Gone are the days when dark colored paint was reserved for the eclectic home. Today, homes are displaying deep, stately colors in a warm, inviting fashion. In fact, the director of color marketing at Sherwin Williams Paint says, “In general, darker, moodier colors are becoming popular for both the interior and exterior of the home. Specifically, we are seeing lots of deep greens and navy hues gain popularity.” While her favorite is Sherwin-Williams’ Naval SW 6244, the color we are experiencing today is Valspar’s 8003-26F, Greek Oregano in Reserve flat.

The owners of this southern, 1960’s home started renovations in 2020. Their inspiration for the master suite wasn’t a picture from Pinterest, something they’d seen on screen or even from a magazine. They knew what they wanted the room to feel like long before they knew what they wanted it to look like. Sanctuary. These home owners wanted to come home at the end of a hard day, open their bedroom door and feel like they were on a vacation at a cozy bed and breakfast. They wanted the room to feel warm, relaxing, inviting and special. On a whim, the owner picked a color she loved, skipped the sample and bought several gallons. Two coats of Valspar’s Reserve transformed the room from boring, large and unremarkable to a sanctuary of peace that pulls a “tell me about this paint!” from everyone who sees it.

In terms of style, the owners decided to refinish old furniture that matched the age of the home. Because they found original hardwoods under the tacky, green carpet, they didn’t want to introduce another wood component to compete with the floors. They settled on a scrubbable Benjamin Moore Advanced alkyd paint in #1 high gloss. They threw in a couple of cast iron clocks, a layered king sized bed with many textures, an antique chair and a small portion of their houseplant collection. The master bath continues with the Greek Oregano, framed above white wainscotting.

Overall, the homeowners are in love with their design choices. Just about the time the room seems boring, someone new will see it and gush about the resort style room they get to sleep in every night or a social media picture will garner dozens of questions about where others can get their hands on that paint.

“I was tired of looking at picture after picture of renovations and seeing that every single room looked the same. I didn’t want my room to look like everyone else’s. I wanted it to have a personality. The first thing I said when I finished my renovation was, ‘I get to live here!’ It’s a sentiment I still feel when I open my bedroom door after a long day!”

Speaking of green, Olive the housecat agrees!