So Karly has talked me into going light and bright for the cavernous, north facing family room, and dark and cozy for the smaller south facing rooms. I’m feeling good about my dark and cozy color picks, but super skittish about picking a white — the subtle differences are so much harder to see when the color is barely there. That’s where you come in. Meet the contenders:
Up first is Sander’s first string pick (did I just use a sports metaphor? who the eff am I???): Collector’s Item.
Yes, I know. It looks baby pink, which is very unsportsmanlike. On the wall it looks… less baby pink. Jeffrey Bilhuber calls it “almost blush.” Ahem.
In the picture it looks straight up white. That’s because photos LIE.
Up second is another Sanders pick: Farrow and Ball’s White Tie. This is decidedly more yellow in real life, so much so that I wonder why I even bother posting swatches online. This whole process would be a lot easier if y’all could come to my house and look at the stupid paint on the wall already.
Here it is in action:
So, what do you think? I’d say that Collector’s Item has a little something more going on, but most of what it has going on is pink. Meanwhile, White Tie is a no fail choice, but is it too country trad?
In case you were wondering (and too damn bad if you weren’t), I’m looking at Hague Blue and Pashmina (it really is a gorgeous, complex color) for my other major neutrals. That’s right — I just called Hague Blue a neutral. Because it is. Just ask Tandy — she has a similar color in her living room.
Haguey hotness.
Ok — pick a color. Any color.
As long as it is one of the colors I just listed.
Related posts:
White Tie hands down!
The blush toned white is so much more interesting. Do it!
Normally I’d never advocate for a pink (undertoned) white room, especially one that’s going to be two stories, but I think it might brighten up that north facing space better than a yellow (undertoned) white (that might pull green in the blue-white light of winter). The pink might actually read cleaner in the long run. But you know I like cool tones better than warm. Which is why I live in New England, and not in way-too-hot-for-me Texas. Can’t wait to find out which one you end up choosing!
I really like them both. Maybe one more than the other, but since I can’t trust what I see on the monitor, I’ll refrain from offering up my preference (hint: it rhymes with schmollector’s bitem). Also I am a terrible white picker-outer. I just bought 5 gallons of Behr’s Hemmingway, which is probably too greenish but has looked awesome on my fireplace bricks for two years, so I took the plunge and chose it for almost all of the trim in the new house. Shit.
Anyway, buy some samples and slap ‘em up on yer walls already!
i’m leaning towards collector’s item but have to see it first! i kinda like the blushy look. i am trying to figure out what room in my house i can paint pashmina cause it is dreamy & fantastical! hague blue-totally hot.
Collector’s Item. I just can’t see you wanting to repaint a two story room after the blush wears off the Hague blue… which I think is nothing short of fabulous… but for a smaller space. Collector’s item.
mb from Dallas
(take this with a grain of salt as the interior of my house is painted top to bottom in Ben Moore OC 131,white down)(and I have two story rooms too)
Just thinking, have you considered painting the room Collector’s item or another white and then paint the bottom four feet of the space a warm gray? It could look wonderful and break the space up.
Now it is time for a glass of wine and dinner.
mb from Dallas
I’d much rather have pink than yellow, so I’d go with numero uno, collector’s item.
I like Collector’s Item. How textured are the walls of your new home?
Very soft knockdown… don’t even know what you’d call it. It’s relatively new.
Thanks everyone for your input! Sounds like you’re all trending pink. Sanders and Karly will be so happy
I will say that it’s not nearly as light as it looks in that picture… it’s light, but definitely present.
pink white. it gives off the pretties on your face. also..paint one wall in each.
i mean paint TWO walls in each.
Try Benji Moore WHITE CHOCOLATE if you decide to go more yellow. I have not gotten sick of that color, looks great with darker tones.
T
Collectors item for sure. This saunders really is a paint genius.
Anything with the slightest yellow shade makes me think that a smoker lives there. And that is icky-poo-nasty. So I vote an absolute hell no to White Tie. I pick Collectors Item for the win. Plus, the slightest shade of pink on the walls also makes your complexion appear “prettier” for a lack of a better word. The older I get, I will take all the help I can in the complexion arena. Including painting a house. Cheaper than plastic surgery. I think.
LOVE the blue choice & the gray… as for the white… why don’t you paint a giant patch on the wall & decide?
Hi Erin!
Have you ever heard of blogger Maria Killam? She has a blog about colour called Colour me Happy, perhaps you can find an answer there…
http://www.mariakillam.com/
XO,
Irama@decoratica
Damn, I hate being behind on DC debates. Based on the color scheme you told me, I’d think the soft pink would be better than the yellow. Yellow’s make me nervous. I trust my monitor about as far as I can throw it, though. And let’s be honest, that ain’t too far.
I wish I could come down there and swatch it up too. Luckily Karly is down there and I’m sure the two of you are more than capable of choosing the right one!
Hague Blue and ANYTHING. I’m hague-blueing my hallway soon. It might end of looking like a dark cave. But dark HB will be gorgeous. Love the Collectors Item color — especially for the pink undertones. It’ll make YOU look as amazing as your interior!