Paint Chips Lie

Since I can't do anything else in the nursery until we get the paint on the wall, its time for some tests. Off to my old friend the paint counter for a handful of samples. What do you think?


I came home with 2 shades of navy and 2 shades of pinkish coral. It came as no surprise to me that the little paint chips didn't real tell the story. Or I as I like to say 'Paint Chips Lie". Of course its not the poor little chip's fault - its the color and quality of light in the room.

NurseryPaintColorTest

The first one was Glidden's Signature blue. It didn't take long after the swatch to dry that I knew I didn't like this one - its a little too royal blue for me.


On to these particular shades. I used Martha Stewart's Wrought Iron before on my shore kitchen cabinets and I liked it. Its a navy blue that has a tiny bit of teal in the undertone and doesn't veer too close to black. So this might be a good shade but I'm wondering if I should go a tiny bit more gray just to tone it down a little. If it weren't a nursery I'd definitely want something more gray but maybe keeping it a bit on the saturated side is a good thing. I could go with Benjamin Moore's Hale Navy which was what I almost went with for my shore bedroom (and seems to be a blogger favorite in general).


Next on to the pinks. The top one is Martha Stewart's Peony. When I saw it in the jar, I thought it would be too soft/pastel but I do like it. Not sure if its quite coral though. The bottom swatch is Glidden's Deep Coral which I loved on the chip but looks almost neon pink once it dried. Not loving that.


So what do you think? Do you have a navy blue or coral paint that is your tried and true?



36 comments:

  1. I love the Peony and plan to use it on a couple of nightstands - just like Natty did here: http://nattybydesign.blogspot.com/2011/03/pair-of-pink.html   and you can see how good it looks with the dark blue walls! 

    ReplyDelete
  2. I painted our front door Wrought Iron and love it - it's a very murky sort of navy.  We have our master bedroom painted December Eve by Behr, which is also very close to Wrought Iron - it's a great navy that changes with the light.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love the navy in my dining room.  It's Smoky Blue by Sherwin Williams.  http://decorandthedog.blogspot.com/2011/06/dining-room-crown-molding.html

    I tried to find a coral to paint a dresser once.  I failed.  No help there.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Helen8:54 AM

    I think the peony would go beautifully with Hale Navy. Whatever you choose will be beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  5. MelissaMacGregor9:02 AM

    I like the peony color. It's very sweet. I have a chip of Behr Cool Melon sitting on my counter now which is definitely coral and pretty. Haven't tried it though.... I am considering a color lower down on the chip.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Those look great. But how do you know its MS Peony? I don't see him mention it (and his nightstands look a bit more saturated than my test with peony) Did I miss the paint credit in his post?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hometown Perch9:08 AM

    I just used a deep blue called Sea Serpent by Sherwin Williams in our office. I LOVE it! It looks fantastic with lots of glossy white accents.

    ReplyDelete
  8. We almost went with December Eve in our living room but in our house it's a brighter and more royal blue than I wanted.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I just found a company with see-thru paints (Pantone inspired colors), I am sure it's only a matter of time before they do custom!  I like the wrought iron a lot, what a beautiful color and with the peachy/coral I think it looks so prep (in an awesome way).

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love the Peony color! I think your nursery is going to look fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  11. We painted our dining room benjamin moore new york state of mind, and it looks great - not too royal, deep with some green and gray.  I've been looking for great coral fabrics to accent drapes and pillows.  Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Cassie {hi sugarplum}11:28 AM

    I used SW Naval, and had them darken it about 25% for my bathroom....love it! Pure navy with no undertones. http://hisugarplum.blogspot.com/2012/03/pool-bathroom-reveal.html

    ReplyDelete
  13. Huh, you're right. She added the paint name to this post: http://nattybydesign.blogspot.com/2012/05/paint-color-reference-part-2.html and I assumed she also mentioned the name on the post I gave you. :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. We have Van Deusen Blue (Ben Moore) in our powder room and I love it. I think it's on the same swatch as Hale Navy, which was initially recommended to me (my friend's kitchen is that color and looks amazing with white cabinets) but I thought it was too close to black for my little powder room.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Cassie @ Primitive and Proper used Dutch Boy Chanson Blue which looks fabulous!
    http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com/2012/08/master-bedroom-reveal-my-chanson-bleu.html

    ReplyDelete
  16. Kirsten2:28 PM

    Paint colors do lie! Getting the right color can be so tricky, but so worth it:)!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Heidi2:58 PM

    Benjamin Moore Summer Nights is a really great navy...not as black as Hale Navy.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Carra3:59 PM

    I just did my spare bathroom in Glidden's True Navy and I love it! 

    ReplyDelete
  19. I've got nothing for the coral. I used rose quartz in my powder room but I don't think it's the coral you're going for. Love hale navy but haven't used it personally.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love hale navy! It's one of my exterior trim colours

    ReplyDelete
  21. It's too bad that the Deep Coral is too neon-looking in person--it looks great on my monitor (particularly against the Wrought Iron) and I much prefer it to the Peony which looks very pale.   Of course, monitors lie (even more so than color chips!) and it only matters what it looks like in person.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I think the peony is very pretty, but maybe with a moodier blue.

    ReplyDelete
  23. MicheleLouise8:58 PM

    We went with BM Van Deusen Blue in our guest room.  Hale Navy was our other option but it was just too dark.  I LOVE the color, if you want to add it to your "to look into" list. :)  

    ReplyDelete
  24. I don't think you can go wrong, all of them are beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thepickygirlblog12:59 AM

    Valspar Cobalt Cannon. I absolutely love it in my dining/reading room. It's a lovely gray-blue-navy. I also think it would balance the Peony well. Check it out! (And yes, it drives me crazy how differently paint chips look.)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Arlene9:42 AM

    I used Behr Rich Navy in my kitchen and it is the most beautiful shade of Navy. I love it! I have a pale pink in my living room next to it and I love the color combination. I can't think of the pink name but I think it is a LOT lighter than what you are looking for. I would definitely check out Rich Navy, I didnt love the swatch color but once I put it on the walls to test it I fell in love!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Cem 9161:47 PM

    I used Crushed Coral by Valspar (color matched to SW paint) on the dresser for my daughter's nursery and I love it. It's not too in-your-face peach or pink, just the perfect kiss of coral.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Patti1:57 PM

    This is a great look with Peony and BM Down Pour Blue ...
    http://myoldcountryhouse.blogspot.com/2011/09/roomspiration-link-party-kids-rooms.html

    ReplyDelete
  29. Terrisa Henderson4:29 PM

    Love Hale Navy and I really like Serena and Lily's paint color called Punch.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Go Martha all the way

    ReplyDelete
  31. Go Martha all the way

    ReplyDelete
  32. I am literally working on a NAVY and PINK Post right now. My daughter's room is in those colors, with pops of bright yellow...LOVE IT! HERE - http://myoldcountryhouse.blogspot.com/2012/07/monday-makeover-twin-beds.html
    AND HERE
    http://myoldcountryhouse.blogspot.com/2011/09/roomspiration-link-party-kids-rooms.htmlall Benjamin Moore
    My Faves Navy:  the GREAT brighter Navy blues are  Downpour Blue (a one wall color) and Marine Blue                               THE more mellow Navys - Mysterious and Anchor gray and Hale Navy AND OF these three for a nursery...I would actually do Anchor Gray with a soft Pink like Pink Cloud.all of your accessories could be in the rest of the navy and pink family and they would not "clash", the problem I have found with some of the more definitive pinks...that when you get the girl and the girl stuff in there...the pinks fight with eachother. If you keep the pink very subtle ...you could add hot pink (and I have!) and it will work. FAVE Go to Pinks - Pink Cloud all the way. I alSO am a huge fan of Ribbon Pink, if you just want straight up Pink. and Laura Ashley Plaster Pink is delish!!!check out the Navy and Pink Post tomorrow!!! 

    ReplyDelete
  33. Nichole11:42 PM

    You should check Caitlin Wilson Textiles, she has beautiful corals.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Angela8:11 PM

    I love  peony too. It’s so feminine and soft.   

    ReplyDelete
  35. Margaret Schaffer3:30 PM

    I'm still searching for a coral, BUT we have a really versatile navy color going in our house ( my baby girl's room is this color navy and rose gold)  and it pulls in some grays really beautifully, if you plan on adding any metallic or organic elements, instead of going the straight-up chinosorie chic route.  The color is Sheffield Gray by olympic. This color was actually a happy accident, I ordered Cavalry ( the darekest blue on the card), but they gave us this one as a shade lighter. It definitely has more gray in it. But totally worth a shot!
    Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Live4horses229:52 PM

    How do you get started choosing colors? How many colors do you normally sample before choosing?

    ReplyDelete

There is nothing that thrills me more than hearing from readers. Please share your thoughts. ♥

Follow @ Instagram

© 2007-2020 Brooklyn Limestone. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy
Back to Top