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A Soft Neutral Paint Color For The Nursery

Goin’ to the chapel and we’re…. gonna have a bay-yay-yay-by.

Ok, so that’s not how the song goes, but it is the paint color that we chose for the walls of the nursery (which is pretty sweet considering the name of the paint that we used in Clara’s nursery in our last house was Proposal). Honestly, color names don’t sway us. We’re pragmatic pick-our-favorite-swatch-not-our-favorite-name folks. But it’s always nice when they’re not something ominous. You know, like Sleepless Nights or Zombie Spawn.

Paint Top

Back when we shared our plans for the room with this makeshift mood board of sorts, a few commenters asked if we were going to paint the walls that bold green tone. We explained that we were planning to use that more for accents around the room (like a bold green closet door, a chair cushion, some art, and maybe a crib skirt) and were leaning towards a soft neutral color for the walls. Just so we can layer a bunch of colors and patterns on top of that as the little guy grows, according to his preferences – like we’ve done in Clara’s room.

Nursery Ideas

We’ve really appreciated that Clara’s walls are a completely goes-with-anything tone, so that as she grows we can switch things up without clearing and painting the entire room, but it’s still far from colorless or devoid of personality.

Fun Wall Corner Clara

But “something neutral on the walls” can still mean a whole lot of things. White? Light gray? Soft tan? Even a muted tawny-green or blue-gray can qualify. So we considered a few color pairings like…

  • a moody deep-ish gray ceiling, white built-ins, a colorful closet door, and light gray walls
  • a bright white ceiling, moody built-ins, a colorful closet door, and soft taupe walls
  • a colorful ceiling, white built-ins, a white closet door, and soft tan walls

And the winning combo was… #2. We just really liked the idea of some mushroom-toned built-ins (with a stained wood top for a little bit of added interest). Like this photoshopped rendering from last week…

Fjell Photoshop

… along with a bold green closet door.

So we just held up a bunch of swatches and considered things like the rug, the built-in colors we liked best, and some possible bold greens for the closet door. In the end it was between some more gray-based tones (on that bottom swatch) and some more mushroom-ish tones (on the top one). See how the darkest color of that top swatch is brown while the other swatch is closer to charcoal gray? We decided we liked the ones with brown undertones a little better than the cooler gray ones, so that’s how we chose Going To The Chapel for the walls, and then slid three tones deeper for our built-in color (Senora Gray). We opted to go with plain white for the ceiling (Simply White in a flat finish) just to tie into the white trim (since the built-ins won’t be going white) and for some nice contrast.

Paint Picks

As for getting it done, we just removed the rug, and pushed everything else into the middle of the room.

Nursery

We covered it with a dropcloth when we tackled the ceiling – and we ended up going with two coats, just to be sure we had good coverage. As usual, John rolled and I cut in around the edges – although I didn’t have to be perfect since we’re going to add chunky crown around the room, so that corner where the wall meets the ceiling will be covered.

Then it was onto the walls, which also took two coats. It’s harder to pick up in photos than in person, but the whole room had an obvious yellow tint before. You can see the difference most when you look at the areas that I cut in vs. the walls around them. This is before the paint was dry, so the difference got more obvious a little later, but I didn’t get a picture of that since we had already covered most of the walls by the time they started drying.

Painting During

But speaking of comparisons, here’s the room “before” (let’s go way back into the mauve trim days, shall we?):

Nursery Before

And here it is now (thanks to ripping up the old carpet, spraying the trim and doors white, laying some hardwood floors, and freshening up the walls and ceiling).

Painting Done

It’s hard to tell in photos just how different it feels in there! But just the fact that those door overspray marks are finally gone (you can see them in the first picture of everything pushed into the middle of the room) is music to our ears – er, eyes. If only they weren’t still in the guest room…

And here’s the room with some other elements that we’re hoping to work in later.

Playing 1

That’s our bike art (which will be hung somewhere else, since the shelves of the built-in will go there) and the slice of green on the mattress is just a long cotton dress of mine that I shoved in there. I’m a weirdo, I just wanted to see what a green sheet might look like. Of course the built-ins will be painted our mushroomy-brown-gray color and those bare walls above the crib won’t be bare when we really get things going. And that slice of old paint around the ceiling will be covered with chunky crown molding. Details, details.

We also brought up our armchair from the corner of the office when we realized that it would be great for the nursery – and once we redo the office there most likely won’t be room for a big plush armchair anyway. It’s still looking crazy stark in here, but it’s better than that pink-trimmed before – so we’ll take it!

Playing 2

Here’s our to-do list with around 11 weeks before this baby’s here:

  • clean out the room
  • get a rug (more on those two here)
  • research & buy dressers or cabinet bases to create built-ins along the crib wall (more on that here)
  • paint the walls and ceiling
  • find an armchair for all that late night nursing
  • build-in and paint/stain the dressers we bought last week
  • add chunky crown molding around the room
  • address the window (bamboo blinds + blackout curtains?)
  • paint the closet door a fun color (bold green?) and redo the inside for tiny clothes (add a second hanging bar, cubby storage, etc)
  • add sconces to the sides of the built-ins
  • create some sort of slatted or trimmed out wall between the built-ins for interest?
  • get the ceiling wired for an overhead light fixture (none of the upstairs bedrooms have them)
  • bring in a dresser/changing table (we’re 80% sure we’ll use the wooden hand-me-down from John’s dad that’s currently in our closet)
  • build custom shelves (since John did this for Clara, he’d like for this to be a tradition)
  • make a woodsy little cuckoo clock (since I made one for Clara, I’d like to make a charming little rustic one for the bun as well)
  • DIY a mobile
  • make/hang art (at least one or two prints will have a sea-faring reference, thanks to Clara’s baby boy nickname of “The Barnacle”)
  • figure out bedding (make a crib skirt, etc)

Is anyone else painting walls or ceilings? Or planning to paint some cabinetry or built-ins in a non-white color? I gotta tell ya, it’s more thrilling than it should be. #yolo

Comments

  2. Kate says

    Another color to add to my YHL awesome color list! I swear ya’ll are like color savants. I just painted my master bedroom Black Pepper and I love it! Anytime I need a color, I just come here!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s so funny, I was just lying in bed last night and thinking “this is the best color – how did we get so lucky?!” – Black Pepper for the win!

      xo
      s

  3. Keeley @ My Life on a Plate says

    11 weeks until the baby’s due?! Oh my goodness!

    I love what you’re doing with this room. We’re still working on our 18 month-old son’s room (we moved when he was 10 months old) and I love seeing what you’re doing here. I agree with keeping the walls neutral-ish so the room can easily change as your little one grows. We’re planning to keep his nursery neutral so we can easily move him on to a big boy room if another baby enters the picture in the future.

    Reply

  5. Jennifer says

    I am absolutely in love with your plans(and progress so far)for this room!

    I have a question about painting ceilings… When you re-paint a color that is so close to the current color, how do you know you have covered every spot? I have tried to re-paint our white ceilings, and maybe it’s the angle, but I cannot see where I have painted and where I haven’t, and it ends up splotchy.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’ve found that the best method is to try to roll in long rows, back and forth. We try to overlap them so it’s sort of like you’re going over half of the previous row with the next row if that makes sense. Just working from left to right across the ceiling that way makes us feel like we have pretty good coverage, and a second coat (sometimes we’ll go in the opposite direction) helps to ensure it!

      xo
      s

  8. Jennifer I says

    I love it. I even like the way the unfinished wood of the dresser looks, I like the mix of wood tones with the bamboo and floors. I think you could save yourself some time and energy by leaving the built ins bare, just sealing them!! The Barnacle is likely to chip the paint, boys are a bit…rougher on things. Run their cars over stuff, scratching it, banging balls everywhere, climbing up those shelves… :)

    I remember anticipating the baby by doing the nursery, it is such a sweet time, and so nice to share via your blog with you! Enjoy.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks Jennifer! We definitely considered leaving them bare, but adding the shelves on top means using different wood, so they won’t match and would look odd unless they’re stained or painted. But we’re excited to go with mushroom since we’re so used to white for built-ins. The good news is that Clara loved smashing her heavy metal-wheeled trains into the white painted built-in desk cabinetry in our office when she was younger, but good primer + good paint made them nice a durable. Here’s hoping we have the same luck with these, but we’ll share the carnage if it all goes to heck. Haha!

      xo
      s

    • Jackie says

      Hey there,
      Wondering if you are planning to do a dark stain for the dresser top to match the floor? For some reason I wasn’t thinking about the color of wood until reading this comment above – the stained top is going to look awesome – I love this idea. Do you think that needs to match the floor or can you pick any kind of wood stain you like? Also, are you still thinking you’ll do a wood slat feature in between the built-ins? Were you planning on having that be white? A mood board for the nursery would be great to see. Like the stain samples, fabrics, paint colors, lighting, trim, windows, etc. Looks great so far!

      Congrats on getting the room painted!
      Best,
      Jackie

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks Jackie! We’d like the stain for the dresser top to go with with the floor (getting a perfect match will be rough, but something that blends, like the drawer to the crib) is the goal. As for the wall between the built-ins, we’re not sure what color or shape or style that will end up. It could just be a paint treatment like the raindrops on Clara’s wall. We’ll have to see where we end up, but we’ll keep you posted as we go for sure!

      xo
      s

  9. brittany says

    Hi! I was curious where you got the dressers? I tried to read comments, but didn’t see a name. I have family in the Richmond area. How will the “built-ins” look?

    Thanks!

    Reply

  11. Amber says

    When I was little, I totally thought the song said, “Going to the jack-o-lantern. Gonna get married.” Seriously, listen to it, it’s not too much of a stretch ;)
    The nursery is looking great! I love the colors!

    Reply

  13. Darcy says

    OMG! 11 weeks till we get to meet this sweet bun!! I kind of took a deep breath when I read that! It seems far off, but as we know time flies, so it will be here before we know it!! How are you feeling now? And, how are you feeling about your list of must-get-dones-before-baby’s-here? It seems like its going well!

    And of course, I love where this room is going — my 4yo LOVES green, so I am definitely going to take some inspiration when we re-do his room this year!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Darcy! I’m still having morning sickness (it sort of faded for a second and then came back with a vengeance) but I’m feeling him wiggle all the time and I just can’t be mad at him. Haha! We’re so happy to have removed ever last inch of wallpaper, but still have a lot of blue trim (in the office and the dining room) that we hoped to tackle before the baby comes. Not sure if we’ll make it, but at least we are going to have the nursery as ready as we can!

      xo
      s

  14. Katie says

    Those walls do look refreshingly better! I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, choosing a ceiling color that isn’t just white seems so bold and advanced to me. It looks fantastic.

    And funny you should ask, but I lit-ra-ly just painted my kitchen cabinets.

    Reply

  15. sara says

    I am completely swayed by the names! I have to make a very concentrated effort not to look at them when I am paint shopping. Silly, I know…

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, they can be seductive! I always read them and think “ooh, how pretty” but if I get home and the swatch looks wonky on the wall, I can’t tear it down fast enough.

      xo
      s

  17. Sarah says

    We were hit by the va tornado two weeks ago so we are replacing floors, roof, siding, the garage, and painting everything and that’s just the short list. Many of the upgrades we’re getting done were on our list and thanks to insurance we’re now getting it done at no cost to us but I’m having a baby in 8 weeks and I would rather be decorating a nursery than redoing my whole house!

    Reply

  19. Catherine says

    Love the room colors! And I love comparing where you all are and where we are in getting ready for baby (I’ve got about 13 weeks to go). I just finished painting the furniture for our baby girl and went with a purple for the hutch and a white dresser with yellow ombre drawers and love the pops of colors! The room is going to be a soft grey (Dolphin Fin by Behr) to help balance those 2 pieces out and I’m so excited to see it all start to come together. (You guys have really helped me to not be afraid of colored furniture and neutral walls, I love the look!)

    Reply

  20. Jenny F says

    LOVE the color scheme! And I adore the chair in there (I’m a sucker for interesting chairs).

    I have been painting our island. A little nerve-wracking because it’s a new island (we just renovated our entire kitchen), and I’m having my way with paint all over it. White shaker cabinets turned Behr Pier Gray. I’m loving it, however nervous the paint isn’t going to stick. So I’m letting it dry 6 weeks before anyone can touch (kidding…kinda).

    Reply

  22. Olivia (Lively Liv) says

    I was squinting to try and read the other gray names on your swatches…because I was looking at Ben’s gray choices this weekend too! My room also has a yellow tint that I’m DYING to paint over. I think I’m going with “Gull Wing Gray”.

    LOVING the pops of green. Can’t wait to see how the rest of the room comes together.
    -Liv

    Reply

  23. Melissa says

    I hope the bike prints end up on the wall behind the crib. They would love so awesome there! and maybe a “transportation” mobile with bikes, boats, ships, cars and tractors…..to bring together the bike and barnacle nuances. Either way, the room is looking great as all of your projects do. Congratulations! You guys are always such an inspiration.

    Reply

  24. Jacqueline says

    I am a rep for Horizons Blinds, and they make an awesome cordless bamboo blind. It was previously an upgrade but recently they made it a free option. You can call them for a rep near you.

    Reply

  25. Annie T says

    I love this! Your little guy is going to have such a great room!
    Have you guys had many instances of painting a room and hating the color? I’m always so picky about my paint colors. I’m wondering if having the larger color palette in my mind before painting gives you more flexibility with your wall color.
    This is making your baby more real for me, it must REALLY be doing it for you guys!
    xxx

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yeah, we repainted nearly every room in our first house twice and even repainted the bedroom and kitchen in our second house twice! Paint definitely gets us sometimes, but we just try to hold up swatches and even buy test pots beforehand if we’re not sure. And if it goes on the walls and we hate it, it’s not the end of the world (financially speaking, repainting is one of the less expensive updates on the list) so we try to remember the stakes aren’t crazy high – it’s not life or death, it’s just paint :)

      xo
      s

  28. Corynn F. says

    Just a heads-up I am back to NOT seeing your posts in my feed on facebook. I have done all I know to do…like the posts, I am following etc. I have to search for them everytime :(

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So sorry Corynn! We hear that FB has a mind of it’s own with that stuff, so unfortunately other than sharing each post on our YHL page (which we do within an hour of it going live) we can’t make Facebook put it in everyone’s feed. And we hear it’s favoring fan pages less and less, which makes us sad (so lots of people might be missing them). We did hear that if you interact with a page more (ex: if you like our posts or comment on them on our FB page) Facebook is more likely to show you future ones in your feed since it sees you as an interactive follower, so that might be worth a try. Hope it helps!

      xo
      s

  29. Stephanie says

    I love the green! Do mind telling me where that green pillow is from? I’ve been searching for over a year trying to find green pillows! It’s such a pretty shade but I haven’t had much luck finding it. :(

    Reply

    • hjc says

      Hilarious! Is it wrong that I spent a minute thinking about what these colors would be? Rabbit droppings would be a greenish brown, of course, and maniacal clown is a garish red hue in my head. Morning breath could go green or purply grey, and steely goblin stare would be a very cold silvery grey. Wouldn’t you feel so strange telling people you painted your walls morning breath?

  35. Melissa P says

    Ya’ll are awesome! I have to say that I am stressed out for you just by looking at the to-do list! Ya’ll always pull off your projects “in time” and in stride but man oh man 11 weeks doesn’t seem like enough time. I’m soo looking forward to reading more nursery update posts.

    Reply

  36. Eilene says

    I had this color in my head and I think you nailed it. At least it looks that way on my computer. I’m definitely looking into it! The room is so fresh and happy. Your little man is going to love it! Congrats!

    Reply

  40. Rebecca says

    We’re painting hallway trim today. I always dread cleaning my paint brushes at the end of a project. I’ve been known to toss them to avoid it altogether but that gets expensive. Do you have any tips to make the job easier?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      If you use water-based paint it’s not usually too bad. I literally just run ours under water for a while and squish it against the sink until the water runs clear, then dry it out with a paper towel and lay it flat to dry on a second paper towel. For oil-based stuff I use mineral spirits but we haven’t done that in a while, so water-based (especially no-VOC) is a lot easier!

      xo
      s

  41. Laura in Mississippi says

    Sherry,
    I don’t know what your relationship is like with Oh Brother! these days, but I just made some black-out curtains for our guest room and it was surprisingly easy! There are tons of tutorials out there, but email me if you want some more info. I am a VERY ‘beginner’ seamstress, and if I could do it, you totally could! The room is looking great, I am obsessed witht he green + grayish combo, looks awesome!
    xoxo
    Laura

    Reply

  42. Sharon S says

    I love the color. I chose Early Morning Mist (one down on your strip) for my living room, kitchen, and hall. I think it’s a great greige color without any strange undertones. Looking forward to seeing how it all comes together!

    Reply

  43. Tara says

    I was at HD and asked about low VOC paints because I’m due March 3rd and needed to paint a few things. The paint person said a lot of paints are low VOC, but adding the tint is what causes increased VOC issues. Is this true of BM paints too or is the paint with tinting low VOC?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It’s actually not true of all Lowe’s paints! Their Olympic Premium line has zero VOCs in the colorants as well, so we love that for extra pure paint (Mythic is like that too). Benjamin Moore’s Natura and Ultra-Spec are also supposed to be no-VOC even with colorants, although I hear that some super saturated colors might have a few that have to be added to get the right color.

      xo
      s

  44. sarolabelle says

    I don’t know how you do it. We also painted our nursery this weekend too. It was the first time we painted any room ever and we had drop cloths and yet still managed to get it all over the floor (the paint bled through the canvas cloth) and then my husband dropped about an entire cup of paint all over the wood floors that wasn’t covered with the cloth at the time and we had to hurry and run to get that mess picked up. The whole time I was thinking “I can’t believe Sherry and John do this without drop cloths or tape.” Y’all truly must be destined to paint walls. Husband and I said we were never doing it again.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh no! I think it’s definitely one of those you-get-better-with-time things! In the early years we got paint everywhere, but after seven years of this stuff we slowly got a little better – thank goodness!

      xo
      s

  46. Susanna B. says

    You are still number 1 on my favorite blog reading list!!! My daughter and I spraypainted to old pink IKEA chairs in GOLD. It was so awesome to see the finished result. Her room is black, white and turquoise…and now a few gold accents like the chair. Spraypaint is just magic!

    Reply

  47. Beka says

    We painted my son’s room the same blue as Thomas the Tank Engine and the back of his bedroom door green like Percy the train. He was 2.5 when we moved into our house and he was soooo excited to have a room of his own. His first room was half of our office. We let him pick the colors. I love the green door and he loves showing it off to everyone that comes to visit. Your pops of green will look awesome in there. I love the idea of the green closet door. :)

    Reply

  48. Julia says

    Hi, I am curious what the grayer paint strip was you were considering in the photo (my screen is blurry and I can’t read the writing on the paint strips). Also, same question regarding the green paint strip shown in the photo.

    Thanks!

    Reply

  49. Catherine says

    Room is coming together! You are missing one item from your to do list: bring home baby! ;-D even though that’s ideally the LAST item on the list. Its still just as important.

    Reply

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