…Other Color Questions
Thanks for visiting my blog. I would love to help you. I answer questions on any one room or a home’s exterior for $20 (the cost of a couple sample cans of paint). Click on the secure PayPal button below for your convenience. After receiving payment, I will answer your question directly on the blog. Working together, we can save you from costly mistakes and unnecessary trips to the paint store. Let me help you with your color challenges. -Barbara, Your Home & Color Coach
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Long room layout –multipurpose. Hello, perhaps you or your readers could help. I can provide more details later. We have one long room on the bottom floor of a multi level home. The room is large and long and needs to serve two primary purposes. The first is a living/den/entertainment section and at the far end of the room a section for housing guests. We were thinking that on the nearest end there could be a gaming table etc. the middle section some couch/chair/type grouping facing a large wall unit with electronic entertainment and at the far end of the room — either a Murphy bed or a sofa bed arrangement. The dilemma is if there is a sofa bed and if we need another sofa type thing to watch entertainment from how would you do that. Also we thought there could be a rod across the room to hang luxurious curtains ala Schraeger which can be drawn across the sleeping area for privacy if one partner is sleeping and the other watching tv. No guests the room is for everyone to hang out. Guests present the entire room is theirs. Can anyone help? Thanks.
Hi Paula,
If your room is truly long enough, you can easily have three distinct zones, including two conversation areas with two different sofas. But I do like the Murphy bed idea if the end of the room is really only used when you have guests.
Just choose a palette and mix and match around the space so that although you have three different areas in the room, the space has flow.
I think you have a great plan!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Dear Barbara,
I have a painter coming to start painting my two story traditional brick home with partial wood siding on the first floor and all wood siding on the second floor. The brick color is an antique red with orange undertones. The roof is charcole gray. Currently the siding, garage door and front door are are all white. I would like to add some color and have thought about a sage green but worry this will be too much with the brick color. Can you suggest some color possibilities for the siding, garage door, trim and front door? My home is on a large lot in the country.
The bottom story has wood siding in the middle (surrounding the front door) and brick on each side.
Thanks,
Susan
Stella1701@Att.net
Hi Susan,
How about Ben Moore’s Tyler Taupe HC-43 for your siding and garage door color with Navajo White for the trim and Georgian Brick HC-50 for the front door (if that color is in your brick, that is). That color combination will really warm up your house.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara,
Thanks for the suggestions. I really like the
Navajo White for the trim and the Georgian Brick for the door is beautiful. I am not so crazy about the Tyler Taupe ( I don’t like to orange/gold color. I can send some pictures of my house and the brick color to you (is there an email address? I don’t know how to attach a file here). Do you think I could use a nantucket gray (HC 111) or Sag Harbor Gray (HC 95) in place of the Tyler Taupe? If not, do you have any other suggestions?
Barbara,
I bought a sample of Nantucket Grey and found it to be more of a taupe (brown/yellow) color too, which I don’t like. Do you think Weekend Getaway (Benjaimn Moore 473) would work with my brick color?
I can send you pictures of the house if you would like. I have painters arriving at 10 am tomorrow and I do not have colors slected. Please help!
Susan
Hi Susan,
I like the Weekend Getaway (it’s a beautiful green) but if you really don’t like so much yellow , check out Kennebunkport Green (HC-123). I hope the painters have some prep work to do before painting starts — good luck!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi again Susan,
I wouldn’t worry about using green with your brick. It’s usually a very pleasing combination.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I currently have blue shutters/garage color and would like a change. My house is light gray siding and the new roof is dark gray/with black. I have a fiberglass door with the top half is glass with gold trim. The door is “faux” wood look. I am tired of the blue shutters but with the wood looking door I don’t know what color to do the shutters and garage.
Thanks
Hi Susan,
Have a look at the sophisticated colors like Ben Moore’s Ashley gray (HC-87) and Kingsport gray (HC-86). They might help to bridge the warm/cold gap between the gray house color and the brown “wood” door.
Worth a try. See how it looks.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I’m not sure where to go with my backsplash. I have baltic brown granite, ivory painted cocoa glazed cabinets and my paint color is SW Restrained Gold. Appliances are black. The granite is dark & a busy pattern. Should I go with a darker backsplash or lighter? I’m thinking mosaic tile would be too busy with this granite although I love the look of it.
I also love the subway tile look but again probably too busy. I would appreciate any advice you can give me! Thank you!
Hi Jackie,
Since your cabinets are light (both top and bottom), hava a look at either a glass or metalic-looking tile in one of the deeper tones from your granite. It sounds like that would add drama. I love the glazed cabinets but I think you’ll need large darker tiles along the backsplash. You can use grout in the same color to avoid a busy look. Subway size is fine. You’re right, mosaic would be busy with your granite.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color coach
Barbra,
I like the advice I see you give in response to the questions posted so I would like your opinion on the house we are currently building. I would like to send a picture of it but am not sure how to post it on your site. The house is in the country on three acres with a white barn with a green roof and a white vinyl fence along the front property line. We have quite a few tree oak trees around the house. The house is 1 1/2 stories with a large porch and 5 dormers. The front and side of the garage will be drystack stone, the roof is forrest green, the windows will be white, we will be using hardi plank siding with hardi shake shingles in the gables. What do you suggest colorwise for the siding, trim, stone? If you send me your email, I will send a picture, it might help with any details I may have missed. Thanks for any help you can offer.
Hi Cliff,
You can email me at bmeglis@yahoo.com and I’ll be happy to take a look at your photo.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
All of our house walls are Pratt and Lambert Chamois with designer white trim. What color would be nice to accent a wall with? Thanks
Hi Pam,
With your Chamois walls, you have lots of options for accent colors: dark chocolate brown, rust, eggplant purple, and of course black. And don’t forget a rich red — it’s a classic combination with Chamois.
But honestly, all you need to do is find some really great art or a rug that you’d like to put into the room and take your accent colors from those pieces.
Good luck.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Before posting a comment,
+++PLEASE READ LATEST POST+++
AUGUST 29th, for changes to blog
Hi,
I have a question re paint. I have an open floor plan, so kitchen, living, dining rooms all flow into each other.
Right now I have taupe colored leather couch and chair.
I painted the walls when I first got the house a recommended Bleeker Beige. Now I feel it is too similar to the furnishings.
My other colors tend towards blues and greens. I have natural golden oak floors. I’d love to change color of walls. Anything that would get me away from straight beige that you can recommend?
Hi,
I have a one story brick house (The pictures were sent to bmeglis@yahoo.com a couple of days ago). The brick has brown, grey and red in it. I am wondering if you could help me to choose a roof color as well as the exterior paint color. I don’t like the color of the garage door we have right now (cream color). It draws all the attention to the garage for the curb. Do you have color suggestions for the roof as well as the house (garage and porch) and trim?
Thanks so much.
Jean
Hi Jean,
I love your sandy brick color. It’s beautiful! I suggest leaving the trim color cream as it’s in the brick and provides nice contrast. However, I agree that the cream garage is way too prominent. I suggest a color like Ben Moore’s Alexandria Beige (HC-77), which is in your brick but a much darker color than the cream. The darker shade on the garage door should blend it with the brick better and make the garage less prominent. As for a roof, I like either Heather Blend or Black Walnut (both Certainteed) as they bring out the warm tones in your brick and coordinate nicely. See what you think. The Alexandria Beige can also go on a porch or other painted area that is not trim color.
I cannot really see your front door in the photo but you can pick up the rust color from the brick– Mayflower Red (HC-49) should work great. You might also trim back some of the tree branches and other shrubbery (although lush) around the entry area so guests will have a clear shot to the front door.
Hope that helps. And thank you again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I have a living room (with White Dove Crown Molding) in Lenox Tan. I like that BUT
I am uncertain as to what color to paint the rest (which all is open to one another):
1.) the hallways
2.) the kitchen (I am thinking Audobon Russett but it IS very STRONG/Orange)
3.) the sunporch (it is presently Shaker Beige but seems too close to the Lenox Tax and is turning peachish)
4.) the dining room presently is a grey/blue purple like excalibur gray 2118-50, I am open to changing it if you can think of a better color. It has wainscotting in white dove along the bottom half. It is a rather smallish room with little windows.
The living room and sun porch open to one another and the sun porch gets alot of light. The sun porch has and orangish undertone (subtle) beige tile on the floor.
The kitchen has white cabinetry in White Dove with black granite countertop. It is a small gally kitchen with little wall space.
THere is a hallway between the kitchen in livinging/sunroom and another hallway off the kitchen on the other side (to the back door).
IT is a smallish colonial from the 50′s– the ceiling aren’t too high.
Can you help? I like a clean look– and don’t want the entire house to become dark — too beige– too drab. I like it livable– but with some style.
Hope you can help. Painter comes monday!
Thank you,
Nancy
Hi Nancy,
You have a wonderful start to your color palette. I love the Lenox Tan with White Dove and the purple-gray of Excalibur Gray. Now, since your house is a colonial with narrow hallways (I presume), I would paint them Bone White. It’s a nice neutral that will lighten up the hallways and connect well with the other rooms. Then for the kitchen, have a look at Papaya (957). It has a little bit of yellow without going too far and it will add some artificial “sunlight” to your galley kitchen. You might also take it over to the sunroom. Again, it’s a warm cheerful color without going too yellow in the sun.
Then once you have your neutral (plus purple) palette running through the public areas of your house, you can really add some color! Bring some purple shades into both the living room and the sunroom (that will tie in the dining room color). Then bring some of the russet color you mentioned and other warm shades into all the rooms. Keeping the palette relatively consistent throughout the downstairs area will make your colonial seem more open and yes, bigger. Also, you’ll find that you can move furniture from room to room and everything goes together. Great for adding extra seating from dining room to living room, etc.
Hope that makes sense and gets you ready for the painter who arrives tomorrow!
Thanks, Nancy.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara,
I have a 3 story contemporary townhome My stairwell wall is a very bold color… Benjamin Moore Shadow (2117-30). I am looking for a contemporary, chic grey color for the hallway on the first level. It is currently painted Thundercloud (2124-40). It’s not bad, but it comes across way too blue with the minimal lighting I have (two one bulb globes) in the entry hall. What would be a better option as a complimentary color for the Shadow? I am looking for a color that you might see in a chic hotel lobby. Thanks for your help.
Hi Dale,
Have a look at Gray Owl (OC-52). It’s what I would consider a very sophisticated, hard-to-pin-down color. It’s gray with a little green in it (no blue) and it looks terrific with the deep purply Shadow color of your stairwell. It’s also light enough to keep the entry hall bright even with minimal lighting. Grays are very popular now and they serve as a wonderful backdrop for other colors, whites, dark woods, and silver-toned metals. Hope this one works for you. If we need to tweak it, just let me know.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara — Thanks for you help with our exterior. Loved the Fireweed color for the door and the confidence you gave me in picking the color for the gutters and trim. Thanks.
I just sent a new donation because I want your help with the interior color selection, too. I’ll add some photo links at the end of this message to show you what we’ll be painting on the interior, but now it’s mostly drywall.
I want to go with a warm neutral scheme on the interior. I have a couple of accent colors in mind. We are using all Sherwin Williams colors because that’s what the painter uses and the shop is close by.
The accent colors I would like to use are tigereye (6362) and ryegrass (6423). I have some walls/rooms I’ve picked out for those. The rest I want to do in using one set of neutral colors — variations on the same theme. I have picked SW fan page #22 — using relaxed khaki, universal khaki, quiver tan, wool skein, superior bronze. I bought samples and painted them on the walls. But on some days these are looking rather gray to me (esp. relaxed khaki and universal khaki which I had planned to use the most of).
I am thinking about trying to warm it up just a little bit from here. I have also tried basket beige and favorite tan. I found the favorite tan too yellowish. I did not like the basket beige at first, and now I’m not sure what to think of it. I’ve also considered: whole wheat and latte — but haven’t tried those yet.
A few other points:
The floors will be minwax special walnut (on red oak — it will probably mellow-yellow over time)
The house is pretty shady. It has some sun tunnels in the main living space for extra light, but often light is indirect.
We will be using mostly compact fluorescent lighting.
All the cabinets are natural maple, save one piece that is expresso (a built in desk in the kitchen — not visible in the photos).
I like the bronze shade on the fan page 22 for the trim on the screened porch, so I’d like to be able to work that in (or something similar).
I could stick with the khaki hues — if you think that they will be fairly warm when they cover a whole wall.
The interior trim will be a white shade (not yet chosen — open to suggestions!).
We like earth tones and a casual feel.
Photos can be found here:
http://krowles.smugmug.com/Other/New-Roof/P1030893-small/702616068_deGjb-L.jpg
Overall, I want it to be warm neutral, but not too warm or too yellow. I like the khaki, but occasionally look at it and just see gray.
I look forward to hearing your suggestions!
Kristin
A couple of other colors I forgot:
Countertops will be a medium grey color very similar to Ceaserstone concrete.
Kitchen backsplash will be white frosted glass with green and light brown glass accent pieces mixed in.
Hi Kristin,
I like your accent colors. You might also consider adding teal as an accent, either with pillows or other accessories (a color similar to SW 0017 Calico). As for the walls connecting the accent-colored areas, I took a look at the khaki strip (#22) and I think it’s a little muddy to go with your crisp Ryegrass green. Plus with the compact fluorescent lights, there may be green overload (I know they’ve improved the technology but compared to incandescents, the fluorescents are still green to me — can’t wait for that to change!). Anyway, I do like strip #18 with Whole Wheat that you mentioned. I particularly like Believable Buff as it has enough yellow in it to lighten up hallways but not too much yellow or green. Should be good with both your cabinets and your floors since you have an open floorplan. The other choices you mentioned still had a lot of khaki/gray green.
After looking at your photos, I see why you picked the khaki palette — very sophisticated and goes well with both cabinets and hardware. But it is a bit gray for low-light areas and I’m just not crazy about mixing the khakis with the clearer greens. Swampy-looking. So in isolation with your cabinets and floor, the khakis might work (with enough lighting), but bumping up against your accents colors might be unpleasant.
As for whites, have a look at Alabaster. It has a touch of cream to warm it up but it’s white enough to make your vivid colors pop.
I think that covers it. See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara — Thanks. Will go and try out the whole wheat and believeable buff this afternoon. You articulated what I couldn’t about what was bothering me with the khaki — very sophisticated, but it just wasn’t doing well with the lighting. Swampy — exactly. I still need a dark accent shade for the screened porch trim — we’ll be doing the beams (celing) and posts with this color and it needs to tie in with the exterior gray color of the siding (which it is close to). I haven’t finalized the siding color yet, but you had suggested a light to medium gray. And I was thinking about going with a khaki shade out there (so it tied with the beams), or cargo pants, or one of the beige shades that is on the gray side. That way the inside would tie to the outside at the screened porch. What do you think about picking the screened porch trim and tying it with the siding color? (for rest of exterior, you had suggested a grayish white for trim and fireweed for front door)
Kristin
Forgot to mention that I was thinking about superior bronze on the screen porch trim and really liked it. Maybe we should keep the porch in the khaki shades as a transition from interior (whole wheat shades) to exterior (more gray).
Hi Kristin,
I think that sounds like a really good idea. Should work.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Great. I like the alabaster you suggested. Would you use that for trim and ceilings — or just the trim and use a plain ceiling white on the ceilings?
Hi Kristin,
The finish will be different for trim and ceiling. I suggest a semi-gloss for the trim and then a flat ceiling paint. If you decide you’ll need extra light in the room, use a super white (or ultra white) ceiling paint for maximum reflection and light in the room. Or you can certainly use Alabaster in a flat finish.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
The photo link in my message above only linked to the exterior photo. This one should show the interior shots:
http://krowles.smugmug.com/Other/New-Roof/10199360_AyuFF/1/702616068_deGjb
HI Barbara–
I’m happy to donate for help with our color problem. We’re almost finished with the partial renovation of our kitchen in our 1913 Georgian style colonial in Swampscott, MA. We’ve painted our cabinets Benjamin Moore white dove, replaced flooring with four inch wide red oak in medium finish, added Giallo Napoleane granite (cream with black, brown and mahogany accents) on perimeter cabinets to contrast the existing black/green Ubatuba on the cooktop peninsula, will be adding white subway tile as backsplash and brass hardware and bin pulls. We also have added cherry butcher block countertop on a new area of cabinets, we have a cherry dining table, black chairs and a black painted hutch with blue interior to show off my collection of Droll Design. The kitchen was painted BM hawthorn yellow before but it now looks too green with the red tones of the floor. We’d like to stay with a yellow–windows over sink are west facing and glass door to deck is north facing–and we like the warm look in winter– We keep our temps in chilly range in winter (but no AC–just fans in summer). We like strong colors–think of New England woods in fall (red hall off kitchen leading to Salem Gray entry; TV room on other side of kitchen is Buckland Blue). Some appliances–sink, refrigerator, exhaust hood are stainless–dishwashers and wall oven are white. Not sure what other details would be helpful.
We’ve tried BM Country Comfort–seems to be a bit peach-y as opposed to yellow–but it picks up floor color and it has warmth. Any other suggestions? Should we go lighter? Darker? Do you need photo to judge?
Looking forward to your replay.
Thanks so much.
(After this, our next big job in spring is painting exterior!)
Best,
Laurie
Hi Laurie,
I understand why the Hawthorne Yellow seemed a bit green in your kitchen — it’s pretty lemony. Have a look at Traditional Yellow (170), a real favorite as it has just enough warmth to avoid that harsh lemony look, but it’s not all the way to peach. If you really like strong color, you can bump it up a notch to Sweet Butter (171). I used that color on a living room with big red sofas and white curtains and it was amazing. Very warm and cheerful. It is strong, though, and not a whole lot different from the Country Comfort — just a bit yellower.
Another option is to make your kitchen a bit of a break from the surrounding color by picking up the cream in the Giallo Napoleane and using something like San Mateo Beaches (924) for the wall color. There’s still contrast with the White Dove cabinets, but it’s a softer look. Then the darker tones in the granite and the other richer colors will stand out more. As will your surrounding rooms, the blue TV room and the red hallway. Without seeing the room, I might lean in that direction. But having said that, you can certainly use a strong color on the walls since you have white cabinets that will balance the strong color and be a real feature.
See if one of those works. If not, send a photo and we’ll have another look.
Thanks again Laurie.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
We are wanting to decorate girl nursery in pink and brown.
Chest and dresser/changer are shabby chic white. Crib is new and is expresso color. glider and ottomen wood is expresso, small table next to glider is shabby chic white
we were thinking of painting 3 walls some color of brown and having a white chair rail on all 3 walls. One wall will be painted a light pink, this is where the dark brown crib will be placed. Was thinking about putting a shabby chic white floor corner shelf in corner behind glider. What do you think of these ideas? Please guide us in the right way before we spend our budgeted money and then not like it.
The new mother to be is getting anxious over the dark and white furniture mixture. what do you think? I need your advice quick!!! Baby is due in April!!!! We are so excited!!
Maybe we are getting carried away. Thanks for your help!!
Hi Brenda,
If you paint three walls brown and one pink (the focal wall), I’m afraid the furniture will all blend into the walls except for the crib against the pink wall. Also, the room might feel a bit closed in. Another idea might be to paint the area beneath the chair rail (or white stripe) a dark chocolate all the way around the room and paint the upper area ice pink (or the pink from your bedding) all the way around the room. Then you could paint different-sized chocolate brown spots randomly on the pink walls. If even that much chocolate makes the furniture disappear, you could paint all the walls pink, top to bottom, and then paint a dark chocolate wide (18-inch) stripe around the room about two-thirds of the way up the wall. Again paint the spots randomly. Then all your dark brown furniture will stand out against the pink walls (nice) and the white furniture will serve as an accent and tie in the white chair rail and other bedding.
Hope that helps get you started. I love the brown and pink combo for girls. Very elegant.
Congratulations and best of luck on the birth of your baby!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
What color should I paint my living room walls,having all blue furniture and oak trim on fireplace with stone.
Hi Patricia,
If you want your furniture to blend and the oak trim on the fireplace to stand out, try a light grey-blue on your walls. Something like Ben Moore’s Gentle Gray. It should make the stonework and the mantle stand out as the focal point that it is.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I am wondering what color we should paint our front door. We just built a new home and I greatly regret not choosing a brown. Based on what most websites say we made the wrong choice choosing a charcoal gray roof for our beige home. However, I can say that I think that our home matches our environment. We live in Rock City Falls. The name speaks for itself!
So our roof is charcoal gray, siding is tuscan clay (beige) and our trim is called natural linen (an off white, or very very very light tan). I have a picture to email to you but I am not quite sure how to do it. Computers aren’t my thing. I know how to attach it to an email but not a link. Also wondering when we paint our front door if we should paint on the sides of the door where the windows are.
Thanks for your time,
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer,
First of all, don’t fret about the charcoal gray roof. It’s classic and will go with anything. Not to worry.
Next, yes, you can send me a photo attached to an email at bmeglis@yahoo.com. I will have a look and give you an idea for your front door and sidelights. What brand of siding or paint did you use?
More soon.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I sent you an email with the photo attched last night. I will send again just in case you didn’t get it. Our siding is Alside.
Thanks!
Hi Jennifer,
When I look at your house, I see a big beautiful pink-blossomed ornamental tree in your front yard and a coordinating front door, something like Ben Moore’s Ciao Bella (1187), a dusty grayed-down rose that would look absolutely stunning with your siding color and roof. The peach family would also work with associated landscaping colors and a front door of Ansonia Peach HC-52 or the darker Audubon Russet HC-51.
If those warm colors are not your taste and you want to keep a neutral, more contemporary house palette, there’s Kendall Charcoal HC-166, a gray with some brown in it — a nice complement to your color scheme. But you’ll need to put a colorful wreath on that front door (just like you would with a black door). It’s a classy, traditional look for people who prefer a splash of accessory color on a very neutral background.
Blue will also work, something like Philipsburg Blue HC-159, which has a lot of gray in it — a nod to the roof color — but is clearly a very pleasant New England blue.
You might consider planting some larger shrubs along your foundation. I see juniper and some other low-growing shrubs (and I know you just moved in…), but you’ll want to break up the horizontal line of plantings along the front with some various sizes, shapes and colors. And don’t forget about that tree in the front yard. You’ll love the look in the spring!
Hope that gets you started. And thanks again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thanks, I am looking forward to checking out the colors. There is actually a pink hydrangea tree planted off of the front corner of the house. Should we also paint the sides of the front door, the parts with the windows?
Thanks for the advice!
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer,
Oops, forgot to respond to that question about the “sidelights” on either side of the front door. No, keep those trim color (white). Sometimes you see wood doors with sidelights included (all wood color), but that’s really an exception at this point. The front door needs to be framed out in the trim color so that it stands out. Just paint the front door.
Hope that clarifies.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi:
I have a 2 story brick home. The brick is multi, brown, spash of black, tan color mortor. I need 2 new lights on either side of teh front door and 2 on either side of the garage. What color should I use. I do like the brass which I will be removing but would another color look better. The shutters and door are a burgandy color.
Thank you
Hi Pat,
Black is best — make sure the lights are big enough for your house/garage. I’ll be talking about scale soon in my post — thanks for the segue.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I’m painting two bathrooms and I’m lost with colors.
Bathroom #1 is light travertine floor and shower, oil rubbed bronze fixtures and mirrors. I want green but i’m not sure of shade to use. Bathroom is 6′ x 14′, maple vanity which I’d like to glaze or something. Suggestions for greens? This is a well used bath and i don’t want it to be too dark.
Second bath is smaller, white porcelain w/grey vein tile, white vanity, no vanity top yet. Suggestions for color in here??? Both walls and vanity top suggestions appreciated.
Final question pertains to kitchen/great room combo. Kitchen has white cabinets, carmen red counters, stainless appliances. Table is black wood. Family room has large sage entertainment center, 10′ pale yellow sofa, red stripe sofa and different red stripe chair. Both rooms are completely white.
I would love to do an accent wall in both kitchen and greatroom but have no idea how i could add another color.
Any suggestions would be appreciate.
Thanks so much for you time and ideas.
Hi Trish,
For your first bathroom, how about Ben Moore’s Natures’ Essentials (1521)? It’s a light, soothing gray-green that should go beautifully with your travertine floor and contrast with the oil rubbed bronze. For bathroom #2, how about Gentle Gray (1626)? It too should go well with the grey vein tile and white fixtures. As for the vanity top, there are beautiful marbles that would coordinate well with the floor. Or there’s always granite in the blue family (or neutral). Sometimes granite dealers will charge less for small remnants from bigger jobs. Check it out. You could get a really great deal on a beautiful natural stone.
For the kitchen/great room, how about bringing the sage from the entertainment center into the kitchen for an accent wall? Then you could use the pale yellow from the sofa on the living room accent wall. As long as you use a color that’s already in the palette, you have several to choose from. Sounds like a happy house! I love those!
Hope that helps. And thank you again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
We’re re-roofing and repainting the exterior of our brick house. The front of the house faces north, so not much light. The brick colours range from mostly medium/dark browns to some intense orange colours, and a few grey tones. (the house was built in Toronto in the 1930′s)
I would like to do something contemporary, but subdued. I like the idea of a blue/black front door. We have an open porch with square wood columns, and lots of wood trim around our windows. Our door has a sidelight on each side.
Some of the homes in our area are painted taupes/mortar colours. I’d prefer something a bit more unique and somewhat fresh, without being glaring or garish.
Catherinew
Hi Catherine,
Would it be possible to send a photo to my email bmeglis@yahoo.com so I can check your brick color? I can certainly give you some ideas for making your house a little more contemporary but I’d love to see a photo first. I’ll check back in a little while —
If you don’t have a photo available, I’ll give you a couple of options to try.
More soon.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Catherine,
You have a classic four-square house with lots of interesting mouldings and trims. What I’m going to suggest is a palette that you can then use to accentuate your detail around the fascia and porch. Before painting, you might want to wrap the porch columns to make them one solid column on either side of the steps. Although the historical version of the four-square does have two small columns side-by-side, the single larger columns will make your house look a little more contemporary and updated and I think that’s what you want. In terms of a palette, have a look at Ben Moore’s China white (for contrasting trim), Richmond Gold HC-41 (for the front door and possibly other trim), and Townsend Harbor Brown HC-64 (a burgundy accent color for detail against either the white or the gold). You mentioned blue/black for your door, but since it’s on the porch, you really need a warm lighter color to show up.
As for the roof, I suggest either Weathered Wood or Barkwood, whichever works with your color decisions.
Those changes should warm up your house and make it look fresh. Hope you like the result.
Thanks again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I have a large room that is painted antique white. My wall to wall carpeting is burgandy rose. I’m thinking about painting the accesnt wall a pale blue-gray. What do you think of that color choice? P.S. My style is victorian, and the furniture is darker shade.
Hi Sandy,
The key here is your Victorian style. With the burgundy rose carpet and antique white walls, a pale blue-gray accent wall seems quite appropriate.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi there,
My master bedroom has just been painted in Behr’s Teepee brown with white baseboards/trim. I’d like to get a nice white or cream comforter from West Elm (organic pin-tucked duvet) and accent it with various colored pillows. I have a gorgeous orangey-pink poppy print with a black frame, so i’m thinking maybe some pillows in that color. Any thoughts on cream or white and which would blend better with the mocha walls and white trim? They also have a nice “seaspray” color for the duvets and shams. My bedskirt is white.
My instinct is to buy the white duvet with two seaspray colored shams and seaspray sheets. Any thoughts on furniture and window treatments?
Thanks so much for your input!
Hi Rebecca,
Nice palette! I like the Teepee brown with white trim, and I suggest the white comforter instead of cream. The seaspray shams and sheets will add a soothing, cool tint to the bed and the orangey-pink pillows will pop against the seaspray shams. Then I suggest simple white panels or white Roman shades on the windows (you can install white privacy shades if necessary and just raise them during the daytime).
As for furniture, I’m not sure what you already have, but dark espresso wood will look great behind the light bedding and coordinate with the black picture frame. White lamp shades on either black or brushed nickel lamps will add a nice touch on the bedside tables. Then if you have any orangey-pink pottery, large shells, or other accessories to scatter the accent colors around the room (the seaspray and orange), that will help to round out the room. And don’t forget about an area rug for the floor — either one of the accent colors or a neutral (mocha) will top it off.
Hope that helps. And thanks again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara:
We just replaced our windows.
Our house has white siding, rust/salmon brick, teal shutters, and a white garage. The roof is brown.
I am tired of the teal shutters. And below the bay window there are teal accents (to coordinate with the shutters), which I plan to change to plain slats. I would like to keep the garage white, but am open to changing that too.
I will be forwarding pictures of the house to your email at bmeglis@yahoo.com, and have provided a close-up of the entrance, so you could view the brick colour better. (The front yard is very small, and includes a Japanese lilac, which I did not capture in the pictures.)
I look forward to your suggestions on what colour to paint the shutters, front door (which currently has primer only), below the bay window, and the garage door.
Thank you,
–Janie
Hi Janie,
I definitely think you should paint your garage door because the white of your siding is creamier than the white of the garage door making the garage look a bit unfinished. Just warming it up will make a huge difference. Try Sail Cloth (Ben Moore Ext Rm) for both the garage and the panels beneath the bay. The color should be a bit richer than your siding without introducing another color.
As for shutters, black will dress up the house, go with your nice big house number (thank you!) and your roof. Then for the front door, since there’s not a lot to paint, try either Mayflower Red (HC-49) or Georgian Brick (HC-50). Blog readers know how partial I am to brick colors on brick houses. With white trim around the door, you’ll be shocked at how neat it looks!
See what you think.
And thank you again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Dear Barbara,
We are a young freshly married couple in our 30′s and loving life! We love dark colors and very cozy spaces. We have an end unit townhouse with vaulted ceilings in the foyer and living room (18 feet). It’s an open concept (small living-dining room) but dining room’s ceiling is only 8 ft (has another window). Two big sets of floor to ceiling windows in the living room on either side of the fireplace. We get all the sun in the morning through the fireplace windows. We cannot watch TV comfortably. We are very excited but this space is a huge challenge for us. We love the color gray in different shades (dark and light) and green. I (Carolina “wife) painted one wall from the dinning room dark gray (Custom color I picked using Behr paint). I have these grays from behr (Carolina Grey and classic silver) and Benjamin Moor & Co (cinder ). Not sure about a green maybe Wasabi Powdre UL200-16m from Behr. No idea which colors to use for the living/foyer (same walls) area and dinning. We have dark finished Hardwood floors and white trim. We are looking for a more modern look (like our ceiling fan). We will replace light fixtures for stainless steel ones.
My questions are:
1). Should we paint the ceiling (18 ft) dark gray (cinder from Benjamin Moore & Co) to bring it down a little bit?
2). Could we paint one big wall (18 feet)dark gray (anonymous from Behr ultra) to get a nice contrast with our green sofa?
3). If we paint one wall dark, should I pain the other walls light gray or green or a mix?
4). We get tons of natural light, too much for us. We use this living room to watch TV and relax. More like a passive space. I want to get window treatments but I’m not sure if I have to get the same type for living and dinning room. Drapes or shades, gray, green or beige? Silk, cotton or linen? I’m totally lost (this is my first place!)
Thanks in advance for your time and help. I really appreciate it and of course if you have a completely different vision let us know.
Carolina (The asker) and Josh (the one with the paypal and money for paint and supplies)
Hi Carolina and Josh,
Congratulations on your new place! It sounds like you’re anxious to control some of that sunshine coming in through the windows and throwing glare up on the TV screens and computers. Part of that light, of course, is bouncing off your white ceiling so painting that will help. Before launching into dark gray, paint up a large poster board and stick it up on the ceiling so you can see the effect of a dark ceiling. Going half-way (you tell the paint store person you want 1/2 value) on the Cinder will definitely take away a lot of that glare without darkening the room completely. I think I’d start with that — you can always go darker!
As for the walls, I like your idea of starting with accent walls in the rich dark gray colors and then easing around the room with lighter gray. The fireplace wall in the living room should be your focal wall so a dark gray there will work. Without seeing your townhouse, I hesitate to give you specific color placement suggestions for the rest, but the best advice I can say is get a bunch of poster boards and start painting them the sample colors you mentioned. Then move them around the space until you get the effect you want.
You mentioned green on the sofa. You’ll want to add some more of that around the space. Maybe on the curtains. Tall lined panels hanging from brushed nickel or chrome rods will let you cancel out that sunlight easily. You can insert sheer shades underneath for daytime sun filtering (when you don’t want to darken the room completely).
I would also bring in lots of white and shiny silver to counterbalance the dark shades in the rooms. And maybe a cozy rug for the conversation area to bring in some additional colors.
Hope that helps. You’re off to a great start. And thank you again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Sorry… Annonimous is the name of the color not “carolina’s gray”.
Hi Barbara –
You helped so much with the exterior for this project and now I am back to ask about the interior! So we “bumped” out the master bedroom and our daughter’s bedroom. This leaves interesting angled ceilings (which I love) with varying heights – in some places over 9 ft and much smaller height in others. Wondering what to do with the ceiling/trim colors?
On our first floor, all of our trim is Linen White and all of the ceilings are Abingdon Putty (which reads greenish on walls but not at all on ceilings). In the upstairs hallway, did Abingdon Putty on the walls and Linen White on the ceilings. My daughter wants to do Sweet Caroline (BM) – a light spring green – on her walls (bedding will be various shades of pink/green/white). For the master, I want to do something neutral but still a color with some presence and a relaxing, spa feel. I have been considering BM Edgecomb Gray, Revere Pewter, Grant Beige, Elmira White – want something a bit warm that will go with anything. My present bedding is tiffany blue and dark brown – may keep it or may go with something amethyst or dark gray.
So would you do the tint idea on the ceilings (10% of whatever color I pick) or would you do a white or Linen White? There is no ceiling moulding but I also have to choose a color for baseboard and window trim that will coordinate.
I will email you pictures separately – will also send exterior photos so you can see how well your advice turned out there! Thanks so much ~
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth,
Your exterior is really coming along! What a difference? Is it okay if I post your before and after pictures here on the blog? (I’ll wait ’til you’re done.) It will give inspiration to lots of people considering a major re-do.
Anyway, on to the bedrooms. When the sloped ceiling stays white, as in your before shot, your eye goes to the edge where the colored wall meets the sloped white ceiling (in some cases about 3 feet off the floor) and makes the room look like there’s a sheet thrown over it. To avoid that effect, yes, it’s best to paint the ceilings. For the master bedroom’s spa-like feel, I suggest tinting the ceiling with the wall color. The angles will still show up with the lights and shadows in the room, but the overall room will feel spacious. As for baseboard and window trim color, if you want a blended, calm effect, try China White (since these are bedrooms, you can vary the trim color from the public spaces in the rest of the house). For a crisp, white spa towel look, pick a brighter white for the trim.
For your daughter’s room, she may want a different effect. One option is to paint the walls Sweet Caroline and then pick one or two different greens from her comforter (using the same “value” or position on the row of paint chips or lighter — not darker) and paint the ceiling with those colors. The effect will be much more dramatic than in your calm restful room, but kids usually go for the wow factor! Then for the window trim, I would use crisp white to make those colors pop!
Bottom line: For your type of architecture with the dramatically sloped ceilings, anything but white up there.
Thanks again, Elizabeth, for returning and for your payment. Let me know how everything turns out.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi again Barbara –
Thanks so much for the quick reply – much appreciated! Absolutely you can post the before/afters. When I was researching, I found there are not a whole lot of great exterior before/afters on the internet and I think they are so helpful. We should be done June/July – waiting for new front door and zoning code change(!) so we can build the front door overhang. Will send photos when completely done. Ended up going with Hardie Timber Bark on the shingles and Khaki Brown on the trim. Would have never considered going that dark w/out your advice and we love it!
As for the interiors, just wondering – do you recommend eggshell on the walls and flat on the ceilings with all the slopes and angles? Also – do you have any personal experience with the BM colors I am considering for the Master – Revere Pewter, Edgecomb Gray, Grant Beige, Elmira White – or any thoughts on which of those you would pick in general (based on the look I am striving for)? Or should I also look at other neutrals? Finally, what do I tell the painter about the ceiling tint – get the wall color mixed at 10%? Not sure he has done that before?
Thanks again!
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth,
Yes, use eggshell on the walls and flat on the ceiling unless you prefer the velvety look of flat. If that’s the case, use Regal Matte, a washable (or at least that’s what they say) flat paint. It’s very nice but offers no relectance in the room. As for colors, the Revere Pewter is a very soft gray. Edgecomb Gray is a warmer version of a gray/tan. Grant Beige is essentially a gray green. The Elmira White is a very light version of the Grant Beige — off white with a green undertone. I suggest deciding on your bedding first and then picking a color that complements it. They’re all pretty but it depends on the rest of the room. Paint should really come last after you have the master plan in mind. Let me know if I can help you with that.
Yes, just tell the painter to ask for a tint of the wall color — which is 10% of the value of the wall color.
If you decide you want more color you can go with half value. This really applies to your daughter’s room more than yours. With your very light colors, you can just go right up over the ceiling with your wall color.
Hope that helps a little more.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
HI again –
Thanks so much for the great advice as usual. The painter comes tomorrow and I’m a little stressed! Here’s the thing – went to 2 different paint stores – they will NOT do the 10% tint! They will only do 25 – 50- 75%. So we tried the 25% and it is too much for the ceilings in the Master. The color we chose for the Master walls is BM Rodeo and doing BM Simply White for the trim. I am asking my painter to see if he can get them to do 10% for him, but if not – want a “grayish white” and am looking at BM Lacey Pearl (2108-70) for the ceiling. Unless you have another idea for a ceiling paint to go with Rodeo?
Then for my daughter’s room – tried both 25% (too yellow) and 50% (too dark) of the BM Sweet Caroline (478) for the ceilings. So looking for a “greenish white” for her ceilings since we cannot go up the color chart like we want(Sweet Caroline is 2nd on the chart). So we are looking at BM Minced Onion (2145-60) or BM Cloud Nine (2144-50). Again, any ideas are appreciated as I think we will have to go with an existing color?
Again – thanks!
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth,
Oh, so sorry I missed your post — I was travelling and answered emails but did not go back through the blog until now. Do you still need help with the colors or are you all set by now??
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
30 May 2010
Barb,
I have already donated. I’ll send pictures and my receipt number to your email. I need color help!
I will be getting a new roof, new gutters, and new downspouts I’ve thought about painting the exterior of my little home, but feel paralyzed when it comes to making a decision. I want to avoid getting into a high-maintenance situation that I can’t afford. However, I think my house needs some unity. The overall effect looks choppy to me, as though there are too many colors or contrasts.
Perhaps some surrounding details would help you give me better color advice. I live in a cute neighborhood of small homes where most of the houses have a sort of cottage look. Some are two story saltboxes, some are cape cods or pseudo Victorian types. Mine is a ranch situated on a lot with several mature trees. My cul de sac neighbors tend to stick with white or gray siding or red brick exteriors. Their accent colors are plum or barn red on gray and a lovely navy on the red brick. Thus, their houses look safe and traditional to me.
Somehow the patchwork look of brick and siding on my house bothers me. The brick has some beautiful colors in it, though! You probably won’t be able to see the actual colors from photos, but I see a taupe/gray, a small bit of dark plum color, and the stronger brick red color. Currently, the siding is white with the brick used as an accent only on the front. The roof is gray, and the shutters and door are hunter green. Green is my favorite color, but it feels all wrong as an accent, even with the great deciduous trees on the property.
Would a textured roof look overwhelming on my house? What colors should I select to give my home a more unified look? Do I need to harmonize exterior and interior color? Would painting the brick and siding help? What about the shutters? I’m not really a red type of person, but I DO want my front door to stand out without being shocking or boring. Finally, I’ve always wanted an English cottage look with flowers climbing over the door, so I’ll be adding plants and shrubs next. I’m going to have to make decisions soon. Will you look at my pictures via email and help?
Best,
Lou Ann
Hi Lou Ann,
Sorry for the delay. I wrote this yesterday but got called away before hitting the submit button. My apologies…
Keep your white trim, but consider painting the white siding, both on the house and the garage door, a color from your brick. Have a look at Ben Moore Affinity Collection’s Pashmina AF-100 and Truffle AF-130. One of those will work perfectly. Then for your front door and shutters, I have the perfect color for you! Chambourd AF-645 — it even SOUNDS rich! It’s a very dark grape and it’s in your brick! That will give your house a little bit of the unexpected yet still look nice in the neighborhood.
The roof color is fine. Let me know when you’re ready to change it and we can pick a new color but it looks fine now.
Yes, you need some landscaping. But think about a dark purple lilac or other dark purple flowers and shrubs when you’re planning your garden. The accent color is just what you need to give your house some pizzazz.
Hope that helps. And thank you again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Thanks soooo much! I tried those colors out on the Benjamin Moore paint viewer, and they looked great on the photo of my home. I also liked rustique and may use that whenever I’m ready to change the chambourd. I even found a green (boreal forrest) that looked rather nice and lent the house a quiet, natural feel. In fact, every color looks nicer against truffle! However, I’ll start with chambourd, my favorite. I’m on the lookout for those purple flowers and plants. I feel that once you helped me with the siding color, everything else started to fall into place. I bought my color samples today, and as soon as the hail damage is repaired, I’m having the place painted. I can hardly wait! I’ll donate/write again soon about the roof and, after that, a color scheme for the inside. You’re fabulous!
Lou Ann
Thanks, Lou Ann! I’ll get right on your roof question today — I see it!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Dear Barb,
I’ve made another donation (3HB296359C254180X. ) because I’m ready to talk about the roof and a stain color for the deck.
Previously, you suggested some exterior colors, and from those I selected Truffle for the siding/garage door and Chambourde for the shutters and front door. I went to the trouble of loading my own house photo into the BM color viewer to try out those shades, but ended up playing with some others as well. Rustique matches the brightest color in my brick, but then I like everything better against Truffle! I bought samples, but haven’t gotten them painted on just yet, so I hope I still like the colors once I see them on the house.
I also used the Owens Corning and GAF/ELK viewers to try both textured and non-textured roofing on my house picture. Turns out I prefer a low-contrast, textured shingle (GAF/ELK TP 30 HD in Birchwood or the Timberline Cool Series in Cool Antique Slate, for example.) I dislike gray as a general rule, but in this case it might be best because the tan shingles flexed their muscles and bossed every other color around with their sheer mass.
I’m exhausted from all this online color shopping. Although a tan roof ought to seem appealing with Truffle siding, I couldn’t find an affordable, soft-spoken value of tan shingles anywhere online. Sometimes I wish I could push an “easy” button and make the house colors sing harmony. What’s your advice for my roof color and shingle type? One more exterior question: my deck needs staining, and I was thinking of a stain color close to Rustique. The deck is in back where the only brick is at foundation level, so a red color stain will really pop off the Truffle siding. Should I go for that color on the deck and paint my French doors Chambourde with white dividers? I’ll email this letter along with some pictures.
Best,
Lou Ann
Hi Lou Ann,
Have you looked at Weathered Wood? It’s a sophisticated color that seems to go with almost everything. And there’s also charcoal. The light gray roof colors looked too light for your brick house. I liked the medium-darker shades that balanced the brick better. See what you think — get samples and try them right next to the brick and see what you like.
As for the deck, as long as you pick a color out of the brick, you’ll be fine. It’s okay to jazz up the back of the house a bit since there’s not much going on back there (less brick). As long as the stain comes right from the brick, it will look terrific. I would not pick any contrasting colors or the deck will look add-on. I don’t have the stain fandeck at my fingertips or I’d check the Rustique. Sounds dramatic and the Chamoud doors will be stunning!
Hope I’ve helped a little — my son’s graduating from high school this afternoon so I’m just a touch distracted. Write back if I can help you further. And thanks again!!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barb,
I’m rather sad! I finally found the courage to paint a sample of Truffle on my siding and Chambourd on my front door. I LOVE the Chambourd! It looks so rich and lovely! Even my mother (who loves red and would never’ve picked purple) said it looked good. It really brings out the purple in the brick! But the Truffle isn’t working. It’s too dark, and I don’t think I’ll like the Pashmina–too gray. I’ll try Pashmina because sometimes color surprises me, but could you please suggest a shade lighter than Truffle that might work–something that’s not gray? Do you think that maybe I should take a spare brick to the paint store to see if they could make a match for me that way? I’m still sad that the Truffle didn’t work. Maybe it has too much yellow in it or something. Not really sure, just know it’s too dark.
Lou Ann
Hi Lou Ann,
Don’t be sad… it’s just paint. We can fix it.
If Truffle is too dark, take a look at Natural Linen 966. Definitely not too dark. If Pashmina is too gray, take a look at Ice Formations 973 (or Revere Pewter HC-172). Although they are both a little gray, they are a warm gray and I think they’ll be very nice with your brick.
Sometimes there’s a back-and-forth to really zero in on the color. Hope one of those works perfectly!! And so glad you like Chambourd! I love it too!!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Okay Barb, I’m still in love with rich and classy Mr. Truffle, but he just isn’t the right match for me. Pashmina turned out to be much more harmonious, but after seeing him next to one of the Sherwin Williams men (Amazing Gray), I realized the two looked a lot alike. Pashmina sounds exotic, but Amazing Gray feels as though he’ll be like Emma’s Mr. Knightly: “an easy and natural member of the family.” Besides, Amazing Gray was already living with me. I just needed to let him come out of the garage and be seen.
It took me a few days after you and I started corresponding, but I finally accepted Lady Macbeth’s advice and “screwed my courage to the sticking point” enough to sample each of these fellas. It’s still just 3 PM, so I haven’t seen them all at various times of the day, but so far, Amazing Gray is my main squeeze, and Chambourd is my excitement on the side. All joking aside, I really have started to enjoy myself a little more. Thank you for all your help!
Best,
Lou Ann
Clever Lou Ann! Glad you’ve found your true love!! Enjoy!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I would like to come up with a color palette for our new house. I’m looking for something somewhat light and neutral, but doesn’t look like apartment beige. I love Benjamin Moore’s Manchester tan, but am not sure whether it will be too washed out since I have several large rooms, 10 ft ceilings, and a 2 story foyer. I need colors for my foyer (and up/down hallways), dining room, kitchen, kitchen cabinets, and family room/eating area. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Hello,
My question is regarding what color to paint shutters and front door on house that has white siding, gray metal roof, white trim and the foundation is red with brown tones brick but that doesn’t show so much. This is a one level ranch-cottage style house with porches on two sides with columns, nothing elaborate, smallish set off on it’s own on acreage with woods behind it and it sits slightly off the road with a hill in front so it is hardly noticed from the road. It is very hot here in the summer so perhaps that is to be considered.
Perhaps you can suggest something that will give the house the ‘wow’ factor it deserves.
Thanks,
Elle
Hi Elle,
How about shutters in Ben Moore’s Coldwell Green HC-124 and a front door in Kennebunkport Green HC-123? It’s okay to mix greens — nature certainly does — and since you said it gets very hot in the summer, the greens will keep the house cool. You could paint the door a brick red but that will look hot.
Another idea for shutters is Philipsburg Blue HC-159. That’s a steel blue that will tie in your gray roof nicely. Then you might consider Buxton Blue HC-149 for your front door. I’m keeping the front door in the same “hue” family as the shutters since you have a red brick foundation so there’s some color already on the house. If you’d like the door to stand out even more, then go ahead and bring in another accent color. But you might want to keep the choices narrowed to something warm from the reds/browns/oranges. Otherwise you’ll have a rainbow house and that doesn’t work.
Hope that gets you started. Thanks again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara, I liked your advice about my exterior so much that I thought I would get your opinion about my interior color. My kitchen will be repainted next week and I am wondering what color to go with . Currently it is a green color that I like ok. However, I am thinking it could be dated. I have lived in this house one year. I do not intend to change the cabinets or paneling in the kitchen, so I need something that would work wiht that. I do intend to change the countertops sometime in the next year, perhaps to a black or charcoal since there is so much light wood on the cabinets and floor (agree?).
I am linking to the color now. I have included adjacent rooms and the strange carpet color going out of the kitchen. Looks like they went with green to unify. The entry way is the same green and is two stories tall. The half bath on main floor is also that color.
Mainly I want a couple of colors I could try out before I pick that would complement the wood. Both contrasting and perhaps neutral. We do tend to move every 5 years but who knows if that will continue. Currently counters are white but I don’t want to stay with white.
I have paid through paypal. Thanks! Patti
Hi Patti,
Thanks for stopping back at the blog!
Since you have a lot of color in your kitchen already with the orange in the wood tone, I suggest an updated Edgecomb Gray HC-173 (Ben Moore), a terrific neutral that will complement your wood without competing with it and will highlight your stainless steel appliances! And yes, a dark countertop will be a great addition at some point to contrast with walls/floor/cabinets.
Another option, less gray, is Manchester Tan HC-81, a color that could easily go up the stairs and down the hall. It’s tan, yes I know, but if you DO move, you will not have to repaint. Plus it will give you the option of adding more color in terms of art and furniture. And don’t forget that you already have a green carpet so a neutral will bring everything back to center.
You can add a bit more color to your dining room and living room at some point. Revere Pewter HC-172 would be lovely in both rooms with your gold settee and your orange/gold dining room chairs. The contrast would be terrific. Add silver-toned metal accessories and you’re all updated.
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Oh, and I do get a ton of light in that kitchen through the bay window, especially afternoon.
HI,WELL IM MOVING IN TWO WEEKS THE HOUSE COMES WITH A CHOCOLATE BROWN CARPET IN THE LIVINGROOM WOOD SHUTTERS, MY FURNITURE IS BLACK, I GOT MY LEATHER SOFAS N BLACK ENTERTAINMENT CENTER I WOULD LIKE SOME ADVICE AS FAR AS WHAT COLOR CAN I THROW IN THERE TO ADD MORE LIGTH,CAN I WORK WITH ONE MORE? I LIKE WHITE, GREEN BUT WHAT IF I BUY A RUG? WHAT COLOR SHOULD IT BE? OR WOULD A RUG EVEN LOOK RIGHT? CAN I ADD PILLOWS OR A TROW TO MY SOFAS? ALSO MY DININGROOM IS NEXT TO THE LIVINGROOM, THE LIVINGROOM IS OPEN TO THE DININGROOM MY FURNITURE THERE IS BLACK TOO, THE CHANDELEIR IN THE DININGROOM AREA IS BROWN I SEEN A WHITE ONE I LIKED AT IKEA? WELL THE HOUSE IS JUST PAINTED NOT SURE EXACLY WHAT COLOR BUT ITS A LIGHT BEIGE I THINK .CAN U HELP ME WITH WHAT COLORS TO GO WITH?
Hi Grettel,
With a chocolate brown carpet and black furniture, I suggest a large area rug to go over the carpet in your conversation area (where the sofa and chairs are) — maybe even an 8X10 rug. In terms of color and design, it is totally up to you. But sticking with neutral earth tones in the rug — you might even find a rug with both brown and black in it — will allow you to add color elsewhere in the room. Yes, you can add pillows and a throw on the sofa, curtain panels to the windows, lamps, and other accessories. For color, if you like green, go with a light grassy green for contrast with the black. And you might add cream as well. That will lighten up the room — cream would go well on the windows. The light beige on the wall should still work or you can pick a light tone out of your new rug. But there’s no need to repaint right away.
For accent you can pick a warm color like orange to warm up the room. Don’t hesitate to add some pattern into the room as well, not just in the rug. Floral or graphic, whatever you find that you like. Pulling some of that palette (brown/beige/black and then light green, orange, and cream) into the dining room (curtain panels, placemats, etc) and kitchen will help to pull the whole house together.
As for the chandelier in the dining room being brown with your black furniture, don’t worry too much about that. You’ll have brown and black in the living room, no matter what, so both dark neutrals are part of your overall palette. It will all work. Just add your color now.
Hope that makes some sense.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I’m redoing a small powder room and going for a kind of funky look. There is a small cabinet in light oak and I’m putting in a blueberry colored Silestone top with a clear bowl vessel sink and chrome faucet. The floors are light oak. What color should I do the walls?
Hi Cindy,
Well, one idea is to blend the light oak and make the blueberry Silestone and sink pop with a rich warm gold like Beverly Hills (Ben Moore 180). It’s intense and wonderful in a small bathroom. I’ve used it before with great success. Crisp white towels and you’re all set.
See what you think of that combo!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi- I picked up the sample and am not totally sure about the gold- do you have a second suggestion?
Thanks.
Hi Cindy,
A really light lavendar, like Ben Moore’s Whispering Wind 1416, would look terrific with your light oak and might make a quiet backdrop for your blueberry countertop. See what you think of that idea.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
We have moved to Plan B. The blueberry Silestone is out and we are making our own cement countertop. It should turn out to be in the mid-to-dark gray range and topped with the glass vessel sink and the chrome faucet on top of the light wood cabinet. Will this look harsh and industrial and need a softer wall color or should we still be thinking bold?
Hi Cindy,
I suggest waiting for the counter top and sink to be installed. Then you’ll have the overall look of the bathroom when you choose a wall color. I can envision going either direction with the wall color — bold with white towels or icy with bold towels. Send a photo when you’re done and we’ll go from there.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I just made a donation through paypal, and have a color question.
My son would like to have our basement redone with him in mind.
We remodeled the basement a few years ago.
We have two finished rooms with a neutral wall and carpet – think beige.
My son would like the rooms to be color saturated and feel like night. He wants to make a movie room out of one room and a computer/music room out of the other.
There are two small basement windows facing east.
Lots of overhead lighting, which he rarely uses.
Do you have any suggestions that would give the feeling he wants, without feeling like a cave for the rest of us?
I thought this wall color was interesting.
http://www.reallifedecorating.com/homedecor/happy_home.html
Thank you for your time.
Hi Toni,
Sounds like a project! Since you have beige carpet, your basement rooms will not be totally cave-like regardless of how dark the walls are. That’s the good news. Plus any light furniture/accessories will stand out against the dark walls, again making the space feel cozy and not completely cavernous. How about Trout Gray 2124-20 (Ben Moore) for the media room — your son will love that color as it will darken the room perfectly for movie viewing. Then warm up the computer/music room with Evening Dove 2128-30, a navy blue that will look terrific with the beige carpet and any red accents you can convince him to throw in there. The color you referenced gave me the navy idea but the one on the link is a tad purple (your son might find it a bit girlie). A variety of light sources would be ideal, not just customary fluorescent (avoid if you can).
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara,
I love the colors and will go purchase them right now!
Here’s hoping my son loves them too.
Thank you
Barbara,
The rooms are open in design; each room is visible from the other room.
Would the room colors look good next to each other?
One more question – What color should I paint the ceilings?
They are white now, and I do hate painting ceilings, but sometimes colors other than white are so effective…
Thank you for your help.
-Toni
Hi Toni,
Yes the colors will look fine next to each other — just bring some navy into the media room and some gray into the music room (nickel lamps, other silver tones). As for the ceiling, try beige from the carpet if you’re concerned about light in the room or try a lighter version of each color for continuity up over the ceiling. Either will work. White will be a bit too stark with this color scheme.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Would a light gray work? I have overloaded my beige.
Every room in the house is beige.
Once, I finish the basement, I will need your help with the rest of the interior.
My son loved the colors and thought they would look great.
Could you please suggest a specific color for the ceiling?
I agree white would be too stark.
I think the ceilings should be the same color – do you agree?
Do you have any suggestions for the windows, or should I keep them open?
Thank you.
-Toni
Hi again Toni,
Take a look at Thundercloud Gray 2124-40 for both rooms. It will be perfect for the dark media room and it will bring some gray into the music room tying the two rooms together.
What is on the windows currently? You might want a woven Roman shade which would add some warmth and texture and provide the light blockage needed for afternoon movie viewing. Get them lined. They have them at Country Curtains — very reasonably priced.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I would like some help deciding what color to paint my kitchen. It adjoins our living room, entry way and family room. The living room is a golden yellow color and the entry way is russet, Currently, the family room is artichoke green above the chair rail with a leaf pattern of gold and cream wallpaper below the chair rail. (photos have been sent to your email.)
My plan is to repaint the kitchen, entry way and the wall above the chair rail in the fam. rm. as well as the chair rail. I want to veer away from the earth tones by using a slate blue above the chair rail and a green shade of gray in the kitchen.
I tried a sample of BM clarksville gray in the kitchen, but I am not thrilled with the color. It doesn’t do much for the cherry cabinets which look a little “orangey” in color. The kitchen has a southern exposure but it doesn’t get much natural light because of the screened-in porch off of the main window.
Do you have any suggestions for a BM or SW shade of gray for the kitchen or would another color choice be better? The window valance will be changed to coordinate with the new paint color.
What about a specific shade of blue for the fam. rm. and finally, do you have any color ideas for the entry way?
Thanks so much for your help! Your site is great!
Susan
Hi Susan,
I know you want to repaint and you mentioned that you had artichoke green in the family room already, but I’m looking at your kitchen with the dark cabinets and cream countertops and I see a green something like Ben Moore’s Folk Art 528. It’s not a gray-green like you requested but it would look smashing with your dark cabinets and very nice next to the adjoining yellow living room. Folk Art is fresh and updated — the gray-green in your kitchen might look a little tired. I think that’s what you’re seeing with the Clarksville Gray — truly one of my favorites but maybe not for your particular kitchen.
See what you think. I’ll look for your family room photo to check out the blues you would like to introduce in that room.
As for the entry, I do like the russet red but it’s probably kind of dark? Do you have a lot of light in that entry area? Start with the kitchen and then see if you want to re-do the entry after that. Maybe bringing the yellow (or the green) into that area would create better flow from room to room. Leave the red for an accent color in the kitchen/LR/entry areas.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I am hoping you can help me! Below is a link to a picture of the house we recently bought. I feel like this house has an identity crisis. I am finding the stone and brick combination difficult to work with in terms of color to try to make it more charming and soften it up. It was built in 1920. The real estate listing described it as a “colonial with tudor accents”. The Landscaping will be professionally done eventually but in the very near term we are replacing all the windows. so deciding on that color matters right now.
Here’s what i need:
1. The black casement windows will be replaced with similar casement. But what color? Keep the black? Or go more in the tudor direction and do brown? Or another possibility I like is a color called “iron ore”…a very dark steel grey. (seems it would be a little softer than the black).
2. We plan on putting up shutters on the brick and upper stone windows and maybe window boxes on stone windows on the bottom since not much room for shutters. The shutter color depends on the windows. what combination do you think would work here? oh one more thing, we are having stone power washed when weather permits. hopefully that will clean things up a bit.
I have been doing a ton of research on colors and can’t figure this house out!
Regards, Jennifer
P.S. If you cant access picture send me an email address and Iwill forward it there.
http://www.shutterfly.com/lightbox/view.sfly?fid=d95557b4b9c80aee6cdd16a80fdf8c46
Hi Jennifer,
Since the stone and brick combination provides a lot of contrast both color-wise and pattern-wise, the dark contrast of the paned casement windows just takes the house over the top. To remedy that, I suggest a lighter window that will at least blend with the stone and contrast nicely with the brick. Take a look at both Putty (Pella) and Almond. I would pick a color that approximates the grout of the brick and one of the stone colors. That should tie the two materials together and unite the house. (I wouldn’t worry about keeping to the Tudor style dark window color since the house has elements from many styles already, including French — and they do like a lighter window color!).
Then for the shutters you could pick a gray green that will again coordinate nicely with the stone and contrast with the brick. The gray-green will also tie in the slate roof. Have a look at Kendall Charcoal HC-166 (Ben Moore) — nice with the Putty window color — and Chelsea Gray HC-168 — a lighter gray-green that would go with the almond windows.
See what you think of that idea. If the lighter windows are too much of a stretch for your house (and neighborhood), then I would opt for brown windows, again to blend and tie the two materials together. The Iron Ore is nice but a little bit cold. The browns are warm and go well with your front door.
Hope that helps. The best thing to do is grab some actual samples, prop them on the window sills and stand back at the road to check out the options.
Good luck!!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
We have forwarded the $20 donation for consultation. We are interested in color and lighting recommendations for painting the dining/kitchen area. Pictures of the dining and kitchen area have been posted on my facebook page in the Kitchen Layout album.
The dining area is 13 1/2 feet long by 11 1/2 feet wide with an espresso finish dining set. Overall the combined area is 22 feet wide. We plan to add a chair rail to replace the border in the dining area and need your recommendations for upper and lower colors. Would you even recommend adding a chair rail?
The countertops are granite and the cabinetry is maple. The backsplash in the kitchen area continues the wall paint color from the dining area. Would you recommend continuing with the new paint color here or do you have other recommendations.
Also looking for recommendations on lighting fixtures over the island and dining area. Would indirect light still work with the dark finish of the dining set versus the direct lighting currently there?
Thank you.
Susan Coletta
Hi Susan,
Since you have contemporary furniture, I would not bother installing a chair rail in the dining area. Your buffet piece and some artwork on that focal wall should be plenty. As for color, pick a shade right out of the granite: take a look at Bennington Gray (Ben Moore’s HC-82) or one of the sagey greens like Saybrook Sage HC-114. You can certainly run that color along the kitchen backsplash, but at some point it might be nice to put in tile. Again use your granite and floor tile for color inspiration.
For lighting, I would recommend hanging fixtures at least over the dining table. A pendant over the island is nice too unless you really don’t want something hanging there, in which case, a recessed can will work. Here are a couple of thoughts on pendants/chandeliers. Go with the dark metal to go with your knobs, either bronze or wrought iron.
http://www.lampsplus.com/products/Peri-Collection-Amber-Mini-Pendant-Chandelier__67845.html
http://www.lampsplus.com/products/Franklin-Iron-Works-Bennington-Collection-5-Light-Chandelier__05956.html
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Painting a waterfront condo in Chatham, MA. Total renovation. Have selected BM colors: 197/Master Bedroom — 1584/Master Bath — 1661/Son’s Room — 1521/Office –2070-50/Sleeping Loft — 680/Guest Bath — 1478/Living Room — 2123-60/2 walls kitchen — 1632/All hallways, up&downstairs — ?white powder room beadboard/wallpapered mid-blue gingham check. Very open house so first floor rooms can all be seen from other places in house. Ceiling is my first question. Ceilings are low. Also stucco’d. Very unsure of what paint to use [only one for whole house] which will give illusion of ceilings being taller without confusing painter. Home is 8 hours away, can’t go there to see it, so I am trying to choose safely. Have a wallpaper which I’m going to color match all trim to that specific color, it resembles ‘OC-65′ but it is NOT exactly that, and I will have to match exactly bc trim is right next to wallpaper. The other color of the wallpaper is similar to 2135-60, and it is striped with a tiny thin line of green in it. The paper is in the Blonder Home Accents BH 7964 Beach House 3 book. Two Questions:
1. Am I on the right track with regard to getting the white custom matched to the white in the paper for the trim/semi-gloss for all the rooms? If not, what color would work without clashing against the white of the Wallpaper?
2. What ceiling COLOR can I use [BM preferably] to provide/create the illusion of a higher ceiling? Thank you for your time and patience! No one wants to help me in any paint store I venture into and I’m desperate-need to give colors to painter end of this week! All the best!
Hi Georgia,
Thank you for your patience. I’m back working now!
To answer your questions,
1. Yes, I think it’s a good idea to have the white trim custom-matched to the wallpaper so that the two blend well together. Then you can use that white for the rest of the condo.
2. The answer to this question is a bit tougher since you want to use the same ceiling paint throughout and want to create an illusion of a higher ceiling.
Generally, I like to call the least amount of attention to the stucco ceiling as possible. If the ceiling were plaster, then it would lend itself to color — a tint of the wall color helps to make the room feel bigger since there’s no sharp line between the wall color and ceiling to attract the eye. However, painting the stucco a color tends to draw attention to it. So, to be safe and to make it easy on the painter (and also maximize light bouncing off the ceiling which will raise it as much as possible), I suggest a BRIGHT white ceiling color throughout. The painter can spray it on the stucco — much easier application on the texture — and the condo will appear clean and bright.
I will make one comment about your paint color choices — just make sure that the colors in the public areas (what you can see from the main part of the condo) are all the same “value” so they blend from area to area and room to room. It’s okay to use an accent color (or just a deeper shade) in a bathroom or in a bedroom that is not visible from the main living area. You can also use an accent color on a focal wall if you’d like to, but you’ll avoid “chopping up” the condo if you keep all the paint colors at the same paint chip level in the fan deck. Doing that will create “flow” throughout the condo.
Let me know if I can help you with whatever color choices you are currently considering (you mentioned that you’ve made some modifications).
Hopefully my comments will be helpful. Best of luck with the condo renovation.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
What does ‘awaiting moderation’ mean?
Hi Georgia,
“Awaiting Moderation” on the blog means I haven’t read your post yet. WordPress has us “approve” the posts in case there’s some spam that leaks through. Sorry for the delay…
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
just found your website one day after siding, windows and shutters installation has been completed. Realize mistakes on color have already been made. Please do advise on a door color. Roof is Certain Teed Black Pepper; Siding -Certain Teed Woodland Mist, Windows, window casings and sills -white; Door casing-white; Gutters and downspouts – white; Corners – Woodland Mist; Shutters- Midnight Blue. Realize after reading your site that we most likely did not choose the best color for shutters. Please do advise as to what color front door might be best in light of the color choices.
Thank you.
Beverly
Hi Beverly,
Sorry for the delay! I’m back!
As for your color scheme, I don’t really see anything wrong with it. Personally, I have always liked blue and green together — it’s a classic combination — and although I may not have mentioned using a navy for a shutter color on a green house, I think it will work out fine! As for the door, I suggest that you keep going with the Midnight Blue. That will complete the scheme and not introduce another color into the overall palette. (The black roof should go with everything.) Having said THAT, I suggest you add an accent color (something warm) in your plantings, wreath, pots, but you can certainly add more blues as well. Adding different shades of blue to the color scheme will make the whole thing look truly inspired!
Send a photo if you continue to be concerned, but I think you’re off to a great start!! No problem here!
Thanks again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara,
Thanks for answering my questions about the exterior. Now I have questions about my master bath. I have chosen a golden toned travertine tile for the floor, shower, and tub surround, and am now stuck in trying to choose a granite and wall color. I thought a golden toned paint would look good with the tile, but can’t seem to find one that looks as good on the wall as it does on the chip. I saw a bathroom in Northern California last weekend that used a whiter shade on the walls and liked how it looked, but I can’t seem to replicate it. I will email you pictures of the tile and granite board. Can you please advise me on granite and paint color? Thanks!
Barbara,
You’ve been so helpful so far, and I have one more question. I just selected my dining room chairs, and have realized that Soft Marigold by Benjamin Moore, the color I love, is just not going to cut it anymore for the first floor living area. The host and hostess chairs have a lot of red orange and Soft Marigold just isn’t quite right. You can see the fabric selection here: http://www.ethanallen.com/fabric?fabricId=3780571. The side chairs are this fabric (dots in the center are the red orange and green in the host and hostess chairs; both fabrics are a little more golden than the picture shows): http://www.ethanallen.com/fabric?fabricId=10913. I really would like to go with a yellow-orange for the walls because the area can be dark at different times of the day and this color really brightens up the space (remember that the house surrounds the courtyard, and all light comes from the courtyard windows; it’s only bright midday). However, if you think another choice would be better, keeping in mind that I am opposed to a neutral on the walls, I welcome your suggestions! Thanks.
Hi Katie,
How about more of a gold since that seems to be the field color on your chair fabric. ?? Take a look at both Chestertown Buff HC-9 and Dorset Gold HC-8 (Ben Moore). Both are warm but have an aged quality that might go well with the fabric and still give you that cheerfulness that you’re craving for the room. See what you think!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello! I will be sending you pictures to help visualize, but in a nutshell:
My boyfriend inherited a home from his mother. I am not sure how to explain this house! It is a sideways ranch with a breezeway between the house and one car garage. (The breezeway is covered). Built in the 50′s. His mother had updated the roof and siding 10 years ago, so it is too early for us to change (out of our budget right now). The siding is mint green, roof is green, trim is hunter green, shutters are hunter green, and even the outside trim around the windows is hunter green. I wanted to paint the trim white to break up all that green, but sadly it is not wood, but aluminum. I had also wanted to get black shutters, but that will be expensive. Sooo..it seems I can only change the lighting fixtures at this time. Can you tell me if I should use brushed nickel, bronze or black–coach light, square etc.? The mail slot in the garage will match whatever the lights will be, and the entry door (can’t see from front) is white, with a decorative glass camber top and satin nickel knobs and hinges, but I can have that changed. Storm door is satin nickel kicklplate and handle, but we can exchange. (There are two doors off the breezeway, these are white) Knobs inside house are satin nickel (don’t know if it is ok to have a different color knob on the entry door than the rest of the inside of the house) We will be doing some landscaping. And can you also give me feedback for my original plan if somehow I can change the trim and shutters? (Trim white, shutters black, doors white or black) Thank you so much!
Veronica again!!
Managed to get the pics online for you. In the side pic, the front door is the second door you see on the left. (the first goes into a shed) There will be a light fixture above the front door. Thank you!
https://picasaweb.google.com/112471388879028154076/Apr222011?authkey=Gv1sRgCL2sjen2qrvcAw&feat=directlink
I just made a donation for $20.00 through Paypal, but I believe I will need to send more. Let me know how much. I couldn’t attach more funds – do I just donate in $20 amt? Let me know.
Anyway…
I have an open floor plan, and the time has come to repaint.
Currently, the color throughout is Sienna Sand – it is very close to Benjamin Moore’s wheeling neutral. My carpet is almost the same color. We have alot of natural cherry furniture and oak that has some of the same tones as the cherry furniture.
We have a chair rail in the dining room and could paint the lower half a different color. Right now it is the same sienna sand. All of the rooms are visible from each other: The kitchen, family room, dining room and living room, hallway leading upstairs, etc. So the colors need to work together, which is why I used the same color throughout.
Any suggestions?
How do I send photos?
Thank you,
Antoinette Olson
Hi Toni,
Thanks for the additional payments — you found the “Other Payment Options” button for lots of rooms/questions. Thank you!!
I would love to see photos of your rooms and how they see each other. That will help us pick colors for each that will coordinate and blend and allow you to have more colors than just one. You can attach a link to a photo album site here in this blog or attach photos to an email and send them to me at
bmeglis@yahoo.com
That particular mail site has unlimited space so it will not get bogged down by lots of large photos.
I will look for them! And can’t wait to help you with your new color palette!!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Toni,
Thank you for the photos of the granite and the upholstery in the family room. Using those (particularly the granite which won’t change) as an inspiration for the color palette, here are a few ideas. I’ve used the Ben Moore Affinity paint line, but if you’re more comfortable with the historical colors or a completely different paint line, let me know. Take a look at possibly a green for the lower wall in your dining room. A green would tie the dining room to the kitchen and even the family room and would add a little drama without leaving the natural palette. Jojoba AF-460 and Boreal Forest AF-480 are possibilities. See what you think. Then pulling the golden tones out of the granite, you might consider a sunnier kitchen color — look at Safari AF-335. It’s a really cheerful, yet tasteful, yellow that will look great with all the dark oak. Both the greens and the golds are very appropriate for pairing with all the wood throughout your house.
To spice things up a bit in the family room, you might consider pulling a dusty violet color out of that chair fabric for the wall space on either side of the wood fireplace. Look at Luxe AF-480. Definitely a contrast against the orange of the wood but grayed down a tad so there’s not too much energy in the room. I like the wall color on the slanted ceiling. Excellent.
There may be other areas to add color in your public space. But just adding that much in selected accent areas will add some pizzazz to the beige that’s elsewhere. There’s nothing wrong with your current wall color — there’s just a little too much of it.
If you’d like to refresh the hallways, try Mascarpone AF-20. It’s creamy and light and would provide more contrast with the wood than your current Wheeling Neutral equivalent. A greener option is Camouflage 2143-40, a wonderful khaki green that is in your granite. It’s light and neutral enough to be used almost anywhere and it’s a nice alternative to beige. Also terrific against the oak!!
I think I’ve lost count of the rooms — did I see the living room? The hallway neutral might flow into the living room and if you have a fireplace in there, we might put an accent color there. Otherwise, you might have enough colors in the palette already.
See what you think. Let me know… we’ll tweak the colors as you decide what goes where.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Barbara,
I just figured out how to add additional funds.
Let me know if I need to add more.
Thank you in advance for your help.
A question about colors you selected a while back for our basement – which I still have not painted!
You suggested BM Evening Dove for the movie room, trout gray for the adjoining office and thundercloud gray for the ceilings.
I saw BM hale navy in a friend’s living room, and loved it.
Do you think hale navy would work in the movie room, instead of evening dove? Or, do you think hale navy would be too dark?
Would the other colors still work, if I traded out the hale navy for the evening dove?
Thank you for your assistance.
Respectfully,
Toni Olson
Hi Toni,
I remember your basement. We did talk about the fact that, being a basement, there is no natural light (or very little) so the dark colors will make it feel a little cave-like down there. Having said that, you want a dark movie room so that’s okay. But I did want to warn you about the dark colors ahead of time. There will be a shock-and-awe period.
As for the two navy colors: The Hale Navy is a rich dark almost midnight blue — it is darker than the Evening Dove, which has a lighter, grayer, softer feel to it. Both are dark. And both will accomplish the dark, rich movie theater effect. And both will work with the other grays. The best thing to do is to try both of them on a patch of wall (or a piece of foam core) and stand way back in the room and have a look. Your friend’s living room probably has more natural light so the color is going to look different over there. Check it out in your basement to be absolutely sure.
Does that help? Thanks Toni. Let me know if you still have questions about the color palette down there.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello! I have a timber home (quite typically Australian) which is warm beige with white trims and a vivid, deep blue door. I need an awning and have no idea what colour to go. I would really appreciate your advice. You can see the house at http://suziebrown.wordpress.com/2011/05/23/help-me-choose-an-awning-colour-please/
Many thanks
Suzie
Hi Suzie,
Great house! I like the camel-colored awning (A1010) on the following site:
http://roll-a-shade.com.au/devsite/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/modern-colours.jpg
The gray (A1012) and the cream (A1014) will also work. But I would not introduce another accent color. Your rich blue is accent enough.
Hope that helps.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
We bought a just built house. Every wall in the house is painted a color called latte cashmere. I like the color but I need some accent walls. Our living, dining, and kitchen all run together. We have cherry wood funiture and floor in the kitchen and dining area. Cream color carpet in living, sage green couches, and touches of burgandy and mocha mixed in either in pictures or pillows. We tried a burgandy wall and I liked it but it blended with the cherry wood. I also tried a couple shades darker brown then the latte and they came out having a tint of pink or purple. I want something to stand out but still see my funiture. If you need pics let me know.
Donation conf#93G358886W823794S
Hi Scott & Kari,
Since the floor in the kitchen and dining areas and the furniture in those areas are all dark wood, a dark accent wall will not work there. BUT, since you have cream carpet in the living room and sage green couches, how about pulling some of that brown from the dining room area into the living room with an accent wall of a rich dark brown like either Branchport Brown HC-72 (Ben Moore) or Hasbrouck Brown HC-71? The sage couches should show up nicely in front of the wall and the darker brown will pull out the colors in your art/pillows. Then pull some greens into the kitchen/dining areas (art/linens/dishes/cushions) and your whole space should have flow.
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I am painting my front door red but want the inside of the door to be white. Should the door edges be red or white?
Hi Nancy,
Red will work so the door is all the same color from the OUTside.
Thanks for asking.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Greetings,
We need help choosing colors for our home’s exterior. We currently have a 1970′s neo-colonial and are attempting to visually unite the top and bottom halves of the home. We have white siding on the top of the house, a black roof, and brown brick.
We are just about to start ordering things. We’ve booked the painter and roofer… we thought we had it all figured out, but we put the colors we’d chosen together and were afraid it looked a little dull.
We’d like a transitional, traditional-leaning exterior to match our interior.
These are the remodeling projects that we will begin within the next two weeks.
1. Order new front door and sidelights
2. Carpenter boxing in the iron supports on the entry with columns.
3. New roof and gutters.
4. Paint siding and trim.
5. Install new garage door.
We would appreciate color suggestions for the siding, trim, garage door, sshutters and roof. We are leaning toward puchasing a walnut-stained wood door, but haven’t ruled out a paintable door.
I have photos of the brick and the house that I would like to email to you. Please let me know the most convienient way to get the photos to you.
Best regards,
Sheri and John
Hi Sheri,
You can send photos to my email account — it has a big mailbox for large files. Send to bmeglis@yahoo.com.
I’ll check later.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Sheri and John,
Take a look at GAF’s Barkwood and Hickory as possible roof choices. With white trim, Ben Moore’s Briarwood will cool the brick and bring out the depth in it as well. You can use the same color for your garage door, but if you’d like a solid wood door, that will be stunning. I would still use white for the sidelights — it’s a classic look — but I know that many new wooden doors come with matching sidelights. Whatever you prefer…
Here’s a link to the color. It’s a very rich taupe that goes very well with wood tones as well as white and all that brick. It’s in there…
http://www.benjaminmooreonline.com/2596.html
See what you think!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
We are in the process of repainting our house and could use your help choosing colors. The house is single story home with brick on 3 sides and lap siding on the back and end gables. We’ve chose Behr Anonymous Color Number 780F-5 which is a light grey for the siding. For the moment, we’ve chosen Behr Evening Hush, Color Number 770F6-6 which is a dark grey, but we are also open to suggestions for shudder colors. All the trim on the house is White/White and we plan to stick with that. Where we need help is with the Front Door color, the shutters if you have a better suggestion and finally, a solid color stain color for the back deck. The deck is currently stained with a semi-transparent stain that is grey like the house, but blue undertones.
Click Here: http://www.georgiahousepublishing.com/home-pictures.htm to view images of the house and the brick as it looks now.
Thank you… Michelle
Hi Michelle,
Since your roof has a lot of green in it (and it looks like the brick does too), your decision to go with a green-gray instead of a blue-gray for the siding and shutters is a good one. I also like Ben Moore’s Chelsea Gray HC-168 for the siding color and Kendall Charcoal HC-167 for the shutters. You can use the shutter color for the front door (or you could go with a brick red like Spanish Red 1301.
I do like the white trim. And for the deck I think I would go a shade darker than the siding — Dark Granite 780F-6 — or the equivalent in a medium gray-green (if you use an opaque stain — for a semi-transparent stain, you can just stay gray but use a green undertone instead of blue). That way the deck will go away visually and leave you with your accents: porch furniture, colorful umbrella, etc.
Does that sound okay?
You are off to a great start!
Thanks for posting!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for the recommendations. I think you might be seeing more green in the roof and bricks than what’s actually there. When we had a new roof installed several years ago, I kept an extra bundle for future repairs. I just took one of the shingles out of that bundle looked closely at it in the sunlight and it is a true Gray/Black. Oddly, there is green in the portion of it that gets covered up by the shingle above it, but none in the parts that show. I’ve added a close up image of the shingles to the webpage we sent you.
That said, I’m good with the Chelsea Gray for the siding and Kendal Charcoal for the shutters… They’re both very close to what we chosen. But, I’d like to get away from the Greys and Reds for the front door. I saw a front door on a house similar to ours (similar brick color too) the other day that was blue and was wondering how that would look with my colors. I’m open to any other colors you might suggest other than grays or reds.
Thanks again! Michelle
Hi Michelle,
Ah, the nature of the internet…
Take a look at Ben Moore’s Lucerne AF-530 and Schooner AF-520. One of those rich teals might be just right for your door. The orange in the brick and the blue are complementary colors so there’s lots of “energy” with that combo. Wonderful for an entryway!
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I am paint my living room that is 25 x 12. New carpet is multi color tan, beige and dr brown. We have 1 large window. My curtains are white with a light blue thin stripe with white sheers. Our new furniture is blue denim microfiber. The colors I picked out are: Olympic Snowy Mount ceiling, Olympic Satin Weave for the walls. I have one wall that is now dark paneling but would like to paint it Olympic Stratosphere or white wash it. The accent colors for pillows, etc are pastel yellow, antique barn red. Not real happy with colors. Can you suggest anything else or is this OK. Living room opens to kitchen and it is white and darker blue. Both rooms will be “nautical” themed. Thank you.
Hi Linda,
If you go ahead with the Olympic Stratosphere for the accent wall, you might want to change the Satin Weave to more of a cream than a light yellow. What happens when you mix yellow and blue… as you know… you get green. So sometimes there’s kind of a green haze as the colors bounce off of each other in the room. I suggest picking one of the beiges in your carpet and using a lighter version of that on the walls. You can still use pastel yellow, reds, and blues as accents in the room. But the walls will be more neutral so that the color in the room will pop. And because creamy beige is the color of sand, the nautical theme still works great!!
See what you think about that.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Dear Barbara,
We have a cape cod built in 1961 in need of some TLC. We’re doing a new roof, windows & painting on the exterior. I was thinking of a charcoal roof, white window frames, gray-blue exterior & navy shutters. Can we do a stained wood door or would you recommend matching the shutters? Also, would the trim be white also? I can send you a picture.
Thank you in advance for your advice.
PS. I sent a payment via paypal
Hi! I have a question about the house we just bought. The exterior needs help, but I’m not sure what colors to put with the very orange brick. I feel that the gray trim looks awful with the orange. Also, the current owners even have the gutters painted gray….I don’t like that either. Also, should we add shutters……if so, what color? The front door is a dark expresso color. I’m sending a picture to your email address so you can get a better idea of the house I call “Tangerine.” We don’t close on the house for a few days so I can’t wait to see what your advice is. At first I even thought about painting the brick, but that seems to be too much of a project. Thanks for helping! Heather
Hi Heather,
It’s amazing how different the trim between the back of the house and the front. The back looks gray and the front looks quite blue. I’m assuming from your description that the back photo is more accurate and that you really do not have blue trim on the front of the house. Regardless, you can continue the white window trim up onto the fascia and soffits and gutters for a traditional look. The white will temper the orange (right now the “blue” trim is complementary to the orange — opposites on the color wheel make each other more intense). Then for the siding color, have you considered the historic greens like Ben Moore’s Gettysburg Gray HC-107 or Rockport Gray HC-105? Either of those will look good with both brick and roof colors and will warm up the house.
Another option for siding is a neutral like Lenox Tan HC-44. Although the dormers will pop off the roof in the front, the back of the house will blend nicely with the brick. As for the deck, you can paint that a lighter or darker version of the siding color to blend and incorporate into the house. If you want the deck to stand out as a feature, then paint it dark brown to match the front door.
The only windows that might need shutters are the ones on the porch. If you’d like to add shutters to all the lower windows on the front, then I would go with either a dark charcoal (from the roof) or a darker version of the siding color you choose (Chelsea Gray HC-168 or Tudor Brown).
Does that get you started? It’s a great house!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara……I need to correct some decorating errors I’ve made in my kitchen!! I started with a pretty blank slate a couple of years ago with some granite and paint samples. My painter does a lot of color consultation and though I was not as sold on this granite choice as both he and my husband were, we selected it and went forward and selected some paint colors before the granite installation. I was not overly keen on the brightness of the paint color but trusted the painter. So, I painted my cabinets C2 Rice Paper along with C2 Brunette for accent. I picked out a subway tile with a crackle finish to look somewhat seamless with the cabinets. When it came time last year to finally pick out the floor (another compromise!) I went with a porcelain tile that complemented the granite. I plan to send you pictures of the kitchen. The granite has loads of movement and consists of copper, charcoal, brown and cream (almost yellow). It is called Zeus. The floor is a golden slate color with some light gray veining running through it. Now, the cabinets seem to be fighting with the floor choice!! They are a screaming white color now that everything is done and as you can see the Brown provides even more contrast. So, my thought was to paint the bottom cabinets a gray that would complement the stainless and not fight with the floor. But……….in going on the Ben Moore Facebook Page with the experts exchange I did not get any real good feedback about this direction. In fact, it was suggested I paint all the cabinets a gray tone (Pashmina). They need to be done, I just don’t know what to do. Can you suggest a white for the cabinets that will coordinate and warm things up? and also suggest another accent color for the room? On the other side of the kitchen there is a small desk and a plate rack/display rack. I’d like some suggestions about color for that as well. Please let me know your thoughts about all of this. I have seen kitchens with the white uppers and gray lowers on the internet and they look sharp. Hope you can help as my husband is so sick of my obsession!!!!!!!! I have loads of other information I can provide but I am really trying to reel it in. Thanks, Vicky
Hi Vicky,
Okay, the first thought is that the richness of the dark wall color is making the kitchen feel small and the white cabinets pop. And since you painted your existing cabinets (it’s okay, I did too), you really don’t want to highlight them. They’re on the old side. What you really want to accent is your granite and your appliances and even the floor. So I suggest painting the cabinets (AND the wall) Ben Moore’s Edgecomb Gray HC-173. Obviously the finishes would be different. Doing that will blend cabinet and wall color, making the cabinets less obvious, and will bring out the other color in the room. You could go a little darker with the wall color to Revere Pewter HC-172 — same overall effect though. These gray-tans look great with stainless steel and will contrast nicely with the oranges/reds in your granite/floor.
You could paint the lower cabinets the current wall color if you want the two-toned look (I did that in my kitchen). The dark red-brown on the lower cabinets would blend with both floor and granite making the cabinets go away. It looks great when the lights are on, but a dark lower cabinet still darkens the room. (That’s what I don’t like about my kitchen — it’s great at night!).
If you go with gray on both cabinets to keep the kitchen light, then you can pull the current wall color over to the back of the plate rack. The white woodwork will stay white (same as the plate rack).
Does that give you a different perspective? The goal is to camouflage the older cabinets and bring out the high-end additions you’ve made. That’s that goal. With that in mind, see what you think…
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hey Barbara……..the color you suggested is actually what one of the color experts on the Ben Moore site suggested. Of all the colors in all the world, you both came up with that one! Too funny. So, I guess my white kitchen is nix. Edgecomb Gray is very pretty. So…if I understand correctly: the cabinets and the wall above the cabinets and the accent wall near the back door, are both Edgecomb Gray (or I can go a bit darker on the walls). What about the painted wood below the mirror? does that stay white or gray? (and also the trim around the windows and back door? ); the “desk area” is also to be painted gray below its granite countertop but the plate rack stays white with possibly the brown as the inside color accent?………..such a tiny kitchen with so many issues. I wanted to gut it and start over but that pesky husband of mine said……..”these are maple cabinets, we can paint them”……The reason I was thinking white uppers and gray lowers was because I thought the uppers looked good with the backsplash but it did need a different color white or different type of paint. Right now, they are a semi-gloss finish. Thought the right gray might look sharp but now I see where you are coming from with the dated look of the cabinets. It would call too much attention to that. By the way, I had a note from one of the painters from the past who indicated he would use Satin Impervo for the cabinets. What do you think about that or what would you use. Thanks so much for your help. I am truly sick of thinking about it……….. Let me know what you think about the other stuff I mentioned in this post……..Have a nice weekend. Chilly start this a.m. in RI! Thanks, Vicky
Hi Vicky,
Wow, that is amazing that we came up with the same color. (I’ll take that as a positive!) Anyway, yes the Edgecomb Gray would go on the cabinets. Yes, you can go a bit darker on the walls. I think I mentioned Revere Pewter (a little darker than Edgecomb but not that specific hue — all the Historic Colors stand alone in the fandeck). But yes a little darker is fine on the walls. You can keep the trim white at least around the windows/doors. Whatever you keep white will stand out just like the cabinets do now. A little white around the windows/mouldings is fine. It’s just the cabinets we want to camouflage. Desk area should be cabinet color. Plate rack can be white since it’s an accent piece. If it bothers you white, then paint it cabinet color but with the accent color on the back. That’s fine.
As far as the paint is concerned, use the most durable you can get. I used an enamel on my cabinets and I’ve been pretty happy with them. So the Satin Impervo may be the way to go. I have never used it but since it’s enamel, I would go that route. Double check with your paint store. The durability is key. And yes the satin is less glossy — so imperfections will not stand out as much.
I think that’s it. Get a little pot of Edgecomb first just to make sure you like it though. No surprises. But you’re on the right track. Getting rid of some of the contrast in your kitchen will make it look and feel bigger too. A bonus.
Good luck!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Sorry to be a pest, but is there a nice white or off white you could recommend for the trim to go with this paint color? One that will not scream back at me! Thank you
Hi Vicky,
No problem. Try Sebring White OC-137 and see if that works for you.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
I love your website and really need your help. I’ve uploaded some pictures of the vintage 1959 house I just purchased, which is now being renovated as the little old lady who owned it, had A LOT of deferred maintenance. Anyway, I’m planning on painting the living room in BM Clay Beige with Swiss Coffee for the trim on the advice of my general contractor. I am hoping we can restore the fireplace to its original brick self, but I won’t know until a little later if the funds will cover it. We will be flooring the entire house in Teragren wide plank wheat bamboo flooring (I’ve put in a couple sample pictures of this in the Picasa album link below.
https://picasaweb.google.com/schwabery/ColorConundrumHELP?authuser=0&feat=directlink
My question is about the Master Bedroom/Bath. All rooms upstairs (including these) seem to get plenty of light. The current bathroom color is this terrible peach with a blue/green stone vanity top and slate tiles. I really like gray shades and wondered if it would be too much to paint the brick in the bathroom BM Gray Horse and the rest of the bathroom in a complementary but lighter color? Or vice versa? I wanted to continue more or less with the same paint scheme into the bedroom (as it’s all in the same area). An accent wall (near the door) across from where the bed will be facing so I can look at it all the time. Would Gray horse work here as well? Don’t want a gray blue and it needs to be warm enough to go with the wood floors.
Also, for your consideration: all the furniture in the house will be Danish modern (think Eames lounge chair in walnut)/ IKEA and the like. Most furniture has not yet been purchased…please help me with the perfect gray that will go with this mid-century modern house. If we can nail these colors, I’ll be back for advice for a room downstairs as well. Thanks so much for your service!
Hi Charlene,
Have you considered Revere Pewter HC-172 for your bathroom and perhaps even the bedroom? I would recommend painting all the walls in the bathroom the same color so as not to accent the brick. All one color will open up the bathroom and make it feel bigger in there. And actually the same in the bedroom. Since the ceiling (the fifth wall) is such a focal area, that really takes care of the “accent wall” in there. The ceiling is your accent wall. For viewing purposes, you can put a large piece of art on that inside wall so you can see it from the bed. I think painting that wall a different color will only chop up the already rather small room.
The Gray Horse is a great color but it’s quite green. Check out Revere Pewter — it’s very complex. A warm gray. And it’s a fabulous backdrop to slate, silver/nickel hardware and accessories, and dark/warm woods.
See what you think.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
New exterior of a small 1 story house in rural Nor.Cal. wine country: Roof will be Charcoal Gray (Presidential TL). House body, door trim, soffits – BM 979 (Stampede). Window trim/porch ceiling – BM OC-45 (swiss coffee). Accent (front door, one back door and inset rectangles on garage door) – BM 2145-20 (terrapin green).
Here is my question: should gutters be painted house color OR dark gray/black (BM 2120-30) to match roof shingles?
As you can see in the photo, there is barely any house color above the bay windows on the front of the house. If the gutters were house color would it lighten up the roof and perhaps give the house a little height? You can also see in the photo that the existing gutters are painted to match the roof shingles and it looks very clean.
This question is the last piece of a 6-month project of choosing colors so I look forward to getting your advice./Users/user/Desktop/janssen.JPG
Hi Becky,
Thanks for sending the photo to my email. Glad to have it. You’re right about the current roof looking clean with the gutter painted the same roof color, but the roof is a bit imposing on the rest of the ranch that way. The old terracotta-colored roof served as a fifth wall so the fact that it was so prominent was okay. But with the new more conventional-colored charcoal roof, you won’t want it to look heavy. So two choices: either paint the gutter the siding color (which will add a little height to the facade) or paint the trim color (which will lighten up the roof so that it will not be quite as heavy). From your paint scheme, it seems that you don’t want to have too much Swiss Coffee on the house (just window trim and porch ceiling). I might encourage you to add MORE Swiss Coffee since the siding color and roof color are the same hue value (on the dark side). The light trim will provide contrast between roof and siding and perk up the house even more.
So, although it may sound conventional, I suggest painting the window trim, porche ceiling, as well las the soffits and gutters Swiss Coffee. You can keep the rest of the trim and house color the same. If that turns out to be just too much “white” then go back to the siding color for the gutters. But I would still paint the soffits Swiss Coffee. You’ll need more light reflection onto the Stampede — it’s dark.
Now one comment about the garage door: maybe it’s my own personal taste, but I’m not a big fan of painting the box trim or the inset rectangles on the garage. I think it calls too much attention to the garage door and yours is quite prominent anyway since it sits forward in the driveway. Just a thought on that.
My other concern is the accent color. Since your front door is in the shadows, how about a lighter shade of green with a touch more yellow in it. Check out Timothy Straw 2149-40 or Pale Avocado 2146-40. See what you think.
Hope that helps with your final decisions.
Thanks again.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Best $20 I have spent! However, I have fallen back into the BM color previewer addiction that I thought I had kicked. “Oh, I’ll just check out Barbara’s accent paint suggestions…” And then there I am, hiding with my laptop…surfing the exteriors section and visiting all of my old haunts.Then, falling deeper, I went to the paint store this morning. They don’t even ask if I need anything anymore…they know I only want the chips…the big chips…and then maybe a pint…just a little pint. I can quit whenever I want to.
So, based on your feedback, here is a revised exterior plan. Please weigh in again, I am listening.
We completely remodeled the interior of our house last year so I do have to cut somewhere, therefore…
Body, soffit, gutters and door trim – Raccoon Hollow
Window trim on bedrooms (on the right of photo) and porch to be 4-4.5″ to be more in scale with the bay windows (4 sizes of trim!) in swiss coffee.
(Someday we will be able to keep that hedge down, but right now my 7 year old feels that it keeps the “stealers” away from his room.)
Porch ceiling and the beams at porch step and garage side (not visible) to be swiss coffee. There is a tan commercial grade backless bench that runs the length of the porch and will pop with a new body color. Also there will be 2 new wall sconces near the door that catch light
Front door AND garage door – Timothy Straw. Swiss coffee trim around little garage windows. I just can’t spend the next 20 years driving in to and away from a brown garage door…we are commercial printers! If it looks wacky we’ll paint over it.
Let me know what you think! Becky Janssen
Hi Becky,
My sympathies for your addiction. (Welcome to the club!! lol!)
I think your color scheme will be perfect. Fresh, modern, and a departure from the rest of the neighborhood. Although I usually do not paint the little window trim as it tends to emphasize the “smallness” of the windows, I think a little splash of Swiss Coffee on the garage door windows will only make the garage door color pop even more. Go for it!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
I have sent numerous kitchen photos and my payment – now my question… Two and a half years ago I bought a home that was 35 years old. The previous builder/owner died 7 years after he completed the home and the window lived in the house alone for the next 28 years unable to afford any upkeep or modernizing to the home. I have put about $25,000 in the house (purchase price was $90,000) since buying it auch as floring, insulating both the attic and the floor, new metal roof, electrical, plumbing, new heating and cooling system and other moderizations. I was leaving the painting to be one of the final updates – but 2 weeks ago I lost my job. Realizing I may have to sell the house without completing all the plans I had for updating it, I believe updating the kitchen with paint, some type of new blackspash and countertops would help sell the home. I have put in a new white sink, white faucet and white slide in flat top stove. I cannot afford granite countertop but I have seen and believe I can do the countertops in a Giani Granite finish. Here is their website in the event you are not familiar with this product. http://gianigranite.com/photogallerycountertoppaint.html I am contemplating using either the silican sand or the chocolate brown color or variations there of –
For quickness and convenience sake, I would prefer to keep the cabinets in their present 2-color scheme. However I don’t know if the 2-color scheme needs to be changed in order to help sell the home as quickly as possible. Can we choose a Giani color schedule that works with the cabinets as they are….or is this 2-color scheme just plain outdated and needs to be changed?
I cannot afford to hire anyone to help me. Whatever I do it has to be a project that I can do myself (I am quite handy about the house). I cannot afford to put in new cabinets or renovate the cabinets but I can paint and apply the Giani Granite product.
The present formica countertop is a medium yellow pattern and the back spash is a lighter yellow pattern of formica. Can you give me a color scheme? The flooring in adjacent rooms is sage green carpet and pecan colored laminet. The flooring in the kitchen is brownish/beige with some green tones. All walls throughout the house are a yellow cream. I have contemplated a cream and baked scone (Behr) color scheme. http://www.behr.com/colorsmart4/colorsmart/main.jsp
I could use the Giani Granite for both the countertop and the backsplash (I have seen that done and it looks great). Or I could use Giani for the counterstops and put up 1″ glass tiles on the backsplash.
This scholor scheme seems workable – http://www.marthastewart.com/274423/superneutral-decorating-palettes-and-pro/@center/276997/decorating-color but if you have other advice, I would be happy to have it. I have contemplated all these things for the last 2 years – now I have an urgent reason to get it done and need the advice of a professional as I have not been able to answer my own questions releative to colors, countertops and a 2-color cabinet scheme.
Thank you for your time and advice.
Clayetta
Hi Clayetta,
First of all, I’m really sorry for your situation. And I appreciate that you want to make minimal changes in case you need to sell quickly. Here is what I suggest:
The two-tone effect on the cabinets (although nicely done) makes the cabinets appear smaller as the doors are now outlined by dark brown and the contrast is a bit distracting. If possible… I suggest painting the brown cabinet boxes the same color as the cabinet doors. (Remember the quarter round trim on the floor as well.) That will make your kitchen appear bigger (a good selling feature). Then investigate a white backsplash to tie in the white appliances and lighten up the under-cabinet area. There’s a sticky tape that you can apply directly to the yellow backsplash and tile right onto that sticky surface. White subway tiles are ideal for your house, they do require some tile cuts. Mosaic sheets will work too. They’re easier to apply (no cuts) and go up quicker.
As for the countertop, I’ve seen mixed reviews on how easy the granite paint is to use. I would work with a friend, for sure. The darker chocolate would provide some contrast with the cabinets and tie in the floor. Just practice on something first before you get into the big project. Unless your countertops are damaged, they’re really not that bad looking and they are the same color as the cabinets (the countertop goes away visually). I would focus on the new backsplash. It will make a huge difference!
As for paint in the room, you’ll want to blend the cabinets with the walls. That too will enlarge the room and take some of the focus off the older cabinets. (I do like the new hardware!) So a couple shades lighter than the cabinets will be fine for the walls (or you can leave as is — again they’re very neutral!).
You’ve made great decisions so far. I hope this isn’t too much work. But find a friend and make a trade. Works great!
And all the best to you!!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Oops – Correction: That was to say the “widow” (not window) lived in the house for the next 28 years.
I see more typos and I apologize for them. Thank you.
Clayetta Montee
Barbara, Thank you for your response. Let me make say that the yellow paint is oil and is the original paint from 35 years ago. The countertop does need to be covered – it is just too dated – being a slick yellow formica a shade darker than the yellow in the cabinets. All surfaces are going to have to be sanded for paint adhesion. Please allow me to add these questions and comments for your response.
I’ve kind of been fiddling around with painting the cabinets all brown or all white. The kicker is that when you open the cabinets it is the present light yellow inside them I wonder if I could tie in the yellow inside the cabinets with a tile backspash with some yellow in it. If I paint the cabinets all white, then would need the backsplash to be a tile of white and yellow and the countertop being brown giani granite.
If I painted all the cabinets the solid brown, I could do the backsplash in a backsplash of white and yellow or white, yellow and brown with the countertop in a lighter Giani countertop of mainly white with some brown in it.
What do you think of those possibilities? That is leaving the cabinets’ insides yellow but tying that yellow in with yellow in a backsplash? Or do you feel your original response of all yellow cabinets with white backsplash (I’ve found some 12 x 12″ sheets of 3/4″ tiles with peel-off adhesive on the back that seem easy to apply) and Giani brown countertops still the better paint scheme. I wonder if we should shy away from the all brown cabinets because it might make the kitchen appear smaller?
Thank you for your thoughts on this.
Clayetta
Hi Clayetta,
I would stay away from all brown (you can do brown lower cabinets but not upper). I do like the two-color cabinet look. Very popular now. So you could do brown on the bottom to blend with the new countertop and a cream on the top to lighten the room. And use a slightly darker shade for the walls. That would look great with the floor and lighten the room.
If you want all one color, go with an off white/cream — not too white. Don’t worry too much about the cabinet interior color. You can tie that in with accessories or maybe some accent tiles on the backsplash. But don’t go overboard. A solid white backsplash and some yellow towels will work great to tie everything together.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Barbara,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I was hoping you could help us with an interior color scheme. Our family room just does not work.. We have a red brick fireplace, olive couches and oak floors. The walls are a beige color and we want to paint the brick on the fireplace a white color and perhaps paint either an accent wall or paint the entire room to enhance the look of the furniture… can you help???
https://picasaweb.google.com/103372823770021101578/FamilyRoom#
Thank you,
Gabby
Hi Gabby,
I would start with a warmer wall color — something like Ben Moore’s Powell Buff HC-35 — for all walls. Then for the brick fireplace, you can paint it although the brick itself is not terrible (the style of the fireplace is a bit outdated and there’s no mantel). The issue with painting it white (either your trim color or something a little less white — like Linen) is that the fireplace will still be quite prominent in the room. It will just be one color instead of brick. You will want to upgrade your fireplace box screen (no shiny brass) and perhaps add a mantel to balance the white and give your TV a visual “ledge” to sit on (even though it’s floating on the wall — that’s okay). A mantel (oak) would give you a little more depth so you could add a couple of large candlesticks or other accessories on either side of the TV and kind of camouflage it.
I like your curtains and furniture. I suggest pulling the chair onto the rug from the corner so it’s part of the conversation area with the two sofas. Kind of lonely way over there. Speaking of the rug, once you paint the fireplace, it will be completely neutral so you might consider getting a new rug with more color (either plain or patterned with earth tones — olives, bricks, teal). Then pull out some of those rug colors to use as pillows on the chair/sofas and accessories for the room.
Since the TV is occupying your focal point in the room, you can further camouflage it by adding some art to that wall — a tall vertical piece above the bookshelf and a pair of vertical pieces, one on top of the other, on the right side of the fireplace. Adding art to that fireplace wall will create more interest there — not just the TV — I think you’ll appreciate the added color.
The palette is olive (furniture), oak/orange, taupey-tan (curtains), and black (metals/ottoman). You can add brick reds and even eggplant purples to the room. Any art should be framed in black to go along with the TV/metal colors in the room.
Option 2: If you decide to keep the fireplace as is. I suggest painting the room a darker shade (Wilmington Tan HC-34) to further blend the fireplace/TV into the wall. I would really suggest an oak mantel at that point. You’ll be amazed at how much better the fireplace will look. You’ll need a couple of corbels to hold up the mantel (ask your contractor or a handyman). You can still add art and accessories and even a warmer rug. You might add a standing lamp to the right of the fireplace instead of art. That will help with evening light since I don’t see many lamps.
See what you think of those ideas. Relatively easy fixes overall.
Thanks for sending the photos. Hope I’ve helped.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi
I posted a question but don’t see it so I think it didn’t go through.
I am still looking for a grey paint for my powder room. It has yellow tiles (like HC5 Weston Flax)
I have tried several colors:
1460 too purple
AC26 too taupe (I like this but it looks muddy)
2133-50 way too blue
I like HC 169 on the fan . Do you think it would work? I would prefer something a tad deeper.
HELP! My painter is losing patience with me. There is a color called Platinum Gray on a card I have that says RM but I don’t have color code.
I only want grays so I need to find one that works. I though this would be easy.
Many thanks.
One more color….AC29 San Antonio Grey????
I have a picture of my house, that will help, but am not sure how to get it to you. We re-sided our two story house this summer and it turned out darker than I hoped. It is a very dark brown/grey. The trim is off-white. My garage door faces the front of the house. I painted it to match the trim because I thought if I painted it the same color of the house, it would only darken it more. Also ,my garage entryway door faces the front of the house just next to the garage door. This is also painted off-white. I know the colors are wrong as the focal point is my garage door and I want it to be my front porch. Should I consider a third color that is in-between the two colors? (once again, I think you need to see the picture)
We also have a huge front porch that goes all the way across the front of the house. It is not completed yet. I am thinking of pillars with stone on the bottom with wood on top and am unsure what color to paint the pillars or what stone to use?
I am not willing to paint the whole house, but would consider painting the shakes and of course the doors. I really need your advice! I want to love this house, but something is not pulling it all together. Thank you!
Hi Stacy,
You can send photos to my email (bmeglis@yahoo.com), but I can tell you without looking that you do need a third color on the front door to draw the focal point away from the garage and over to the entry area. Since your house is a dark neutral with off-white trim, your front door should either be a warm color in the red/orange family or a contrasting cool color like a teal blue.
When I see your photos, I can help you nail down a color.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi Stacy,
I suggest painting the gable shingles a warm neutral, something like SW6142 Macadamia or SW6149 Relaxed Khaki. That will highlight the gables and brighten up the house. Then because you don’t want to highlight your garage/entry area, I suggest painting them a couple of shades lighter than your siding color. That will blend the doors in, call attention to the gable peak (both of them), and allow you to draw the eye to the front door. Yes, the mahogany stain is perfect.
For your stonework, pick a variety of gray, brown, and beige stones with some rust thrown in to tie the whole house together.
Beautiful!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hi,
It’s me again. (new question, new payment)
So now we are dealing with the master bedroom. Stonington gray (bathroom) and camouflage (guest bedroom)w ere perfect! I have not found the right towels yet but my old pewter ones seem to be ok for now.
Anyway, we have been trying colors with no success and I will have to make this decision on my own (with your help) since hubby is traveling
:
-(
We are looking for a neutral beige. The room faces northwest so not a ton of light but has 3 windows.
We tried BM november rain OC 50 (pale with a bluish tone) and pale oak OC 20 which looks ashy on the walls. So that was a failed experiment.
We tried Cedar key (982) but it has too much lavender. I am trying Carlisle cream now (1031) but it looks a bit pink (?) although it is not quite dry. The pink would not please my husband for sure.
The current furniture which will be changed eventually(!) is a medium brown , the area rug is medium taupe (that too can be changed) and the floor is light (slightly gold) oak. But I have no idea what tone I would get…..probably expresso???? but not sure.
So I am now considering everlasting 1038. (lots of good comments on the web)
Other possibilities: natural wicker 95 or pale almond 951. (probably too light for hubby)
barely beige 1066 and blonde wood 1067
But would love to have your suggestions. would love to hear back soon,
Thanks again,
Gail
Hi Gail,
I think your neutral needs a yellow undertone instead of pink or gray since your floors are golden and your room faces Northwest. The taupey beiges will go gray in that light. So take a look at Lady Finger 1045. I’ve used both the lighter Lighthouse Landing 1044 and Deer Path 1047 and both have worked great as a neutral base for layers of added color in the room. I’ve also had great success with Ocean Beach 958. Blond Wood will also work for you — it’s a tad warmer than the Lady Finger but it might read pink in your room. It’s between those two: Lady Finger and Blond Wood.
You’re getting closer! (Forget Carlisle Cream — it is pink.)
Hope one of the above will pass the light test (and get the hubby okay) for your room.
Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Can you comment on why you think Everlasting is not a choice?
Also can you comment on Barely beige 1066?
I wouldn’t want too much yellow and everlasting seems a bit less so (?)
Would White Dove be ok for the trim and ceiling with these chocies ?
I think Linen white (current trim and walls) looks a bit too creamy in that space.
Many thanks. I will let you know the followup and will be bakc when I move downstairs!
Hi Gail,
If the Lady Finger is too yellow for you, then Everlasting may be the best one. It’s warm without being too gold. I think, from what you said about your husband’s likes, the Barely Beige will be too light. White Dove is perfect. If you want to use a Super White ceiling paint (flat), that will give you maximum reflection into the room. (Linen White will not give you as much contrast between walls and trim as White Dove will. I’d go with White Dove.)
Looking forward to downstairs too!
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Follow-up .I went with Lady Finger. Everlasting had a touch of red in it (I could even see it!) and when it was not sunny , I thought it looked a bit too taupey in the room (although I prefer the color as a freestanding color)
It looks really nice (warm) – kind of a pale sandy tone – although I will need to get used to the yellow undertone. My husband hasn’t seen it yet (he is away this week) so I will keep my fingers crossed.
But as always, you picked the perfect color for the room. Thank you!
I continue to be amazed.
I am going to try to take some pictures for you for downstairs since the whole thing has to flow. I will post sometime this week.
Thanks again . your help has been invaluable.
Back soon,
Gail
Hi Gail,
Thanks again! Let’s hope your husband loves it too.
I look forward to working with you on the downstairs rooms. I’ve emailed you the specifics of how we can work together on the bigger project.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach
Hello: I am new to this blog but I am in dire need of a knowledgable opinion. We are building a small house in the woods on the Chesapeake Bay. Very natural looking, lots of windows overlooking the water side, kind of a cabin feel. My husband is the builder (he’s in the business) so we have been choosing everything ourselves. The siding we chose is called Timberstone and when we chose it we did not think it was quite as dark as it has turned out to be. The roof blends in well (a little too well!) with the siding and the windows we put in are Anderson – color – terra tone. So, needless to say, everything is starting to look the same color……brown. We picked musket brown for the trim and now I am at a loss. My husband is getting distressed that he has worked so hard and the outside is not what he had envisioned. My thought was that perhaps we should add shutters to the windows (casement) and paint the front door something special to bring out the natural beauty of the color and the setting. I was thinking in the gold tones or rusty red. We are not dark green fans and I think the dark green against the wood color siding wouldn’t thrill me anyway. I can’t seem to find shutters that are in the darker gold tones (or the rusty red for that matter but I haven’t looked that hard yet). We will be building a front porch and back deck as well and would like suggestions for stain colors that would enhance the house but not stand out like a sore thumb. As the house is built into a hill, the concrete foundation shows in the back but not in the front. Any color suggestions to paint the concrete? Can you make any suggestions that may help our beautiful house? I know that landscaping will also help but we’re not at that point yet. Appreciate your time & thoughts. Missy