We finished painting the guest room, and wow—it’s bold. This is unlike any room we’ve painted before, and we absolutely love it. The color we chose is a deep, dramatic teal that feels rich and inviting. The photo below is probably the most accurate representation we have (bearing in mind how your monitor renders colors):
The hue was inspired by a napkin that sparked the idea, and while it resembles the Dragonfly shade we used on the backs of built-ins in another room, we chose this one because it felt slightly less green and a touch lighter when we held up swatches in the guest room. The final color is called Plumage by Martha Stewart, but we had it color-matched to an Olympic Premium base since it’s No-VOC—now including the colorants—which was important to us. We opted for an eggshell finish so the walls remain wipeable and durable without being glossy; with such a deep tone, gloss can exaggerate imperfections.
We did run into a bit of a matching challenge at the store. If your paint pro has trouble matching Plumage exactly, Olympic’s Azalea Leaf is a very close alternative. Ultimately, you can always go with Martha Stewart’s original Plumage without color-matching if you want to avoid any discrepancies.
When we started rolling the paint on, there were a few anxious moments. Dark, saturated colors can look unpredictable at first, and seeing the first coat triggered some nail-biting. But by the time we applied the second coat, the coverage was rich and uniform. The difference between one and two coats was dramatic: the wall with two coats looked deep and saturated while the one-coat side still showed more of the old color. (These particular photos were taken at night and the tones are a little off; daytime shots show the color more accurately.)
After the second coat, we were completely sold. Pairing the intense teal with crisp white trim created the exact contrast we hoped for—there’s something genuinely giddy about it. We were pleasantly surprised to finish the job using just one gallon of paint and still have some left over. The success was likely helped by the tinted primer we applied beforehand, which improved coverage and color payoff.
The next morning we ran into the room to admire it in daylight and were amazed by how transformative a relatively low-cost paint job can be. Right as we were about to take after photos, our new guest bed arrived thirty minutes early, so it ended up in several shots. (More on our mattress buying adventures another time.) Below is the view from the adjoining guest bathroom.
And here’s the view from the hall:
The room has off-center windows, which will make the final furniture layout interesting. We’ll experiment with different arrangements until we find one that feels balanced. For now we’re keeping things flexible and trying multiple configurations to see what works best for flow and sightlines.
We also painted over a few wall-mounted items—like vents and an old Bell Atlantic phone jack—that the previous owners had already painted. We matched those to the new wall color, while leaving the unpainted outlet plates white for contrast and code compliance.
On request from readers, we made a cutting-in video showing how to neatly paint along baseboards and trim using a reliable brush. The video demonstrates the technique we used to get clean, straight edges without relying on painter’s tape.
Looking ahead, we’d like to add crown molding and maybe paint the ceiling a lighter shade or at least refresh it and the trim with a crisp white. Those upgrades will have to wait, though—my mom and stepdad are visiting this Thursday, so timelines are tight.
So that’s our dark teal guest room in a nutshell. Next steps include hanging the headboard, styling the bed, adding a shower curtain and bath mat, replacing an old toilet seat, and possibly hanging curtains and finding a side table and lamp. It should be a busy few days getting everything finished, but we’re thrilled with how the room feels already.