calming down

Well it was snowing this morning so "day light" was a stretch.... I was again poking around the house with that giant construction light. But I think I'm calming down about the color of the hallway. Though it's brighter than what I was anticipating, if anything it's just a bit more cheerful. It's not offensively bright or anything... it's just not exactly what I was anticipating. That said, if I've learned anything this year it's that I can adapt! Here are a few photos from this morning.

I think partially it's just another swell of being overwhelmed by the process and putting this pressure on myself to have everything Perfect. I've been extremely stressed this past week with insurance and banking stuff but have to push through that..... so my emotions came to the surface with the paint color (something I have more control over).

Look how different the color looks even depending on the flash/lighting. This photo I took with the paint sample up on the wall. It doesn't look as yellow at all! I think also I had grown so accustom to the grey wall of the sheet rock... that seeing any color was a bit of a shock. As soon as we get in there with some furniture, fabrics, art on the walls it won't look so much like these giant blocks of color.

Here it looks a bit more yellow, but the added irony is that for a while I was contemplating a yellow hallway! I'm not 100% feeling better about this, but I'm above 85% at this point and no longer considering calling my GC in tears. (I really didn't want to be that person!)

...and the really great thing is, I still caught my 7:28am train!

hall color

Trying to find photos of what the hall color kind of looks like... this is the closest I come. Don't get me wrong, these are two inspiration photos (origins unknown, sorry)... and it makes me feel a little better... how the color blends in with the other patterns/colors/textures of a room-- but it was just not the color I was envisioning... and it's not like there's SO many other things in a hallway. sigh. I need to go to sleep and just see it in the morning- it's just my obsessive brain won't slow down....

anxiety

They put the first coat of paint on the walls... which would be exciting except I'm having major anxiety about the colors. I feel kind of sick actually. It looks like a circus to me-- too many, too bright...

Dear husband has tried to calm me down by saying that I should go over in the morning, take a look with the natural light. It's not fair to judge colors by a construction flood light. He's right. Right?

Here's the worst of it. This is the hallway and the blue/grey music room. The music room color is fine, a little more purple and less grey than what I thought... but fine. The hallway is really making me nervous.
It's the hallway color that I'm most worried about. It looked orange.... way too much yellow pigment in it. I was hoping for a softer Shaker Beige color and instead it seemed (at least tonight) to have WAY too much color. We'll see what tomorrow brings, but I'm ready to call it out as a (major) mistake and see if they can fix it. I think the colors of the rooms off the hallway are okay, it's just that the hallway being so bright or something makes the whole thing look like a circus.

I don't know if I've mentioned it, but dear husband is a COLOR guy. He'd go for the deep reds and all... I wanted muted, calming tones... but tried to compromise by doing green and blue and yellow.... now I'm worried it looks claustrophobically colorful (I don't expect that to make sense to anyone else). I would have been happy with white walls honestly.

I'm trying to comfort myself that it will also look different when there's furniture and Stuff inside... I'm trying to remind myself that color moves. I'm trying to look at my inspiration photos and see that there are colored walls.

Focusing on the positive. I like "alpaca" in the kitchen/family room:

I love "winter solstice" in the back bedroom:

I love "paris rain" in our bedroom.

Less sold on the "filtered sunlight" in the front bedroom, but I think it really comes down to the hallway. If it were more neutral, everything else would be okay.

We'll see what it looks like tomorrow. I just looked it up and sunrise is at 7:15am-- so I'll be there. Worst case scenerio, it's a mistake that has to be fixed and we'll figure out how to fix it... right? I'm really trying to talk myself into feeling better about this one.....

paint names

I have come to realize that I'm susceptible to having my taste in a paint color be highly influenced by the paint name. I realized this when I was agonizing with whites-- I knew that despite it's lovely creamy tone there was NO way I could paint my kitchen or any trim in my house "Mayonnaise". Dear husband has also realized this about me-- saying that he does like my suggestion for our bedroom (Paris Rain) while teasing me by pretending he thinks the actual name is "Turtle Pee" (can you imagine?!?)

I suspect this name-thing is a common problem, but given that my love for words preceded my new-found love for paint samples, I've done what any cautious person in my shoes would do; I cut out the names of the paint samples on my project just to be extra sure that I still liked the colors. Good news is, I do so now I may completely indulge in the names and all the images/feelings they evoke.

PARIS RAIN (master bed room) The name makes me think: romantic, nostalgic, intimate like sharing an umbrella, but also lighthearted like like running through the city streets in a downpour together w/out an umbrella!

SAND DUNES (hallways). The name makes me think of childhood vacations on Martha's Vineyard but also of when M. and I were dating and spent a week on the Jersey shore...

FAIRMOUNT OAKS (family room). I have a thing for trees.. something about the way the branches reach towards the sky from a sturdy, steady base-- something about how long they live for. I especially love tree-lined paths or roads. The name also makes me think of the large tree that we took wedding photos under.

...more to come... dear husband is calling that it's dinner time...

bedroom paint colors

A few months ago, our friend and real estate agent (who initially sold us our home) toured us around some new houses on the market so we could get some ideas for our rebuild. In looking back at the photos that I took, I'm marveling at how the paint colors are of a similar hue to the ones were considering so figured I'd take the opportunity to post those photos here.



This is a pretty creamy yellow similar to what we're hoping to do in the guest room. We've chosen benjamin moore "filtered sunlight".

This greyish green is similar to our choice in the master bedroom of "Paris Rain" but I suspect ours will be a little lighter/softer than what's here. Still I like the way the white door and trim works with this color- and even the ORB hardware will be like our home. Although these are egg knobs and we've chosen colonial ones.

Lastly this is a silvery grey similar to what we've chosen for the back (someday baby) bedroom. Our choice is Benjamin Moore "Silvery Grey". I'm still mulling over what to do with the irregular ceilings in the master bedrom and family room. thestamfordwife (see sidebar for a link to her blog) suggested in a comment to me, to do 50% of whatever color is on the walls. That may be the best way to go in the family room with the vaulted ceiling. In looking more at the master bedroom, though, I'm thinking it might be best to just carry the color all around the room as is done here (and in the yellow room above).

Master bedroom

I'm leaning towards Benjamin Moore "Paris Green" for the Master bedroom. It's a soft green, almost grey. Below are some inspiration photos of rooms with similiar colors on the wall.

This, I thought I got this is from Cote Texas? But now I can't find it on her blog. I love the check on the headboard and pillow and the contrasting bedspread-- the splash of warmth it brings with the kind of Moroccan pattern and deep red. This photo is a little dark, but I also think the paint is a shade or two darker and more green than what I'm hoping for.

This room has almost celebrity status on RMS. The posters name is hpj185 and she does have some beautiful rooms- this being my favorite by far. Word has it that this again is a slightly darker paint color "Sandy Hook Gray" by benjamin moore but I love love love how she's added some subtle light blue accents-- note the toile on the pillows. These chairs are a little too big for our space, but I like the style of them. The artwork is not to my taste nor do I love the four poster bed for this space but the color palate is just gorgeous.

Here it is... where I first "discovered" Paris Rain. This is from an interior designer/blogger in Stamford CT, "the stamford wife" (great name, no? it amuses me particularly having grown up in fairfield county myself!). This, I believe, is a bedroom she designed for her in laws. Here the soft green is paired with a pale pink which is soothing and lovely for a bedroom. I love white bedsheets- a white cloud seems the most perfect place to dream. I like the way she's dressed up the bed with a kiss of pink pillows. (Also I like the four poster bed in this room)

Also I just noticed that it seems like the ceiling may be the same color as the walls? This is a question mark for me-- what to paint the ceiling in our bedroom given the way it is dormered.... I don't want to feel too boxed in but also dont' want to ruin the nice lines of the room.

Here's another photo of the rms room (I don't know why these appear in a different order than how I try to upload them). Here you can see the toile on the curtains and also the check bed skirt.

I'm realizing that one of the appeals of going with this soft grey green is the gentle tranquility it brings when paired with a clean white-- and the romantic air it acquires when accented with with a touch of light blue, or deep red, or a blush of pink. It's a flexible color-- one that can go formal or be toned down, but one that is generally restful and serene. Also, I'll admit, I like the name, "Paris Rain"..... we'll see how it looks on poster board later this week.... stay tuned!

i'm in love

with my benajamin moore fan deck. best $17 i've spent in a very long time. color is an amazing thing. it's sad that i can entertain myself for a ridiculously long time pouring through these colors..... i think the whites are the most stressful. i'll be happy when that's pinned down-- hope seeing them on a larger scale makes it easier...

i dream in white

yes, last night i actually had dreams about the different paint samples. i've narrowed it down and today i'm headed over to the hardware store to buy the little samples of 1. Marscarpone 2. Bavarian Cream and 3. Linen white. That said, I'm still hemming and hawing that maybe I should take a closer look at White Down and Mayonnaise (despite the name). Anyway to give you some idea of what poor M is putting up with here are some photos from around the apartment. ...

Mascarpone

it looks quite bright in this picture, but this has always been one of my favorites. it's from the new Aura Affinity line

Bavarian Cream

is another one that's made it to the final selection:

linen white

is among the top four contentors at this point:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE6D71F3CF933A2575BC0A96F948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

white insanity II

More Benajmin Moore whites:

1. White down (gorgeous kitchen, no?)

2. White dove (top contender)

3. Vanilla white (top contender)

4. Simply white (another stark white)

5. Navajo (this is aparently one of their best-selling whites. i'm puzzled it looks brown on the chip)

white insanity

Benjamin Moore painted cabinets:

1. Lambskin (this looks pink on the little chip)

2. Grand teton white (very white)

3. China white (again a v. white one)

4. Antique white w/ trim in Lancester.

which white?!

i'm overwhelmed. heard from our cab guys that the deadline for deciding on our "creamy white" is monday!!!! there are countless shades of white that benjamin moore makes. i think i've narrowed it down and then i look again and it's too yellow or too green or too grey or too blue or too brown. the other problem i have is i'm highly influenced by the names. here are my current top contenders:


vanilla ice cream

white dove

mayonnaise (uh. problem with the name, though!)

bavarian cream (suggested by our builder-- thank you!)

windswept

linen white

calming cream

marscapone


hunting online for photos of kitchens with Benjamin Moore painted cabs to get some sense of what these things look like over a large surface and whether it works or doesn't work. The stressful part of this is that the cabinet color will likely carry over and be our trim/doors/moldings throughout the house. I was thinking that this would make the most sense for consistency but my mom brought up the other very good point that if/when there were any white touch-ups we wouldn't have to figure out which white we were working with. The other stressful part is we're not in the house.... so i'm looking at these little chips under the florescent lighting of our little apartment (and of NJ transit!) i think i have to narrow it down to two or three and bite the bullet and buy the $4 sample to paint a board or something.