Outerspace Paint: Creating a Galactic Change

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Creating an outer space boys bedroom starts with a huge galactic change in paint color. The walls were transformed from pale yellow with outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams.

This week for the One Room Challenge, we’re sharing how we chose Outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams to create a galactic color change to the walls in our boys’ outer space bedroom.

Creating an outer space boys bedroom starts with a huge galactic change in paint color. The walls were transformed from pale yellow with outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams.

Disclosure: Sherwin-Williams gave us Outerspace paint at a free or reduced rate to use for this galactic room transformation. No other compensation was provided. This blog post also contains affiliate links for products we think you’ll like. This means if you make a purchase from one of these links, we’ll make a small commission at no additional cost to you so we can keep the great ideas for the home coming your way. All opinions expressed are our own, derived from our personal experience.

One Room Challenge: Week Three

If you’ve been to our blog in recent weeks, you may have seen how we’re planning to redecorate our boys bedroom in an outer space theme as part of the One Room Challenge hosted by Linda from Calling It Home. Twice a year, she challenges twenty designers to transform a room and document their process over six weekly posts. Bloggers are invited to get involved as guest participants to change a room in their homes too. Over the course of the One Room Challenge, the designers and guest participants provide weekly updates on their progress while also sharing ideas, tips, and resources. We’re nearing the half way point so be sure to check out how week three is going for everyone and follow along on social media by searching for the hashtag #oneroomchallenge.

Last week, we shared how free NASA posters we found online are inspiring the colors we’re using in the boys new outer space bedroom. Once we had a theme and some design inspiration, the next step was to choose a paint color. We’ve used Sherwin-Williams paint in the past for the board and batten shutters on our cottage, so they were naturally the first place we looked when we wanted to find the best paint color to use for the boys outer space bedroom. After all, they’ve been an industry leader dedicated to supporting DIY-ers for over 150 years.

With more than 4,000 retail stores nationwide, it was easy to find a location near us. Plus the staff was really friendly and helpful when we went in to look at color options despite the fact that I had a five year old and three year old with me who just want to rearrange the paint chips! We also love that they keep track of the colors you use in your rooms in case you ever need to refresh your projects later. Now the dilemma was which shade of blue or gray should I use for the walls?

Creating an outer space boys bedroom starts with a huge galactic change in paint color. The walls were transformed from pale yellow with outer space paint from Sherwin-Williams.

How We Chose Outerspace Paint

As I looked through the paint chips from Sherwin-Williams, I debated between a light gray or blue for the walls vs. a darker color. My five year old thought for sure we ought to paint the walls black “because outer space is black.” I gently steered him in a lighter direction! Of course, the color that immediately caught my attention was Outerspace – SW6251. I was just concerned about whether it would be too dark and too big of a change compared to the dark espresso bedroom furniture and light yellow walls that were in the room previously. To help me make up my mind I did two things: created a visual rendering and got opinions from trusted friends.

Boys bedroom plans involve removing the Curious George decal and painting the walls. We'll also be moving the big blue chair to another room and replacing it with a second twin sized bed.

1. Get a visual rendering. Sherwin-Williams has an amazingly helpful tool called the ColorSnap Visualizer to let you play around with paint color options. I used the one on their website from my desktop computer but they also have a version for mobile devices. All I had to do was snap a few quick photos on my iPhone, transfer them to my computer, upload to the Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap Visualizer and then virtually “paint” my room in Outerspace paint or any other color I wanted to try out.

Creating an outer space boys bedroom starts with a huge galactic change in paint color. The walls were transformed from pale yellow with outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams.

It was so easy to use the ColorSnap Visualizer that I ended up creating two photo renderings to see how Outerspace paint might look on the walls in the boys bedroom. Here’s the first:

Creating an outer space boys bedroom starts with a huge galactic change in paint color. The walls were transformed from pale yellow with outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams.

And the second:

Creating an outer space boys bedroom starts with a huge galactic change in paint color. The walls were transformed from pale yellow with outer space paint from Sherwin-Williams.

2. Get others’ opinions. Once I had the visual renderings of the room with Outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams, I was 90% confident I wanted to go in that direction. It looked amazing on the walls in the ColorSnap Visualizer, but I was still a little nervous to go with such a huge, galactic color change for the room. I know Sherwin-Williams sells small sample sizes of their paints so you can try it out on a portion of a wall before you commit to the whole thing, but since I was already fairly confident I asked around instead. Lucky for me, I found two of my blogger friends already had personal experience with Outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams – Emily from Table and Hearth and Karisa from Petite Modern Life.

It was really easy to save my renderings of the room with Outerspace paint on the walls from the ColorSnap Visualizer. I quickly sent them off to Emily and Karisa to get their opinions. Karisa at Petite Modern Life looked at the same Outerspace paint color in comparison with Cyberspace when they gave their kitchen a makeover last fall. Karisa said, “we tested Outerspace and cyberspace paint colors by Sherwin-Williams for our kitchen cabinets and ended up going with cyberspace because it was a lot darker than outerspace. So if you’re looking for a lighter dark color outerspace is great!” I can see why she chose Cyberspace for her cabinets as it looks awesome, but much darker than I want for the boys bedroom.

Kitchen Makeover from Petite Modern Life featured on Kenarry.com

Emily at Table and Hearth went through a similar debate when she was changing the walls in her office/guest room from a light color. After painting several swatches of different dark grays and blues on her wall, she chose to go with Outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams and LOVED it. When I asked her about it for my boys outer space bedroom, she said “I think Outerspace would be perfect! It’s dark, but definitely has some gray in it rather than a true navy so it doesn’t read super dark to me, at least in my space.”

Dark Walls in the Office - Sherwin Williams Outerspace Paint - Table and Hearth featured on Kenarry.com

I really, really liked the way the Outerspace paint looked on the walls in Emily’s office/guest room. Armed with their glowing endorsements and my original gut feeling about the color, I pulled the trigger and got the Outerspace paint in Sherwin-Williams Emerald Interior Satin Finish. It’s a paint and primer in one which would save us a step in the painting process while giving exceptional coverage, a beautiful, smooth finish and enduring color. I chose a satin finish for our Outerspace paint, but all of their finishes are washable. As any parent of small children will tell you, washability is absolutely critical for any room that’s going to need to withstand the wear and tear of two little boys.

We sent the boys off to my parents for a “grand vacation” during our five year old’s spring break week (NOTE: We tell them you have to be a “grand”parent or a “grand”child on a “grand vacation”, so that’s why Mommy and Daddy can’t stay). Once our little “helpers” were occupied elsewhere, we set to work clearing out their room.

Creating an outer space boys bedroom starts with a huge galactic change in paint color. The walls were transformed from pale yellow with outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams.

Creating a Galactic Paint Change

Once all the furniture was out of the boys bedroom, it sure made the space look so much larger. We could also see all the dirt and stains on the walls. Thankfully the Sherwin-William’s Emerald Interior paint and primer in one has advanced stain-blocking technology, so we didn’t need to worry about those marks bleeding through the new Outerspace paint. We prepped the room by removing light switch and outlet covers, patching holes in the walls, taping off woodwork and taping down drop cloths with blue painter’s tape.

Creating an outer space boys bedroom starts with a huge galactic change in paint color. The walls were transformed from pale yellow with outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams.

Next, Kent carefully painted around the ceiling, windows and baseboards using a trim brush.

Creating an outer space boys bedroom starts with a huge galactic change in paint color. The walls were transformed from pale yellow with outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams.

As he worked around the room cutting in the edges, I started to feel a little anxious and excited seeing the dramatic change in paint color. I wondered if I’d made a mistake?

Creating an outer space boys bedroom starts with a huge galactic change in paint color. The walls were transformed from pale yellow with outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams.

The Outerspace paint is so much darker than the pale yellow walls were. GULP, there’s no turning back now!

Creating an outer space boys bedroom starts with a huge galactic change in paint color. The walls were transformed from pale yellow with outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams.

Once the edges were done, Kent went back and filled a paint tray with the Outerspace paint. He used a paint roller with an extension pole to paint the top half of all the walls. You may notice our furry “supervisor” in the door way.

Creating an outer space boys bedroom starts with a huge galactic change in paint color. The walls were transformed from pale yellow with outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams.

We rescued Scruffy last fall from an animal shelter. He’s been a constant companion ever since and follows us everywhere. I was concerned he’d be underfoot and into the paint during the boys bedroom makeover. Instead he laid outside the door the entire time keeping track of the action, usually with his eyes shut.

Creating an outer space boys bedroom starts with a huge galactic change in paint color. The walls were transformed from pale yellow with outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams.

Once the top half of the walls had a first coat, Kent went around the room one more time with a paint roller on the lower half.

Creating an outer space boys bedroom starts with a huge galactic change in paint color. The walls were transformed from pale yellow with outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams.

By lunch time, the entire room was covered in the first coat of Outerspace paint and I was feeling more excited than nervous now about the galactic color change. We knew making this dramatic of a change would require at least two coats of paint even with the paint and primer in one. The new color was already starting to look gorgeous though.

Creating an outer space boys bedroom starts with a huge galactic change in paint color. The walls were transformed from pale yellow with outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams.

After the first layer of Outerspace paint dried, Kent did a second coat of paint on the walls that afternoon. It looked amazing so we decided that second coat was also our final coat. We were surprised and delighted to find we were able to get the coverage we wanted with just one gallon of the Sherwin-Williams Outerspace paint. We thought for sure it would take 2-3 gallons.

Creating an outer space boys bedroom starts with a huge galactic change in paint color. The walls were transformed from pale yellow with outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams.

The color is absolutely stunning. While it’s much darker than what we had in the room before, it’s definitely not too dark for the space.

Creating an outer space boys bedroom starts with a huge galactic change in paint color. The walls were transformed from pale yellow with outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams.

Depending on the light and time of day, the Outerspace paint takes on different colors. Sometimes it looks almost navy, while other times it looks like a rich denim blue or even a dark gray.

Creating an outer space boys bedroom starts with a huge galactic change in paint color. The walls were transformed from pale yellow with outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams.

This Outerspace paint color is going to be the perfect back drop for the mural I’ve envisioned with planets and a large rocket ship on the wall. I’m so excited about this galactic change for the boys’ bedroom.

Creating an outer space boys bedroom starts with a huge galactic change in paint color. The walls were transformed from pale yellow with outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams.

Tune in next week to see how the outer space mural turns out! You can also read more about our plans for our boys outer space bedroom, check out the entire outer space bedroom series thus far or subscribe to get future updates. I’d also highly recommend you check out Calling It Home to see the progress other bloggers are making this week on their One Room Challenge projects.

If you liked this galactic outerspace paint change, please share it with your friends or pin it for later:

Creating an outer space boys bedroom starts with a huge galactic change in paint color. The walls were transformed from pale yellow with outerspace paint from Sherwin-Williams.

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45 Comments

  1. I love the color of the paint! And how fun are the paint names! I can’t wait to see how you finish this room!

    1. Tilisa, paint colors always have the most fun names, don’t they? Of course, I had to pick the one that’s actually called “outerspace”!

  2. I really like the colour you chose + the contrast with the white trim. Plus, your light carpets help brighten the space as well, and it’s definitely an improvement from the colour before 🙂

  3. I have SW Gibraltar in our hall bath- with white trim- but I didn’t know about Outerspace.
    It’s wonderful.

    This is so much fun to follow your progress! You are well on your way and everything is lovely.
    I hope you will share this today at Thoughts of Home on Thursday.
    Just stop by my blog to join in.
    Enjoyed visiting,
    Laura
    White Spray Paint

    1. Oh that Gibraltar color is so pretty! I bet it looks great with your white trim. I think Outerspace is just a shade or two darker. I’ll swing by to link up at Thoughts of Home Thursday.

    1. I know what you mean, Kristin! After we painted the boys room, I started looking around the rest of the house wishing we could paint other rooms too.

    1. Aww, thanks Laura! We’re so glad you were delighted by the outerspace paint change. The paint really does make a huge difference, doesn’t it?

  4. You are so right, Stacey! Paint in and of itself makes a huge difference in the look and feel of a room. Thanks for stopping by to check out the boys room.

  5. What a great change! The color just makes everything you add stand out and love the name too. The color visualizer looks like an amazing tool. I need to use that for our bedroom.

  6. Beautiful color! I love this idea. My son is currently obsessed with airplanes. Who knows how long that will last, but hey. If it sticks around (or when he inevitably becomes interested in space and astronauts) I’m going to have to come back to this 😉 I love the fact in two coats it looks flawless!

  7. Wow Carrie! What a transformation. I love Sherwin Williams–their paint is all over our house. Their app was so helpful when we first moved in. Took the guess work (and saved us trips) out of painting our walls. Thanks so much for sharing this on #shinebloghop!

    1. Isn’t that app amazing, Maria? It’s so helpful to actually see what the room will look like in that color before going through all the effort (and expense!) of painting.

  8. Looks great, I’m looking forward to seeing your mural. My boys had a space room when they were younger, it was so much fun to paint planets, shooting stars and flying saucers!
    I left the ceiling white though as I thought painting that would make it too dark and then a friend of my older boy came round and said the ceiling was “All wrong” (not very helpful!) so we had to paint that too. It was too dark, mum does know best but what can you do! We added glow in the dark stars to it but I would recommend not painting it if you can get away with it!

    1. Hi Julie, how fantastic that you painted an outer space mural for your kiddos too. I would love to see photos of what your room looked like. If you still have some, can you post or send them to me? It would be so fun to see!

  9. I love that color! Reminds me of our kitchen walls. We have lots of shades of blue in our house. I just love painting rooms it’s such a quick and easy way to make a huge change.

    1. Thanks Crystal! I agree – it’s so nerve wracking to make a choice, but then we have to remember. It’s ONLY paint. If we don’t like it, we can change it. Fortunately, in this case, we love it!

    1. We’re so glad you came over from Throwback Thursday to check it out, Mollie. That means so much to us. Hope you’re having a great week!

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