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.

My cloudburst is up. It is beautiful

Great

I am in between Pavilion Grey and Cloud burst for my living room - the cloudburst seems a shade darker and a bit less yellow, does that sound right to you?

Snot-so glad you like the one you've picked. After all that it would have been awful if it hadn't been what you wanted.

We went for Little Greene Mushroom which was the big splodge on bottom right. My DH put it on today and it looks fantastic. Now on to the hallway...

Is 36 testers a world record ???? I think I would have gone crazy (hence currently painting in timeless and I don't buy testers - jump with both feet !).... You probably have enough to mix all the testers together and create the first universal mn grey. Not sure what it should be called but you'll have enough to do a 2 up 2 down.

This is my version of a rom-com. I became obsessed with greys when I redecorated. I chose different colours for each room based on the blue/grey grey/grey grey/green palette. I was beginning to worry about myself at one point.

Engraved locket and grey steel won the day. I do not underestimate the weight of your choice!

Silver yes that sounds about right. The thing I love about the cloud burst is that it has no yellow/green base to it - warm base without being lilac or dusty pink. And hits the spot between making the art stand out but not being too dark. It was the only one that worked on every wall in every light. It looks different on each wall -yes but always in a good way. I am so so pleased with it.

And yes to mixing all 36 testers in one pot to create a Mumsnet grey - which would of course be called 'Naice Grey'

I have also painted the hall table cloudburs in a fat emulsion and it looks tres chic. I am a grey hallway goddess.

*flat emulsion!

Is the wall in flat emulsion too? I have lost my cloudburst tester will have to get another one today! Painting this weekend - finally getting rid of the pale pink in satin finish. Have no idea why someone thought it would be nice to have shiny satin walls!

Come on then Snot, post us a picture!

Silver yes the wall is flat emulsion.

Shiny walls

Have you decided between the Cloudburst and Pav Grey yet?

Kits I am tempted but worried about outing myself. New light fittings going up next week so might do it then...

have a look at F&B's advice page

Yes please post a photo! I promise to do the same once our room is done too.. Veering towards the cloudburst and have even bought some but managed to buy the silk emulsion instead of matt so will be going back tomorrow!

Oh do it Silver - tis lovely up.

My DC are scared to stand still for fear of being emulsioned in Cloudburst. I am slapping it on everything in sight

Got another tester of cloudburst, it's definitely The One and half the price of Pavilion Grey!

So glad you found the right shade. We painted our bedroom in Blackened and it looks almost blue. I love it though.

So one coat of the cloudburst has gone up and it looks lilac I'm not sure whether to persist and hope it will look more grey against the furniture (dark grey and raspberry pink sofas) or to switch to pavilion grey (DH will not be happy)??

OK. Deep breaths Silver. You know that lilac was the thing I was most worried about? And the reason I had to paint over the Caluna? And I went with the Cloudburst because there was not a smidgen of Lilac in the finished article.

If I were you, I would sleep on the first coat and look at it in the morning with one of the sofas against it and a piece of your furniture.

Let us know how it goes.

FWIW I am looking at my hallway now and I promise you it is grey grey grey

Snot we are on a mad deadline, sanders coming in tomorrow morning so need painting done before then. I'm afraid I bottled it and bought the pavilion grey. One coat is on and it is definitely grey and not lilac don't know why the cloudburst behaved like that on our walls, it was definitely grey when I tested it!

Silver-I have pavilion grey in my bedroom & love it. There is definitely a gap in the market for a house with every room painted a different shade of grey so we can all go and view before making our choices ;)

Love the thought of the mixed up testers being mumsnet grey & OP, delighted you like it but really need a photo!

The Pavilion Grey is GORGEOUS. In the dusk light it was looking a bit lilac but now it is the most perfect soft warm pale grey. It transforms the room completely, v pleased

Elephants breath in hall

Lovely Noddy.

So glad that the PG worked Silver

This is sooooo much better than the original '50 Shades of Grey'

The thread that keeps on giving

Is that your hallway noddy? I love it.

Oh noddy- what is the birch wallpaper, please?

I saw a house when we were buying that had it in the dining room, and it looked gorgeous, but had no idea where to start looking!