Nope, we’re not cooking in the bedroom— that’s simply the name of our new paint color.
You may have already caught a glimpse of it in a previous post about the color palette we’re leaning toward for this house. We’re really happy with the pick. For the master it came down to Sparrow, Knoxville Gray, Sea Star, and Black Pepper. When we held up the swatches, Black Pepper won for its depth and cool, slightly faded feeling. It reads fresh but also has that “historical color” quality that feels right for our home.
Because the room is large and filled with light furnishings plus crisp white trim and doors, we felt it could handle something deeper than the soft blues, grays, tans, and browns in our palette—especially since we like an enveloping color in the bedroom. We’re still early in the process, so ignore things like:
- the missing window treatments
- the art-less walls
- the bare ceiling (we might paint it or add a painted textured wallpaper later)
- the lack of a ceiling fixture (we’re excited to add one)
- furniture placement that’s temporary
- the two benches at the foot of the bed (we’d prefer a single bench, ideally secondhand and reupholstered)
- the two off-centered windows on the wall to the right of the bed (we have a plan for those)
Black Pepper isn’t as deep as a true black. It carries navy undertones and reads a bit flatter and faded, which makes it feel sophisticated in person. It might be our favorite dark color so far. Below you can see it next to other swatches—comparing it to nearby colors helps show undertones and values better than viewing it alone.
To prep the room we pushed furniture to the center and covered it with a drop cloth. We’ve painted many rooms with hardwood floors and generally wipe up drips right away. If you’re concerned, cover the floors too. If paint dries on hardwood, we’ve found you can often lift it with a fingernail or a careful scrape.
After prep we applied one coat of tinted primer to help with coverage, hide imperfections from earlier door-spraying, and ensure the dark color would be true and rich. We used a no-VOC primer, Kilz Premium, tinted at the store to suit the deep blue-gray paint we planned to use. The primer looks different in photos than in person; it felt a little chalky in photos but served its purpose—once we started painting we were eager to get the real color on the walls.
Here’s the difference between the tinted primer and the actual paint going on:
We only needed one coat of Black Pepper (we used Benjamin Moore Natura no-VOC) for full coverage, which is unusual for us—likely the primer made the difference. The twelve-paned glass windows were more work: they took five coats in total applied by hand (two coats of primer and three coats of paint) plus a final razor scraping to clean them up. So, you win some and lose some.
We chose an eggshell sheen, which suits a deep color nicely. It reads fairly matte and adds to the chic feel. The color is bold without being overbearing; it lets the headboard, rugs, and pillows stand out while still making a statement. It sits between a dark neutral and an assertive color, which is exactly the balance we wanted.
Looking ahead, aside from dealing with the bare windows, empty walls, and those benches, we’re dreaming about built-ins. We’d love to create a wall of built-ins behind the bed with a window seat for the window on that wall. Then we’ll move the dresser opposite the bed so it becomes a focal point and we gain storage and display space. Built-ins would also give the bed a cozy, tucked-in feeling similar to a previous bedroom we loved.
We arrived at the built-in idea because the two windows on the back wall aren’t centered. By adding built-ins along the bed wall, the composition becomes centered and the room gains balance and function.
That project is further down the line. For now we’re enjoying how the moodier wall color makes the crown, trim, and white doors pop. It’s remarkable how much fresh paint and new flooring change a space—even with a long to-do list.
Anyone else falling for a new paint color?
More Of Our Favorite Paint Colors
If you’re struggling to pick the right paint, we’ve written detailed posts about some of our favorite shades.
- The 12 Best White Paint Colors
- Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray
- Benjamin Moore Simply White
- Sherwin-Williams Pure White
- Sherwin-Williams Extra White