Really matte walls are a headache to care for, to be sure, and every time anyone brushes against one is a minor disaster. But the look is so pleasing, it would be a fun finish in a less-trafficked area.
I especially love the look when it's paired with a high-shine metallic or lacquer, like the gold frames in image 2 or the disco shower in image 4.
What do you think? Do you like the matte look?
Images: 1 A Perfect Gray; 2 Brabourne Farm; 3 Design Hole; 4 Bellinter House Hotel via Stylesight; 5 Spicer + Bank on Pinterest; 6 Paige Morse's home on Design Sponge; 7 Kay Douglass design via Splendid Sass; 8 Jeffers Design Group via Design Wali.
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I really, really want to do a accent wall in a color similar to #3, but have heavy texturing on my walls. Does super-matte look super-bad on textured? Should I take the time to skim coat first? Any advice welcome...
i absolutely adore it paired with kelly green curtains in photo 7.
I've heard most people recommend matte finishes for uneven surfaces because it helps to camouflage the imperfections.
So could someone let us amateurs in on the secret to achieving this kind of effect?
Yeah matte looks great even on textured walls. My tiny secound bath was painted in a deep matte blackish grey, I just recently repainted with a gloss high humidity and matte don't mix:( dust can also be an issue. It did look beautiful for a while!
Is there a difference between matte and flat paint? Google is not enlightening me.
How do you get this velvety look?
Love matte. Feels like more depth. I feel like gloss emphasizes the end of space.
So, what is the actual color name and maker of the first one? Followed the link, and all I could find was "A Perfect Grey," and that does not look grey to me.
Same with the second.
I like #5 and #6.
I have inadvertently achieved this effect on a small scale when trying to touch up a wall ;-)
I think the author of this article is using the word "matte" as a substitute for "flat." However, in the world of paint finishes, matte is different than flat. Every wall in my house is painted in a matte finish. It's beautiful! I have two dogs and a child so I wash my walls pretty much daily. Matte is a truly opaque finish without the "chalkiness" a flat often has. It hides imperfections well and looks very rich. It almost seems layered. The depth of color in a matte is incredible. Benjamin Moore's Aura or Regal paint is where it's at people!
K&K - really excited to hear that! i just bought 3 cans of aura paint in the matte finish this past weekend. thought i was going to go for eggshell/satin, but the paint guy convinced me that the matte is just as durable as eggshell/satin but does a better job at hiding imperfections. can't wait to paint!
This purple wall is heavenly. I imagine it looks best in daylight, and not in a dark corner, but it makes me want to go buy the color immediately!
Nevermind the wall, I want that large painting in the 1st image!
I have to say that when I painted a whole room with a pattern to look like wallpaper, I used matte finish paints in Benjamin Moore's Aura line, and seriously, they really are matte, but they truly are scrub-abble.
I've used Benjamin Moore Aura in matte finish all over my house - except the kitchen and bathroom. It is very durable and scrubbable.
I almost started buying the satin finish before painting the house. The paintshop guy was like "why would you do satin? it only highlights the imperfections! go for the matte!" I'm so glad I did. Lots of imperfections in my old walls, but the matte evens it all out, visually you can't see anything.
These are all delicious! I also feel like matte and flat gives you a truer color, since the walls are not reflecting light.
My walls are old and have lots of little imperfections, so I was planning on matte finish from the start. When we got paint samples they only came in satin, and after living with those blocks of color on the wall for a couple weeks I can tell matte will be much more beautiful. With satin you get an annoying reflection that makes the paint look white from many angles. Other than supposed durability I don't understand why satin is such a popular finish.
We are doing Sherwin Williams Cashmere in flat finish, it's supposed to self-level very well and hide imperfections.
Matte is washable, flat is not. The issue isn't that matte hides imperfections, it is that glossy finishes highlight them.
I'm in the midst of my own "Moody Glam" makeover, as I'm calling it. I am loving the changes from the puke yellow the room used to be.
Here's the latest addition to the "after". (Haven't finished the whole room yet.)
http://thenestinggame.com/2011/10/12/red-spindle-table/
And my initial Moody Glam mood board here:
http://thenestinggame.com/2011/06/21/mood-swing-part-2/