Picking the Perfect Gray

It all started with a hunt for the perfect shade of gray for our master bedroom. I wanted a gray that was almost white, not too blue, not too purple, not too tan, and not too green. I knew that finding a color fitting that description might be tricky, but I followed the rules and brought lots of paint chips home before choosing two Sherwin Williams colors to buy as samples: Agreeable Gray and Incredible White.

Buying two samples was kind of a big commitment since they were $7 each and quart-sized! I was so excited to tape those samples up on the wall, but when I saw them in the room, my heart sank.

Two Gray Samples

Incredible White looked identical to our current creamy yellow wall color, and Agreeable Gray looked khaki, not like the barely-there gray I envisioned.

So it was off to the paint store again for a third sample, one I thought was lighter and more blue, SW Crushed Ice.

Three Gray Samples

Once I had the sample up, I knew Crushed Ice was still too tan.

By this point, I was totally frustrated that I couldn’t find the right color and that I’d spent $21 on paint I would never use. Luckily Stephen came up with the brilliant idea to use the sample quarts to paint over the bright teal walls in our guest bedroom. You remember this room, right?

Guest Room Before

I wasn’t sure I’d have enough paint to make it work, but I figured at the very least the colors were light enough to use as a primer coat. So I did the unthinkable and (gasp!) mixed all three samples together in an empty gallon paint bucket. On Sunday afternoon, I crossed my fingers and got to work.

Here’s a look at the room again before I started painting.

Guest Room Before1

Guest Room Before2

Would you even believe me if I told you that the 3/4 gallon was enough to paint the entire room and it dried into the most perfect gray? Seriously, I am in love with the color in this room.

Guest Room During1

We sold almost all of our guest bedroom furniture when we moved, so this is a look at our guest room setup over Memorial Day weekend. We’ll eventually get a real bed in here!

Guest Room During2

Happily, I was able to match the wall color to one of the other paint chips I brought home, Silver Drop by Behr.

And that’s where the story comes full circle. We now have the perfect gray to use in our master bedroom! On to the next painting project!

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