Living areas paint color--BM Thunder or Smoke Embers?

9 years ago

In our new build, the living room/kitchen/dining/and family room all blend into each other, so they will all be one color. We will have a lot of natural light, with warm off-white cabinets, wood floors a walnut gray/brown (color to be determined still), not reddish though.

All the colors we've sampled so far seem too beige/tan/brown, especially at night, such as Himalayan Trek, Stone Harbor, and SW colors like Requisite Gray and functional Gray.

I want a true warm gray that still reads mostly grayish, but isn't too gray or cold and will go w/ creamy off-white (not too yellow, but not stark white). I like both Thunder and Smoke Embers. Smoke Embers seems a little warmer/a tad more brown, maybe, while Thunder is a rich gorgeous gray. San Antonio Gray is nice but seems darker.

I really like blues as an accent and in a few other rooms, either pale misty grays with a hint of blue, or darker, smoky gray-blues.

We wanted to paint the doors a rich brown-black, like SW Urbane Bronze, but if we go more gray, maybe a deep charcoal would work better. We will get new furnishings so I can adapt there. I just want it to still be warm and inviting and not clash w/ the cabinets or trim, which has a hint of warmth and is not stark white either.

Has anyone used either of these colors or have any advice on whether one or both of these would clash or read too cold? Thanks!

Featured Answer

Skyangel23
Original Author

9 years ago

Hi Tibbrix, thanks for the response. I do have the two grays on poster board w/poster putty up on the wall. I like them both but definitely tend to second guess myself and am unsure whether one or both would be too cool for warm cabinets.

In my lighting, Smoke Embers reads a little more beige, and Thunder is a bit more gray, but with a lot of depth. IT definitely draws the eye more than the other colors. I did color match to PPG paint though, so the colors might be a tad off from the true BM shades.

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Comments (12)

tibbrix
9 years ago
Smoke Embers is pretty gray, i.e.: cool. Thunder has more beige in it and will be warmer. I think Thunder is a beautiful color with a lot of depth to it.

SW Urban Bronze is gorgeous and would be stunning against Thunder, IMO. I just put the two in separate windows, side-by-side, and they make a gorgeous combination.

Best thing to do, though, is get samples and put swatches on the walls and live with them for a few days.
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Skyangel23
Original Author
9 years ago
Here is the closest to how Smoke Embers reads in our light:
Skyangel23
Original Author
9 years ago
This is how Thunder reads:
Skyangel23
Original Author
9 years ago
these will be our kitchen cabinets, a warm off-white, reads white unless you hold it next to something a true white.
tibbrix
9 years ago
Wow. Completely opposite the swatches show on the BM site!

Although I do think the Thunder "feels" warmer. They're both beautiful colors. I see your dilemma.
westleyandbuttercup
9 years ago
We have Thunder in most of the rooms on our main floor and have been very happy with it.
Skyangel23
Original Author
9 years ago
westleyandbuttercup, glad to know you like Thunder. Would you be willing to post a couple of pics?
scanmike
9 years ago
They are both beautiful colors, but had I been able to go grey in my home, I would have chosen Thunder. Not too dark and it has nice warmth to it.
indygo
9 years ago
No comment on the colors, but Skyangel your home is beautiful!!
westleyandbuttercup
9 years ago
I was hoping the sun would peek out today so I could take some newer photos, but no such luck. These are all from either before we moved in or right after.

Here's looking into the kitchen from the living room.

Here's the fireplace wall in the family room.

Here's a shot from the master bedroom.

Thunder with dark cabinetry in our master bath.
Skyangel23
Original Author
9 years ago
westleyandbuttercup, thank you so much for the pics! your home is beautiful, and the color is perfect.

Indygo-girl, those are just pics from the internet, not of my house sadly. I love the one with the stone fireplace... sigh.

We decided to do a custom color in between both Thunder and Smoke Embers, so a little more gray than Thunder, a little warmer/more brown undertone than Smoke Embers by itself. Hopefully it works out. :-)