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Gray Owl Beats Corn Husks.

December 5, 2012

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Truth be told, there was a time that I really loved the color we chose to paint Greta’s room (which is…er was Behr’s Corn Husk Green).  It felt fresh compared to the dingy walls we started with and since this was the very first room we painted in our very first house, I am not surprised one bit that we went with such a vibrant green.

But now that we have lived with it for a year and a half, and we’re overhauling the whole room to make way for a princess bed and a lot of other big-girl plans, the first thing to naturally go were those corn husks. I brought home a bunch of samples and wouldn’t you know it, the one we pinned down for our mood board really was the best in the space. May I introduce you to, Benjamin Moore’s Gray Owl:

I feel like we should write the rest of this post in a whisper, because this color is so soft. Greta did amazingly well sleeping amidst that vibrant green, but can you imagine coming into this 1000x calmer room to rest?  Huh? Greta, you should be taking much better naps these days.  Well, once I get you some curtains. Here’s an interesting comparison that shows how changing the paint color really warmed up the color of the carpet, which we had installed last year:
This wall (pictured below) is the wall the headboard will be on and it will actually be receiving a grasscloth wallpaper treatment–but I painted it anyway.  Not only did I want to get a sense of the actual color of the paint–which would be hard with bright green reflecting everywhere–but I also heard that sometimes you can see the teeniest bit of wall through the cracks of grasscloth.  Better safe than sorry.  And better Gray Owl than Corn Husks.

Sidenote: upon further inspection of the shot taken above,  I noticed that Greta had tucked all of her animals in for a nap. That little cutie.

Paint makes such a difference! Now that the room is painted, we are waiting anxiously for the fabric to arrive for Greta’s window treatments so we can get started on those. I actually had a dream about her window treatments two nights ago and woke up with a whole new plan I can’t wait to share with you.  But I will.  :)

Anyone else painting rooms lately?  I feel like we totally snuck this room in before winter sets in for good.  Clutch.

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What do you think?

  1. Rebecca says:

    Hi there!! I’m obsessed with gray owl. I am painting my new condo and want to put it within the dining room and family room. I’m north facing and keep reading that you shouldn’t put cool gray in a north facing room. But I still love the look. I know in a more recent post you changed to a warmer gray but how did you find owl gray when it was there? I’m hoping to get a soft not too beigy look. Thanks :)

    • Julia says:

      I still love Gray Owl! TheLetteredCottage.net uses Gray Owl all over her house, although I think she only has it mixed at 50-75% strength so it’s a little lighter.

  2. Debbie says:

    I love the gray owl for a nursery! I’m just about to send an email to our painter confirming paint colours with him for my daughters’ rooms, and I’ve been really nervous about it – but your photos make me feel a lot better!

    Also I love your photo of the close up of the crib and all the blankets and toys in it. Looks exactly like my older daughter’s crib. :)

    http://www.onelittleproject.com

  3. Whoa! I’ve been away from your blog for a few days and look at all of the changes! First of all, love the grey. That’s the kind of grey I want in our future room. So gorgeous and serene.

    Secondly, I love the princess bed. I can’t wait to see what you guys do with it and how Greta reacts.

    And third, I just love The Marcums. :) There. I said it.

  4. Lettie LaFerriere says:

    I love the Gray Owl. Sometimes the paint names alone are enough for me to want to paint a room! It looks like a very calming color. I recently started painting our living room Oxford Stone by Farrow & Ball (I just had it color matched) and am totally in love. I’m hoping to get some pics of the color and my living room on my blog soon: allettaruth.com!

  5. Love love love the color! It’s going to look great! And I also want to thank you! I showed my husband your mood board for Greta’s room and said I wanted the grasscloth wallpaper and he agreed with me (it’s a rarity). So now I get some in our dining room! :)

  6. Ben says:

    Thanks! I found a better photo and I updated the post. This one shows the paint color a little better and has the Anthro knobs on the doors which are my wife’s favorite part.

  7. Jessie McKinley says:

    Love it! I also am in love with the bed you scored on ksl!! You are a pro at finding the deals :) Can’t wait to see the room evolve!

  8. Brittani Bleazard says:

    Jules! The gray really changes everything. It even seems to make the carpet change and I like it better now. Please tell me winter isn’t going to come tomorrow. I am enjoying wearing my boots in the rain and using my wipers apposed to the awful snow scraper. I AM GETTING EXCITED FOR GRETA. She is so cute. I need to come see you soon! XO

  9. Laura @ Chaotic Domestic says:

    I definitely will!

  10. WOW! Holy cow! The room looks so much quieter and less in your face than before. Can’t wait to see the grasscloth go up!

  11. Jenna says:

    I really love that gray you chose! I have a lot of gray walls in my house and I used the same paint throughout but it’s funny how the color changes in different areas. If I hadn’t already painted everything, I would def try this one out in our house!

  12. Could be!! And I totally know what you mean, After I was done painting Greta’s room, I told Chris–this color is everything I wish our main gray was in the hallway and in most of the downstairs. A really, light, airy true gray. Pick up a swatch!

  13. Laura @ Chaotic Domestic says:

    This looks great! I love the color. I have a hard time picking out grays because they can end up with unforeseen undertones, like our guest bedroom “gray” that ended up blue. I am looking for the perfect gray for our entryway hallway. Something light and airy. Seems like this may be a great option!

    http://chaoticdomestic.blogspot.com

  14. Whew! That is some work! Take off a chunk at a time. :)

  15. It’s true. And is the pink explosion per the parents or kid’s request?? I really wonder because Greta (although pretty young) couldn’t care less about pink or no pink.

  16. Thanks Julia. Benjamin knows how to do grays right.

  17. Thanks Ben. I am so, so anxious to move her bed in! I am crazy about the mouldings you added to your doors in that post you linked. Whoa! Beautiful.

  18. Amanda @ Our Humble Abode says:

    Wow, what a difference! So much more calm and sophisticated. And now I’m even more anxious to see the room evolve. :)

  19. Erin {Home Everyday} says:

    Our plan is to paint the entire family room level of our house including the bathroom in the new year. I’m exhausted already thinking about it. It is a HUGE room.

  20. meaganbriggs3 says:

    You’re gonna have to help me when it comes to the girls room when we can paint and such. I love the soft big girl direction you’re going and it is so sophisticated. Way different than the pink explosion in most girls rooms!!!

  21. Julia F says:

    I love Benjamin Moore’s grays. We painted most of our home in Edgecomb Gray and the kids room is Stonington Gray. Love what you’ve done!

  22. Ben says:

    It looks great. Gray owl was one of our choices for our bedroom, but the color match we did in non-VOC looked way off (we have one photo here). The color looks great with your white trim and that new bed is going to look crazy good in there.

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