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The Best Light Pink Paint Color For Nursery Walls

Alternate title: Breaking Out John’s Painting Belt

It was like old times. For those who don’t get the painting belt reference, check this out for further explanation. Anyway, as we mentioned yesterday, we painted Clara’s nursery. And instead of cloning the exact space that she enjoyed in our old house, we took the move as an opportunity to switch up the wall color. We figure since we’re working with the same furniture and even the same light fixture and curtains (since I was too sentimental to leave them behind) we thought a new wall color would make things feel a little fresher- like the room is subtly evolving over time as opposed to being totally reinvented (since many of the major pieces are staying the same) or a carbon copy of the last room (just because we’ve been there and done that).

When we were chatting about what colors we could do, we debated a few options: some shade of blue (but we thought it would be too much with the blue bedding, changing pad cover, capiz chandelier, and the blue in the curtain fabric), some shade of green (too similar to the past version), some shade of yellow (not present in the curtains or any other items already in the room so probably too random), some neutral color (too safe for a kids room, we wanted to have some fun), some shade of pink (hmm, but is that super girly? we’re scared). And guess what we went with?!

Girl Paint Baby Pink

Since there were soft tones of pink in the curtains as well as in our DIY mobiles (that we have yet to hang) we thought it would fit in nicely – as long as we kept things on the subtle side so it didn’t get too bright and overwhelming. But we didn’t just want a soft ballet pink (or a baby pink like the swatch in the photo above). We wanted something with gray/lavender undertones. It’s hard to explain, so we’ll let the swatch cards do the talking:

Nursery Paint Chips

See how the one with the arrow towards it seems grayer and more lavender than the others? We thought it had a nice muddy sophistication and hoped that it wouldn’t look too pastel-ish and girly, since we’ve always loved that Clara’s room is full of greens and blues and other non-gender specific colors. Not to say that the room isn’t clearly a girl’s room now, but we just wanted the color to have a bit more dimension than just a soft pink. Plus you might remember this whole-house-color-scheme post, where the second swatch on the top row was a little bit pink, a little bit gray, and a little bit lavender. That was what we were going for.

And in person it really does look dimensional and full of subtle gray and lavender undertones! The color is from Benjamin Moore’s Affinity line and it’s called Proposal (sweet, right?) but you know we’re too cheap to get BM paint for the most part, so we had it color matched to Olympic’s No-VOC paint at Lowe’s (which now not only has no-VOCs in the base paint, it also has no-VOCs in the colorants that they add, so it’s perfect for a nursery). Thankfully, we love how it turned out. It’s a hard color to capture in photos though (the subtleties and varied undertones aren’t always super apparent) but we did our best. Here’s the room before:

Nursery Unpainted

Nursery Unpainted2

Nursery Unpainted3

Here’s the room during painting (just so you can see our process, we pushed the big pieces into the center of the room and tossed a plastic tarp over them):

Nursery Painted1

And here’s the room now:

Nursery Painted2

Nursery Painted3

Of course it’ll look a lot more finished (and less pink-washed) when we hang the art, shelves, curtains, mobiles, etc. And when we switch out the ceiling fan for the blue capiz chandelier it’ll hopefully feel nice and complete for the beanette. And now for an obligatory look-how-cute-my-kid-is photo of Clara sleeping on her daddy. Is there anything sweeter?

Nursery Sleeping Clara

But back to her freshly painted nursery. Her room was always the priority for us because we’d like her to feel settled and we want her room to always be a place where we can escape the chaos of the rest of the house (especially since most of it will be “in-progress” for a loooong time). So stay tuned for pics when we get our act together and hang everything up in there for a more finished look. Until then you can find us staring at about thirty swatches on the wall in the living room…

Comments

  1. katevp says

    sigh… nothing like a sleeping baby girl, our daughter does the whole mouth open sleep as well.

    love the colour! I’m all for a pink room for a girl. We have a crazy bright pink wall in our nursery, but it is paired with 3 dark gray walls, so it tones it down a wee bit!

    Kate

    Reply

  2. Kelsi @ Modern Mom Redefined says

    Love it! You guys are such good parents!!!! Seriously, I don’t think many people would think up the fact that it’s an easier transition for baby…. I know I’d be too busy between diaper changes and unpacking to get there. So kudos to you! Can’t wait to see the room “completed”!

    Reply

  7. Christine says

    PIIINNKK!! yay. I hope I have a baby girl someday so I can have a pretty pink room. Somehow, I don’t think the hubby would let me get away with it otherwise ;)

    Looks great!!

    Reply

  8. Nikki G says

    I love your comment about letting Clara get artistic with her room as she gets older. I *love* color, and grew up with parents who weren’t always necessarily bold in the main rooms, but let me paint my room whatever obnoxious color I was favoring at the time.

    My step-kids’ mother has a serious fear/hate of color. All of the rooms in her house are either white, or some really really pale version of a color. The kids in our house, obviously, have whatever color they can dream up. Currently my step-daughters room is lime green on two walls, and purple on the other two. It’s bright, but she loves it!

    Reply

  9. claire says

    Clara’s room looks great! Perfect for a baby girl.

    I noticed that you said you were going to swap out the ceiling fan for a chandelier. I’m in the south too and we use ceiling fans to keep cool in the summer. What do you guys do w/o the ceiling fan? AC? Standing fans?

    I ask just b/c I’ve wanted to swap out our ceiling fans, but I don’t want a higher electric bill…. I know you guys watch you pennies…

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hey Claire,

      We use high powered desk fans (see the aqua one on her dresser?) along with AC in the summer to keep cool. We just find that removing big low-hanging ceiling fans can really open up small rooms!

      xo,
      s

  10. ashley says

    I wouldn’t have guessed pink, but it’s perfect! Love the lavender and gray undertones.

    That photo of Clara is too sweet! My son (now 1) had the blue version of that bodysuit last winter. It was one of my favorites. Man, I miss the days when he’d sleep on our chests! Now it happens only when the poor pumpkin is sick.

    Reply

  11. Marla says

    Beautiful color and room for that beautiful baby! I’m looking forward to reading your continuing adventures as you tackle your new home. Problem is, I’m impatient, so if you could just work on home improvement 23.5/7 and then post about in that spare half an hour, I’d really appreciate it! Ok, maybe a *little* Clara time in there ;-)

    I know you steer clear of Benjamin Moore’s prices, but if you should ever happen to want to give them a chance, their paint is unmatched in quality, ease of application, and durability, in my opinion. I paint homes here and there, and I really prefer when clients let me choose the brand of paint! At our local paint store, account holders receive 10% off, so that softens the blow a bit. I don’t think you will be disappointed! I didn’t know what the hoopla was about until I tried it. I’ll never stray again!

    Reply

  14. Heather says

    The post attached to the top of this one about the belt made me grin. I got to the part about the drawers and my first thought was “oh honey that’s nothing”. We have…

    …an (unfinished but organized) basement of wood working tools/lumber
    …a garage of automotive tools/equipment
    …and a barn being built for the equipment.

    I had **tried** to have the barn built to house my small company Green Barn Soaps. I was told by my fiance once the company had enough money to pay for it – he’d build me one just for that hahaha.

    So for now, I have a shelf in the office closet (which of course has no doors on the closet), a drawer of fabric and crafts in the “guest” (storage/guest/craft) room.

    And this:
    http://greenbarnfarm.wordpress.com/2010/12/19/658/

    :)
    -Heather

    I think I’ll be S.O.L for a while.

    Reply

  17. claire says

    hmm, I’m in a rancher with small rooms and just might have to make a few swaps.

    i love your blog and thanks for answering my question!

    Reply

  20. maryann says

    I painted our guest room a lovely shade of dusty pink. I was really liking it until my sister came over & said “Wow, that’s the exact color of a Bandaid.” (And she’s right.)

    Now I’m really hating it. Sisters, ugh…

    Reply

  21. Zerique says

    nice color choice. looks great. I cant wait to see it all done up! I know what you guys are capable of and its a lot to look forward to.
    I want to redo my babies room since she is officially becoming a toddler next month – – so hope you dont mind some questions coming your way soon. and any idea on when to move on to a toddler bed. I know thats not your area of expertise, but just thought i’d ask.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hey Zerique,

      We’re planning to use a daybed (turned to face the wall so the rails are on the outside instead of the inside) as Clara’s big girl bed. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  22. Loren says

    I painted our bedroom a really similar pink/lavender/gray a little darker than this. It’s really fantastic. At night when it’s dark it looks like a muted purple but in the morning with all the light the pink under tones become very apparent.
    I’m glad you didn’t go SUPER pink. I hope you love it as much as we do.
    (P.S. it also goes really well with light yellow accents)

    Reply

  23. Nikki says

    I’m dying to know…have you made any new furniture purchases yet?

    Also, does it feel different this time around when you have alot of pieces that you are reusing? Or do just anticipate that making the overall transformation a little easier this time around?

    Keep up the great work and happy holidays!
    Nikki

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hey Nikki,

      Not yet, but we’ll share every furniture (and accessory) purchase that we make! Promise. As for how it feels, on one hand it’s easier to have some furnishings to adapt and use in other spaces (so many combinations and floor plans to experiment with). But on the other hand it’s a challenge because some pieces that we really like from our old house look too small and don’t work in this house- so we’ll be craigslisting them and putting that money towards something more functional and balanced looking. Should be a long process, but we’re happy to take our time and see where we end up!

      xo,
      s

  24. Chrystal says

    This post is so timely for me since we close today on our place and I just want to get my 14 month daughter’s room done too!!

    Do you think you’ll use that same brand of paint for all the rooms? We are having the same issue with loving all the BM swatches. :)

    Just curious if you’ll choose another brand for the non-nursery rooms or if it’s good to use everywhere.

    THANK SO MUCH! xo

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hey Chrystal,

      Oh yes, we’re planning to use no-VOC Olympic paint everywhere (they’re the only brand so far who can color match without adding VOCs in the colorants).

      xo,
      s

  26. Karen says

    I wanted a pink room FOREVER when I just had my two boys. But when my baby girl was born this February, I ended up painting her room a Robin’s egg blue! Go figure!?!?! Seeing Clara’s room makes me want to paint her room pink now! BTW, that little girl is SO pretty. Not just cute, but gorgeous!

    Reply

  27. amanda says

    Y’all did not waste any time! The color is really cute and I’m excited you’re already getting started on projects.

    Clara is precious with those rosy little cheeks. We just busted out the old home videos from our childhood Christmases and they are just hysterical to watch; make sure you take lots of videos of her, they are hours of entertainment. And I’m kinda crushin on your hubby now :/, I lovvve sexy stubble!

    Reply

  29. amy d. says

    we just painted our baby girl’s nursery Behr Smoked Oyster…a grayish/purplish color, and it looks amazing. Girly, but not too girly. :) I love your new color!

    Reply

  33. Jenna S. D. says

    SKIL ME!

    I love my four pair of scissors! When it comes to tools or items as handy as scissors (or glue, tape measures, pens, pencils, flashlights, etc.) I feel like you can never have enough. One for each room would be my dream, but right now I only have four. So I’m either lazy (don’t want to walk to another room to grab scissors) or I’m just efficient…oh, and realize that I need one for each separate use. ;)

    Reply

  34. Kelly says

    Have been reading your blog for a year and really enjoy it. The new house has tons of pontential and can’t wait to see how you transform. Question- do you guys plan on keeping the older doors on the rooms or changing them out for more modern looking ones?

    Clara’s pic was priceless.

    Reply

  39. Sara @ House Bella says

    Both the words “lavender” and “gray” (especially together!) make me super happy! Not that Clara’s room is about making me happy. Let’s back up.

    I love that you’re doing gray undertones in the new house. I think they look particularly spectacular with the dark wood you have (like Clara’s dresser). Thumbs up!

    Reply

  42. Holly says

    Wow I surprisingly really like that color!! Its not too pink, but not too lavender, or grey! It is perfect! But its still girly! I am a major girly girl!!

    And while her sleeping on her daddy is oozing sweetness there will be one thing sweeter soon KISSES!!! I love when Audrey snuggles (which is rare these days) but she gives the best open mouth, really slobbery kisses!! Yall will love those =)

    Reply

  46. Chrystal says

    Ok I didn’t want to bug you twice but here I am again. Shamefully asking…!

    Have you tried the Olympic No-VOC for white trim yet? I know you like the HD plain white but I’d love to get a no-VOC for trim too! Just wonderin’ if you’ve tried it yet. :)

    Reply

  49. Jamie B says

    In the pictures of your whole house it seemed like every room was painted white. I randomly wondered if that’s what the previous owners prefered or if it’s one of those “staging” tricks they talk about when selling to make your home seem more neutral. I can’t imagine them staying white for long with you guys living there now! ;)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yeah, we also wondered if they were painted white when the house went on the market, because they all look pretty fresh (not a lot of wear and tear). When we removed the bi-fold doors we learned a lot of the white trim used to be bright periwinkle blue! Insane!

      xo,
      s

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