When it comes to paint colors I’ve always had two really strong preferences, in two very distinct extremes: bright white or way dark. Thankfully, when it came to our media room the hubby and I were {surprisingly!} in agreement. A bold dark color would create a cozy, yet dramatic atmosphere in the space. We want this room to make you stop and pause as you pass by the doorway. If you missed our inspiration images be sure to go back and check out the first One Room Challenge post!

The media makeover room has already come a long way. The plaster walls have all been floated with dry wall {the cracks and 140 year old plaster were just too crazy to try to deal with} and all the mudding, taping and priming are complete. Just having the primer up makes a world of difference in the room! It almost tempted me to leave it white. Almost.

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I’m very clear that I want this room to be a deeply saturated dark gray; walls, trim, ceiling – all of it! But I didn’t know that finding the perfect dark gray paint is almost as hard as picking the perfect white! There are SO many options to choose from. I grabbed every Benjamin Moore fan deck I could get my hands on to start color comparing. I love Benjamin Moore’s Natura paint line. It has zero VOCs and zero emissions. I’ve used it for every room in the loft – it literally has no smell and the quality is fantastic.

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Did you know lots of grays actually have a brown base? I really wasn’t aware. Others have a lot of green in them. And of course many have blue undertones. Looking through my options I wanted to stick with the cool gray color family. I like the truly neutral grays, but even with narrowing that down, it was still hard to choose. After hemming and hawing, I decided to try out two options; Gravel Gray and Almost Black.

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Out of the can they hardly looked different from one another! But that will always play tricks on you. You never quite know what a color is going to look like until you get it up on your wall. So over to the house we went on a bright sunny afternoon when I knew there’d be tons of natural light streaming into the room. It’s the best way to see what a color is really going to do.

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After the two options went up on the wall {two coats mind you} and dried the final result kind of surprised me! Can you guess which color is which? And, I’m curious. What option do you prefer? Granted, the camera doesn’t give you the full nuance of the color {I also recommend judging paint colors at different times throughout the day, from different angles – even when looking from a totally different room.} But I would love to hear your thoughts! I can’t wait to share the final reveal to see if we want we chose matches up to public opinion.

But for that, you’ll just have to check back in next week! In the meantime, don’t forget to get everyone else’s progress updates. There are SO many killer projects in this group!

Apartment 34 | Arianna Belle | Because It’s Awesome | Coco+Kelley | Design Darling | Design Indulgence |Design Manifest | Christine Dovey | The English Room | Vanessa Francis | Hi Sugarplum | Honey We’re Home | Jojotastic | The Pink Clutch | The Pink Pagoda | Simplified Bee | Style Your Senses | A Thoughtful Place | Kimberly Whitman | The Zhush |

 TM by CIH

What do you think?

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21 Comments

  1. I love the paint on the left! It’s a bit lighter, but I think it has more character (if that makes sense). Can’t wait to see which one you pick!

    g.

  2. I like the one on the left. It looks more like a dark moody gray. The one on the right reads black to me. Can’t wait to see more progress next week. It sounds like it will be gorgeous no matter which color you pick.
    Charla

  3. I like the one on the left- just feels a bit deeper in colour. The one on the right reads pretty black. So excited to see those walls are dark and moody like:)

  4. I agree, I’m liking the one on the left because it has a little more depth. Love that you’re going grey! I also had a difficult time selecting a grey when I did a bedroom– but I went for a softer brown based. Excited to see the cool dark all over!

  5. I also agree.. to the left, to the left! Can’t wait to see your space when it is done!

    xo,
    Ivy

  6. Both are great! Either one will definitely create a dramatic effect. Awesome idea for a media room!

  7. I opt for the color on the left, loads of character.

  8. Good advice on choosing the paint color…..and I am leaning towards the one on the left!

  9. I love the drama of both colors, but the one on the left is a little more my style. I am excited to see how this room progresses! I am also taking part in the one room challenge as a guest. This is my first time participating and it is so fun to be following along with everyone else!

  10. Oh man I could go either way, I like them both! I see the left is more popular…I am no help, but I can’t wait to see what you choose! 🙂

  11. I like the one on the left more as I’m more partial to lighter colors, and it’s the lighter of the two options. I’m assuming it’s the Gravel Gray, and the one on the right is the Almost Black. But considering you seem dead set on a very dark color, I’m betting you chose the color on the right.