I am really bad at picking paint colors, help me please?

[Anonymous]

The last time I picked paint colors for my home it was a massive failure and all had to be redone. I tried for bright and fun and ended up in a space that looked like it should be either a day care or a water park. Now I am moving into a new house and I need to have the dining room painted. It's a small, boring, square room with only one small window. It doesn't get a lot of light. I know I want a color scheme in the grey/beige/tan family. I bought a glass dining room table with white leather chairs. I can do whatever I want with the rug underneath the table and the chandelier.

I really don't want to mess this up, so I was thinking about Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter. I feel like there must be a better idea, though, so I thought I would post here to take advantage of the great collective knowledge of DCUM. Any thoughts?

[Anonymous]

I actually think that's a great choice.

[Anonymous]

Light beige

[Anonymous]

I did smokey taupe and like it.

The key is that you can't just go on the paint chip...all colors get more intense/darker when they are on all four walls, particularly if there isn't a lot of natural light.

[Anonymous]

I recently used Benjamin Moore Lennox tan and I love it. It looks really nice with white accents.

[Anonymous]

Edge comb Gray

[Anonymous]

comfort gray (sherwin williams) s also a good choice. I have gotten tons of compliments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:comfort gray (sherwin williams) s also a good choice. I have gotten tons of compliments.

OP here, I just checked out this color and I absolutely love it. I wonder though if it is too blue-green for a dining room.

[Anonymous]

I'm working with a designer right now. Just to let you know she picked the rug first for the dining room before picking the paint. I have a lot of grays in my house - for the dining room we chose BM Boothbay gray (probably too blue for you?) because it picked up on the gray/blue color in the rug in there. Get as big a paint swatch as you can and hold it up next to your chairs, trim color (and rug?) in the actual room.

We have Revere Pewter in the downstairs bath that has no windows - it's a great beigey gray - the color looks about the tone in this picture -

http://colorchats.benjaminmoore.com/2012/10/happy-huesday-revere-pewter-hc-172/revere-pewter-hc-172-entryway-on-traditional-home/

Do you have wainscoting? Revere pewter looks pretty with the white accents.

SW Collinade Gray is a warm beige gray. SW Tinsmith is a nice bluer gray.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm working with a designer right now. Just to let you know she picked the rug first for the dining room before picking the paint. I have a lot of grays in my house - for the dining room we chose BM Boothbay gray (probably too blue for you?) because it picked up on the gray/blue color in the rug in there. Get as big a paint swatch as you can and hold it up next to your chairs, trim color (and rug?) in the actual room.

We have Revere Pewter in the downstairs bath that has no windows - it's a great beigey gray - the color looks about the tone in this picture -

http://colorchats.benjaminmoore.com/2012/10/happy-huesday-revere-pewter-hc-172/revere-pewter-hc-172-entryway-on-traditional-home/

Do you have wainscoting? Revere pewter looks pretty with the white accents.

SW Collinade Gray is a warm beige gray. SW Tinsmith is a nice bluer gray.

Thanks so much for this! I don't have wainscoting but was considering having the contractor give me a quote for adding it to the room. Very interesting that the designer started with the rug. Great tip!

[Anonymous]

Get samples and paint them on the walls before you choose.

[Anonymous]

If you're in DC/Bethesda, there's a lady at the Bethesda Strosneider's who's fantastic at helping pick paint colors. If you take in a photo of the room and any fabric samples you have, she'll cut out samples and make suggestions. She really understands color. I don't remember her name, but I found out about her from other DCUM posts, so you could search. Or she's probably the only woman in the paint section there so you could ask. It's like having a free interior designer!

[Anonymous]

PP here with comfort gray. ITs a fantastic color, and it changes with the light. SHerwin williams does not sell tiny samples, only larger ones so you can really paint a large patch and see if it works. I would say that in the mornings and daytime it is a warmer gray and it gets slighly coolor at night, but isnt really blue. I don't think you can go wrong with many of these choices. I wish we had painted more in comfort gray, but we have a deep blue dinig room and some lighter blue grays in the house too. HOwever, if we were to repaint before selling I'd paint a lot in comfort gray with a few deeper and a few lighter accents.

[Anonymous]

ALso, sherwin williams Popular gray is a great color, if comfort gray is too blue for you. We have that in our house too and it is more neutral, quite a beautiful color.

[Anonymous]

OP, you really can't pick the paint color until you have the rug. The rug will drive what color works best on the walls. You may pick a multicolor rug - one color in it may pop, leading you to go with a very different paint choice then you were considering.