Another picture.
The walkout windows face west, if that makes a difference...

My preference, since you asked, is to not use gray or brown in a basement as they make it feel colder and darker, like earth and stone. Instead I would look for something that says sky like blues and yellows.

If that's not your thing though, then definitely go lighter.

The toughest part of a paint job is the prep, so since that is already done, another coat should go on easily.

I wonder if when you have the white ceiling and white baseboards it will give you a nice contrast. You could also determine the darkest wall(s) in the room to paint lighter, without repainting the whole room. If you use dark colored carpet it may make the room look darker, and it shows dust easily. A tweedy or two toned carpet can hide more dirt than dark. Just some ideas, don't know all your plans for the space. What kind of lighting will you have? Fabric color? If you REALLY hate it, I agree, repaint now.

I've always liked the Beach Glass color. What sort of lighting have you planned for the room?

I'm with voila, and would go with a mid-tone/two tone carpet since you're worried about kids and dogs. We had both and dark carpet in our last home and every little speck of lint jumped out at ya. I loved the look, and luckily I like to vacuum, but it's certainly something to think about.
As for the gray walls, I think they are very pretty and I'm not one that usually cares for gray.

Will you please post a photo of the bedroom in Healing Aloe?

If the windows are west facing, that means that room is drk most of the day, I assume?

I wouldn't go with anything on that strip, therefore. I agree with you about Beach Glass. I painted a swatch of it on my bedroom wall, but it was too dark and dreary looking, muddy looking. I went with one up, Quiet Moments, which I really liked (but just literally finished putting my furniture back in after repainting it SW Languid Blue!).

I think I'd consider a warm blue for your basement, like BM New York State of Mind or Lucent Blue, both gorgeous blues. Then put some gold accents in there, i.e.: pillows, picture frames, carpetingâ¦and wood. Blue and natural wood are gorgeous together.

I actually like the beach glass color, and I'm also not usually someone who likes gray. It really doesn't look gray to me from your photo. It has a green tone to it which is just enough for me.

I can understand that a photo is not the same as being in the room at different times of day and seeing how it changes. But, you do have to take into consideration that you have nothing in the room to offset the color. I'd say it depends a lot on what is going to be in the room. For instance, if you have white trim and cabinetry going in, I would love the contrast with those walls. And a lighter color wouldn't give you that much contrast. And what kind of fabric that is going in the room could brighten it up considerably as well as lighting.

I don't know how long you've been living with it, but I would give it a little more time if you have the time. I am rarely happy with a paint color right after I paint it. lol I am serious. I usually get pretty disappointed with whatever color I've chosen once it's on the walls. I can't remember if I've ever repainted. I usually like it more after I've lived with it awhile and after other items are added to the space.

But if you still dislike it after that, I wouldn't hesitate to change it. Just make sure you will like the lighter color with your white cabinets before you do. Or choose another entirely different color.

Thanks for your input everyone. Beach glass does have green tones to it. Depending on the light it also has blues in it. We've had the beach glass up for a few weeks now. There are some times of day when it is really nice. I just really noticed the difference today when I finished painting the room in healing aloe. Picture posted below. The beach glass is in the foreground. It is hard to see the color. It is a very small room (to be used as a toy room) and the window is under the deck, so the lighting is different than what we have in the main area.

Regarding the carpet... Yes, we are planning on something with variation in tones. I should of specified that originally. By "dark" I really meant "darker and more family-friendly than the white carpet in the rest of the house".

The cabinets in the bar area will be an off-white color. We will be using a lot of existing furniture once the space is usable, so I haven't made any furniture choices yet. When we get to that point I'll be back here for more input!

Edited to add that we will have recessed lights and table lamps.

This post was edited by amj0517 on Sun, May 4, 14 at 20:50

Another picture of healing aloe

Oops. I meant BM Lucerne, not Lucent.

If you don't like the Beach Glass now after you've lived with it for a few weeks, I say re-paint. I suggest you make poster paper size color boards of several paint colors, not just Healing Aloe, and live with them all in the big room for a few days before you decide on one.

I'd do it quiet moments.

Quiet Moments is not that far removed from Beach Glass and contains a lot of grayish.

When will you use this space most often? If you hang out in the basement during the day, then determine if you like it then. Most finished basements, though, are not primary living spaces. So be sure to assess whether you like this color or not when you and your family will use it the most.

If you find that you still do not care for the color, now is the time to repaint. You have almost no prepwork or trim at this point, both of which account for 75% of the labor in a finished space.

i would keep it as is...like the color and it's really not a very dark color. with lighting, cabinets, furniture, molding, ceilings and additional lighting, i think it will look nice!! i think the healing aloe might look too pastel for a main area/bar area of the house. add a couple of large light or bright pictures on the wall to help break up the color if it really bothers you later.

Most of my house is painted with Quiet Moments, but I had it mixed at 50% intensity, because I wanted to avoid any 'heavy' feeling as well.

I love it, and as has been mentioned it's really a delicious combination of green/blue at least in my home. OTOH, my situation is about as opposite from a basement in Michigan as you can get--I live in the subtropics, in an older house with huge windows everywhere. However, the color really is pretty and as another person pointed out, white trim really contrasts beautifully with it.

Good luck!

Problem with Beach Glass - as one who tried it out - is, to me, it looks like a color you'd find in a government building, and it does in her pic, too, IMO.

In a room with windows on only one side, meaning a predominantly dark room needing artificial light, and presumably a room which will be used for fun - versus a bedroom, where Quiet Moments might be a good choice because it's so calming, I'd abandon green altogether, or any gray-based color, and go for a warm-undertones gold or blue. They'll create a feeling of coziness and warmth and luxury.

None of the colors look like the strips In The paint store, that is partly the monitor and partly your light and shadow pattern in the room. That said, I think the color is fairly dark even during the day and would go lighter. However, it is NOT true that the colors on one paint strip represent lighter versions of the darkest color. That is simply not the case, they are all different colors.

I would wait.....white trim and ceiling and lamps/lights will make a big difference. I like the grey you have chosen.

However, it is NOT true that the colors on one paint strip represent lighter versions of the darkest color. That is simply not the case, they are all different colors.

Exactly correct for all the colors from the Classic Colors Collection. Ben Moore's Preview deck is a let-down color collection meaning one hue, seven mathematically adjusted colors all ending with a dash. e.g. -10, -20, -30, -40, -50, -60, -70.

Painters remorse...........haven't we all been there?
Anytime I have ever not liked a paint color right out of the starting gate.........I did not change my mind.
Its easier to repaint without baseboards etc .
I let my DH talk me into giving it a chance for my LR once and ended up having to take down ....pictures....draperies.. remove furniture and so on to repaint.

If you aren't smiling when you look at it and your not saying , "be still my heart".......change it.
My 2c worth ): Good luck

I personally love it. However, if you do not then I would go with healing aloe. You have to live in that room and you do not want to always wish you had painted it lighter. Have you looked at it with some mock up white around it to see how that would look?

I would use the healing aloe on various walls (sample squares) to see if that is what you want before painting the entire room.

A little drama in the basement isn't a bad thing. You'll have the white ceiling, maybe a medium tone floor, and if you keep the furniture to the medium and light tones and break up the wall with some colorful art, I think the Beach Glass could be quite nice.

I think the white ceiling and cabinets will make a big difference. Id be afraid healing aloe might seem washed out and not have enough contrast.

Thank you for your thoughts! And Beverly, the mockup is just what I needed! I think I dislike the idea of repainting more than I dislike the color. Is that a rational reason for not changing the color ;)?

I've never "hated" the color. It's only paint right? If we "hate" it after we are finished we can repaint then.

The lightest swatch will just look like white pretty much, once it's up. I think your paint will look just fine after it's finished and decorated. I doubt any color would look very good in it's present condition.