Gray Paint Update

Did I really say “……if things go well, maybe the cabinet will even get painted this weekend.”? I must have been high.

Here’s what got accomplished this weekend: I got a ton of swatches and samples:

I painted some samples and stuck them all over the place:

(I know they all look white and the same but they’re all different shades of gray.)

I then checked out all the colors about a hundred times to see them in different light at different times of the day. And here’s where things are:

I’ve managed to narrow the choices down to about 8. As you all know, colors look totally different in person than they do on your monitor so you just have to trust me when I say they really are all gray.

For all of you who want the details, the 8 are:

Farrow & Ball: Cornforth White (the big swatch on the right)
Benjamin Moore: Stonington Gray, Whitestone, AF-695, Smoke Embers (the big swatch on the left)
Richard’s (a regional paint company I just found out about): 0524, 0530, 0539

I chose these 8 because these are the right color value, they aren’t too green or taupe, they go well with the gray on the wall and the hardware on the cabinet. I will make a decision soon, I promise!

“….. maybe the cabinet will even get painted this weekend.” Bahahahahahahahahahahahaha……

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21 comments

  1. Rambles with Reese

    I can’t get over how organized you are! This is brilliant. I usually just choose a colour and hope for the best. Good for you! Also, in Italy, unfortunately, they don’t have swatches and you have to buy the samples. So, it’s hit or miss for me sometimes.

    I’m sure you’ll make an awesome choice! look forward to seeing the finished look!
    xo
    Rambles with Reese’s last post…Sunday GiveawayMy Profile

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  2. Deanna Durbin

    I painted all the front rooms of my condo a wonderful color of gray years ago and I’m still in love with the color. I swear if I ever buy another home, I’ll be painting it the same shade of gray. It changes with the light throughout the day, with a little pink and sometimes purple undertones showing. It’s Vaspar 779-1 Chippendale Gray. I also have a wall of bookshelves and moldings all of which I painted a high gloss white. Perfect pairing.

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  5. Paula

    Did you check Anne Sloan’s paint??? If not I think it is worth it. Her paint is especially for your application…formulated for European furniture painting….she has a couple nice grays. They are meant to be waxed after painting and this is taken into consideration regrading color…….I think there is a shop who carries her colors somewhere in your region…Good luck.

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  7. Heather

    My favorite (ridiculous) thing to do with swatches is to tape them all up, the walk away and turn back quickly, as if sneaking up on the colors will give me a gut reaction that somehow tells my the “truth” about which color is right. I catch myself doing it and recognize how silly I must look, but I do it anyway.

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  9. redbrickbuilding

    Okay, you’re putting the fear of God into me about this gray paint selection business. I just chose the colors in the tenants’ units via a highly unscientific (okay random) methodology. I want the upstairs to be a very very light gray so I went with BM Decorator’s White. (The downstairs hallway, bedroom and bathroom and going the be BM Super White just because it’s technically a basement with not a lot of light and I want it to be as bright as possible.)

    When it comes time to choose the colors in our unit I know I’m going to agonize exactly how you are now. I painted my London living room the perfect barely gray shade (made by a UK paint company and not available here). I’m going to try to get a paint store to color match it from the chip but am sooooo worried that color won’t be the same in this light or that they won’t color match it accurately. Stay strong!
    redbrickbuilding’s last post…Toilets continued- and kitchen faucetsMy Profile

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    • Ally

      From my experience, the key is to get some samples on the wall so you see how they look under different conditions. Good luck to both of us! :)

      Reply
  12. a perfect gray

    feeling your pain here. Just a little tidbit that may or may not work for you – I’ve been happier with my grays that have more blue than green. I find the blue undertones give a much more light and airy feel, which is what I gravitate to more…

    In my mind, I’m going for the feel of ‘water’. Is there such a color, really? Maybe it’s more of a ‘feel’. Haven’t found it yet, but Ima keep lookin’!

    Reply
    • Ally

      I feel exactly the same way! That’s how I decided on the other grays in my house (when we first painted) – they all lean toward blue. Keep me posted on any good finds!

      Reply
  13. cecilia

    Ally,
    I’m late to join this conversation, but went back to your previous post as well. What color is the wall currently in your dining room? Your original posts definitely lean more to blue, but the chips on this one vary. Have you looked at taking down BM Owl Gray 50%? My new favorite paint colors (not new to BM, but my new faves) are Light Pewter and Nimbus. Would those work (or too much purple undertone)?

    Reply
    • Ally

      Not too late at all! :) I LOVE Nimbus – in fact, the Smoke Embers is the one step up from it and is currently a leading contender….. The walls are Bunny Gray and I want the cabinet to be not as blue but also to not clash with it. That’s the tricky part! (I can’t remember now why I nixed Owl Gray – I’ve looked at way too many colors!)

      Reply

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