Our oldest son, Matteo, requested a blue and red car theme for his big-boy room glow up – and so began my research into the perfect red and blue paint colors!
Thanks to Lowe’s Home Improvement – who I’m honored to partner with for this project – I was able to get everything I needed for Matteo’s big-boy room transformation – including the paint! Did you know that Lowe’s will paint match any color, even if they don’t carry that particular brand of paint?! I simply brought my paint swatches to the counter and spoke with their paint specialist, who was extremely nice and knowledgable and helped me choose exactly what I needed.

To start – Matteo’s room presented with a couple of challenges – one being that it’s rather large for a child’s room. We had transferred all of the artwork and furniture from Matteo’s nursery in our first home into his current room. It was all much too small and left a large, empty “dance floor”-like space in the middle of his room. Scale is so important to creating a cozy atmosphere. I knew selecting a grown-up bedroom set, installing wall treatments and incorporating the right colors would add depth, character, and a comfortable, surrounded feeling to this space.
Secondly – Matteo’s room primarily faces East. East-facing rooms receive a lot of light earlier in the morning, and quickly turn shadowy throughout the afternoon and into the evening. I initially brought in some pretty, French blue paint colors that leaned toward gray with soft blue undertones, but toward the mid-late afternoon and end of the day they all looked dismal.
I was determined to find a blue that was cheeful, yet somehow calm, classic and sophisticated. After much research, I landed on Whipple Blue – the perfect, vibrant shade of cornflower blue. I was happy to discover that it’s part of Benjamin Moore’s Historical Collection, especially since our Colonial Revival was built in 1902.

Then for the accent color – red. I had originally tested out Benjamin Moore’s Heritage Red using a peel-and-stick sample from Samplize. It’s great crisp, classic red – also part of the Historical Color Collection – but it was apparent in the afternoon light that I needed to find a red with a bit more warmth.
I came across Benjamin Moore’s Caliente and knew it was the one! It’s the perfect, captivating and classic red. I covered Matteo’s tall bookshelf and hand-me-down lamp base from his older cousins with three coats of Caliente. It’s stunning and the perfect complement to Whipple Blue.
For the white paint color – I knew we would keep the existing shade on his walls – Benjamin Moore’s Swiss Coffee , which is our go-to, warm-white paint color. We’ve used this color in nearly every room of our home and love it. If you are seriously considering this color, I would be sure to test it out in your space at different times of the day and in different locations. Swiss Coffee can lean a little yellow with its undertone at certain times of the day, which we don’t mind, but it’s not for everyone.
Stay tuned for another blog post sharing all of my tips and tricks on how to paint beadboard and trim – as well as how to install a simple beadboard and trim wall. As always thanks for reading, and please feel free to ask me any questions!
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