I'm going gray. Or grey.

I really am though. Three little people and rapidly approaching my early 20s (cough, cough) will totally do that to you. But gray is in now, right? Is it gray? Or grey? Hmm...

Our home has a fairly open floor plan, with a 2 story foyer, 2 story family room and open upstairs hallway, and they're all painted a lovely Beige/Tan color - Sherwin Williams Latte. I don't hate it, it's warm and pretty neutral, so we lived with it for 5 years. And then I finally got bit by the gray bug so repainting it is!

I sourced the internet for advice and perused pinterest for inspiration. I finally settled on THE COLOR. Gray Owl by Benjamin Moore. Beige with a touch of warmth! We have red oak flooring and beige carpets, so I was concerned the paint would clash since we weren't planning on replacing the flooring in the near future. I grabbed the swatch and a sample can and rushed home to paint some sample squares only to find... it looked blue in my home. BLAH. So I went back and basically grabbed every since gray swatch known to man, from Home Depot, Lowes, Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams. I'd love how some looked during the day or in one room, but they'd look completely different in another area or in the evening. I didn't know picking a grey color would be so difficult...

So after agonizing for a while, I narrowed it down to Edgecomb Gray by Benjamin Moore, Agreeable Gray by Sherwin Williams and Repose Gray by Sherwin Williams. I can see why these colors are so popular - they looked great at all times of day in our home. 

Edgecomb Gray - Oh, this color is BEAUTIFUL. It's a gray but also a cream. It has a hint of yellow, which makes it feel bright and happy. We wanted to go slightly cooler, so we decided not to go with this color.

Agreeable Gray - Neutral, griege, pretty but I wouldn't call it a grey-beige. It's a beige-grey... a Brey! We were trying to de-beige so we decided not to go with this.

Repose Gray - DING DING! It's a greige. It reads a bit beige in some lighting but for the most part, it's grey. I even get a slight blue/green during certain times of the day, but it isn't overwhelming. This was perfect!!

We toyed with the idea of slowly painting the house ourselves little by little to save some money, but my husband convinced me to hire someone to do it. It was a bit of money, but TOTALLY WORTH IT. They finished in 2 days and I didn't have to climb a 15 ft ladder - WINNING!

It took a few weeks to get used to the color. Week 1, I wasn't a fan of the color. My eyes were so used to the tan beige that It looked like toothpaste on the walls. But now, we're in love! 

Lessons learned-

• Take your time when picking a gray. Bring home samples, paint sample squares on different walls and look at them all throughout the day. Sample cans are only $3-4 at Lowes/Home Depot and they can match SW and BM colors!! 
• Paint the ceiling and moulding too. We didn't do this because they seemed like they were in good condition. Now they look yellow and dingy, eek.
• Pick a low VOC paint and keep the windows open for a while. Paint fumes aren't great for anyone, esp littles and those with breathing issues. We went with Benjamin Moore Ultra-Spec 5000 - the smell was gone within 2 days.