I've has several (steel) frames on which the paintworks was tatty, stripped down and powder coated black. The natural finish seemed to be a "satin" (sort of semi-matte) which looks a treat, althought not quite in the same class as the bike smokey pictured above, but then they only charge me £40 for stripping and coating.
How anal do you think the Bike 2 work scheme would be if i changed the colour of the bike? As i understand its a hire for a year with some options at the end i think we will be offered to buy the bike the lease + buying will be cheaper than buying outright in the first place so i dont think it should be a problem.