The walls in our home (the ones that don’t have wallpaper, that is) were all painted creamy white before the house was put on the market. It’s a good base to start with because it’s allowing us to take our time with decisions, rather than rushing to cover up horrid colors right away. I’ve been working on the kids’ rooms right away so they’ll have spaces that feel special, and I think it’s time to paint our bedroom next.
The rug that I first tried in the living room is officially staying in the bedroom. I’m liking the fir/pine wood upstairs (though it was painted once upon a time — the Victorians liked to faux-finish lesser woods to make it look like nicer wood than it really is), and the major furniture of the room is in place. Our bedding will probably be mostly white, and the neutral upholstered bed is staying as-is.
I’ve been wanting to try Sherwin-Williams’ Sea Salt forever, because it’s one of those colors that pops up over and over and looks completely different (and completely gorgeous) every time. I think it’s too light next to our wood trim though. The other color that I tested is Comfort Gray, which is one shade darker than Sea Salt. Before we moved into this house, I did tell Brandon to slap my hand away from the paint if I start trying to put gray on all the walls. But! This is more bluish!
I think it’s the winner.
83 comments
Amy
Looks like this project is several years old but the Comfort Gray vs Sea Salt decision question lives on. I have about 75 minutes until the painters come for the consult and I am still going back and forth what color to re-paint the master bedroom (white trim, light beige carpet, dark furnishings. . Last time they painted it Morning Dew which on my walls looks like the color of dew, which looks exactly like the color of nothing, so I am eager for the perfect color to appear.
Tami O'Malley
I second the sea salt… although both are lovely!
It’s been so fun to watch you do another house! Happy Holidays!
Emily
I love the sea salt!
ps- Where, oh where is that lamp from?! It’s sort of perfect!
Making it Lovely
Thanks! It was from Crate & Barrel, years ago.
Jace
I prefer the sea salt to the comfort next to the trim myself. But I’m biased, I’ve had sea salt in my living room and kitchen for a year now and still love it!
Marianne
I have comfort Gray in my bedroom and I love it. It’s very relaxing and soothing and a great backdrop for bolder greens and blues. I also have a few accents of pink and coral/orange and they give a nice contrast against the Gray.
Antonella
I love the dying flowers! I’ve got some myself but I now moved to my fiancè’s flat and apparently it’s a man thing to not “get” them. Have to see where to hang them :-)
Sarah
We used a lot of Comfort Gray in our house and LOVE it. It’s not *really* gray, it’s sort of gray, sort of blue, sort of green, all at once. The name is so apt because it really is a warm, enveloping color. Sea Salt is gorgeous too, but I agree that it seems too light to do justice to your trim…
Abbie
My sister has a pretty much identical dresser that she updated with some Anthro knobs. Love it!
Courtney
I love the sea salt! I think it looks amazing with the rug, lamp & trim!
Molly S
Love both colors- have you considered an ombre effect on the wall so that you can incorporate both colors? Your test patches already have this sort of feel… Good luck!
Jennifer I.
I have both colors in my home and love them both! I’m liking the “Comfort Gray” in contrast with your wood trim and wooden dresser. I love the two colors :) Mine look more blue in my lighting – but are definitely not too blue.
Liz
Love the gray. Are you going to put the Edison light back up in the room or use it elsewhere? If you decided it does not work in the house, please email me. I would love to buy it from you.
Making it Lovely
I haven’t decided yet. I love the light, but there isn’t a clear room that seems to be calling out for it yet (despite needing to replace lighting in several places).
Jen @ Bungalov
Comfort gray! Love it so much against the other colors. It also pops nicely against the wood. I also have older wood trim in our bungalow (actually very similar to yours) and I had a hard time picking colors because I wanted to make sure the winners looked nice against it. Sometimes the lighter colors get washed out. They tend to pop better against the white trim.
Making it Lovely
“Sometimes the lighter colors get washed out.” Yes. If we had white trim, sea salt would be the color, no doubt.
Megan G
Comfort gray was the main color in my whole house. So soft and neutral while still being color. It looks fantastic against all that gorgeous wood.
Jenny
I would also try BM Horizon!
Making it Lovely
Horizon is another color I’ve been wanting to try! It’s a little to straight-gray for the bedroom though. I actually want my gray to read more blue in this case.
jenny
Actually, it comes out with a hint of blue. I have it in my bedroom and was surprised by that but it’s very subtle and quite beautiful.
Tena
The Comfort Gray definitely reads blue to me and I like it very much.
Kris
Oh, and I also prefer the sea salt with your woodwork.
Kris
Sea salt has been a hot color in the blogging/design world for a few years. I do like it, but it does look so different in different spaces. We currently have it at our office.
Carrie
The Comfort Gray works best with your trim I think.
I’m torn between these two shades, with Contented thrown in too, for my bedroom. It’s difficult to pick, the room has such strange light.
Looking forward to seeing how this will look when you have it painted.
Making it Lovely
I used Contented in my office, in the first house. It’s not great in the bedroom here, but it’s a great color.
Heather
I had dinner with my family this weekend at a local seafood place called Sea Salt, which led me to comment that I had just used Sea Salt in a client’s guest room, which led my kids to wonder about why we name paint colors, which led to me talking about color names being evocative, telling a story. My 7 year old asked, “What color is ‘Sea Salt’ anyway?” Ad my 5 year old said (having never seen the paint chip), “kind of bluish greenish grayish.” Evocative, indeed!
Making it Lovely
I love that. Spot-on.
Jillian
I just spec’d Sea Salt for a client’s kitchen remodel. I definitely think it’s more blue than gray. It looks great with your wood trim.
laura
comfort gray comfort gray!! :)
Amanda
I love both! I’ve been really drawn to these light grays with bluish undertones. I just painted my son’s room BM Horizon, and I think it’s my favorite color so far. We have a couple older pine pieces (that dark orangey-ish color that’s not always the best)in the room and the color really modernizes them–to the point where I really like them again.
I’m excited to see your paint choices and your process–always super helpful!
Making it Lovely
That’s the best, when a change of paint color can help you love everything else that much more.
And I’m glad to hear that the process is helpful! It’s how my brain works — I like knowing all of the choices that go into a room — but so many people just want the before and after. I think the in-betweens are just as interesting.
Nicole L
Why fix something that isn’t broken? If you love grey, you love grey! (And that is one very nice grey).
kristi
We have sw seasalt in our bedroom. Its more green than anything. Like…seaglass I would say but all paint is different in different light… we love it! Comfort gray was a wonderful color too!
Making it Lovely
It’s a chameleon of a color! Sea Salt doesn’t read green at all in my bedroom — definitely a light blue/gray color.
Sarah from a fine line
These colors are very similar to the grey I have in my living room/kitchen. It’s a very open floor plan, so I wanted a color that wouldn’t dominate the room or make it feel smaller. It looks great with wood trim, glossy white kitchen cabinets, and black marble countertops. The brighter colors in the space are teal and coral red. I agree that slightly darker is the way to go in your space.
Making it Lovely
That sounds fantastic! Do you have a photo? I tried to search your site, but couldn’t find one. There’s some coral red happening in our room too, and navy instead of teal.
Mary Ann
Love your choices, but especially the Comfort Gray: Handsome.
Jennifer’s comment is so interesting. Paint colors can really change with the light. The seasons, even. I swear, the palest colors can double in ‘brightness’ once the whole room’s painted – reflecting off corners and opposite walls.
I used a color similar to Sea Salt (B. Moore’s Quiet Moments) in the upstairs bath, and it’s the softest sea glass pale blue. Love it. Used the leftovers to paint just one wall downstairs – and it’s obnoxious baby blue. You just never know for sure – until it’s all done. (I suppose this keeps the paint companies in business!)
Making it Lovely
Quiet Moments is a beautiful color too. I suppose it does keep the paint companies in business! I wonder how often it puts people off though — too scared to try, lest they make a mistake.
Karen June
The Comfort Gray adds a beautiful warmth to the space and looks great with the wood tones and decor you showed. Plus I LOVE the name. I’m a sucker for marketing :)
Making it Lovely
Don’t you love paint color names?
casacaudill
What is it with faux wood treatments on real wood?! Our 1910 craftsman had that too. We actually didn’t even notice it until a week after we moved in. Whoops.
Making it Lovely
Oh no! SURPRISE!
Wendy
LOVE the comfort gray ~ my eye was instantly drawn to it in the very first picture. Gray without being “cold” and the perfect intensity.
Making it Lovely
I definitely wanted to avoid ‘cold’ gray.
Kaitlyn
We have sea salt in one of our guest rooms and it is not light at all – to me, it was the perfect color to warm up the space! I do think, though, that the comfort grey works better with the wood trim in that spot, so I don’t think you could go wrong either way :)
Making it Lovely
I’m still feeling torn between the two, because yeah, I think either would look nice. Ask me today and I’ll say one color, ask tomorrow and I’ll change my mind!
stephanie
Comfort Grey! Feels nice and moody for a cozy bedroom.
Jennifer
I used the Sea Salt in my living spaces. Sometimes I love it because it is such a pretty neutral and looks great with pops of red here and there. Sometimes it drives me crazy because it looks too blue and I just want it to be more gray. I don’t know. I’m thinking of painting over it and painting all the walls white. We’ll see…
Making it Lovely
I don’t mind if it skews blue in this case, but I can see the frustration if you wanted it to read more neutral. Do you have white trim? I love all-white spaces, but with my wood trim it feels somewhat unfinished.
Audrie
Either colour is lovely! I painted all the bedrooms white, then realised I wanted some colour for the hallways and downstairs rooms, so I went with a pale blue grey, and the living room is a mid grey. Can’t fight my love for grey :)
Laurie
Yes, I think you are right, the Comfort Gray is the one.
I also think you helped me pick out my color for my own bedroom. Sea Salt may just be the thing for my room full of navy accents!
Making it Lovely
It’s gorgeous with navy. Go for it!
Courtney @ PrettyCheap
agreed-the comfort gray is beautiful! can’t wait to see the finished product. LOVE that rug too! :)
thanks for sharing!
Jules
I was desperate for Sea Salt to work in the boys’ room, but no dice. One day I’ll get to use that color. ONE DAY.
I actually like it in the picture and don’t see it as too light, but I know pictures never compare to how things look in person–especially anything blue!
Making it Lovely
I remember us talking about Sea Salt! I want it to work, but I don’t know. One other option is to use Sea Salt in the bedroom and Comfort Gray in the adjoining room. Maybe?
Juliane at Modern Mural
Perfect choice! It is definitely more blue, especially with the warm, golden wood in your house. It doesn’t seem like a color called “comfort gray” could ever be a bad choice. I love the little piece of wall art on the table with your yellow lamp. Great work!
• Ginylle •
I do prefer Comfort Gray as well. Good choice !
Michelle
I love the comfort gray. I like the way it looks with your woodwork and furniture.
Mandy @ This Girl's Life
Love the Comfort Gray – such a warm tone and goes great with your woodwork and that lamp!
Andrew Schultz
I love both of the colors. Your decision of the gray to stand up to the trim is definitely my preference.
Ever consider painting JUST the upstairs wood? I just think it would be smashing. Especially if that second kitchen became a craft/workroom type of thing. You could do amazing things with those cabinets!
My former Oak Park house had gorgeous dark oak on the first floor and then painted birch on the second floor. I felt like I had the best of both worlds in terms of decorating options.
Making it Lovely
I have thought about it! It’s pretty common around here, since the upstairs trim is rarely as nice as it is on the main floor (as you no doubt know). I’m having fun working with the pine right now though — I have oak downstairs, pine on the second floor, and painted white up on the third floor. So I have some of the best of all worlds right now.
Chernee's House
Hi – I have both colors in my house – I like the Sea Salt for some reason better in your picture! We painted our bathroom Sea Salt and I just love it!
Chernee's House
Hi –
I am really enjoying your blog – I would have to agree with the others I really like the Sea Salt – I actually have both of those colors in my house – I just painted this summer my bedroom Sea Salt and it is such a soothing color!
http://cherneeshouse.wordpress.com/2013/08/05/seasalt-by-the-bathroom-wall/
Making it Lovely
I considered a lot of those same colors that you tested!
Chernee's House
You can’t go wrong with either of them – Happy Friday and looking forward to seeing how the room turns out!
Michelle
LOVE the comfort gray, go for it!
Margaret
Def the Comfort Gray (I just painted a room this color and it is definitely blueish. The lighter color doesn’t stand up to the trim nearly as well. But I think I’m going to have to trust that this looks better in person, I feel like the blue is bringing out all the yellow in the trim.
Making it Lovely
That’s what I was thinking, regarding the lighter color. It’s pretty, but I’m not sure if it will stand up to the trim. It IS looking a bit yellow too, but it’s not so bad in person.
melissa
Our kitchen is Sea Salt and I love, love, love it! Our trim and cabinets are white, but I think it would look just as nice against natural wood.
Bethany
I’ve been wondering, now that’ve you’ve been in the house a bit, if you have an urge to paint any of the wood trim or doors?
I ask bc I lasted all of 4 months and then craved and needed (!!) all white trim. Like it was urgent, and I needed to start right that weekend. My husband kept reminding me that I swore I was not going to touch the original trim, but a girl wants what a girl wants.
And also, the darker grey gets my vote!
Making it Lovely
I won’t say that I’ll never paint any of the trim (because I’m open to it and white trim is beautiful), but right now I’m enjoying the challenge of working with all of the wood everywhere!
Christina
The gray is the winner? They’re both lovely. Dying flowers… :)
Lisa
All of our bathrooms, the laundry room, and the kid’s ceilings are painted SW Sea Salt and I adore the color! It looks lighter in your picture than up on my walls. I’m sure either color will look beautiful!
Emma
That lamp is amazing! Where is it from?
Making it Lovely
I bought two of them from Crate & Barrel a few years ago.
Jessica S.
My eyes were gravitating towards the “sea salt” shade, before I read through this entire post and discovered that it’s the option you’ve really been dying to test! I don’t think it’s too light next to the trim… If anything, I think it presents a nicer contrast against your (West Elm?) lamp. In the end, I believe you should go with whichever shade seems to make the yellow of that lamp really “POP”!
Also, as a fellow gray-paint and SW enthusiast, I’d like to recommend “Twilight Gray” and “Zircon” as additional contenders. We used those shades throughout our home; and we were really happy with the result.
Amber M.
Me too! I love both colors but feel the sea salt is so light and fresh, plus I have it in my dining room so maybe I’m a little biased ;)
Nitya
Hello! I have SW sea salt in our master bedroom. it is one of the most soothing and serene colors and makes me feel calm as soon as I enter. I have decorated the room with blue, turquoise and yellow. Looks like we tend to pick similar colors because I have SW Contented in my formal dining room and family room. BTW Good luck with your book!
Making it Lovely
Contented was a great color! I loved it in my office, in the first house.
Danielle
Both colors are very nice but, I actually like the Sea Salt color best. I didn’t find it light at all, according to the picture. But the Comfort Gray does seem like it would pick up other colors nicely, like the lamp.
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