ORC WEEK 5: Blue is the Hue! Choosing a Paint Color
WEEK 1 | WEEK 2 | WEEK 3 | WEEK 4
We are more than halfway through the One Room Challenge! Last week, picture frame molding and wallpaper were installed which was huge! This week, I sourced and installed several key items and spent time selecting a paint color for the wainscoting.
Completed this week:
- selected paint color for the wainscoting
- sourced and installed vanity mirror
- installed faucet (hired out)
- sourced & installed vanity light
Here is the wallpaper mid-install last week!
Pro Tip: In order to hide seams especially with darker papers, it is important to tint the primer a similar color to the wallpaper.
Note: Vanity lighting is not installed so the colors are slightly skewed.
PAINT COLOR
Initially, I was leaning towards a lighter color (white or greige) for the wainscoting to play off of the larger florals in the wallpaper. But once the paper was up, I didn’t love either of those options. I ran to the paint store to grab samples with 3 darker colors in mind.
All 3 colors are in the same LRV (light reflective value) range which refers to how light or dark a color is and how much light the color reflects. I painted small swatches near the wallpaper to start, narrowing to Hale Navy and Gravel Gray. Cheating Heart, which is a deep charcoal with cool blue undertones, fell flat in the space.
Hale Navy (LRV 8.36) is a dark navy color and Gravel Gray (LRV 8.43) is a soft shade of black with a cool cast.
After living with both swatches for a few days, I decided on Hale Navy, which was also the favorite on the Instagram poll! It brings a softness to the space that Gravel Gray didn’t while still skewing very dark. It also pairs well with our vanity which is a medium gray with blue undertones. Can’t wait to start painting and see the transformation to a moody bathroom! I will be painting the molding, walls, baseboards, door and door casing.
Ideally, I would have painted before the wallpaper installation which was the initial plan, but I'll make it work! I can’t use painters tape as it would damage the paper, so I’m painting slow and steady.
MIRROR
I scored this vintage beauty on FB marketplace and fell in love with its detail. The trim around the edge almost has a muted green shade that ties in with the wallpaper. It’s like they were meant for each other.
VANITY LIGHT
This vanity light is the perfect mix of modern juxtaposed against the vintage mirror. Also loving the brass contrast against the dark wallpaper.
TO DO:
Paint molding, walls, door and baseboards
Install toilet lever
Source & order decor items (vintage rug, art, accessories)
I can’t wait to get started on painting this week! If you would like to see other room transformations, visit the ORC site here!
