In January we tested three gray swatches on the dining room walls. It only took days to choose a favorite, but somehow it took us four months to actually paint the room.
I’m not sure whether it’s more embarrassing that we delayed the job or that I now sport a farmer’s tan. We tried to come up with reasons for the delay: maybe we were exhausted after painting the living room and hallway the same color, maybe we were finishing the guest room before a visit, or maybe we spent time prepping the patio for a party. The truth is simpler—we often hop between projects and return to them after long pauses. Either way, the dining room finally went from unfinished to painted.
The change isn’t dramatic online, but the soft gray makes the space feel more polished. The test swatches are gone. We used the same gray as the living room and hallway—Benjamin Moore’s Moonshine, color-matched to Olympic Premium No-VOC paint—so we already had three gallons waiting. It’s a wonderful soft gray that reads well in different lighting, and it consistently looks right in each room where we’ve used it.
Our goal in painting these connected rooms the same color was to create visual flow. The kitchen, which sits between these rooms, will have a bit more color to add interest, but keeping the surrounding rooms uniform helps the whole area feel cohesive. Even subtle paint changes can highlight architectural details like crown molding and trim, and that’s exactly what happened here: the molding and built-ins now stand out a bit more and the room looks crisper and more finished.
Before painting, we’d left those test swatches up so long we barely noticed them—until visitors would ask which one we chose. The bottom swatch turned out to be the winner. Once the room had paint on the walls, several details became more noticeable. For example, the crown molding in this space is surprisingly substantial—almost twice the thickness of the molding elsewhere in the house. The soft gray complements the built-ins on the back wall, letting them take center stage while adding an airy, cloud-like feel that makes the room feel complete, even without curtains, art, or entryway furniture in place yet.
Painting this room was easier than some of our previous projects because it didn’t involve covering wood-toned molding with layers of white paint, and there were no beams to paint either. We completed the job quickly and with minimal fuss: one coat during a morning nap (Sherry cut in while I rolled), and a second coat after lunch, working in shifts so one of us could watch Clara. It was a relaxed process and made us laugh that we’d procrastinated for so long.
There were some lighthearted moments during the project. For instance, Sherry painted in what looked like a black sweatsuit, but it was actually her inside-out pajamas—comfort over style for painting day. And yes, we briefly considered keeping an outtake photo that would’ve been a little risqué, then deleted it. All in good fun.
Now that the walls are painted, we’re itching to tackle the next steps: opening up the kitchen more, hanging curtains, adding art, and dyeing slipcovers to better match the room. It’s tempting to leave the walls blank for a while, but the space is inviting and ready for those finishing touches.
Have you painted anything recently? Do you favor comfortable clothes for messy jobs, or do you pull out a dedicated paint outfit? If you’ve had swatches on your walls for months, you’re in good company—this room proves a little patience eventually pays off.
Psst—If you’re curious about our painting approach, we’ve shared helpful tips and videos on how we tackle paint projects, including how we paint rooms and trim like pros.