Here at Design Crisis, we’re a little obsessed with paint. What else can completely transform a room for just a few bucks and some elbow grease? Sadly, adventures in painting can go horribly awry — the golden yellow you hoped for goes macaroni and cheese, the perfect shade of crimson you envisioned turns into a bloody nightmare, or the warm gray you yearned for reads as icy blue instead. These domestic disasters happen everyday, but our resident Paint Guru, Sander Gibbs, is here to provide all the expert help you need to ditch the heartache and pick the perfect shade the first time around.
For our first installment of the Ask Sanders column, DC reader Kristin writes with an urgent dilemma — what shade of blue to paint the bathroom in her rental apartment? Since Kristin is planning to cover her existing flooring with peel and stick white tiles (I’ve seen these in action, and they’re not a bad option for renters), she could choose from a multitude of colors. She says:
“I’m looking for a super-saturated shade of blue. I had originally hoped for a Vermeer/Dutch blue… Anywho, my perfect shade would be not too deep, and very refreshing. Let me know what you think! I’d also move over towards something more tropical and punchy.”
The particular shade on the walls of this room in the Gramercy Park Hotel is what inspired her to ask for a color match in the first place, so I sent the image over to Sanders for inspiration:
Judging by the image and his own experience with blues that woo the eye, Sanders put together this saturated blue palette for Kristin:
While the top colors are Benjamin Moore shades, the bottom pics are from Pratt and Lambert. Sanders informed me that P&L is actually a Sherwin Williams brand, but SW doesn’t carry it in their stores. In Austin, Benjamin Moore is the only store that carries P&L, so if Kristin (or you) would like to try one of the P&L shades, check out the nearest Benjamin Moore for their selection.
Sanders picks look pretty close to the top picture to me, especially Clearest Ocean Blue and Paradise Lost, but as Sanders always says, “Buy a sample and make sure you paint on two coats! Two coats!” Paint shades can look totally different depending on lighting conditions, so even though you might think you’re wasting your money on a sample, you could be wasting a lot more on unwanted gallons of paint. Always sample first!
I also asked Sanders to put together a palette of blues he likes, just in case his color matches don’t quite hit the spot. Many of his picks are more muted, but still punchy yet versatile:
Top choices are Benjamin Moore colors, bottom row is from Pratt and Lambert’s palette (and Sanders’ cute lil’ face).
And now I think we need some eye candy to see how fresh the ever popular blue really can be when paired with the right environment. For Kristin’s sake, many of my picks feature shades of blue in bathrooms, but blue is a flexible shade for many rooms (except kitchens, in my opinion).
Blue gets paired with glossy chocolate leather and a sleek mirrored cube in this minimalist treatment.
In the olden days, blue was a highly prized, very expensive pigment due to its relative instability and difficulty to manufacture, so it was only seen in special circumstances, like the Virgin Mary’s robes. These cool blue walls and door highlight the red and green robes of a saint who must have been a little low on the totem pole.
Multiple shades of blue work together in this eclectic bathroom. I’m really thinking someone should make colorful toilets…
Sky blue tile mixes with chartreuse, indigo and royal purple, in this otherwise spare bathroom. A healthy dose of white keeps things from going utterly schizophrenic.
Monochromatic tile makes this bathroom feel spacious. Sexy skylights and minimal fixtures don’t hurt, either.
A sun filled living room mixes aqua with oregano and mimosa yellow for a fun, but sophisticated palette. Chocolate, white and gold, keep the color from getting out of control.
I have no freaking clue how this bathroom is constructed, but I’d love to have a cerulean aquatic labyrinth of my very own. The green window frames add subtle contrast to an otherwise all over color scheme where form and texture rule.
If that much color scares the Scandi pants off you, paint can always freshen up an old treasure and add a jolt of unexpected color. I myself wouldn’t be unhappy with this bathroom in the least.
A soft, green based blue highlights the architecture of this traditional bathroom, bringing a little piece of the sky indoors.
Moody blue covers wall and woodwork in this spare but funky bedroom. I love the little punches of yellow and pink.
Blues of varying intensity and sheen create depth in this tiny bathroom. Blue toilet set: yes or no?
Kristin, we’d love to feature before and after pictures of your bathroom here on DC, so I really hope that Sanders’ suggestions inspired you to take the plunge and get to painting! I myself am feeling so serene and relaxed from this azure haze that I think I’ll present Part II of this (very special, of course) inaugural Ask Sanders column next Monday. Tune in Monday and see Sanders’ expert advice for Kristin’s bedroom: To kelly green, or not to kelly green? That is the question.
In the meantime, feel free to send your own paint queries for Sanders to our email address: hollback@design-crisis.com. Depending on demand, we’d like to feature picks from Sanders on a monthly basis, so don’t go sending us any problems that need to be solved yesterday! Sanders is good, but he can’t turn back time. Not even Cher can do that.
No, but Cher’s plastic surgeon can.
Loving these hues! The blue and green Paul-Costello-shot room (aren’t they all?) from Domino is still one of my all-time favorites and I would never think of putting that light turquoisey color in a living room.
Colored toilets? Nope. Been there, done that. At our last house: bordeaux colored toity and sink. Not for long.
Nice work and great photos.
There are a few toilet color options available. Kohler has a color called Skylight which is similar to the paint chips you show above. And in addition to basic white, TOTO makes some in beige, grey, and black. There are also some options for having a toilet refinished if you really must match an exact color.
Best wishes!
I just posted one of those blue photos last night! How weird. I love blue, especially the deep blues, but often wonder if it’s a shade that can go very wrong. Very useful post, so thanks to Sanders!
Love hearing from Sanders — he needs his own page on Design-Crisis!
These saturated sea-blues are so beautiful. I want to use it in a bedroom because it seems bright for day and calming and dark at night. I’m amazed at how right intense blue looks with red — and it doesn’t feel at all like a primary color thing or too U.S.A-ish. I have a photo from Domino in which oranges are mixed with dirty teal blue. Gorgeous.
Sanders rocks, doesn’t he? Is it possible that good paint (and lighting) is better than plastic surgery? Discuss.
SusieQ, I love blues with oranges and red, too, but I decided the keep the accent colors to a minimum for this post. Next post is all about green, which I think is a verrrrry tricky color to work with!
Cassie, we must have some kind of blog esp… headed over to check out right now.
Atlanta Plumbing, thanks! I know it seems odd, but in the right space, would a blue toilet actually work? What about black? Or, ahem, gold??? I think a bordeaux toilet sounds scarily close to blood colored. Um, no!
You have some very slick ideas for bathrooms. That has been one of the recurring themes in my own life–looking for a way to make our bathrooms and our kitchen look really glorious, even though those rooms are much too small. One of the glories of the Internet, though, is that there is absolutely no dearth of ideas. I have been looking for ones that seem to me to make sense and posting my results. Right now I have no idea of what I will ultimately do, but I keep hoping I will come up with something really slick.
Hi Joseph and welcome! Monochromatic rooms always look larger and more streamlined, so that’s an idea for you. Of course, small rooms are always an opportunity to go wild!
I’ll have to defer to those more aesthetically skilled than I am for the answer on whether or not a gold toilet would work. (Didn’t Sadam Hussein have an actual gold toilet?) I let the decorators make those decisions and I just bring their plans to life.
That blue in the marie claire pic is so pretty! Sanders looks like a nice guy!
Following the lovely Erin’s’ suggestion that good paint and lighting ARE better than plastic surgery I must concur!
discussion over!
Clearest Ocean Blue would look pretty fab in a bathroom! I typically love turquoisey-blue any old time however the blue featured in the Annie Schlecter room is really engulfing – in a good way. I have to say the Marie Claire Maison bathroom looks engulfing in a very scary and bad way. (I have weird bathtub issues.)
Okay, I think I have to get some pics to you guys for Sanders’ expert advice.
Bring it on, Cortnie! Oh, but can we include a gold toilet in our suggestions…?
Love the idea of having a bright bold wall…or 4 in my home someday. My aunt and uncle have a lime green dining room, which despite how obnoxious it sounds, looks incredible in execution!
yes, you may.
Sanders!!! SAN-DERS!!!
Really on the fence with bold colors right now. Considering more neutrals.
Hmm….
Love the posted blues anyways, though.
More Sanders, please, Design Crisis.
I love the Paul Costello room in Domino, so I’m leaning toward the muted blues. And gold, gold and more gold.
Hooray!!! Such an honor to have the brilliant Sanders work his magic on my truly ghastly bathroom! I will indeed take photos of the before and after – the whole room is a nightmare, and I can’t wait to do a transformation. I guess my final touch would be a shower curtain. My husband chose our current one all by himself. It has embroidered surfboards. And not in a good way. Bless his heart for trying!
Also, I am lusting, LUSTING after the Paul Costello room.
Have a great weekend all
I’ve been holding onto that Moroccan-ish bath photo from MCM. I love it but it wasn’t shot at the most flattering angle.
Every time I read Sanders name, I hear it as “Saunders” in my head. How strange. I’m digging his “Blue Hydrangea” selection very much.
I have been told by a very wise man (my husband) that my obsession with blue paint has become too much. And then you go on with this post. Now I have to convince him to repaint every room in the house before I return. Somehow I just don’t think this plan will go over well.
what a fabulous post!!! blue is my favorite color, always has been. i had a kitchen all blue in my last house, and now i want to do a different hue in my bathroom. thank you!
I’m dying for the giant Vladimir Tretchikoff in the Living Ect bathroom.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON THE COMPUTER?! Don’t you have A BABY or something to attend to?!
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