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I have finally found the color that I want to paint my open living areas and hallways, and it’s the perfect gray. Woohoo!! But before I tell you which color it is, let’s talk gray for a minute. (And if you like gray, don’t miss the bottom of this post for a link to the colors I love to pair with gray!)
It was a great backdrop for my bright red couch and turquoise accents. And our new home came freshly painted in a similarly neutral beige.
It has a little more red than Latte, but it’s not too orangey for me. But, it’s flat paint. I have no extra sample paint for touch ups and there’s a little girl with sticky fingers walking around this house. 🙂 So, I needed to paint and pick out a color for my living room, entry way and two hallways.
Revere Pewter was a little washed out in this picture due to the morning light.
And I finally picked four colors to test out: Rockport Gray, Revere Pewter, Grant Beige and Hazy Skies. All by Benjamin Moore. I just love their colors, especially their historical colors, and probably won’t ever pick anything else!
I also kind of have a domino effect going on with the living room. I’m definitely doing board and batten treatment on the walls. And so I’ve got to figure out where that’s going exactly.
And I want to paint the top gray and the bottom white before I apply the boards and battens. That way I’m not doing quite as much trim painting as if I did it afterwards. I’m toying with the ideas of some built-ins in the living room as well.
So, I need to figure that out before I do the board and batten treatment. See what I mean about a domino effect? I have to do it all at once, or quickly since each part will effect the other. Whew, just writing it all out makes me tired.
Back to picking paint. I got a little sidetracked and overwhelmed with that last bit. Ha!
I highly recommend taking the time to pick your top favorite paint colors, getting samples, and painting them on poster board. I just used poster board from Walmart and sample paints from Lowe’s tinted to the Benjamin Moore colors.You want the color to be on the wall where you’re going to paint; you can always paint directly on the wall to get an even better idea, but I wanted to be able to take these down, and move them around the house. Check them at different times a day when the light changes in the room.
I also moved these posters to the hallways where there is little to no direct sunlight. I kept a white border around each color on purpose, in order to neutralize the color. I didn’t want the new color to be right next to the original wall color.
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janice bistis says
Hi I know your post is very old but I just came upon it. I too am torn between hazy skies and revere pewter. This is for my family room with a red brick fire place and panelling on the lower half of the wall. why did you not choose Hazy skies just curious. Did you think there was a big difference in the color and was one shade darker on the wall then the other? Thanks going a little crazy, my painter wants an answer
Nancy says
Love the Revere Pewter! Why did you pick the eggshell finish instead of a flat finish?
Ashley says
I know this is an old post, but I was wondering if you would mind sharing the type of finish you went with for the revere pewter? We are painting our living room this color (after we finish painting the dining room and kitchen!). When we bought our house every wall was beige and we need more color!
Laura says
I used eggshell for this room. Thanks for stopping by, Ashley!
Stephanie says
Love this post!!! Just wondering what color your kitchen floor tiles are?
Laura says
Thanks Stephanie! My kitchen flooring is hard wood, and it came with the house when we bought it, so I’m no help!
John says
painted PALE OAK and walls look white, I am assuming the pewter is darker and less white?
Laura says
I’m not sure what you’re asking here?
Suzanne Melton says
Just stumbling in from the Ace Pinterest (and stumbled into there from Involving Color).
In 1980, I completely redid my master bedroom. Gray walls, gray carpet, and dark gray vinyl wallpaper forming a “headboard” up the knee wall.
I swear, I brought color chips everywhere.
When everything was done, I had a panic attack. The carpet was blue, the walls green, and the wallpaper brown.
Not REALLY those colors but I’m sure you know what I mean. Once I had moved the bed, furniture, and accessories in, all the grays seemed to come together.
Now in a different house, I’m going to paint my office in three shades of gray — ALL FROM THE SAME PAINT CHIP!
Laura says
Oh I totally get it, Suzanne! 🙂
Jackie says
I painted my kitchen using Anew Gray by Sherwin Williams & trimmed it out with white! It’s gorgeous and I get LOTS of compliments! Hope this helps someone that’s stuck!
Terry says
I am doing a master bath 4-9 I have off while/cream tile, shower and floor. I do not want to do white walls and vanity. I saw a pic of Ben Moore Fossil walls and Rev. Pewter on the vanity. It looks nice but my sample looks a little dark on the pewter…any thoughts of it on a vanity? It is a new custom vanity under construction and it is not like it can be repainted easily. Thanks.
Laura says
I personally think gray vanities are lovely. And Revere Pewter would look great, in my opinion. But of course it’s your home and YOU have to be the one happy with the decision. Go with your gut. 🙂
Kate @ PlushRugs.com says
I am a great lover of grey and I really liked your choice.
Suzy says
What colour trim did you use? thanks
Laura says
Hi Suzy, the fireplace, baseboards and crown moulding were already painted when we moved in. But I painted the board and batten in Simply White by Benjamin Moore. Seems to be a pretty perfect match!
Carmody says
Great post! I also love gray and have had some hit and misses in our home using the color.
Laura says
I think gray can totally be a hit or miss kind of color. But I’ve found the one I truly love and am sticking with it! 🙂
Laura Freeman says
I have picked Revere Pewter for my exterior (Stucco). I want a blue beachy door since I am going for a coastal look. Would you suggest Revere Pewter for an exterior. I chose “weathered wood” shingles for my roof which is a mix of tan and gray.
Laura says
I think it will be beautiful!!
[email protected] Stroll Thru Life says
Picking paint colors is always so hard. Great post. Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me. Hugs, Marty
Betsy says
Lovely color choice! I just painted one of our rooms Versatile Gray by Sherwin Williams. It’s a little on the beige side, so when I do my living area I’m going grayer. Thanks for sharing.
Renae // hillmde.blogspot.com says
Oh I just love that gray color. It is so tough to pick a good gray, isn’t it!? We recently finished the bathroom in our basement and painted the walls gray. We stewed over which shade of gray to paint it for weeks. We like it ok, but don’t love it. We still need to paint the rest of the house gray- I’ll keep this one in mind, if painting day ever comes! Thanks for sharing.
Laura says
Oh I hate it when I paint and don’t love the color, but it definitely happens sometimes. But the sampling on poster board seems to keep that to a minimum! Thanks for stopping by!!
Jess says
How did you get Lowes to match the paint? I like several Benjamin Moore paints but there is not a store near me , but Lowes is close by.
Laura says
Hi Jess, I had to have the paint swatches from a Benjamin Moore store and then took them into Lowe’s for matching. Luckily, I have one near me. Check their Website. A lot of interior design stores carry their paint line, and even some smaller hardware stores do as well.
Steph @ The Silly Pearl says
I was just thinking of painting our living/dining area in grey, at least for an accent wall. Thanks for walking us through the process of picking your color. It looks beautiful!
Laura says
You’re so welcome! Let me know how it goes … or which color you pick!
Kim Finesilver says
I love the color you chose! I am thinking of switching from beige to gray. I was wondering if you used primer first to get the right color?
Laura says
Hi Kim … I didn’t use primer because I used a high quality paint + primer combo. At first the paint looked blue-ish because it was next to the beige. But once I got two coats on there it looked perfect!
Gracie Lathrop says
Hi Laura I know this is an older post but I LOVE the way you talk about choosing your paint colors. I just graduated from art school and I feel like how you looked and talked about color is so similar to painting (like a canvas not a wall).
Laura says
Thanks for stopping by, Gracie! I’ll stop by on Monday to link up!!
Mama Loie says
I went to Kwal Howells to have them mix the paint because they were closer than Benjamin Moore. I got it home, painted it on poster board, and both Revere Pewter and Rockport Gray are BROWN!! They mixed it in satin finish. I took the poster boards outside to get true light and they are both still brown! Revere looks more like Grant Beige! Help! Guess I will head to Benjamin Moore tomorrow morning!!
Laura says
So weird that they look brown! I had mine mixed at Lowe’s, so I know they can do it correctly. But I guess the only way to be 100% sure is go to BM. Sorry you wasted your money. That stinks!!
Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co. says
Love this choice! Can’t wait to see it finished!
Jamie says
Revere Pewter is just classic! Great choice
Sadie Grace says
It is a beautiful color. I just (and when I say I, I really mean my husband) painted our porch floor a Glidden color called Handcast pewter – I had Lowe’s mix it in Valspar. It is a darker pewter, and perfect for a porch floor. Changing things up with paint is exciting and a big bang for a small investment. I found you via Imparting Grace. Lovely to meet you!
Anonymous says
Wow, when I saw the title of your post, I wondered if Revere Pewter would be one of your choices. We just remodeled our downstairs and chose Revere Pewter (after going through much experimentation and angst!). We are very pleased with it and have never second-guessed the decision. I think you will love it!!!
[email protected] says
Revere Pewter is for me. Thanks for sharing this post. I am hopping over from Simply Create link party. I’m planing for a master bedroom makeover which will be gray and yellow combination(in my mind yet)…By the way nice blog you have. Come and check me out at PlaceofMyTaste if you have a minute.:-)
Something Nice and Pretty says
I love the Revere Pewter too, I so want to do a lot of rooms with it!
[email protected] Salvaged Treasures says
I love it and that’s the one I picked even before seeing your choice. May have to give this one a try.
Sarah says
Revere Pewter was my first choice when I saw your swatches. We’ve long used gray for our living room. In fact this is the second home where we chose gray for the living room. It’s a great neutral. Our’s is a heather gray, very light.
Coley's Crafting Corner says
I love gray too! We put it in our kitchen & love how it turned out! However, it took me buying 2 other “gray” colors before finding a true gray 😀 The first one looked purple & the 2nd looked blue! But, I finally found one without any blue or red colors in it to make it true gray & love it! I’ll put a link to my post about our kitchen… Best of luck to you!! Saw you at Not Just a Housewife 🙂
~Nicole
bj says
So glad you found a color you love. Gray is a great color…am thinking about painting some of my furniture pieces gray.
Over from Elizabeth…
Oh So Shabby says
So I have been searching for the right gray and you have now sold me on Revere. So excited to get started. Looking forward to seeing your room.
Lynda @ OhSoShabby
Laura says
Lynda, you will love Revere Pewter!
Selene @ Restoration Beauty says
What a beautiful grey you picked! I want to paint our master bedroom a grey and this would be perfect!
Restoration Beauty
[email protected] says
I’ve been debating going grey for a while now but am nervous about branching out from beige. I have crazy two story vaulted ceilings that make painting a big job. I love the colour you used!
Mary Beth says
I am so glad to see this ~ I want to paint my two youngest son’s bedroom gray but had no idea how to narrow down the process of choosing ~ perfect information. Thanks for sharing ~ pinning!
Jamie Alanna says
I’m in this same process. This looks beautiful! I’ll have to see if this one looks good in my house 😉
Jamie @ somuchbetterwithage.com
Anonymous says
Just found your post and love your living room and the board and batten. Funny, I just got back from painting my new photography studio and I was painting…..Revere Pewter! It looks awesome on your walls.
Laura says
Thank you!!
Amber Koogler says
I’m in the process of picking a gray /griege to go in my master, but mine has to match a mint green headboard! Eek! Your post helps tho
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amy sudol says
Could you recommend a good ceiling white to complement Revere Pewter? I have a small apartment but the living room/kitchen space is open with lots of afternoon sun. White cabinets, cheery greens and turquoise accents…Thank you!!
Laura says
I LOVE Benjamin Moore’s Simply White on my trim next to my Revere Pewter Walls. So, I think it would make a great ceiling color as well! 🙂