Bedroom wall colors are typically informed by the bedding. Have you decided on that yet?

My bedroom is a light blue called Breath of Fresh Air, but it is a BM color. I love it. I like light blue for a bedroom and bath. SW Sea Salt is very popular. It is pretty greenish, though. SW Rainwashed is another popular one. Has a lot of green in it, though. Here is a good link. This blogger is a color expert. http://www.kylieminteriors.ca/8-most-popular-blue-green-paint-colours-mix-sherwin-williams-and-benjamin-moore/

I considered sea salt and rain washed but they were too green. They looked more blue in the room with just the lamps on

Lori- I typically change the bedding every couple of weeks. I don't like bulky blankets so I stick with neutral quilts and duvets like what's in the picture

I have SW Krypton a blue gray color that I love. I get tons of compliments.

Hi Hasmoody --

I don't have specific color recs for you, just some thoughts.

Color expert (and paint line creator) Donald Kaufman says:

>>"The worst mistake is thinking a light color will brighten a
dark room. Often a darker color in a dark room is what suits and aligns best
with the available light in the room. If you have a sort of gloomy room and think
it will always be happier in white, it won’t. The white will always look
dingy. It will look as if it is waiting for a deeper color.

>>"To add light to a
room, use warm colors. We perceive yellows and reds
as emitting light. If colors are warmer they feel brighter and more
luminous."

I've really found this to be true. Unfortunately, I'm not a yellow or warm-color person by nature, but I've become one due to my climate.

I *love* deep shades in reds, navy/cobalt, cocoa/cinnamon etc and have used those and been happy. BUT...IME the northern light rooms do get pretty cave-like esp if there aren't many windows or the room is smaller.

Since you want more spa more than cave, I'd test out:

• medium-to-deep yellows (aka liquid sunshine) and oranges
• "warm bright darks" -- deeper blue-greens (aquas, turquoises, and teals); yellow-greens (grasses, emeralds); warm purples

The bathroom looks like it's coming along nicely; good luck with the paint search!

ravencajun Zone8b TX - I do like that color but im worried it will looked washed out with the natural light I do get.

SW Little Boy Blue- not baby blue despite name. My daughter has it in her bedroom and three of her friends have also used it because they liked it so much in her house.

Hasmoody -- ya can't fight mother nature, right? Though I've tried...(thinking of you, N-facing cobalt room that looked stunning against fir floors for 4 months of the year!).

Looking at the online SW colors (so, basically useless but a starting point) I think you could investigate shades like Calypso, Aquarium, Splashy, Capri,etc. Tropical spa. ;)

SW doesn't have the best purples IMO. "Passionate Purple" looks warm, though -- and hey, it IS a BR.

I might err on the side of bright vs muted since you'll likely need artificial lights on a fair bit in there.

I actually painted my small TV room a deep warm bright teal and it looks kind of "meh" in "greylight" [rainy part of PNW here!], nice in sun, and just what I want in artificial light (and since I'm in there most at night, that works!]

I did two samples yesterday- mountain air and I think open air, I can't remember. Both were no good- way too light and almost looked white. I am starting to think I may have to give up on blues which I guess is ok, I want a calming serene room, but I don't want it to feel "beachy".

I looked at some purples today, nothing jumped out at me. I think I'm going to have to pass on SW all together and check out Behr and trek all the way out to the store that sells BM.

the current wall color isn't bad, it's close to kilum beige, but the contractors that painted before we moved in did such a bad job, didn't prep the walls and were all around sloppy. I could consider a shade similar to what's there, but I feel like I'd be bored with it and don't want to hear my husbands mouth complain about how "it's the same color that's already there!". There is also super dark trimwork and doors thruout the house which I cannot wait to get rid of. They sure don't help any in an already dark north facing room with an overhang.

I considered rainwashed for a minute, but again I think it'll end up looking too "bleh"

I was going to suggest match the cat! ")

What mood do you want for your room? Light and airy? Calm and relaxing? Cheerful.

IMO, the SW colors actually work really well because they are not too grayed out nor are they overly saturated. And while a card or even a wall sample may look like a specific color will be too light or not seem intense enough for you, you really won't know until it's on all the walls. That's what happened to us when we painted our guest bath with Tradewinds. I had tons of blue samples on the walls and Tradewinds fell somewhere in the middle of them all as far as how dark it was. Even though it was darker and less grayed down than Hinting Blue, it looked like it would still be light and airy but (to me) it isn't. Don't get me wrong, it's a very pretty blue and the way it looks in the room has grown on me, but there was really no way to know that once the room was covered in it, it was going to be as dark as it is. The draw back is that to my eye, it tends to make the bathroom look more closed in; where as the Hinting Blue makes the spaces it's in look much more open and airy.

Hinting Blue:

Tradewinds

Lori- I typically change the bedding every couple of weeks. I don't like bulky blankets so I stick with neutral quilts and duvets like what's in the picture

Gustavian Gray from Ellen Kennon Full Spectrum Paint. Buying this paint is a different process. You don't just walk into a store to order it. You order it, pay for it online thru the ellenkennon.com website and then you go pick it up at the nearest store. Usually a PPG store, but they just bought a bunch of other stores so you have to find out which one.

we painted DD room.. first picked out a light greige and it was so light, just didn't work...went with Chelsea Gray (BM) and it looks fabulous!!! its dark, but it just makes the room. also, whats great about it is, everything on her walls looks so good with the paint, its just really frames it all so well, (if that makes sense). oh and that room is the north corner of the house. .not good lighting at all and the dark paint does not make the room feel dark or cave like. its just a great color overall!!

point being, u always think u need a light color but dark, warm colors really make the room, IMHO!!

any SW store can match almost all of BM colors!!

My son picked SW tradewind for his north facing room in our new build and I love the color.

We are also using riverway and contented in some of our other northern rooms.

Tradewinds was going to be the next sample I try. I was originally first on my list, should have went with my gut there.

I think SW paints have mostly gray undertones in their lighter colors and it's turning me off. I used SW naval in the half bath and I LOVE it but have been struggling to find a calming blue that's not too gray for the bedroom, same with an off white for my kitchen and family room. They are either too gray or too yellow

I think SW paints have mostly gray undertones in their lighter colors and it's turning me off.

I understand what you are saying but let me suggest a different way to think about this. Because until you better understand the factor of gray that is bothering you, you're going to have the same issues no matter what brand your shopping.

The concept of undertones does not apply to architectural coatings and there is no such thing as gray undertones. The explanation for why this is true is long and I don't want to bore everyone. You'll just have to trust me that the way I'm going to show you to think about color will help because we can focus specifically on the grayness issue. Here we go...

Every color belongs to a hue family. Colors are organized within their hue family in steps of grayness - from saturated to neutral gray. Those steps of grayness are called chroma. Chroma is the quantification of our perception of grayness. Chroma and grayness mean the same thing. Here's what those steps of chroma look like.

I think SW paints have mostly gray undertones in their lighter colors and it's turning me off.

You just happen to have collected chips that are low in chroma and therefore look more gray. Like all paint brands, SW has a range of lighter colors that have different amounts of grayness -- or chroma. Here are three SW colors in order of grayness from most to least. They all belong to the blue hue family and are close-ish in terms of lightness.

If you pull the real chips, you'll see the steps of grayness more accurately than the digital color chips here.

As you can see from the spectral data (color DNA) below, all the colors are very close in terms of "Hue" and "Family" but differ in chroma which is Column "c" highlighted in green.

Using a chroma value to predict how gray a color will look is exactly like using LRV to predict how light or dark a color will look - both are spectral data points (color DNA).

I would suggest you use the colors that you think are too gray to find colors that are less grayed. We'll call these your gray benchmarks.

In the color display at the store find the hue family that you want first - like blue. Next look for colors within that blue hue family section that don't look as gray as your gray benchmark chips - physically compare the chips. You can do that because now you know what grayness is and how to look for it.

Hopefully, this illustrates why there is no such thing as "gray undertones" and why thinking in terms of hue family and chroma is a more focused way to find the paint colors you want.

Here's another range of colors as an example of grayness. GY, green-yellow, hue family.

Lori, I understand what you're saying about chroma and grayness. However, in your two images, "least gray" (low chroma) appear to actually be more gray to me.

@Linelle - oh crap! I have them backwards. Thank you so much for catching that mistake! I'll fix it.

Yes, but "Frostwork" has the most "undertone" if that is what you want to call it. Side note, I used "Grey Screen" which is the next color in lightness to "Online" in my bedroom and love it! It reads blue grey because my carpet is blue. But it played nicely with all the different wood finishes in the room, so I went with it. Also, it is very soothing and neutral. But definitely "blue grey."

Is there some way you can look up the "family" of a mixed color paint like grey or beige? Like if I wanted a "RB" family grey, for example? And then the chroma?

I really enjoy when you post color lessons Lori, thank you for taking the time to do that.

In the first set of color samples posted, the higher chroma is the brighter blue and the chroma in the softer blue is lower. I thought chroma or gray tones down color so it's not so bright or stark especially when it's up on the walls. I guess I'm duplicating Linelle's observation with the grays/greens but I always thought that gray would tone down a color not make it brighter.

Yes, but "Frostwork" has the most "undertone" if that is what you want to call it.

I'm not sure what you mean, tell me more about how you're seeing Frostwork compared to the other colors.

I used "Grey Screen" which is the next color in lightness to "Online"

That's a great strip of colors - very pretty. Interestingly enough, however, just because colors are on the same strip does not mean they all belong to the same hue family. Grey Screen belongs to the Blue-Green (BG) hue family and Online belongs to the Blue (B) hue family.

Yes. You can find a range of grayed colors in every hue family. So if you wanted a RB meaning Red-Blue gray, we'd look for grays from the Purple (P) hue family and maybe even check out the Red-Purple (RP) hue family. Because Purple and Red-Purple are standard hue families.

I showed OP a way to look at colors from a hue famly and chroma perspective using benchmark color chips to compare chips - how to eyeball it.

Searching, sorting, and ordering color using spectral data and color notations is a little more involved. If you understand the numbers EasyRGB.com is a good resource.

I thought chroma or gray tones down color so it's not so bright or stark especially when it's up on the walls.

You're essentially thinking about this correctly, lukkiirish. It's just a matter of clarifying the difference between chroma and grayness.

The terms chroma, chromaticity, and grayness all speak to the same dimension of color.

If a color has a high chroma value that means it's more colorful.

If a color has a low chroma value that means it more grayed.

Here's a better scale that will help you visualize steps up or down in chroma and grayness.

Well, I went through heck and back trying to find a paint color for my bedroom with all the variables, including orangey wood doors and trim, and even more orangey furniture that I hated but will have to live with for a while, and a blue carpet. Orange and blue look horrid together in my taste and also orange is a very unflattering color for me in most cases, other than a deep copper or dark terra cotta. I am a summer/winter colored gal, according to the old "Color My World" way of speaking. The best I could do was search online for paint colors recommended for toning down orange wood. I know there are several schools of thought, but I thought a color with no yellow or green undertones would be good considering the other pieces in the room. However, those purple-grey colors really didn't play nice with the orangey wood and just looked too sillyputty undertoned to me. They were OK writ small but I didn't want to look at them on the wall. In retrospect, I should have gone with a brownish color (with low chroma?) instead of a grey or cream colored one, but what I picked was good and really I could not afford any more color samples. Eventually the carpet is coming out in there anyway and being replaced so I can go with a brown tone then .

With your bathroom tile, you might try BM Gray Owl (SW can mix it). Some find it looks green, but in my bathroom, which has tile similar in color to yours, it looks very pale gray-blue or gray, depending on the time of day.

We have a Behr color called Malaysian Mist in our bedroom, where like you, we have white trim, beige carpet and dark wood furniture. I had envisioned something else entirely for the bedroom (a more muted, grayish blue) but when we got paint chips in there, both DH and I preferred this color. It does have a bit of a green undertone but IMO it reads more blue on the wall. We have paired it with charcoal curtains and other silver/gray accents (the lamps in the photo have been replaced with silver/white crackle glass lamps, and we've added a lovely silver side table, etc.). I find the combo very soothing and I think it would work well with your "spa-like" theme. Here's a (terrible) photo:

Got it! Thanks so much for clarifying Lori!!

You guys are awesome!!! Lori thank you for the color lesson, they definitely helps narrow things down

Lori I do have a question- should I decide to go with a blue, or any color I'm assuming I should look for something with a higher LVR? Again, this is a north facing room with one window and the curtains are always closed.

should I rule out blue or cool colors all together for a room like this?

LRV*

I'm assuming I should look for something with a higher LRV?

Not necessarily. LRV is about light and dark, has nothing to do with gray or grayness.

Best bet is to use the paint color chips that you felt were too gray as benchmarks to compare other paint chips. The goal is to choose colors that are not as gray, that look more clear, vivid or colorful in comparison.

should I rule out blue or cool colors all together for a room like this? [dark north facing room with an overhang.]

No. Any hue family can work in a north facing room. Just have to find the right balance of colorfulness and lightness.

You originally said you wanted a light, warm, blue that doesn't go too green. And Mountain Air was too light, looked almost white.

Get theses chips and arrange them in a row, left to right, in this order to make a spectrum of blues:

Tradewind will look most green on the left end of the spectrum. Mild Blue will look most purple on the right end of the spectrum.

Update- I picked a color! Agreeable gray. With the new windows installed, it helped to look at paint colors next to white trim instead of the old dark wood. Thanks for all of your help!

I love Agreeable Gray!