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ejorritsma

Please help me choose a nice blue paint for walls!

ejorritsma
16 years ago

Hello all, I am in need of some quick help! I desparately need to choose a paint color for my bathroom walls. The tile on the floor will be white hex, there will be wainscoting about 48" up the wall. The vanity will be an espresso stained cherry wood with a carrera top.

DH are thinking of using a pale blue-grey, but I know blues can be tricky in small rooms. Does anyone have a pic of a bathroom in such a color? Or know of a name of a color that might work well?

Thanks,

Emily

Comments (27)

  • sheellah
    16 years ago

    I know you were thinking blue, but I think a light, greyed, sage or celadon green would be stunning with that combo. The green will also work better with the espresso vanity. It's a classic combo, and very fresh and pretty. It thyink it looks nicer than the blue. For a brighter, more modern look, you can also pair a soft apple green with it.

  • ejorritsma
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Sheelah, I tend to agree with you and originally I wanted to do green, but our other bathroom is a nice celadon green, so DH is pushing for blue in this one

    Eleena, Shale looks like it might work. I may go to Lowes tomorrow and check out a sample in person.

    Keep those suggestions coming! You all are great!

    Emily

  • amainah
    16 years ago

    I just used Benjamin Moore #829 Sunrise - it might be more blue than you are looking for but could point you in a direction ... (I was going for periwinkle, and it took many trips to the paint store to find a color that didn't scream purple). I don't have any pictures to show, but here's a link to a photo of it from the BM website:

    http://www.benjaminmorepaints.com/wrapper_pg1artpom.asp?L=owner&K=pom&N=pom&art=1.2.1.1.49

    You might also try restoration hardware's "atmosphere blue" color (one of the colors I tried) as it definitely leans towards pale grey/blue.

    Good luck!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Benjamin Moore sunrise in room

  • elljays
    16 years ago

    I would go with the blue too, and I love that BM Sunrise! Light blue and dark brown is a classic combo.

  • ritamay91710
    16 years ago

    Behr has some nice blues. Take a look at Cool Blue, and Winter Lake.

  • eleena
    16 years ago

    I just remembered something...

    There may be decorating stores in your area who would come to your house and give you a free color consultation provided you buy the paint from them. Their paint is not (much) more expensive than from other paint stores (I do not mean 'big box' places though).

    They would normally suggest a couple of colors. You'd still need to get a sample and try it but (most likely) not sa many as you would otherwise.

    Good luck and let us know what you decide!

  • bklyn71
    16 years ago

    I just (as in last week) painted our small (tiny is more like it), subway-tiled-with-an-espress-stained-vanity-with-a-carrara-top bathroom in BM Nantucket Fog. I love it. It is blue-gray, but not exactly pale. The bathroom isn't finished and it's currently storing a lot of stuff, so I can't get a good picture for you. We tried out a few blues using those tiny BM samples. We painted the ceiling the same color -- the room was really too small to paint the ceiling a different color.

  • nolagirl
    16 years ago

    i was lookinging for a silvery green-blue-ish color and I found BM Pallidian Blue. I love it!

  • eleena
    16 years ago

    Nolagirl,

    When looking for silvery green-blue-ish color in BM line, have you noticed any silvery gray colors?

    That is what I need.

    Sorry, ejorritsma, for going OT, but I am sort of desperate.

    Thanks!

  • peaches89
    16 years ago

    I really like Restoration Hardware Silver Sage.

  • ejorritsma
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Wow! Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone! I checked out RH "Atmosphere Blue" today and DH and I both loved it, so we're going to go with that (the color anyway. The paint we well get at HD.) So it looks like amainah wins the "Paint my bathroom competition" :)

  • dogboysdad
    16 years ago

    We were going to use Resto Hardware's atmosphere blue but fell in love with silver sage. It didn't show any "blue" until it dried. So far we are very happy.

  • monicakm_gw
    16 years ago

    I too am looking for a nice pale blue for my bathroom. The RH Atmosphere Blue looks like a very light aqua blue on my screen. Is that a good description of the color? I've ordered paint chips but they're out of stock right now.
    Monica

  • mhollie
    16 years ago

    Do you by any chance have a picture of your wainscoting with your dark wood vanity? I ask b/c i am planning my bathroom and I can't picture how the wainscoting i want would go with the cherry wood vanity i like. I too was going to go with a carrera. I love your taste.

  • monicakm_gw
    16 years ago

    My bathroom is semi-similar to this palette. My vanity and wall cabinet will be stained a rich dark brown, my floors will be an ivory travertine or porcelain lookalike, the walls up to the chair rail will be the same as the floors. The chair rail will be made of ivory/chiaro travertine listello and a combination of blue/aqua/off white crushed glass tiles. I know I'm painting the ceiling a very pale blue but don't know whether to do the upper part of the walls light sand color or the same blue on the ceiling.
    I don't see where ejorritsma ,mentions what color she's painting the wainscoting. mhollie, what color are you painting yours?
    Monica

  • beth35
    16 years ago

    Monica, your bathroom sounds almost identical to what I'm planning. Espresso cabinets and travertine-look porcelain floors, shower, and wall up to the chair rail. I'm trying to decide whether to use an all travertine listello and paint the walls blue, or incorporate blue glass tile and paint the wall sand or blue. I'm a little concerned about the long-term commitment of using the blue glass tile. What glass tile are you using? It sounds really pretty. I'm looking at SW Breezy or Silvermist or BM Buxton blue from their Pottery Barn collection that I saw in a bathroom in the catalog. Have you chosen your blue ceiling paint? What are you using for your vanity top? I wanted travertine, but I keep running into problems (long story).

    Mhollie-I was actually thinking about the Pottery Barn catalog for you, too. I think they have the espresso/carrera/wainscoting combo in there.

    Ejorritsma, consider your thread completely hi-jacked! Maybe you're already finished with yours?! :)

  • mhollie
    16 years ago

    Monica.. i'm thinking either white or cream for the wainscoting. That's if we ever do this bathroom.. my husband and i have gone to lots of stores looking for items.. we are so frustrated... sometimes we are ready to call it quits.. lol.

    Your bathroom sounds really nice Monica.

  • zelmar
    16 years ago

    I love the combination of blue/gray with dark brown. We put BM mt rainier gray in our tv room. It looks great with the tall brown/black Ikea cabinet we have in there. The color looks more blue than gray in most lights but can also appear gray.

  • ejorritsma
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    We have the the RH Atmosphere Blue up on the walls and it looks great! The wainscoting is going in as I type.

    Monica, Atmosphere Blue is not at all turquoise. It is a blue-grey, but once on the walls, it leans more toward blue (in my bathroom anyway).

    Our vanity was stained last weekend, which DH & FIL built. It came out a little more "chocolate" in color, rather than espresso like I wanted, but it still looks great and only cost us about $275 for the materials. You gotta love handy family members!

    Emily

  • beth35
    16 years ago

    Emily-
    Do you know what brand/color stain you used? I found some that I thought I liked and did a sample, but my painters began the staining process on my cabinets yesterday and it looks horrible!!! I asked them to stop until I figure out what to do.
    Thanks!
    Beth

  • ejorritsma
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Beth - We used Olympic oil-based stain in Mocha Brown. Its a nice rich brown color on the cherry wood. Good luck with your cabinets!
    Emily

  • beth35
    16 years ago

    Thank you so much, Emily! That is the EXACT stain that I used. That confirms my fear that the problem is the wood itself. Not an easy fix, but I least I know. So I guess I'll be ripping out the cabinets if I can't think of a better solution. It really stinks because this is the one room in which I had a clear vision of what I wanted.
    Thanks again, that really helps.
    Beth

  • monicakm_gw
    16 years ago

    Beth, I'm sorry it took so long to reply. I'm using Westminster's Bel Sol "Sea Tones". It's the three colors in the center...light blue, light aqua and a "startlight" white color.

    The plan is to use these with a travertine listello. Westminster makes a listello where there's blank spaces for these glass tile inserts. I've always loved shades of blue so I'm not worried about committing to the color. I've about decided on a pale aqua blue for the ceiling and a sand color for above the chair rail. I've not picked out either paint colors yet. I'm doing Giallo Ornamental granite (think Santa Cecelia light only LIGHTER and creamier)on the vanity and using an Oceana glass sink in Crystal Reflections (the color). I hope it's as beautiful in reality as it is in my head (lol) Our color scheme sound identical :)

    mhollie, have you decided on a wainscoting color yet? I may be totally wrong (won't be the first time) but seems like you'd want to use the same color wainscoting as your vanity (since they'll be the same material)??
    Monica

  • beth35
    16 years ago

    Thanks, Monica! Those tiles are beautiful! In fact, everything you described sounds beautiful! I hope you will post pictures when you are done.

  • monicakm_gw
    16 years ago

    Beth, here is a picture of the listello Westminster offers for it's glass tile inserts. I'm not totally sure how I'm going to use the tiles yet (with our without the listello)

  • jejvtr
    16 years ago

    emily

    here's a pic of our Masterbath remodel w/blue paint
    Paint is Devine Reef

    good luck