Of course, if I wanted to be really adventurous, I could go with F&B "Blue-Gray," which is also really nice.

Smaller version:

Here are the two together (BM Spa on the right, F&B Blue-Grey on the left):

Any thoughts?

I'm not sure which thread to post this on, but i personally like the second one in from the left (in the linked photo). It's not as dark (and therefore not as dramatic), but i think it carries the same flavor with a more airy feel.

estreya: Thank you. I know: I've really screwed it up now, haven't I? I was trying to avoid repeating the same thread on both sides of the forum, and instead, I've made a mess and the responses are all over the place. I'm an idiot.

You stop that! After reading many of your posts these past months, i can say with absolute certainty, there's nothing even remotely idiotic about you.

Now if you'd fallen in love with a $450.00/yard fabric, THAT, i would have to say, was idiotic. :)

Thanks to everybody for the responses here, and on the other thread. I'm done. This whole thing is just making me depressed. I can't even think any more. Who cares--I'll just leave the damn wall the way it is. . . .

Well actually "the way it is" is really lovely, so you don't have to operate with any sense of urgency. Step away from it for a few weeks and then revisit your color options. You may decide you really DO want to keep it "as is" indefinitely, or you can view your colors with fresh eyes ...

estreya: The voice of wisdom. Thank you. I just build up a lot of anxiety about this stuff, because I feel so incompetent. The combination of being task-oriented as well as indecisive is a recipe for frustration. I'm going to put vert de terre on the wall, then post a pic later this evening and see what people think of that. :)

Welcome to the wonderful world of 'color', OS. :)

Your response is perfectly normal. It is an arduous task to say the least.

Step away from it for a while and relax.

From the other thread. The blue-gray above looks very green over here. Maybe your photos are quite yellow.

this is pretty pastel and pretty "builder's beige" (like my house) but I think it is very pretty.

squirrel: Thank you for transferring the photos. Dh agrees with you that BM Spa is "too yellow." He likes the F&B Blue-Gray, but thinks it's probably too dark for the room.

patricia: I need a good clean neutral. No yellow undertones--or peach or pink or green. Will BM Natural Linen do this for me? I can't stand looking at colors any more. All the greens remind me of 1950s hospital walls, and blue is out. So I'm thinking a gray or beige true neutral. As I said, I've already spent $80 and I really, really don't want to spend too much more. I wish F&B had a true neutral: their "Cream" looked horrible in my room.

Thinking of your rug, OSH, I do think you need a little warmer beige, not something grey. Looking at your couch and the wood tones in the room guides me that way, too.

On my SW fan deck, I am looking at 6085 Simplify Beige or 6092 Lightweight Beige. I would be intrigued by 6350 Intricate Ivory - I think it would pull out the rusty tones in the rug and some of the furniture, but still read as a warm cream. Lovely if you decided to add some blue accents in the room, too.

These things go up so differently, but along these lines look good:

Finnaren & Haley - Gray-Greens from (old) deck:
8172W Shire Fields
8173M Herbivore (darker)
8171W Olive Fog (lighter)

SW - Gray-Green from deck:
6163 Grasslands
6164 Svelte Sage (darker)
6162 Ancient Marble (lighter)

BM Classics
976 Coastal Fog (interesting gray-green-beige-y color - could be too gray, depending)
493 Harbour Town (could be too yellow-green, depending)

les: Thank you. That's very helpful. I don't know where I can find SW colors. I think I've found someone to make a custom slipcover for the sofa at a reasonable price (relatively speaking). I was going to do off-white, but dh said that, with the dogs, that would be crazy, so now I'm thinking a rust-colored slipcover, so I think neutral walls would be good with that. As for blue accents, I really don't know how to work those in? (Based on your preference for blue in my LR, however, I did find some beautiful blue fabric and my3dogs is going to make a pillow for me out of it. :) )

BM HC-90 Crown Pointe Sand is an interesting subtle beige with green.

Here is a link that might be useful: Room with CPS

www.colorcharts.org

Look at Elder White and Simple White and then search Quill. There is a pretty quill color, I think beige with gray undertones, that I really liked. I wish I had written it down on something. Yuk. I have that CRS disease.

squirrel: That was very nice of you to go to the trouble to look up all those colors. It appears that Finneren & Haley were bought by BM! The Shire Fields looks like a possibility, as do the Olive Fog and Ancient Marble. I think the rest are too dark. I'm thinking Lancaster Whitewash might also be a possibility.

Thanks very much.

Your Green Home has a color Windmill White that looks like dark on www.colorcharts.org but in "real life," I have seen it and it is a nice subtle taupe with grayish undertones, almost like chocolate malt before it is mixed and darkened with milk.

patricia: Windmill and Eider White both look very promising. Many thanks to you, as well, for going to the trouble. The problem is that I get overwhelmed--too much color stimuli--and then I lose all capacity for discernment.

I think I need to take a break. This is way too much time and energy for me to spend looking for a stupid wall color. And it is *certainly* way too much time and energy for everybody else to spend looking for *my* wall color. I've been on the forum too much lately, taking up a lot of space and time--not just my own, but a lot of other people's, too--and I think maybe it's time for me to go be quiet for awhile somewhere. I'll be back. :)

Thanks very much to everybody for all your help. I appreciate it immensely.

But that's why we're here! I don't think you take up too much time or space t'all :)

I'm the queen of overwhelm -- just step back and let it sift through.

Ahh OSH, I feel your angst. It all can be overwhelming --the board and color and decor decisions. I second what squirrel said. First, none of us would spend time on your posts or projects if we didn't want to. Second, when you feel as you do, it's time to step back and relax. ESPECIALLY when dealing with color.

I had thoughts to share on your color when I started this post but in light of where your head is at the moment, I just want to say that as much as you and I have different styles and tastes, watching your transformations from afar has helped me in my own projects. I have learned from your posts, picked up great ideas, and been inspired. That's what it is all about here :)

OSH, you need to step away for a few days - this has stopped being fun for you, and is verging on torture!

I know people say this all the time, but truly it is just paint. There is no 'right' color for the walls, and no matter what color you choose it will change at various times of the day, and in different seasons.

Please remember, as others have said, that we are all here because we enjoy the decorating process, and getting to play in other people's spaces! Those who have responded do so by choice, not obligation.

Now, forget about paint, go enjoy the new rugs and your wonderful home.

Oh, yeah, I wanted to tell you that after reading your response to me, I just had to laugh. It seems that I keep pushing blue on you, and truly I am not a lover of blue in general. For some reason, tho, I keep feeling like it belongs in your space. Maybe I am expanding my horizons! See, I am learning from you, my friend, just as you are learning from others here.

OSH: I think I can relate a bit to some of what you may be feeling. There were times I'd start posts here searching for a consensus when I was torn between a few good options. I came to realize there is seldom a consensus on this board (unless one of your choices is very bad--in whice case, these folks here will tell you that in the nicest way possible:))

Sometimes we just need to go with our gut and what feels right to us. Sit on it a few days, look at your swatches at different times of day, in the morning, evening, natural light as well as articifical. Is there a particular time of day you spend time in this room and is it in natural or artifical light?

If you want to simplify things a bit, restrict yourself to the colors in the rug and pick one of those colors to put on the wall. My personal preference is for the second on the left in the row of four; but I also think you cannot go wrong with a warm white/linen which is a subtle variation from your trimwork, but not such a contrast to emphasize the out-of-square walls in your lovely old home.

FWIW, this is F&B Blue-Gray in my bedroom. I'm not sure if it shows in this pic, but there is definitely some green in this color. It surprised me at first but I do love it. We have mostly cherry furniture in the room. Before the new color, we had BM OC-1 (White Wicker) so this was a big change!

Although this may give you just too many options, there IS a SW store in Lexington as well!

Yes, I think green is a good direction to head in. And DH's opinion notwithstanding, dark is good, too.

Yes, Vert de Terre is one of my all-time favorite colors, so I am happy it made the short list! I think it would go nicely with the rug.

Yes, you need to step away for a while.

When you are ready to dig back in, take your largest piece of artwork off the wall. Paint the splotch/es there so you can look at them when you feel like it, but hide it when you don't. (I think that advice came from Bellaflora way back when.)

I personally cannot make choices for my own home just by sitting there staring, trying to decide. I need to walk by and just notice my response, day in, day out. It sometimes takes weeks or months. It is a process, not a decision. In your case, it needs to be a slow progression toward something new and different. Consider it a courtship rather than an arranged marriage.

I agree with Amy about the process of choosing color. Since I repainted 2 years ago throughout the whole house, I have looked back on making such quick decisions for my bathrooms and though I still like having all the bedrooms, halls, public area in the same wheat color, I have since repainted or wallpapered all 3 bathrooms and now I am changing the laundry room for the 3rd time in 2 years. It takes time for the brain to absorb it all and one must cleanse the pallet/palate in order to get to that point and that means stepping away and just doing what one normally does in that room and then suddenly, it will hit you one day when you least expect it, that "this room needs to be... color..."