Finally painted our bedroom EK Gustavian grey

10 years ago

Sorry I can't post pictures because I'm not technically savvy, but I wanted everyone to know the Ellen Kennon Gustavian grey is GORGEOUS. My husband and I both like it so much. It is such a calming and soothing color.

At first it was a bit of a shock because the room was painted a very, very pale yellowish white before. I thought the Gustavian grey would be just a pale, barely-there wash of color, so it was sort of a shock to my brain to see it, but by the next day I was IN LOVE.

Most people would consider this a light color; however, since I'm accustomed to super pale colors, I'm going to call this a medium shade.

In the morning, it has a sort of greyish cast. As the day wears on, the beautiful blue comes out, and at night, a very subtle greenish cast can be seen mixed with the blue. The way the color changes so much is really spectacular. It's as if the color is alive.
The quality of the paint itself was excellent. According to the paint calculator, I was going to need to buy two gallons to give two coats. Well, one can miraculously did the whole job with two coats. We used the eggsell finish, and Ellen said that gives more coverage. Still, we got way more coverage than we should have.

I know that the name "Glidden" doesn't have the best reputation, but folks, this is not the Glidden paint you get at the hardware store. This stuff used to be sold by Dulux and was called Lifemaster (I used the same paint back then) and recently it was bought out by another company and the Glidden name was added to Lifemaster, but it's still the top-quality Lifemaster paint, so don't let the Glidden name scare you away. It is excellent-quality paint.

I couldn't be happier!

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Comments (10)

graywings123
10 years ago
I have it in my bedroom, too. It is amazing how it looks like nothing on the paint swatch and then is so wonderful on the walls. I called Ellen Kennon to ask about making it darker or more intense. She was willing to do it, but encouraged me to try it first as is, so I painted it in a closet. She was right (of course).
jodokus
Original Author
10 years ago
Yeah, you're right. On the swatch it looks okay but nothing spectacular. I was actually leaning more towards the Christine's Cloud, but when I told Ellen what I was looking for, she seemed to be gently pushing me towards the Gustavian grey. Since I'm pretty handicapped when it comes to color, I decided to rely on her expertise. As you say, graywings, she was, of course, right! I just LOVE the color. And I'm also so pleased that the eggshell finish is very subtle, not too much sheen.
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I am going to use GG in my DH's library. I have painted a poster board size and I love it!! Painter is coming the first week of March and I can't wait. It is funny but I am going to use Aqua for my jack and jill bathroom. I painted a poster board and it is just the right amount of blue green. I also bought towels and rugs from BBB that match it PERFECTLY!! I think the color name for the towels was something like glacier. I would love to do beadboard in that bathroom too but need to find someone to do that before we paint. I hope you will show us the final product!
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bestyears-thanks so much for the pics, that helps tremendously :) Your color looks great, although a bit light I'm afraid for my house. breakfastclub-I would LOVE to see pics if you have any msrose-thanks for the link, I saw that post before he listed the color. That may be a perfect color for my room, but I am thinking that may be too blue? I think I am thinking more gray than blue, but not gray-gray? I have a 9mo and 5yo girl, and a 3yo boy, so I definitely need something that doesn't remind me of little boys/girls. (Early morning workouts and Sleeping is about the only time I get away from them ;) Keep the color ideas coming...I know the blue-gray is such a hot color right now. I love seeing pics of actual rooms painted those colors!
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I have that rug, as you know, and I can't see GG with it honestly. If you want to go light, I think I would prefer an Ivory color. But, you know I think you should do AG! ;-) I also failed to mention in your other thread, that I think the AG would do wonders for the sofa. A light wall color will just make that taupe upholstery stand out....something you want to avoid, right? Going with a color of a similar value on the walls will lessen the visual impact of the sofa. Even the filing cabinet will not be so prominent. Darker walls can also be a wonderful backdrop for artwork, like your terrier print. I chose a few prints with a pale background or light mats for those walls to good effect.
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Ontario mom, I am posting pictures of our "blue room" that isn't actually painted blue. I think that the blue of Scandinavian Christmas plates looks best on a color other than blue. The white Holly Kay linked to, or something similar, would be beautiful for pine furniture and floors. This is a sort of montage of photos of the room. I have about 100 plates and cannot display them all, but they were the starting point for the room. It was already painted this gold color. I used other blue and white pieces i already owned (urns, vases, Foo dogs, etc) in this room as well. We purchase the oil of children on the beach and I framed it myself in the plein air style. Sorry for the horrible iPhone photos....this shows the plates above the headboard. We used DS2's childhood furniture (armoire and dark pine single size sleigh bed ). We recently put rustic white oak floors in the room and I added this blue and taupe-y gray rug: Closer of plates above headboard (these are Norwegian) and other blue and white stuff on shelf in bed alcove: In the corner is a display thing bought at Ballard Back Room in Atlanta (their discount place). They called it a bookcase but it is perfect for displaying plates in a corner! This is an interesting side table my mother gave me for my birthday about seven years ago. It is a mosaic top made up of broken pieces of blue and white china. On it is a lamp that was in my childhood room...a little too "good" for the rest of the room, but I wanted to use what I had. The bedding is a discontinued Ralph Lauren pattern I found on ebay. They incorporate shades of navy, royal and light blue, which is a perfect foil for the plates. I use the white matellasse cover on the bed with the comforter folded up at the foot. Hope these photos help you envision a blue and white room :-)
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covingtoncat
10 years ago
I have Gustavian Grey on the ceiling in my living room. I love it! Count me in as a fan of the color, the paint and Ellen!!My favorite spaces are painted in Ellen's colors and I am slowly converting all my rooms to her full spectrum "flavors."
jan_in_wisconsin
10 years ago
Someday, when I repaint a room, I want to try EK paints. I have read so many glowing comments here and seen the gorgeous pictures. It is wonderful to be surrounded in spaces you love. Enjoy your color!
joaniepoanie
10 years ago
Just curious...how does it compare to BM in terms of quality? I had never heard of it and looked it up and there is a Glidden Center near where i work.
amykath
10 years ago
Photo.... pretty please??
PRO
Lori A. Sawaya
10 years ago
ICI/Dulux LifeMaster, Glidden LifeMaster, Glidden Pro LifeMaster -- all the same can of paint.

It's just been about branding and switching up labels. Hard to keep track of the musical labels lately.

LifeMaster is one of my very, very, very favorite brews of paint. Most of my own home is painted with LifeMaster. It's in the top tier category as far as brand/grade.
jodokus
Original Author
10 years ago
JoaniePoanie, I would say it is better than BM, but BM is also very good quality paint. I had used this Glidden Lifemaster paint years ago when it was Dulux Lifemaster, and at the time I was also very impressed.

One thing I've noticed in particular about the paint where I feel it excels over BM and other paints is where it comes to painting in the corners. I've always used a brush to do those corners and then I go over it with a little wheely-sponge thing to smooth out the brush strokes. With every other paint, I've had to use a minimum of 3 or even 4 coats in the corners to have the paint look the same as the walls where I use two coats, but with the Lifemaster, I only need two coats in the corners. The paint in general spreads on so easy. I still can't believe I was able to put two coats of paint from only one can. (The room is around 11 x 14, I think.) I did have to do some tricks like scraping out every last drop from the sides of the paint can and also reusing the roller (wrapping it in damp cloths when not in use) rather than switching to a new roller which would have absorbed a ton more paint.

I think Lifemaster was one of the first paints to be zero VOC. They were doing it back before the trend took over with all the other paint companies. You can buy it at the Glidden Professional stores.
l
jodokus
Original Author
10 years ago
aktillery, I will try to post a photo if you don't mind checking back this weekend. I'll have to get my daughter to do it with her iPhone.
jenn
10 years ago
We just painted our bedroom in a new color Ellen created for us called 'Faded Denim'. I wear denim all the time and we are turning our bedroom into a new Haven of Rest, and I all I could think was 'denim' for the color. I found a BM swatch, sent it to Ellen, and matched it to create 'Faded Denim'. It's a light blue with a tiny hint of violet. GORGEOUS!

Our whole house is painted with EK colors, with the exception of the guest room and a bathroom which were painted before we heard about her. We are already discussing re-painting the guest room in a sage green from her pallette.

Glad you like the Gustavian Grey -- I thought it's a pretty color even on the chip.

Finally painted our bedroom EK Gustavian grey

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graywings123

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Finally painted our bedroom EK Gustavian grey

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graywings123

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