Help, What Color Should I Paint my Guest Room?

I need your HELP!  I am in the midst of planning a makeover for the guest room.  The room’s theme and decor are slowly coming together in my mind.  Yet, I am a little bit stuck on just one decision - what color should the walls be painted? 

Here is what the guest room looks like now...

As you can see, it could use a little help.  The walls are still the plain white they were when we first moved into the home.  There is nothing that you see in the room that I plan to keep except for the bed and the little painting which hangs in the back corner (more on the painting in a moment).


The planned decor theme for the room is the ocean.  I lived near the ocean while growing up in Brazil.  There is just something calming and soothing about the sea! Maybe it is the salty cool breeze one feels while laying on a beach, or the gritty texture of warm sand between one's toes.  Perhaps it is the soothing sound of the waves.  Not only is the ocean soothing, but it is also visually relaxing.  The ocean is at its best at dawn and dusk!  I love the warm colors of the sky and sea when the sun is low on the horizon.  This is the vibe I am seeking for my guest room.  Without it being nautical, I want the room to be a soothing and welcoming place of retreat - like the beach.  I want our guests to have the feeling that they are in a warm and breezy ocean cabana that has a clean and elegant feel.

In order to achieve this feeling in the room, color is going to be key.  I have a few photographs we’ve captured through the years, which are full of color inspiration from the ocean.  I would like to choose one of them to guide the choice of the wall color and coordinating colors in the guest room.

The first photo is of this washed-up boat sitting on a beach in Santa Barbara, California at sunrise.  I love the rustic feel of the boat, the calm in the water and the beautiful reflection.

The next photo I’m considering for a color palette is of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.  Before my husband became disabled, he traveled much for work. One morning he got up early and captured this shot.  I love the calm ambience!  The sunlight brightens the scene with a beautiful warm glow. The blues of the water and sky are soothing while the greens in the grass depict vibrant life.  

The final possible color inspiration comes from the painting that already hangs in the corner of the guest room.  It is a painting of a brazilian fishing boat called a Jangada.  The sky is a beautiful calm grey.  There are just a few touches of color to make the painting interesting, and the frame is a rustic, dark brown.

So, help me out here... If you were to create a guest room based on one of these images, which would you choose?  What color should I pick to paint the walls?  A darker blue as found in the photos of Santa Barbara and San Francisco?  One of the warmer yellows or reds from the abandoned boat?  Or, should I choose the grey-blue from the painting?  There is also the option of an aqua from the water or a tan from the sand found in the photo of my kiddos on the beach.

Once I settle on a photo, I will upload it to mycolortopia.com to find a matching color of paint.  My Colortopia has a brilliant online tool from Glidden paint called, My Image Inspiration.   The tool allows you to find a paint color match from a photo!  For example, here are the colors My Image Inspiration suggests from a selection of the photo of the children on the beach:

Go to My Colortopia

So, there you have it.  With so many gorgeous colors of the ocean, you can understand my dilemma.  Any thoughts?  Which of these images would you choose as the main color inspiration?

Thanks for your help!  I’ll be sure to let you know what color(s) I settle on.  I'll also definitely be showing you the finished guest room remodel as soon as it is done.








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