I am working with American Express to redo my bedroom. This week they have provided me with 100,000 Membership Rewards points.
As I mentioned last week, I haven’t decided if I’m going to paint the bedroom or not. I could redeem some of my points for a Home Depot gift card, so I’m considering a few colors from Martha Stewart’s new line of paint.
Brandon and I are both partial to ‘Zinc’, but I also like ‘Gray Squirrel’, ‘Brook Trout’, and ‘Seal’.
p.s. I got the striped sheets. I had them shipped to me from a west elm in Florida, and they are awesome.
Becca
May 18, 2010 at 10:06 amSkip the Martha! Sure, every ex-con deserves a break ;) but I personally feel that the design world is being homogenised and we must therefore resist.
If you’re after truly lovely paints, you can’t beat Farrow & Ball.
meg
May 18, 2010 at 10:11 amI painted our bathroom with the Martha Stewart paint a few weekends ago, and was really, really impressed with the paint. It went on quite nicely (I only needed one coat over the primer for great coverage) and wasn’t as stinky as Behr (my usual brand) is. I highly recommend it!
erika edith
May 18, 2010 at 10:11 amThe sheets are so cute – thumbs up on the choice. I can’t wait to see the finished product.
Pretty Shiny Sparkly
May 18, 2010 at 10:12 amPersonally I would go with Driftwood Grey. It seems more soothing than the zinc. But I love grey bedrooms overall so it’s hard to go wrong!
Darcy
May 18, 2010 at 10:36 amI just painted my foyer using grey squirrel, and the paint is wonderful but the color is significantly different than the swatch. It actually has a purple undertone which I didn’t expect. It went on beautifully though, with almost no paint scent. Good luck! Your site is fabulous!
Barbara
November 12, 2011 at 2:03 pmI just painted my bedroom with grey squirrel…..trying to figure out what color bedspread, but you just helped by saying that is has a touch of purple. Thanks!
erica
May 18, 2010 at 10:38 amWe have the same duvet (Abigail Paisley) and LOVE it. We decorated our bedroom this winter and went with Behr’s “Perfect Taupe” which turned out to be the perfect shade of grey for us – it’s not purpley like many greys can be. There are a couple of pics of our bedroom (at the not-quite-finished stage) here: http://www.eksquisitedesign.com/blog/2009/11/30/button-throw-pillows/
Audrie
May 18, 2010 at 10:56 amI’m still trying to talk myself into painting our bedroom hehe I really do like ‘zinc’. And the striped sheets are gorgeous :)
E @ Oh! Apostrophe
May 18, 2010 at 10:58 amLove the sheets! I haven’t checked out the Martha paints yet but those look intriguing.
Lisa
May 18, 2010 at 11:00 amI want to go for the gray squirrel one, just because of the name!
Jules
May 18, 2010 at 11:07 amI tried Seal and Squirrel in my living room (as you know) to no avail. I think all dark rooms are lovely, so I’m sure whatever your pick will look gorgeous. :)
Brigite
May 18, 2010 at 11:16 amoooh…pretty! Would you consider getting the colors matched with a low-voc paint? You can paint your bedroom and sleep in it the same night…no fumes! Or long-term yucky.
sarah
May 18, 2010 at 11:33 amI recently painted our front room a nice warm grey/beige – we tried 8 different greys and in the store we liked the idea of a nice subtle cool grey but ended up not liking them on the wall.
We ended up picking out ‘sculptor clay’ from Behr’s ultra line – primer + paint, it worked out quite well.
Christine
May 18, 2010 at 11:39 amOoh, I like Brook Trout. It’s dramatic like Seal, but just a tad warmer.
And my local Sherwin Williams let me take the Martha paint chip in and they matched it for me with the “Harmony” paint that has no VOCs and very low odor. :)
Love the sheets by the way!
Kari S.
May 18, 2010 at 12:01 pmFor some reason my eyes went straight to the light blue.
Leah
May 18, 2010 at 12:19 pmYour bedding looks so amazing! Can’t wait to see it all together!
jb
May 18, 2010 at 12:26 pmhey there – i’m really interested in purchasing the striped sheet set but just like yourself, i’m having trouble locating it at a store though found it online….how’s the quality/material?! i was hoping on spending less then that but am so in love though do hope the quality matches the price.
any help would be appreciated!
by the way- your blog rocks!
Making it Lovely
May 19, 2010 at 9:47 amThe sheets are nice, but I wish the pillowcases had some sort of closure.
shawnadammit
May 18, 2010 at 12:40 pmI am in love with Martha’s new paint line! I noticed she kept some colors from her Sherwin-Williams line, so I am stoked about that.
We’re using Zinc and Seal on the outside of our home, and “Chinchilla” for our bedroom. Grey bedrooms must be the thing these days!
Jessica
June 12, 2012 at 9:20 amWe are thinking of using zinc and seal on the outside of our house. how did yours turn out?
Making it Lovely
June 12, 2012 at 10:25 amThe paint wasn’t great, but the colors are beautiful.
Pangaea
May 18, 2010 at 1:22 pmI’ve had a dark, warm stony gray bedroom for 4 years now. It was a Ralph Lauren color called River Rock. I still love it. My main accent colors are warm though, reds & oranges with just a little of the yellow-green. I bet you’ll love it!
Miss B
May 18, 2010 at 1:39 pmOh I am getting excited for the big reveal!!! Love those paint color names:)
Jan
May 18, 2010 at 2:14 pmLove the sheets. I’d say whatever you do, pick a “warm” color rather the “cool”, a lot of grays are very cool.
Sarah
May 18, 2010 at 2:32 pmI agree! I think the slightly warmer colors will be nicer to live with, esp. when the weather is actually cold and grey outsite.
Tatyana
May 18, 2010 at 2:43 pmI’m loving the stripes and the paisley combination… For some reason the color combination also reminds me of Nick Olsen’s old apartment featured in Domino (the green walls and the striped canopy over his desk). Not related at all, but I love both of your designs.
I can’t wait to see more!
Kim at Yellow Brick Home
May 18, 2010 at 2:44 pmI am in LOVE with those sheets! So amazing when mixed with the paisley. Hmmph. Who knew?
Cara @ Live the Home Life
May 18, 2010 at 2:47 pmI think the best job in the world would be to come up with names for paint colors. I mean, who wouldn’t want to buy a paint called “Brook Trout”?
Excited to see the final result!
-Cara
val
May 18, 2010 at 2:53 pmjust found the “paint colors” section on your site. thanks!!
Layla
May 18, 2010 at 3:02 pmKiller colors girl!
Layla
PS…Still wanna talk with you about the HGTV stuff and the blog stuff- drop me a line when you get a chance! :-)
Lauren
May 18, 2010 at 3:08 pmI like the zinc or seal. It’s a little hard to tell in the photo, but it looks like those two have a bit more blue while the others have a bit more brown. I’m very much on a blue-gray kick right now and may be a bit biased, but I think although those colors might seam dreary, they really pop against whites, warm woods, and yellows.
Natalie
May 18, 2010 at 6:11 pmZinc!! Had a very similar color in the dining room of our old apartment and looooved it!
Anna
May 18, 2010 at 7:19 pmGrey Squirrel…I love squirrels :)
Mélo
May 18, 2010 at 7:29 pmthe ‘Gray Squirrel’ or ‘Brook Trout’ look better with the brown and black fabric or maybe its a carpet.. in the bottom of the picture. They look warmer, will be really nice with the green!
Love the new sheet!!!
Megan Elizabeth
May 18, 2010 at 8:44 pmNow you’ve got me hooked on striped sheets, oh boy. :)
jenn
May 18, 2010 at 9:00 pmI love love love the sheets with the paisely. Gorgeous.
I painted my bedroom Ralph Lauren brown a year ago and feel like I’m living in a cozy boudoir. It’s my favorite room, so I vote go darker. My bedroom feels like an oasis.
Good luck!
Joi
May 18, 2010 at 10:41 pmI am very excited for this reveal! you have such effortless style that always looks so pulled together!
Michelle
May 18, 2010 at 11:07 pmI just painted our nursery using Martha’s new line of paint. While it’s lovely that it’s a low VOC paint – I HATED, HATED, HATED, the actual paint. I used a lovely pale green over a very pale beige that was only two years old. Three coats. THREE. Never again.
Angei
May 19, 2010 at 12:44 amI am in love with those stripped sheets!
eileen
May 19, 2010 at 1:03 amI just painted a friend’s bathroom Pratt and Lambert’s Steel which looks similar to Zinc. I LOVE it. You can see it here: http://stylepop.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/bathroom.jpg
and here:
http://stylepop.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/wallomirrors.jpg
Of course, you do need good lighting when you go dark. Well, maybe not so much in a bedroom. Don’t fear the gray.
Making it Lovely
May 19, 2010 at 9:45 amGreat color.
luuve
May 19, 2010 at 7:22 amgrey squirrel or zinc..i love both..but because squirrel are soo cute…i’d probably let emotions steer me and go with that one lol…
i loooove the sheets..soooo fun…this may just be my favorite room in the house..and its VERRRRY hard to beat the pink living room!
belinda
May 19, 2010 at 7:37 amoooooooooh love me some grey and white stripe sheets. i am SOOOO wishing I lived in the states right now. I was offered the same opportunity by american express but after pointing out i lived at the other end of the earth i couldn’t do. :( so i’m living it all through you! x
Felicity
May 19, 2010 at 7:59 amI painted our bedroom a very light gray and I absolutely love it. Go for the gray!
Jill
May 19, 2010 at 9:02 amI have been following this blog for quite a while, but now must express my distaste for the direction it has taken. I don’t like the American Express payment for your new bedroom. With so many suffering at this time, it simply seems so wasteful to change a perfectly nice room on whim. For some time now I have been wondering what happens to all the perfectly good ‘discarded’ items. In a time when greed is all too apparent, I hope at least it is donated to a charity.
I know this is how you make your living, but I don’t find it in good taste right now. In fact, shameful.
Making it Lovely
May 19, 2010 at 9:44 amI’ve already addressed this issue, and I’m sorry you feel that way.
elle sees
May 19, 2010 at 9:39 ampaint the walls!
Rachel @ La Bella Bungalow
May 19, 2010 at 9:44 amIt’s really pulling together nicely. I adore the West Elm sheets!
katie
May 19, 2010 at 12:15 pmWe painted our front room gray squirrel and it’s really quite purple when it’s on the walls. I hated it until we added yellow curtains and now I love it.
Not sure it would really be what you’re looking for…
Jane
May 19, 2010 at 12:42 pmHi! I love how the gray striped sheets ground your whole color concept. I love design but when it comes to decisions concerning my own home sometimes I cannot think straight! I want a set of sheets to ground my color concept of pink and orange. My duvet is the orange organic tile from Pottery Barn and the retro birdcage shams from Urban Outfitters.
The duvet is, of course orange and white. While the shams do offer a couple more colors I do not want it to, as my husband calls it, “look like a clown threw up”!! The shams have olive green, chocolate brown, pink, deep teal, and orange. With the duvet having such a bold pattern, I am unsure if the sheets should be a solid color or if there is room for another pattern. I appreciate an ideas. I AM STUCK!!!
Mrslimestone
May 19, 2010 at 1:41 pmI just painted a bathroom (in a condo I don’t blog about) one of the Martha Stewart grays. I can’t remember now if I picked Zinc or the Squirrel one. If you want, I can send you a quick and dirty photograph of how it looks in my space.
Katie
May 19, 2010 at 9:28 pmWe just painted 2 rooms in our house with Martha Stewart Paints and were really impressed with the coverage. We painted over textured walls without primer and it took just 2 coats! I really like the depth of the Zinc color and think it would be amazing in a bedroom!
jb
May 20, 2010 at 4:00 pmthanks so much for getting back to me – think i’m going to bite the bullet and order the sheets. best of luck planning the room – i simply adore your ideas/inspiration…can’t wait to finally move into out place and use your blog as our “guide”!
Fiona
May 21, 2010 at 6:42 amI am considering a light gray for my living room, so I’m curious as to what you will choose!
Justine
May 21, 2010 at 12:25 pmI love dark colours in the bedroom, so I love your choices! At first I thought I might not like it so dark, but when we put navy blue on our headboard wall in our bedroom last summer I was sold. It’s cozy, and romantic as long as you have a variety of nice lighting. Any of those choices would be great!
Kate
May 24, 2010 at 10:13 amI have been craving those striped sheets AND that bedspread, I never thought of putting them together! Such great colors.
Making it Lovely | Transforming the so-so. » Blog Archive » The Bedroom is Coming Together Nicely
June 2, 2010 at 12:31 pm[…] with the remainder of my points from last week. I was a little nervous about the rug… I brought my paint chips with me to the store, but sometimes when you see an expanse of wall color with the rug it can look […]