You might want to create a custom color that matches your blue in the windows.

How about BM Antiguan Sky? It's a darker green-blue, with more green than Ocean Air.

I love your home and would really like to see more pictures. I've always been fascinated with the Victorian homes (almost bought one last year but it didn't have a large yard for our dog, sniff sniff) and I was looking at Victorian colors online the other day and pink/red was included.

So my vote is in that color group!

I think you ought to take a look at Farrow & Ball. Specifically Skylight, Pale Powder and Borrowed Light. I have a sense that you're looking for some subtlety not present in the BM colors. You might get what you want with F&B.

You should also get your hands on a Classic Colors fandeck if you don't have one already. I think all the colors you mentioned are from Color Preview. Classic deck has some additional colors in that neighborhood, but perhaps witha bit more subtlety. Look for Healing Aloe, Night Mist, Ice Cap and Silver Crest, any of which might work better for you.

Good luck!

Oooh, I just want to say that I'm drooling over your open staircase and gorgeous windows! I'm sure you'll pick a winning color. Post more pictures, please!

I'd be interested to know the colors you've chosen for the rest of your downstairs and would be more concerned about the front room's relation to those.

Is the only reason you're picking a blue because of the gorgeous window or is it because that's a color you like?

I'd look at the window as a piece of art. The wall color doesn't need to be an exact match to it, but someting that complements.

That would be *something*.

I swear I corrected that before I submitted.

Thanks so much for all your advice. Parma, I agree it doesn't need to be an exact match but must compliment, not clash. The palette we're working with for the most part is blues and greens with gray undertones. The dining room is feather gray, living room is vale mist, sun porch is ...whatever is one above vale mist on the strip (I think it's called morning dew). The front parlor (directly to the right of the stained glass room) will be the warmest hue: Rich Cream. We chose that because it is the one room with white trim as opposed to all the dark chestnut. Re: your question of whether I chose blue because I like it or just to match the window...yes, I love blues and greens. I am definitely not a red person and I have trouble working with yellows (rich cream is as yellow as I can go.) As I said in my post, my tastes have changed dramatically since we last painted, years ago. Back then, I did every room in a bold color - what I thought of as victorian or "jewel" tones, I guess. Red in the dining room, periwinkle blue in the parlor, and that glaring yellow (my attempt at gold) in the front room and living room. It was all very chaotic. What I love about the new scheme is that it is feels so soothing and serene. I also love what the blue and gray tones do to the dark reddish hue of the woodwork. I think the problem is that all the colors I am using have a gray base, but the blue/green in the window does not. So if I choose a color that "fits" with the other rooms, it doesn't "fit" with the window, kwim?

Your home is beautiful and your window is breathtaking. I hope you'll be posting more pictures. I am so glad you are restoring your gorgeous old woodwork. Good for you! I know it will be a lot of work, but so worth it.

I just did a flat beige (not yellowed, not rosy) around my huge faux stained glass window. It shows off the colors in it very well. There is no beige in my window, so you don't have to use one of the window colors to show yours off.

Will blue go with your furniture and rugs? Will it depress you over time, or take the warmth out of your living room? Or do you have orange or red, or yellow in your LR to balance it? I think it's a great bedroom color, but I'm not too sure about it as a living room color, at least on walls. I've experienced firsthand several times over how valid color psychology is. I had cool colors and when we threw parties, nobody talked much and people left early. I canged it to warm colors and I thought people were never going to shut up and go home!

Jane -

Man do I feel your pain! You summed up everything I ever thought and wanted in my house but the darn staircase window blew it. For 10yrs I tried working w/ it to no avail w/ what it dictated and I wanted.

{{!gwi}}

To make matters worse while the colors in the staircase one are all primary, I also have stained glass transoms at all of my downstairs windows in pastels as well as a few other stained glass windows in pastels in the bathroom and MBR. Talk about clash!

1 transom:

{{!gwi}}

Now try to pick a paint color to coordinate w/ pastel transoms and this Mother of Pearl Tile surround in maroon, grey and white?

Fireplace Mother of Pearl tile:

I feel your pain girl! I even consulted w/ the author of The Paris Apartment book. She suggested navy blue for my hall & staircase. WHAT?

Anyway I've copped out (but my downstairs layout isn't as nice as yours either). I'm going w/ SW White Hyacinth. I am not suggesting this for you - just filling you in on my shame. Most of the other rms. downstairs are shades of green (BM Baby Turtle in LR), blue (Farrow and Ball Green Blue in DR - colormatched as best as possible but I LOVE it!) It reads a bit cool on camera but it is really a very warm shade of blue:

We were lucky that all of our downstairs woodwork was left untouched except for in the kitchen (which is being painted BM Revere Pewter w/ White Hyacinth trim & cabinets and Restoration Hardware Silver Sage ceiling - gorgeous together) but upstairs trim was already all painted white except the doors. Here is an example of what I did upstairs to unite trim and dark wood doors:

All of the colors upstairs reflect the colors downstairs but in more delicate greyed and blued tones.

I wholeheartedly 2nd or 3rd the notion of checking out Farrow and Ball. The colors are so liveable.

I even had a hard time getting the colors right w/ the BM Historic Colors and their Color Preview line. Still just a tad bright if I picked a real 'color' other than grey, white or brown.

Here is an example of my entry hall at one time which I LOVED but it clashed horribley w/ the staircase window. The walls were a taupey grey/brown and the ceiling blue. The ceiling color has remained:

{{!gwi}}

ttodd - lol - try finding a color to coordinate with THIS window:

Clearly the yellow is not working, lol. Here is our front parlor with its current paint:

Ironically, this is the one room that is already blue which I am changing to a warm color - Rich Cream. Partly because of the white trim, I think the rich cream looks really nice against it - like a frosted vanilla cupcake. Also it is a north facing room with zero direct sunlight. And finally, I wanted one room that is a respite from all the subdued, cooler colors coming in. I still feel, though, that the muted blues and greens are the right choice for the dark stained wood rooms. I just have to find the right ones. It is sooo much easier to choose paint colors for rooms with white trim!!! Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. It's really great to get suggestions from people who actually have the colors on their walls. I'm using colors that I never would have thought would like right just from seeing them on the color strip at the store. Today I'm going to try healing aloe, quiet moments, ice cube silver and pale smoke. We'll see...

Oh, I wanted to mention that when you go to pick out more subdued colors, try to find something that still has some 'weight' to it if that makes sense.

W/ dark wood trim it is so easy for colors to look washed out and dull or not have any presence. The previous owners of our house used pale subdued colors and it did nothing for the walls. You could barely even tell that there was color at all.

You know what? I think I tried that yellow too! Hah, hah! I did LOL when I saw the window. Gave me nightmares of trying to match my fireplace surround. In fact your window may work well w/ my surround!

BTW - your place is lovely - wish I had an open receiving area like you do!

Okay, I just spent the morning testing out all those samples and they are completely wrong. Might be partly because of the rainy day we are having, but way too much gray - which I personally love but does nothing for the window and looks very drab next to the woodwork. I think I have to veer toward the clearer blue-greens next time - is that considered aqua? teal? turquoise? So far the best color appears to be green tint but it is too light - maybe try 150%? I think I'm going to also try antiguan sky.

Check out these colors from the Benjamin Moore Historical Collection:

Buxton Blue (HC-149)

Jamestown Blue (HC-148)

Buckland Blue (HC-151)

Whipple Blue (HC-152)

Marlboro Blue (HC-153)

To use the Personal Color Viewer -- simply click on "Paint Now" -- select a room -- and use the pull-down menu to find the Historical Collection ......

Hope this helps! :)

Jan (just LOVE your home!!!)

Here is a link that might be useful: BM Website -- Personal Color Viewer

Just a thought for the Front Parlour with its gorgeous plum colored window (I see many colors in terms of food! LOL):

Benjamin Moore:

Raisin Torte (2083-10)

JUST a thought -- hope you don't mind! :)

Jan

At the time the house was built, the color scheme probably would have ignored the stained glass and just allowed it to be what it is.

It is kind of like wearing blue jeans: not everything we wear with them has blue in it, but we just treat the jeans as a "neutral".

Just try picking some colors you like and see what happens, it can't hurt.

The problem is, the colors I really like, all the grayish blues and greens, look spectacularly ugly next to that window. Maybe I need to explore a different direction. Palimpsest, you had suggested a contrasting or secondary color rather than the blue. Could you recommend one? Thanks!!!

I can't really tell what the yellow/beige "onion" shapes would read like in real life, but how about a dulled version of a color in those? (All Benjamin Moore Colors)

Beacon Hill Damask--can read "green" in many lights

Pittsfield Buff

Dunmore Cream

Waterbury Cream

Standish White

Powell Buff

Or I don't know if you would want to go into the mauvey tones of the border, but it could work with the woodwork and the era of the house:

Winthrop Peach
Georgetown Pink Beige--don't be fooled by the names

http://ellenkennon.com/art/interactive/ek_paint_v3.html

This may be more dramatic than you want, but what about Ellen Kennon Milk Chocolate Full Spectrum to blend with all the dark wood and showcase the window. Then with stair runner and accent art you can add more intrest for that angle. What is to the left of the stained glass? What colors furniture, fabrics and art will be in that room?
Love the details in that wood/staircase wall, it is spectacular to make it's own statement.
If you havent tried full spectrum paints, they have exceptional life as they are always changing with the light movement.

I need to find the cable to connect my digital camera to the computer before I can post any more pictures. But thanks again for the suggestions. I have one more blue to try - palladian blue - before I declare defeat and head toward the complimentary hues. I can't do mauve/pinks, but I could try the beige/creams...I'm really intrigued by the milk chocolate idea, though. I'm a little concerned about the amount of brown there would be in the room but it would certainly make the window pop. Where do you buy Ellen Kennon paint? And are there comparable colors in Ben Moore?

So you can get an idea of what brown w/ dark trim may offer you here are 2 browns that I used yrs. ago and really liked w/ my dark trim. Clearly you can see that I lean towards most anything w/ a green tone. I won't list the names as I just wanted to give you a general idea.:

On a dreary day & flash:

The next lighter shade on the strip:

{{!gwi}}

Brown could work very well w/ the greyer tones that you are trying to work w/.

If I might make a few color suggestions to give you some ideas of greyed colors that could be close to some of those Farrow and Ball colors that could look so nice w/ your wood - not sure about the windows:

Really Greyed colors

BM Imperial Gray #1571
BM Cheyenne Green #1502 or 1512 - can't read my writing
SW Svelte Sage
SW Softened Green #6177
BM Mesquite #0501

Clearer colors that are similar to some F&B colors:

BM Healing Aloe #1562
SW Mountain Air
Valspar Field of Pines #5004-4A
BM Blue Grass #CC-640
Valspar April Thicket #5003-3C
BM Wythe Blue #HC-143
BM Florentine Plaster #520
SW Naturel #2080

Also don't think that using a rich cream/ neutral color is a cop out. Sometimes that is a beautiful way to pull all of the others colors together and have a subtle yet rich palette that flows so well. Remember - if that window can be seen from other rms. the wall colors in those other rms. can raelly help draw the color of the window out and totally unify everything around it.

Have you thought about painting the parlor another color instead of Rich Cream? Maybe paint the entry rm. Rich Cream instead. My thought process is that when you would walk into your home you would see the beautiful window w/ no hard visual color pulling away from it and then all of the subtle greyed tones all around. Although I do see your point - Rich Cream would really look lovely w/ that white in that rm.

Personally I do not regret for an instant deciding to go neutral in my hallway.

Imagine some art you love where the windows are and maybe work the blue-green you love in a carpet runner, lampshade, etc. I like the way it lets the antique wood carving formost and lets the stainglass really stand out rather than the window frame. I also think it gives a fabulous period feeling, yet neutral to have things you love show off rather than the wall color taking over. Thanks for letting me have such fun playing with your space. I've always wanted my own victorian to decorate. Igloochic knows how I get carried away playing in her Inn!

So the palladian blue is up on the wall...as far as not clashing with the window, it is the closest match so far. However, it is much darker than I intended to go (at least it looks dark in this room which is north facing; we also have a lighting - or should I say a lack of lighting - problem going on right now during our renovation , and I can't say I'm loving it...)anyway, I'm ready to go in a different direction. ttodd, I did consider doing the rich cream in the stained window room. The problem is, I'm concerned that the contrast between that and the dark woodwork will be visually jarring - and detract from the window in much the way my current gold/yellow does (okay, maybe not that bad, but you kwim.) If I go neutral I want to do more of a tone on tone thing; although of course the walls couldn't be as dark as the woodwork. But something in the same color family, without a huge amount of contrast. I do love browns. Any recommendations for nice soft browns - brown enough not to be considered beige but soft enough to cover a full sized room? I don't think I'm looking for green undertones in this case. Tan, I guess.

bodica, yes, that is exactly the direction I was heading. I love the way the tone on tone is bold and subdued at the same time. I have neither area rugs nor artwork at the moment, but I can see how I could work them in. The color consultant at the local BM dealer wouldn't like it because she would think it was too dark and depressing. I think it's cool (as in "neato", not the opposite of warm.) Do you have any color names to suggest, please? I should mention again that the room is north facing without a lot of natural light.

Here is what I tried;
Surface: Wall
Brand: Sherwin Williams® - Color System
Paint Name: French Roast
Item ID: 6069
----------------------------------------------------------------
Surface: Trim
Brand: Benjamin Moore - Color Preview
Paint Name: Bittersweet Chocolate
Item ID: 2114-10
----------------------------------------------------------------
Surface: Ceiling
Brand: Sherwin Williams® - Color System
Paint Name: French Roast
Item ID: 6069
----------------------------------------------------------------
Surface: Accent
Brand: Benjamin Moore - Color Preview
Paint Name: Bashful Blue
Item ID: 2065-70
................................................................
Sent using Good Housekeeping Paint&Preview Tool

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/

I also went in paint to see what black (because I didn't see where to make a custom color) looked like around the window but I lost it... How ever I did really like the wall and window vanished with the glass sparkling.
what options do you have for lighting? electrical?

In the post I've linked, Magnaverde talks about the use of dark colors with older, dark stained wood. There's an example of what he's speaking of, too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Magnaverde

victoriajane, if you haven't painted yet, you might want to check out the baths forum, "finished craftsman renovation". Along with everything else they did, her paint choice is wonderful -- if you're still contemplating a lighter color. It's similar to what you have now, just more red tone in it, I think...? It meets the wood rather than floats above it is how I see it...at any rate, I thought of your post and wanted to alert you to that thread. don't you love having lots of heads working on your questions? :)

Thanks for the tip, flyleft. At this point, there are few colors I haven't tried. The people at the BM store now know me by name. I'm tentatively going with the following colors: Entry room (with staircase and multi-colored stained glass window): Honeymoon (BM Affinity color) - ironically it's along the same lines as the gold that is up there now, but toned down (more camel golden rather than yellow golden.) It picks up the gold in the window without calling too much attention to itself. Front parlor (with white trim) : BM Rich Cream. I liked this color immediately, and I love how it looks with white trim. Family room (with pinkish stained glass window): BM Tea Room (affinity color.) I tried so hard to find a wall color that would compliment/contrast with the window, but every color I tried (greens, oranges, browns) looked terrible with either the window or the woodwork or both. Finally in desperation I tried Tea Room - a dark pink-red. I mean, yes, it's pink, but I like the way it looks with both the woodwork and the window. It's a color I never would have chosen on its own, but it seemed like the house wanted to make its own design decision in this particular room. Finally, the dining room: BM Fiji (affinity color) - a gorgeous blue, intense and deep with a bit of teal in it. I'm not sure how these colors relate to each other, if at all, but I've decided to use BM Ivory Tusk on the upper walls (above picture molding)and ceiling in every room; hopefully that will be enough to tie them all together. Paint has not been purchased yet, though, so I am still open to suggestions! Oh, and there is also the sunroom off the front parlor but I'm pretty sure I'm just going to continue the Rich Cream in there. And the kitchen in the back of the house will be BM Stonington Gray, and the mudroom and bathroom behind that will be BM Cashmere Gray.