As much as I love this Gray Owl everywhere, it is not the right vibe for the dining room. I am not going down the 50 sample pots of gray road to find the right purple. I have it narrowed down to two. If you have a fandeck, please play along and give me your opinions.

I have 2 sample boards up in there. One is BM Dark Purple, and the other is BM Black Raspberry. I don't fear it being too dark, last dining room was dark chocolate brown.

I have seen the Dark Purple used in a dining room while on a kitchen tour. Was so impressed with it I wrote a letter (snail mail) to the homeowner asking for info on the color. She said she received a lot of questions about the dining room color, more questions than the kitchen I think.

The Black Raspberry is a color I was not considering but I read it as a recommendation from a designer in House Beautiful.

I am not matching anything. I don't have rug in there yet. I have decided I'm not doing a rug that is eye catching--nothing can compete with that one in the living room. I'm thinking subtle white/ivory rug. The trim is going to stay white. The high part of the ceiling inside the tray will stay Gray Owl, as well as the horizontal part of the lower ceiling. (Although I did toy with the idea of doing the trim in there in a gray...but no, not doing that, at least not now.

The Dark Purple seems a little more towards the magenta, the black raspberry has more black in it. The BR is closer to those purple pillows that I had in the living room at the last house (remember the pillows with the ruffles that imitated the flowers in the prints in the wasabi room?). Am I using those pillows anywhere in the room? No. The flowered pictures? Not sure, but thinking "no" and instead using them across the hall in the study to bring some purple over there...

Both look the same at night, if that helps.

I'm going to try and take some pictures to show you the difference. I know, it's my decision. I will be doing some sort of gray/silver/platinum curtains.

So, if you have any feedback, I"d appreciate hearing it. I guess I just don't want it to look like a crazy person purple.

The dining room, (ignore the pillows, they are in there to give me an idea if we wanted to do purple on the walls)

Sidenote, that is the same mirror I had in last house, but in last dining room that was chocolate brown the room had brass, the mirror was gold and cream. Thanks to a paint pen with silver, the mirror works in this room! So happy. I'm all for mixing metals, but that gold/cream looked terrible with the white and chrome in here.....anyway....

Yes, I didn't tell you which is which. So, vote on either "rectangular" or "square"

I assume the rectangle is the Black Raspberry. At least in these pix, and a few others I looked at on line, it reads with a much more pink undertone than the BM Dark Purple. Nothing wrong with that, but the pink may come through more when the whole room is done that way.

If I wanted a truer purple vibe, I would go with the square.

Maybe I should reveal which is which......The rectangle is Dark Purple, the square is Black Raspberry.

The square has more vibrancy and more purple coming through. If you want the purple-ness of the color to be the star, go with that. If you just want a *hint* of purple, and are going more for the drama of a deep hue, then I'd choose the rectangle. It reminds me of a plum!

Both are pretty colors, imo!

Also, with so much white trim, I wonder whether your room will have the vibe you want, or whether the end result will read as crisp or perhaps dramatic, but without mystery.

Does that make any sense?

but, i would have to agree with lynxe that with all the white trim and your furniture, you'll have alot of contrast but i'm not sure if you'll really get a intimate or mysterious vibe...

I know there are some wonderful dark dark purples out there that read more ...is that black ? There were a couple threads in the past that had pics and I believe there were some Google images that showed purple DRs. I know you can find a better color...I wish I could find a place for purple...I have the 2 pillows that you have..love love them and just got dark purple beeswax candles in Lexington while I was up there...perfect. c

BUT -- how do these colors look at night with the lights on? Like when you have guests over for dinner, chandelier ablaze... To get that atmospheric feeling, you might have to install various kinds of lighting.

I know you said you don't want a bunch of samples and I don't know how available this brand is, but I think this color looks more like your description of what you want than either of the samples

Donald Kaufman Color: DKC-66

We do have lighting inside the tray that gives the ceiling a nice glow.

Also, there are no curtains at all on the windows now, so the daylight will be toned down a bit, plus this is an Eastern facing room.

And since I'll be doing a matte finish, do you think they will be toned down to a deeper, richer color? Right now the samples are eggshell so they have a bit more light reflecting.

When I was at the hopeless BM dealer that I have here, I looked at the Color Stories deck, Velvet Cloak was interesting. Maybe I'll call around and see if I can find another BM dealer that has the Color Stories colors on paint chips. Going to a True Value for BM paint has its downfalls, and this is one of them. The man who is mixing the paint would rather be selling me nuts and bolts. I asked about the Color Stories chips and he just gave me "the stare"...you know the one..."what planet are your from lady?" But I'm limited in choices for dealers.

He was just featured in Elle Decor.

Maybe if I can get that chip and have it matched.

OMG, it's just a dark purple. This is not supposed to be a hard color. I will not let it control me...I won't. I'm stronger than this. (repeat)

Sunny, I have looked at Vintage Charm. It's not right for me. But thanks, the pictures that show it are great. I did sample it in the old house and didn't really like it.

None of the local BM stores have the paint chips for the Color Stories line. Not sure what is up with that.

I was just looking at a color stories deck at my local BM Sunday. I plan to buy it the next time I'm writing a check for paint (soon!). The neat thing about it is the swatches are painted on, rather than copied! No color uses black or gray in the mix, and each color is comprised of 5-7 pigments rather than the usual 3! Isn't that interesting?

I still think you may have found your color with Dark Purple, but it is so fun to explore the options. I'm a paint-a-holic, so I love to check out swatches, Even if I'm not looking for a paint color for a project! Sick!

BM, if I recall, has a deep eggplant-y/plum color in the Affinity line (or Aura?) that looks beautiful (on the chip, at least). I haven't used that line of paint, but I recall somebody here mentioning it in a post that asked about a color called Weimaraner (yummy, too). This is the line in which everything somehow pairs with each other effortlessly. (Like Garanimals? LOL!)

I love the color purple -- more than a few purple tops in my closet. But if you go even one or two shades too light, it can be kind of cloying, syrupy, little girl or something just feels off about it (I've shipped back more than a few pieces of purple clothing where the shade was just "off" slightly). The color on the square is just that much "off" that my stomach casts a no vote for that (esp for a place where you'll be eating).

You def want that shade that's mysterious!

By the way, our BM store does have the color stories paint chips, but you have to pay for them! In Color Stories, both Velvet Cloak and especially Plum Martini look like they could be interesting. The latter looks especially dramatic and mysterious.

I mean Velvet Cloak, and Plum Martini? Both conjure up images of deep mysterious evenings.... This is why Kaufman doesn't use names. "People see color differently because of names", he said. I like a color with a name. For $115 a gallon, I want a name. And that Aerin Lauder's dining room...gorgeous.

I do like caponata, it was on the short list but it seems too brown to me.

I'm going back to True Value tonight. I got the first two samples free as a Welcome to the 'hood promotion. So, I haven't really bought any samples yet.

I need to check out the Plum Martini and the Velvet Cloak. "she walked into the room, tossed her velvet cloak on the floor and ordered a plum martini.... and then she winked at the purple men across the room"

I am usually very boring in color selection and go with a complete neutrals. I don't know the color of purple used in this dining room. It is gorgeous! I love that the ceiling color is a darker grey it looks like. Nice contrast with the white trim in the room.

oly, that is the color one darker than the black raspberry. In fact, currently the fan deck is lying on its side in front of the black raspberry with my eye on it. I think tonight when I go back to the store, I'll compare it to the Velvet Cloak and Plum Martini. I like that picture. I was afraid when looking at the fan deck that it might just look black. But that room's color is gorgeous.

Wouldn't you just love to have a job dreaming up names for paint colors?

Yes, that last photo with the Dark Basalt is beautiful.

The other color is pretty, but I think it might be too close to a dark reddish brown once the paint is up on the four walls, and I don't really care for it with silver tones, either.

Can you find the Ralph Lauren colors locally? His line has some really rich colors. Problem is, few people online like his paint. A good store will paint match them. I found my son the perfect RL deep red put into a Miller Paint.

I mean would I do the same wall color but in a semi-gloss?

Or would I do a rich gray?

Or a light gray?

And if so, what do I do with the door jams? Do they belong to the dining room or to the foyer and the back area near the butler's pantry?

I always feel as though I'm opening up a can of worms when starting to paint the woodwork a different color. I suppose we can try it w/o painting it first and then decide, right?

I'll check my HD to see if they have Ralph Lauren paints

Your hunt for the perfect purple reminds me of my use-to-be favorite lipstick. Merle Norman Eggplant. They quit making it, and there is not another color out ther ANYWHERE that is the same....too brown, too black, too purple, too pink, too goth ....... We've tried them all! My DD and I both loved it and in all her high school and college pictures she wore Eggplant. She was (is) beautiful in Eggplant.

I feel your pain.

So, I guess this is telling me I can go darker, because if they get very dark at night, and the goal is to have it still give off its mysterious vibe during the day, then I should go bravely into the world of dark basalt, velvet cloaks and have a few plum martinis.

Plum-tini

Ingredients
2 cups shaved ice
2 cups vodka
1 cup plum wine
Frozen raspberries, for garnish
Directions
Fill a pitcher with shaved ice. Add the vodka and plum wine and stir well. Strain into martini glasses. Garnish with a handful of frozen raspberries in each glass. Serve immediately.

I also have an older SW fan deck, and there is color 6265, Quixotic Plum, that seems interesting.

My son, after kidding me for shopping for an online friend, also got into the act and found Eleanor Ann 1229, 3-17-5, but this is a Miller Paint, not Devine and I don't think they are sold elsewhere besides the Pacific Northwest.

I would say Gosling would be my favorite of the three for you. If you really like it and it's hard to get to Devine store for you, email me and I can mail you a sample pouch of paint. It might be a couple of days.

The Gosling is under Flora Fauna, collection 2.

HTH

But....I went to the store tonight to get some samples. I ruled out Plum Martini. It looked almost black. It was ruled out on the spot. Between the dark basalt and the velvet cloak, we liked velvet cloak more, you could see the purple in it.

But...Color Stories cannot be mixed in a sample pot because it has to go into an Aura base and they don't have the formula for a pint, Aura doesn't have a pint. So, what to do? Pay $25.99 for a quart of paint or $60 for a gallon?

What did I do?

I'm painting the walls Velvet Cloak tomorrow.

: )

Thank you all for all the feedback and suggestions.

First, Bee I love your kitchen. It blows me away. And I've enjoyed your posts as I've lurked here and on kitchens over the past few months.

I have a purple DR - BM Eggplant. It wasn't easy to narrow it down, and it still isn't done, but I LOVE it. It's rich and dramatic, warm and intriguing, perhaps even mysterious, especially at night. I think you'll be very happy you went dark.

I'd like to echo Tuesday and say, leave the woodwork alone for now. The contrast of white wainscoting with the deep, rich upper walls is stunning. Live with the purple a while, decorate for it, THEN decide if you want to pull some of your greys into the room. Decorating a purple DR, BTW, is it's own challenge! Good luck. I can't wait to see your next batch of pictures!

First, Bee I love your kitchen. It blows me away. And I've enjoyed your posts as I've lurked here and on kitchens over the past few months.

I have a purple DR - BM Eggplant. It wasn't easy to narrow it down, and it still isn't done, but I LOVE it. It's rich and dramatic, warm and intriguing, perhaps even mysterious, especially at night. I think you'll be very happy you went dark.

I'd like to echo Tuesday and say, leave the woodwork alone for now. The contrast of white wainscoting with the deep, rich upper walls is stunning. Live with the purple a while, decorate for it, THEN decide if you want to pull some of your greys into the room. Decorating a purple DR, BTW, is it's own challenge! Good luck. I can't wait to see your next batch of pictures!

I've got the cutting in done. Now I need to wait awhile until it is good and set.

I think it's "mysterious" because it looks BLACK!! but when you get up near it you can tell it's not.

And it is one of those really scary "what was I thinking" colors when you open the can. It looks like Welch's grape juice in the can. Goes on like grape juice and then because it's an Aura paint it dries in a matter of minutes and it is dark!

graywings, I almost drove an hour out of my way once to go get a sample of that purple from FPE. I love that picture. But I realized I don't want it to read "purple" room, I want it darker.

Watching paint dry. B O R I N G

zzzzz

But, the color is exactly what I wanted!

Here is a sneak peak, but be warned...it looks ....black! I will try in the am to get it with the morning light hitting it.

I've cleaned up for today. Any more coats will happen tomorrow.

But can anyone tell me what the lines (streaks) are from? Is it from the paint building up along the edges of the roller? Or am I pressing too hard? I tried to use a very light touch.

Oh well.

thanks for the compliments.

We are thinking, with the mirror, and the window treatments the one wall that you can see the streaks on (much better but still visible after coat 2, or should I say cloak 2, lol) will not be as bad. But tomorrow morning will be the test.

and natesgram, we did go out to dinner. : )

graywings, it looks brown IRL when you glance at it!