Crying over bathroom paint, edited

[Janeway]

added: here is a picture of the two paint chips next to each other. They look way different on this…
 

I am actually crying over our bathroom paint. A few years ago, we took down the wallpaper and painted SW Nomadic Desert. Maybe 3 years ago, we repainted the kitchen in SW Natural Linen. The rest of the house (living areas anyway, not bedrooms) is SW Accessible Beige. All the bathrooms are SW Nomadic Desert. 

I stupidly decided I did not like the Nomadic Desert. It is in all the bathrooms. What led to this was my husband saying he did not like the kids bathroom in Nomadic Desert, he wishes we had left it blue. That was repainted many years ago. I decided that I would love to make my bathroom in the Natural Linen that the kitchen is in. So I stupidly got up this morning and went ahead and started priming the walls. I did a lot of the walls today. My youngest son even helped and got excited about it. Then I sampled the Natural Linen to the walls, thinking it was going to be great and look the same as in the kitchen.

Nope. It looks as dark and as brown at the Nomadic Desert. Even my little boy said right away that it looked like the same color and why did we do all this painting for that. Now, as the reality that I just primed over the original paint and now, the new color is barely a shade different so not worth this work, time, or money, or effort, I am actually crying and wish I could back up today and not prime the walls. 

I do not know what to do, other than that I am leaning toward purchasing the color it already was and just fixing it back to the original color. Another important part of this is that the cabinets are all a painted color, blue. The cabinets are gorgeous, but since they are blue, there is not much as can do for the color in the rest of the room. Any advice? Or opinions? Or just anyone btdt?

 

Edited July 15 by Janeway

[Katy]

Take a picture. Post it temporarily, and we'll give advice.

[Rosie_0801]

And while you wait for responses, go buy chocolate ice cream.

[Katy]

Also, it might be a good idea to buy some paint samples and put them on the wall in there and watch it for a day or two in all kinds of light.  You probably don't need to prime at all unless it's a totally different color or you went for the cheap paint.

[Katy]

And absolutely with the chocolate.  Chocolate really does chase dementors away. That's not just a JK Rowling thing.

[Janeway]

Here it is after priming a lot, but you can see original color on the edges and then a sample space of the new color.

 

 

Edited July 15 by Janeway

[Janeway]

Here is a picture that includes the blue in front of the bathtub. The sink cabinets span the entire other wall and are blue too.

 

Edited July 15 by Janeway

[Katy]

Oh, that's a pretty shade of blue. Super traditional. Is the grout on the floor white or beige?

[Janeway]

Here it was originally. 

 

Edited July 15 by Janeway

[Janeway]

3 minutes ago, Katy said:

Oh, that's a pretty shade of blue. Super traditional. Is the grout on the floor white or beige?

I’ll take a picture just a minute

[Janeway]

On 7/11/2024 at 9:09 PM, Katy said:

Oh, that's a pretty shade of blue. Super traditional. Is the grout on the floor white or beige?

I’ll take a picture just a minute

 

 

Edited July 15 by Janeway

[prairiewindmomma]

That’s a lot of brown. I’d be inclined to find a wallpaper with that blue color, and which picks up some of the tones in the tile in a small way…preferably with a white background to help update and open the space.

[Janeway]

Just now, prairiewindmomma said:

That’s a lot of brown. I’d be inclined to find a wallpaper with that blue color, and which picks up some of the tones in the tile in a small way…preferably with a white background to help update and open the space.

That’s what I really wanted to do, but I cannot find anyone around me that does wallpaper.

[Katy]

Ok... I actually think the Natural Linen is a good choice.  And right now you're overtired, the light is unnatural, and the primer is throwing you off. The Nomadic Desert is a very mustard gold.  And the Natural Linen is a pale griege, which will probably look great with your tile.

So if I were you, I'd assume it's a moody kid and hormones and tiredness throwing off your judgment, and I'd finish the whole wall, even the trim.  And then judge (even though the mustard on the other walls WILL make it look more yellow than it will turn out). I bet you'll like it.  But at the very least you'll have an even, neutral base to work from.

[Katy]

At the very least put 2-3 coats on 9 square feet to get a better feel.

[Janeway]

1 minute ago, Katy said:

Ok... I actually think the Natural Linen is a good choice.  And right now you're overtired, the light is unnatural, and the primer is throwing you off. The Nomadic Desert is a very mustard gold.  And the Natural Linen is a pale griege, which will probably look great with your tile.

So if I were you, I'd assume it's a moody kid and hormones and tiredness throwing off your judgment, and I'd finish the whole wall, even the trim.  And then judge (even though the mustard on the other walls WILL make it look more yellow than it will turn out). I bet you'll like it.  But at the very least you'll have an even, neutral base to work from.

Do you think I should go lighter than linen? And my husband is suggesting going with a lighter blue for monochromatic look.

[prairiewindmomma]

Like what about William Morris’s strawberry thief? Or pimpernel?

[prairiewindmomma]

Fwiw, when I look at “wallpaper installation” on yelp, with where I think you live, places do pop up. But, I totally understand the expense and not wanting to take it on yourself. 

[Katy]

I don't personally love monochromatic, but it's definitely the trend right now.   I see Home Depot carries several dusty blue linen or faux grasscloth wallpapers that might work.

I'm surprised your SW store doesn't have wallpaper books and some local contractors that could install it for you.

[Ausmumof3]

I think because your bathroom is smaller than the living room with lower lighting you need to go a lighter shade to achieve the same effect as you have in the living room? But I hate picking paint colours so treat my advice as very non-expert. If it was me I’d go for a really light colour though to try to lift and feel more spacious 

[Katy]

Personally I'd do the opposite of white and choose a Taupe shade that matches the darkest colors in your tile.  But I like moody rooms.  It sounds like you find the mustard dark and depressing. So a lighter shade might be something you like better.

[Ausmumof3]

Im not a huge fan of blue bathrooms as they feel kind of depressing to me but that’s obviously a massive personal preference thing.

I vote for some chocolate and either a home decor magazine or some time on Pinterest to find bathrooms you love and go from there. 

[Lady Marmalade]

I think you should keep going! The Linen is definitely a lighter shade and has a different tone to it. I think it will look great with the blue once you are all done. 

[klmama]

I like the new, lighter shade, at least in the lighting when the photo was taken.

[Corraleno]

I think the Natural Linen will look fine — it just seems dark because the swatches are surrounded by white primer. It also has a totally different undertone than the Nomadic Desert. If you really want it lighter, though, you could just buy an untinted quart or two of the same type of paint and mix it with the gallon you've already got.

I'm curious why you primed the wall before repainting with a fairly similar color?

[KSera]

1 hour ago, Katy said:

Ok... I actually think the Natural Linen is a good choice.  And right now you're overtired, the light is unnatural, and the primer is throwing you off. The Nomadic Desert is a very mustard gold.  And the Natural Linen is a pale griege, which will probably look great with your tile.

 

I think it’s actually going to look better as well. Besides being lighter, the undertones look more harmonious with your other colors to me. I’d paint a bigger area, going right up next to the trim for part of it and then see what you think. Otherwise I like corraleno’s idea of mixing it half strength. 

[Catwoman]

2 hours ago, Janeway said:

That’s what I really wanted to do, but I cannot find anyone around me that does wallpaper.

I wouldn't even think about wallpapering over those textured walls -- and having the texture removed so you can wallpaper will be expensive.

 

[Catwoman]

45 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

I think the Natural Linen will look fine — it just seems dark because the swatches are surrounded by white primer. It also has a totally different undertone than the Nomadic Desert. If you really want it lighter, though, you could just buy an untinted quart or two of the same type of paint and mix it with the gallon you've already got.

I'm curious why you primed the wall before repainting with a fairly similar color?

I wouldn't have primed, either, for a color that was so similar to the original.

Personally, I would avoid dull, yellow-based beiges and browns and try to find something very pale and cheerful that will work with the blue and the tile, to try to brighten up the room a bit. (But I find colors like mustard to be very depressing, so that's just my personal preference.)

One of our bathrooms is a deep chocolate brown, which I would normally hate, but the room is pretty large (around 18'x20') and has very high ceilings and good lighting, so it looks ok. It was that color when we bought the house, though; I wouldn't have chosen it on my own.

[Catwoman]

2 hours ago, Rosie_0801 said:

And while you wait for responses, go buy chocolate ice cream.

 

2 hours ago, Katy said:

And absolutely with the chocolate.  Chocolate really does chase dementors away. That's not just a JK Rowling thing.

 

2 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Im not a huge fan of blue bathrooms as they feel kind of depressing to me but that’s obviously a massive personal preference thing.

I vote for some chocolate and either a home decor magazine or some time on Pinterest to find bathrooms you love and go from there. 

 

Let's all have chocolate! Let's just say it's a good way for us to show solidarity with Janeway. 😉 

[Catwoman]

2 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

I think because your bathroom is smaller than the living room with lower lighting you need to go a lighter shade to achieve the same effect as you have in the living room? But I hate picking paint colours so treat my advice as very non-expert. If it was me I’d go for a really light colour though to try to lift and feel more spacious 

That's exactly what I was thinking, too!

[luuknam]

I do think it looks more than one shade lighter. But anyway, another thought is changing your lightbulbs? Having brighter light might make the room feel lighter too. I don't like rooms with lighting that's too dim. 

[PeterPan]

Blue cabinets are very in right now for bathrooms!! What you might do is google for pictures (I'm finding quite a few when I do this) and look at the pictures that show *wood* floors, as that will be the closest color wise to your tile. Your SW linen is pretty much in the vein of what they're using with these blue cabinets, and it looks nice with your mix. I get why your dh might want monochromatic, but perhaps think of it as shades of cream and white (floors, walls) with the POP of color from the blue. 🙂 I think blue walls with blue cabs would be a lot for me. I have a bathroom that has sort of a traditional/antique cottage look where the walls are that linen type color and the trim is the blue. I'm not sure I would do that with your more modern architecture, but again it shows that other, more subtle uses of the blue could pair well with the gorgeous blue cabinetry. 

I hope your chocolate ice cream, some sleep, etc. makes you feel better. I'm not sure marriage is the best way to decide wall colors, just saying. Poster board from Dollar Tree is a good way to test paint, because you can try it on various walls and lights with no commitment. 🙂

[Teaching3bears]

I like the new color more than the old one- much brighter!

[KungFuPanda]

I say finish it and live with it a bit. Take a rest for a few days. You won’t know what it really looks like until you’re all done and the paint dries to the color it’s really going to be and the primer is covered up. If it turns out you need to go a few shades lighter, and changing the lighting doesn’t help, just do it and think of it as another coat to the same paint job. No need to prime between colors. 
 

To me it looks like the paint was darker than the trim/door and now it’s lighter so you should see an overall difference. I NEVER know if I like the paint until I’m finished. I just don’t have that gift to imagine how it will be so I have to wait and hope. 

Edited July 12 by KungFuPanda

[mmasc]

Another vote for keep going with the natural linen. I also think it will look different (lighter and brighter) than your current. 

[wisdomandtreasures]

10 hours ago, Janeway said:

That’s what I really wanted to do, but I cannot find anyone around me that does wallpaper.

What about painting it on with a stencil?

[Kanin]

Cute blue! I love it. I also think that going lighter will look good. What about a light gray with a hint of blue?

[Janeway]

I am wondering if I went lighter, like Simply White by BM, and then did a colored blind for the window, would that look nice. That might cheer up the room. By colored, I do not mean bright colored, I just mean a sedate color.

[alisoncooks]

It’ll be fine. It definitely looks lighter and brighter!

[wintermom]

If you want it a shade lighter, try adding some of the white primer to your linen colour. You don't have to buy a prescibed "named" paint. You can mix on your own. We do it in community theatre set painting all the time. 

[Katy]

Our house in Oklahoma was painted in a very similar dirty mustard gold. I covered it with Revere Pewter.  The first coat wasn't that different. The second was almost green while wet.  When it was dry, it was totally different and felt relaxing instead of anxiety producing.  I should have mentioned that last night. That's why I thought you should keep going with the griege.

[livetoread]

I just did a bedroom in Natural Linen, and even with all the sampling I did, the color kept changing depending on light, having all the walls done versus some, and then adding furniture and art back in. Paint is just such a tricky thing, and you never know until it's all done and everything is back in the room - which of course means you can do a lot of work and then not like the finished product, even though you might have liked the samples.

All that to say, I think NL will be much lighter than your original, but if you want to go lighter still, try it at 50%. I did that whole bedroom first in SW Creamy and it was just too pale, so I redid it with NL. There were moments when I really wished I had gone with NL 50%, but now that I have art up and curtains etc, I like it straight. 

[Scarlett]

I agree the samples look a lot different but the swatch on the wall looks really pretty to me. It is lighter but more than that the tone is different and I prefer it to what was there. I would just keep going. 

[MercyA]

I like your new lighter color much better. 

What about a new curtain instead of blinds, either blue or a print containing blue?

[catz]

Does  your paint shop sell samples?  Our house has super dark heavy woodwork and weird lighting and nothing ever looked on the walls like we expected.  Bringing home a few samples, putting them on the wall and then just sitting on it a few days would often give clarity.  On our walls with the dark woodwork, everything washes out so easily.

I love your blue!  I could see wanting to go lighter/creamier with a neutral.  I could see a paler blue working on the walls too if you wanted to break up the brown but still wanted something brighter/lighter.  But I also think your change will look good too (and it looked fine prior too lol).  

I'd let your sample sit on the walls through a couple days and look at it through all the lighting the room will get.  If you are feeling ambitious, go get a few more samples you might consider and swatch those up on the walls too.  And then yes, do indulge in ice cream and/or chocolate and just see how you are feeling about it through the lighting changes you'll have over a few days.  I have found for me, it's better to take my time to be happy with it than to be itching to paint it again within the year.  

[aggie96]

Don't feel bad about questioning color after you primed. It's better than painting new color then realizing that the color is off because you didn't prime. I know this first hand.

Painted kid bedroom bright pink. Hated it. Painted it soft blue with primer the following week.

Painted formal living dark brown. Hated it. Painted denim blue over it. Realized needed primer. Prime. Blue again. Hated it still. Painted light beige with primer.

Painted kitchen dark blue. Loved it for a year. Hated it after. Painted light beige. Hated it. Painted it light blue-gray a year later. So.much.cut-in.

Painted master bedroom deep gray. Loved it but not for that room. Made decision to change after painting 2 walls. Change to smoky blue.

and on and on...

IMO paint is the cheapest and easiest way to really change a room. Let's just say I have some awesome painting skills now. 🙂

Based on your pics, I like the lighter Natural Linen because it doesn't have the gold undertone of the original color. They definitely look like different colors to me. With those gorgeous blue cabinets and lighter, neutral wall you set the stage for decor for years to come. You can accessorize/style room with colored accents. Bright colors and muted colors will work well with the blue/beige. 

Home Depot (and probably SW etc) have those giant clear stickers that are paintable. I have used those to test how light effects color in room. Paint them, let dry, then put on wall. They even have a primer simulator strip on the side so that you can determine if you need primer or not (which you have already primed but for future reference). Given my propensity to change my mind on paint color, I use these a lot now. 🙂

Edited July 12 by aggie96

[livetoread]

5 minutes ago, aggie96 said:

IMO paint is the cheapest and easiest way to really change a room. Let's just say I have some awesome painting skills now.

You sound like me. I study up on undertones, get samples, paint, and still may or may not be happy with the finished product. Color matters a lot to me, and if it's even just a little off or could be a little better, I'm repainting. It's easy and relatively cheap, so why not be happy?

[Tap]

My downstairs bath used to be similar colors. I went with a light mocha color similar to your linen color and a creamy white. 

[Tap]

Here is a pix that shows the mocha color better. 

[KSera]

27 minutes ago, Tap said:

Here is a pix that shows the mocha color better. 

Are those two walls the same paint? Lighting makes them look so different where they meet!