Grey Hallway MELTDOWN. Please help

[SnotandBothered]

DESPERATE!

Quite narrow victorian terrace hallway. Loft conversion, so lots of stairs up. Wooden floor downstairs and pale, neutral carpet up the rest and landings etc.

I have wanted to paint the hall grey for ages - not too dark but not insipid - defo not a 'hint of...'. Strong enough so that framed prints stand out and look quite contemporary, but not gloomy. Definitely prefer the greys that go towards the warmer lilacs and puttys to the green grey like F&B French grey.

So after starring at pinned up painted sheets of a4 paper for 6 months, I whittled it down to a couple and decided on F&B Calluna which was slightly towards the lilac and F&B strong white woodwork. Decorators are now in and did first coat yesterday. It is lovely but utterly purple and not what I want for the hall. I slept on it, woke up today hoping it wouldn't be quite so purple and it is even more so - it will have to go.

But I am now on an expensive clock as the decorators are here now and I'm under pressure to pick something tomorrow. I have spent all day today dragging friends and strangers off the street demanding that they 'choose' out of the random paint sample pots that I rushed out and bought this morning but I am not really any the wiser.

I like:

Crown spotlight - on some walls. ON others it just disappears to almost white 'with a hint of...'

Crown Cloudburst - on some walls. On others it is quite dark and I wonder if it will be gloomy

F&B Blackened. But again disappears on some of the walls and doesn't act as a backdrop to set of pictures. I have dismissed all other F&B greys as being too green or dark (Elephants Breath nice but dark)

Dulux - can't find anything I like

Fired Earth - like the look of light umber online, but scared to add more testers to the wall unless someone really thinks this might be the solution.
www.firedearth.com/paint/colour/creams-neutrals/light-umber
...also might be insipid?

Johnstones Moonlit sky looks nice on paper but might be too blue....

Can anyone guage where I am going with this and make any suggestions? Crown 'smoky mist' looks potentially good online but, again, who can tell?

And I daren't even go down the Craig and Rose route as I don't think I'd get it in time and, time (in this instance) really is money.

Please help of wise and stylish MNers.

Have bought all on my list plus"

Paint and Paper Lead 3
Sanderson smoketree
Duke Heritage Engraved Locket

news as I have it

I have Dulux Chic Shadow in testers on various walls and I have to say that it comes up on the wall a lot darker than it looks on the pot/in the booklet. I think it would be a great background to pictures and unlike fricking Frosted Steel, it is absolutely not in anyway lilac or purple. It veers more towards the putty, but it's definitely grey. I also love urban obsession by Dulux again, but that's very dark and defs for inside hearths/alcoves/single walls.

Sorry for your pain OP.
No ideas really but turned to this thread because it sounded like some US celeb had had a public breakdown and there was a charity appeal.

@ Fluff . I am a celebrity dontcha know! Or at least in my head. And if I wear then 'Grey Hallway' would be a fab name :)

OK for those of you who are remotely interested, the results are as follows:

F&B Pav Grey: Too green on the upstairs but lovely downstairs.
F&B: Cornforth White: Lovely upstairs but disappears downstairs.
Crown: Thingy Mist. Coulnd't get any. Probably for the best....
Paint and Paper Lead III: Nice but bit too steely
Sanderson Smoketree: Beautiful and exactly EXACTLY the same as F&B Calluna so purple. But I'll say it again - lovely.
Crown Aspen Silver: Also purple
Dulux Engraved Locket: Clean grey. Possibility but maybe not quite dark enough.
Dulux Perfectly taupe: too brown
Crown Smoulder: lush but too dark where there is no natural light.
F&B: Charlston Grey - too brown
Little Greene: French Grey - quite lovely downstairs/green upstairs
Little Greene: Mono - too steely

I am now starring at swathes of:

Dulux Engraved Locket
Crown Cloudburst
and furtively glancing at the identical to Calluna Sanderson one out of the corner of my eye.

The problem is that my stairs twist and turn and there so many facets to the wall that every colour is completely different on every patch

I wish you could ALL come round and choose for me

Have you tried mixing a grey-er one into the Calluna?

I thought about it but would then never be able to match it again.

Go back and get a tester for Dulux Warm Pewter - it's a light to mid grey which has a purplish tinge at the edges, and is warm enough to work with dark muddy browns. I'm gradually changing our sitting room to it as we've got some new pictures up and it makes them sing...

I take it you've gone through all the dulux range, where they do different shades 1-6?

It's bizarre isn't it? I see no green anywhere on my PG but can see green in the Blackened.

What will you do now?

I've used the dulux mixing before and it turned out well. Is there anything, a magazine pic or item of clothing fabric that you can take in for them to match?

Really hope you find a solution.

I used Dulux colour matching for the first time last week and am very pleased at how good the match is.

Late I know but have a look at F and B Purbeck Stone, it's a newish colour, true grey ( in our room anyway) and looks lovely (to me!)

I really think we should have a mumsnet grey paint tester library

We had similar dilemma, everything looked gloomy in our extremely long and narrow terrace hallway so in the end went with pure brilliant white above the rail and gorgeous yellow Cole and son cow parsley below. It looks lovely and fresh and I'm glad I didn't do the grey

However now planning a grey living room so this thread is still useful!

If it helps I was going to go with crown cloudburst

Glad my smoulder was lush shame it was too dark for you. I love dark colours though. Plus have lots or woodwork and white to set it off.

Hope you make a decision

I've had this dilemma. In two different houses. And had to repaint both times. So, I have given up finding the perfect grey (understandably). I think the problem is that once a vast area is covered the shade looks entirely different and, as you have so many turns in your stairway, the shade is inevitably going to look different on different areas. Both times I was blighted by the purple tone that seemed to intensify the longer the bloody paint was on the wall. I know it's not helpful to say, but are you SURE you want to stick with trying to find the perfect grey? I admitted defeat and returned, shame-faced, to Dulux Timeless.

Another vote here for dulux chic shadow - definately grey xx

Rathernot I did actually laugh out loud at the thpug h t of you returning shame faced to Dulux Timeleas.

I have a weekend stretching before me which means probably another £80 on testers. haven't tried any Fired Earth yet...

but I have to say that Cloud Burst is looking the most promising. Yes different on all walls but and bizarrely purple undertones on some and slightly green others, but possible.

I will update.

You missed dulux dusted moss, I swear it works!

Also, I am sure you have done this (it's the bit I failed to do), once you have painted your tester patch, hold every conceivable colour up against it to see what it throws out. When I had the horror of Potters Clay all over my house, I only realised quite how lilac it was when I put cream/beige/'tasteful neutral' furnishings against it. It looked great/OKish against the white woodwork but absolutely (even more) awful against my furniture. God, good luck. I do not envy you..

I assume you have worked your way through the Little Green Grey collection? I like Fescue but it is identical to Cloudburst iirc

What about Dulux night jewel, although might be too steely/blue for you.

Don't forget the colour will hugely intensify when it's on the walls and has dried, so the ones that seem too pale on a smallish patch may well end up being just right. Have lost count of the times I've almost not bothered putting something on the walls when I've seen it in the tin but ended up loving it.

(I came on to suggest Cornforth White too!)

Loving the number of posts on this thread!! We've clearly all been through the grey dilemma

disturb This thread has taken me back to a very dark (or should I say purple) place indeed...