Help choosing paint color

[LoveTrains]

I have a beautiful red sofa set, and I need to choose a color to paint the living room in my new house. The sofa is a deep, cardinal red with microfiber. it has accent pillows that are black and white. I was thinking that a light gray might be nice, something like Sherwin Williams Unique Gray or Swanky Gray. Thoughts?

[housegeek]

I would buy a few grays and test them in different areas of the room, in 2x2 foot swatches. Its really hard to recommend a color because the lighting/amount of light your room gets can make it look completely different. That said, BM Revere Pewter is a gorgeous complex color and SW can color match.

[LoveTrains]

Why is everyone so obsessed with BM paint? Is it better than SW?

[housegeek]

I don't know, I've only used SW. I just know a lot of people like the color

[kaylie]

I <3 SW. I use the Emerald line for everything. The coverage is phenomenal.

I second the trying swatches. I'd grab the paint strips and narrow it down to 3-5 colors then pick up the samples to paint on the wall. The light can bring out all kinds of undertones so testing them beforehand is the best way to prevent color remorse.

[bunnymendelbaum]

I third the trying swatches.

I like both SW and BM paint, but I think BM has a much better color selection.

[hbomdiggity]

unique gray and swanky gray are on a stick with purple, so i think you will have to try it to see how the purple undertones come out.

perfect greige is really popular and i think would look nice with deep red. BM revere pewter is also really popular.

[Ramz-ee]

Oct 27, 2012 12:03:32 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Why is everyone so obsessed with BM paint? Is it better than SW?

I think people like the color selection with BM. I happen to LOVE their paint. We just recently tried it and I will not use anything else now. Especially for the bathroom, their bath and spa paint is awesome. Water just beads up and doesn't run.

To your color question, I do think a gray will look great. I would definitely get swatches, there are so many different grays.

[TBM]

SW Versatile Gray is more of a greige than a true gray, but we have found it to be really versatile and definitely not beigey looking. I forget what the next lighter color on the same card is, but you might prefer that.


I love BM colors, and I do love the depth of color that their paint has. I feel like I prefer to paint with SW Emerald or Duration, and they seem a bit more durable to me, but I don't know why I think this...they are both pretty great compared to others we have used.

[kristilynnmy]

I don't know why (and this probably isn't going to go over so well) but I can totally picture a navy blue. I know, I know... red,blue, patriotic. Whatever I think it would look really awesome.

[LoveTrains]

Thanks so much for all of your suggestions. I am showing H the greige colors and he is so against them. Right now we have beige walls in our apartment and he loathes them.

But another one that looks interesting is the proper gray. I think it is still a little greige but less so than the others. I should add taht I was trying to pick colors and buy paint this week because I have a 25% off SW coupon that expires on the 31st. I don't close on the house until the 5th or 6th of November, so I wont' be able to try the paint on the wall in my new house until then, but maybe I could try the samples in my rental and then paint over it? Then I could see how the color looks with my current sofa.

[kaylie]

If you know you're going to go with a gray you can buy the paint with the coupon now and bring it back after you close to get it tinted. The salespeople will be able to tell you what base you need.

25% off isn't that great for SW. Most of their sales are 30% or 40% off and happen every six weeks or so. If you're not in a rush I would hold out for the next one of those but otherwise, buying the untinted paint now is a really good option.

[LoveTrains]

Kaylie thx for the tip. I got samples yesterday and guy at SW said 40% off starts 11/9. I will wait to buy until then.

I think we might do lazy gray and maybe watery in the dining room.