway that's my opinion. I love all those photos you posted.
ReplyDeleteThanks for weighing in Sandy! I’ll bet that library was gorgeous! Bold colors make such a strong statement. In my last house I had a French blue dining room, and a port wine living room. The house was 120 years old, and those colors were wonderful in it. I do like public areas to have a lot of color. I would love to have seen that library of yours.
ReplyDeleteI love that you are putting this out there for comments, but I also suffer from color angst and have a terrible time choosing paint!
ReplyDeleteAll the best to you as you beautify your space!
I like both Downpour and volcanic ash, but I would go with Downpour. I think the volcanic ash is too blue.
ReplyDeleteIf you are keeping all of the beautiful white trim, I like Armory. It has just enough blue so your not worried about coordinating with it exactly, and enough gray to make it soothing. Can't wait to see what you do!
ReplyDeleteI like #1 and #3, in that order. I did the same thing after my Mom passed away. I went "bold" in a couple of rooms that she used, doing a pale yellow and a soft slate blue. I have the same trouble picking out paint!
ReplyDeleteIt's going to be gorgeous, no matter what you choose. Especially with pops of white!
I prefer Downpour!Hugs!
ReplyDeleteLove, love,love Volcanic Ash. It is lively and serene at the same time and makes the vignette pop. Will look lovely with the white trim. Although I really like all three and you can't go wrong with any of them.
ReplyDeleteIf i ever come across a photo (which I know I have) i'll post it. it was a small added on library at the time we added on also an office and a formal dining room. It was a different add on than usually one sees. We lived on a corner and actually added them down the side of the house instead of how people usually add on to the back of the house. it was actually really cool!
ReplyDeleteI like the photos of the color you finally posted and your house looks gorgeous from what I've see.