Young House Love

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Painting The Bedroom Rockport Gray

The deed is done! Rockport Gray is all up in this hizzy.

Bedroom After

We love how much more things like the extra thick crown molding and the trim around the doors and windows pops now that the color is deeper and more… sleepy? Can you describe a bedroom color that way? In love.

Bedroom Sink Nook

It’s such a mutating color. Sometimes it looks lighter and grayer.

Bedroom Nook Detail

And sometimes it looks moodier and more mocha.

Bedroom After Detail

We think it looks especially good with our cheap-o Ikea curtains (Vivan panels for $9 a pop) and other crisp white things, like this old side table from our first house’s den and the white lamp shade on our floor lamp.

Bedroom Chair Corner

So yeah, we likey the new vibe in the bedroom.

Basically the room looked kind of soft and sweet with the light gray-blue walls before…

HBoardCover 18 After Main111

… but they were kinda similar to the walls in our first house’s bedroom (which we did love, but after 4.5 years with it we thought it would be fun to try something different).

Bedroom After

It also felt a little too blue when you factored in the blue in the rug, the headboard fabric, etc. We just wanted something with a little more oomph. See how these side by side shots show how much more the molding and the fabric on the headboard pops? Now they stand out and say I am molding/headboard, hear me roar.

Side By Side Room1

These vertical images might help you see the molding effect more easily (since they’re not as small). Doesn’t the trim almost look like it has been beefed up and whitened in the picture on the right? It’s all thanks to the contrast that the deeper and less airy color brings. Seriously, I didn’t repaint the molding or anything.

Sink Nook Sides1

As for the process, we basically spackled any nail holes that we weren’t going to be using anymore (like the ones that used to hold the art up over the bed when it was on the other wall) and then sanded them so they were smooth.

Sanding Spackling Holes

Then we moved a lot of stuff out of the room, and covered the remaining furnishings that we pushed into the center of the room with plastic drop cloths):

Bedroom Prepped

We taped off the crown molding too (since on a step ladder I’m less steady handed). But I can freehand all the trim around the windows, doors, baseboards, and outlets without tape – so that saves us time and tape.

It’s amazing what an instant difference the new paint on the wall was. But it took us about five or six hours of prep/painting to get to that point. It’s a big room (16 x 16′) and we were also painting the entire sink nook (which is like another small room that’s attached with tons of windows and doorways to cut in around). So we just put on some music and got down to business. Painting business. Not funny business.

Bedroom Prepped Painted

There was some of this (I’m the cutter-inner in the family and John is the roller):

Sherry Cutting In

And some of this (we actually painted the ceiling above the sink nook a color for the book photoshoots back in January, so we finally got to repaint it back to white while we were doing the walls):

John Rolling Nook Ceiling

As we mentioned, the room is 16 x 16′ – and we actually used less than a gallon of paint for this entire paint job (including the sink nook). Maybe around 2/3rds of one? Benjamin Moore paint (this was Rockport Gray in their Natura base, which is VOC free) has great coverage, so when we used Olympic to paint this room for the first time we used the whole gallon since we needed two full coats, but this time we only needed one coat and a few touch ups as a second coat instead of a full second application. Oh and we went with an eggshell finish for anyone wondering (it’s nice and matte but still a bit more durable and wipe-able than flat paint would have been).

There was still the same amount of house chaos even though we only needed one coat of paint this time. Because of course when you paint a room, at least one other room looks like complete insanity since all of the stuff from the room that you’re painting gets dumped in there. Like our living room in this case:

Living Room Chaos

For those wondering where Clara was, her grandparents graciously offered to take her to the playground, lunch, and the library while we got this done. So thankful! We’ve definitely painted rooms while she napped and it has worked (like the bedroom when we painted it the first time) but it’s usually just a lot more choppy because we both work hard for the two-ish hours that she naps and then one of us has to watch her while the other one works (ex: I continue to cut in while John watches Clara after she wakes up) and then we switch (I watch her while he rolls).

Here was our little setup to catch the process on our laptop’s camera (which has a longer battery life when plugged in than our Flip HD, which can only record for an hour). Oh yes, we’re high tech around here. There was ottoman on side table action (we used iMovie to make the video, which comes free with most Macs and has easy settings to speed things up):

Bedroom Time Lapse Setup

So whoop, there it is. Darker, moodier paint that makes us wanna sleep. Haha. And kinda makes us want to paint a whole lot of other rooms in darker tones since it’s amazing how much more substantial the molding looks. But when we stop to think about it, ultimately we like the balance in the whole house’s current palette, which consists of:

  • some light neutrals – like the soft gray in the living room and dining room
  • some happy tones – like the grellow in the kitchen and the light pink in Clara’s room
  • some deep saturated colors – like the dark teal guest room and the back of the dining room built-ins

Should be fun to see what colors we end up with in the completely untouched sunroom, playroom, hall bathroom, and guest bathroom though. In the meantime, what are you guys painting? Anyone diving into darker colors? Or lightening up with something soft? Feel free to name your favorite wall color of all time – it’s always interesting to hear what you guys are loving.

Comments

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’ve had the chair about 8 months (just don’t share that corner very much I guess, haha). And the lamp used to live in the dining room and then in the living room, so it just moves around!

      xo,
      s

  5. Melissa says

    Love the new paint color! Question-have you ever used a sprayer to paint before? We are considering renting one (if you can rent one-I have not checked yet) to paint our downstairs once our renovations are done. It is an open-floor plan and we are going to have dark wood floors and off-white walls. We were thinking it would make painting go a lot faster since all walls will be the same color.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We haven’t used one (scared of having less control, having to clean that beast, how much paint we hear they suck up, etc) but our friend used one and really loved it for a large area.

      xo,
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We found that on a super clearance at a lighting/rug outlet here in Richmond since it has a small hole no one can see. I have heard it’s on shadesoflight.com for the regular price though! And maybe on jossandmain.com sometimes?

      xo,
      s

  7. Katie says

    Love it! On the hunt for a new color for our bedroom, and I’m definitely going to have to get a sample of Rockport Gray to see how it looks with the light in our room, but I’m already leaning that way : )

    Reply

  9. Morgan says

    I love that time lapse video! And so jealous that John helps with painting. We’ve painted 5 rooms in our new house now, and the only painting my husband has done is some cutting in on the ceiling after we removed the popcorn. Supposedly I’m “better at it” but I suspect that’s just what he tells me to get out of painting!

    Oh, and my new favorite wall color is Shaker Gray by Benjamin Moore. I just used that in our guest room and it really is amazing how the dark color makes white trim pop. So much better than the grandma pink walls and very dark wood trim that was in there before.

    Reply

  10. Heather says

    I was actually a little bummed yesterday when you posted you were painting. I really liked the pale blue walls. But I LOVE the darker gray walls. It looks beautiful.

    I spent my weekend painting our guestroom. I did it in “Antique Tin” from Behr. It’s realllllly dark. And I am so in love with it. Especially when all the furniture in the room is white, I bought pale lavendar bedding and painted the frame of a new mirror “champagne”.

    This is only picture I’ve taken so far. The trim needs a touch up and we have had a water issue due to a busted AC hose… so… new carpet. Yay! But oh well. At least the walls are done! =)

    http://snapwidget.com/view/?id=240796402249198656_17694186

    Reply

  12. Emma says

    Looks great! On a side note – I can’t WAIT to buy your book. Any deets on when it will be available(in the Fall!) for us fans to purchase?

    Reply

  13. Lauren says

    We just painted half the walls in our kitchen a deep midnight blue and the cabinets all white (everything used to be a sickly shade of yellow). So I hear ya on the contrasting colors making things pop! Yours looks awesome.

    Reply

  14. Deb says

    I was so sad when I saw you were planning to repaint your bedroom because I LOVED the color before. I hate to admit it, but I LOVE the new color even more!!!

    Reply

  15. Isabelle says

    Looks fantastic! One suggestion… the rolling would be much easier on John if he would use a poll. Not so much bending! It might not bother him much now, but as he ages it could save him a trip to the chiropractor. :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Great tip Isabelle! We have one of those that we use for ceilings! I’m not sure how John feels about it on the wall, maybe he’ll have to try it!
      xo,
      s

  16. Kathryn M. says

    I LOVE a good grey! Great update! We painted our entry + living area Eddie Bauer’s “Beach” and we are just crazy about it. I used the extra paint inside all of our closets, because as you guys found out, it really makes the white trim (or shelves in our case) stand out and look clean and fresh. We also painted our bedroom Sherwin William’s “Seaworthy,” which is a deep blue with a gray, almost chalky look to it. It makes a huge difference to have a dark, moody color in the bedroom.

    I noticed you guys didn’t prime before painting. Is there a reason why not? I’m new(ish) to your blog, so I didn’t know if there was an anti-primer stance you have that I’m unaware of.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, we don’t prime unless we’re going really dark (ex: as dark as the guest room) or really light on top of something dark. Basically if it’s a tonal change that’s only a few shades darker or lighter we don’t prime since paint today has such great coverage. We did this in one coat without primer, so that’s pretty awesome!

      xo,
      s

  17. Sugar Cookie says

    I really love this Rockport Gray color, but can’t decide how it would look in my bedroom since we have dark brown/espresso trim instead of white. You say that it has a gray/mocha look, which could be pretty with the espresso, or maybe just make the room too dark (though we have light, sand-colored carpet). Hmm, thoughts?

    Reply

  19. tracy says

    I love how it looks so much more cozy in there! Even though I love, love, love our house colors, I am very jealous of your wall color and I often contemplate just picking up a roller and painting our entire house in alternating lighter and deeper grayish tones (we have lots of creams, greens, and blues up in this heezy). My all-time favorite wall color, though, is La Fonda Fiesta Blue. Not only does it remind me of Napoleon Dynamite (and make me giggle like a teenage boy), but it looks pretty fine all up in our home office.

    Reply

  20. Julia says

    Love this color! Totally makes the headboard pop! And I love what it is doing for the artwork that you have hung over the dresser/nightstand in the nook.

    I *almost* spit coffee all over my monitor when I read your 3rd paragraph quickly and thought it said, “It’s such a *mating* color.” Oooh la la! ;)

    Reply

  22. carra says

    I love it! I have been considering changing the paint in my bedroom to a gray and I think this color looks pretty perfect for the task.

    Reply

  25. Jodi says

    I think the new color looks great! Perfect choice.

    I think you should consider darker curtains for the window by the bed though. With the deeper color on the walls my eye goes straight to the big white area. And while your window is nice and all, I don’t think you want it to be the star of your room. If you had curtains that were more similar to the wall, it would blend in more and you would notice things like your awesome headboard first.

    Just a thought, although I know you get a lot of opinions on all of your choices, haha!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, we’re definitely open to seeing how this room evolves! Over time all of our spaces tend to get tweaked a million times, so this is just where we are about a year and a half into living here! Far from done, that’s for sure!

      xo,
      s

  27. Sabrina says

    Love it! Love how it looks with the rug. I think it works a lot better. Sherry, you look gorgeous in that cutting in pic. I always look gross when I DIY anything lol

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, I was a total mess by the end, not to worry! In fact I had paint on my cheek, which is why I stood to the side and hid that cheek. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  30. Kelly says

    the new colour looks AMAZING! just wondering – i’m new around here and still catching up – have you posted in the past about how to cut in properly/easily? we are moving in two weeks and have a lot of painting to do!

    Reply

  33. Amandelin says

    I’m so incredibly impressed by how quickly you took this room from the semi, almost aimless way it was before, when you felt limited by bed placement, to this incredibly focused, polished, gorgeous room!

    And I love the new color. It’s spectacular.

    Reply

  34. Mimi says

    Beautiful! Gorgeous as always! I thought you mentioned you were going to stain the floors as well? I would have done it the same time I painted the walls to keep myself from lugging all that heavy furniture back and forth. Can’t wait to see it all come together though!

    Reply

  35. Casey says

    Looks SO good. I adore Flagstone by Martha Stewart (3 year old’s room and bathroom) and Marine Magic by Behr (family room with white wainscotting). How good a color looks with white trim is totally a huge factor in how much I love it—so I really get that!

    Reply

  36. Kelly says

    Is that still the Ikea duvet cover? I’m in the market for something that isn’t hundreds of dollars that’s decent. How is it holding up?

    Reply

  37. Kathy says

    Wow, the bedroom looks fantastic! I liked it before you started tweaking, but now it looks so pulled together. The new rug, the bed makeover, now the new wall color…job well done.

    Reply

    • Amanda says

      If you can’t find a short angled brush, I use an angled brush but just hold it at the base (basically on the metal part where the bristles are kept in place). It seems to do the trick, and like Sherry says, you get a lot of control.

  40. Kara W says

    We just painted our bedroom the same color and Love it!!! I’m still working on the headboard and some wall stuff, but even without it finished I just want to sit and stare at it!

    Reply

  42. Eve says

    The grey is great! I loved the timelapse vid too – you guys are adorable, and I only wish taping ever went that quick IRL. My husband & I divvy up the painting responsibilities the same way – I’m the brush master & he’s the roller.

    We recently went from 9 years of lots of saturated color (most recently a plum kitchen, teal living room and tangerine bedroom, but our house and previous apartment have been just about every color of ROYGBIV) to all white rooms, except our deep olive-y grey bathroom (which still has a ton of white between the tile/tub/sink/cabinet) and the kids’ rooms. It’s a crazy change, because I never thought I’d have white walls, and it’s taken some working around (because I still crave a lot of color but have to figure out how else I’m going to incorporate it). But I love it. It’s really refreshing and liberating. It’s been about four months and I haven’t gotten the urge to repaint, so it may be the start of a new era.

    Reply

    • Paloma R says

      So random, but you wouldn’t happen to be the person from the saucydwelling livejournal community with the huge Michael Jackson painting in your house? (your avatar looks similar)

      If you are, I cannot believe you have white walls now! That house was amazing!

      If you are not, you have an internet twin!

    • Eve says

      Paloma – that’s me! :) The painting was a mod of an Angelina Jolie photo (but you’re not the 1st to think it was MJ, ha!). I ended up dismantling it and shipping it off to a friend, and it’s been replaced. And yeah, white walls – but now we have a grellow sofa and teal/purple drapes and a purple shag rug with a forest mural so… there’s still color. Eventually I’ll post pics on SD again!

  44. Anita says

    I love it! We just painted our bedroom Abalone (my husband likes to pronounce it ‘ah-baloney’) using Benjamin Moore Regal paint. We just did one coat but despite my best efforts to follow the technique of painting Ws and then filling in with the roller, I’m now noticing small areas where some of the white paint peeks through :-( Def wish we had done a second coat, but I’m still happy with the results.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, Abalone = hilarious. So sorry about those second coat issues. We generally like to bring in lights and plug them in to be sure we’re not missing anything and even if it doesn’t need a full second coat we’ll do touch ups in certain areas like anywhere we see a little uneven-ness. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  45. Elizabeth says

    LOVE it! Wow it makes the room look very cozy! It’s dramatic, but without being too bold (if that makes any sense)!

    Reply

  47. Misty says

    You know I usually enjoy everything you guys do…And I LOVE me a grey room…I have 3 rooms with grey in them myself..But not loving the change :-( I thought the blue in that room was a perfect bridge between ALL the other grey rooms and the blues used in the other rooms. It doesn’t look bad, just not the direction I would have gone. I just feel like even with all the “pops” of color…your home is becoming basically grey :-(

    P.S. Please don’t throw things at me!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh Misty, no worries! We know paint is all personal preference! If you check out the bottom of this post we have listed wall colors in our house (many of which aren’t gray, like the grellow kitchen, grellow laundry room, and Clara’s pink bedroom along with a teal guest room and teal built-ins in the dining room). We also have photos of some of the rooms that do have light gray walls (like the office and living room) in yesterday’s post, which are full of color thanks to art, rugs, etc! We definitely love color and certainly don’t think our house is turning gray (it’s way more colorful in our minds than our first house) – but it’s one of those personal preference things for sure!

      xo,
      s

  48. Anna says

    It looks great! I just painted my office a dark gray (Behr dark ash), I kept the lower half white (below a chair rail). I love the way the dark color looks against the crown molding and the art on the wall really pops now too.

    Reply

  49. Shannon Summers says

    Oh my goodness, I love the color choice! You have finally shamed me into painting my own room. I painted my bedroom in my last place and swore never to paint again and hire painters in the future especially since I have 16 ft ceilings. However, money being in short supply I have lived in my house since February and no painters have been hired. Haha big surprise. Next weekend….it’s on. Also, I’m thinking light gray but I have a window sill nook that I’m contemplating painting a different color, I was thinking dark grey, purple, lavender, or even a bold red. Any thoughts? Thanks for the inspiration and the motivation!

    Shannon

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Ooh I think dark gray or purple/lavender would be so pretty with light gray. It’ll be layered and so pretty! I love that it’s on! Good luck Shannon!

      xo,
      s

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