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Help with paint color for accent wall

9 years ago

We recently finished our basement and I am now struggling with paint colors (and driving my husband crazy). Most of the space is painted BM Moonshine, which looks great. I had planned to use Palladium Blue on an accent wall. Unfortunately, now that the two colors are next to each other, the Palladium Blue really blends in with the Moonshine. It's difficult to tell that they are different colors. When we had tested samples on the wall, the Palladium Blue looked much darker. I am now wondering if I should paint over the Palladium Blue with Wyeth Blue - any suggestions? I liked the color when I did a test on the white unpainted wall, it just seemed too dark at the time. Are they similar tones? We are going for a calming, beachy vibe down there.

Thanks for your help!

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Comments (8)

tibbrix
9 years ago
I'm surprised since they are two completely different colors.

Do you want the accent color to stand out more? It's hard to understand what you mean because of how different in color Palladian Blue and Moonshine are.

How about BM Yarmouth Blue? Very beachy

This post was edited by Tibbrix on Mon, Jul 14, 14 at 17:06
newkitchen2011
Original Author
9 years ago
That's a pretty color! Yes, I'm looking for it to stand out just a bit more. I was surprised too. They really do blend into one another unfortunately - perhaps because it's a basement?
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newkitchen2011
Original Author
9 years ago
Here's a photo if that helps.
tibbrix
9 years ago
Well, lighting is everything when it comes to paint, so if the lighting in the basement is causing the other two to blend, then the color you want for the accent wall needs a lower LRV and more depth.

So, LRV for Moonshine is 67.36; Palladian Blue is 61.14; Yarmouth Blue is 55.57, so the Yarmouth Blue is going to contrast with the Moonshine much more than the Palladian Blue, but it's still above the 50% line so that it will give off light more than it absorbs. Might be a good choice. It's bluer, though, than the Palladian blue.
tibbrix
9 years ago
Wow. they really do blend.

Yes, you need a color with a lower LRV value for that wall. There's obviously very little natural light in that room.
newkitchen2011
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks so much for the feedback! Any other color suggestions?
Annie Deighnaugh
9 years ago
Typically if you are going for an accent wall, it's for a reason and it should be a standout. For example, using a dark accent wall on a room with a long narrow layout will help bring that wall closer, making the room look more square. Or maybe you want book cases or shelving to blend in better and not stand out against all the light walls in the rest of the room.

So if you want the accent wall, you might think about making it either another color entirely or make it significantly different from the rest of the walls.
tibbrix
9 years ago
Wythe Blue has an LRV value of 48.38, so it is below 50%, which means it will absorb more light than it reflects. however, just barely.

It's a very green blue, but the Moonlight has green undertones, so the Wythe Blue will go very well with the Moonlight, I think.

I think for other suggestions, it might help to know what you're planning down there, what will be on that wall, what the furniture will look like, etc.

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