No, we’re not cooking in the bedroom—that’s actually the name of our new paint color: Black Pepper.
You may have already spotted it in a previous post about the color palette we’re leaning toward for this house. We’re thrilled with how it turned out. For the master it was down to Sparrow, Knoxville Gray, Sea Star, and Black Pepper. When we held up the swatches, Black Pepper won for its depth and cool, faded quality. It reads fresh but also has a slightly historical feel, which we think fits the house perfectly.
Because the room is large, filled with light furnishings, and trimmed in crisp white, we felt comfortable using something deeper than the soft blues, grays, tans, and browns from our palette. We love the idea of an enveloping color in a bedroom. Keep in mind this room is still a work in progress, so ignore a few things for now:
- missing window treatments
- art-less walls
- a bare ceiling (we might paint it or try painted textured wallpaper down the line)
- no ceiling fixture yet
- temporary furniture placement (most pieces are just set where they landed when we moved)
- two benches at the end of the bed that we plan to replace with a single, reupholstered secondhand bench
- the two off-center windows to the right of the bed (we have a plan for them)
Black Pepper is not as dark as pure black; it carries navy undertones and reads a bit flat and faded in the best way. In person it feels sophisticated—possibly our favorite dark paint so far. To better show its undertones, we compared it to other swatches so the color could be seen in context instead of alone.
To prepare the room, we pushed everything to the center and covered it with a drop cloth. We’ve painted many rooms with hardwood floors and usually just wipe up any drips right away. If you’re nervous about spills, cover the floors too. Dried drips can often be popped up with a fingernail if you catch them early.
We started with one coat of tinted primer to improve coverage, even out some spray lines left from earlier work on the doors, and make sure the final color looked true and rich. We used a no-VOC primer (Kilz Premium) that Home Depot tinted for a dark blue-gray topcoat. The primer looked chalkier in photos than it did in real life, and we were eager to get paint on top of it.
With the tinted primer in place, the Benjamin Moore Natura no-VOC Black Pepper only needed one coat for full coverage—unusual for us, and likely thanks to the primer. That said, the three twelve-paned glass windows required more attention: two coats of primer and three coats of paint applied by hand, plus careful razor scraping to clean them up. So, you win some and you lose some.
We chose an eggshell sheen for the deep color because it keeps the finish fairly matte and elegant. The result is bold without shouting; it complements the headboard, rugs, and pillows without competing with them. Black Pepper sits in that sweet spot between a dark neutral and a statement color.
Beyond paint, our longer-term plan is to add built-ins. We’d love to build an entire wall of cabinetry and shelving behind the bed, complete with a window seat for the window on that wall. Then we can move the new dresser to the opposite wall so it will be a focal point when we wake up. Built-ins would add storage, display space, and create a cozy, tucked-in feel—something we loved about our first house’s bedroom. Adding built-ins also solves the issue of the two off-center windows: with built-ins along the bed wall, the bed will effectively be centered, and the room will feel more balanced and functional.
For now we’re enjoying the moodier wall color and how it makes the white trim and crown molding pop. Fresh floors and paint really transform a room, even if there’s still a long to-do list.
Anyone else falling in love with a new paint color?
More Of Our Favorite Paint Colors
If you’re having trouble choosing the right paint color, check out these deep-dive posts about our favorite paints:
- The 12 Best White Paint Colors
- Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray
- Benjamin Moore Simply White
- Sherwin-Williams Pure White
- Sherwin-Williams Extra White