Ths is a close up of my flooring. It is acacia wood, engineered. Has all kinds of color tones in it from cherryish, creams, goldens, greys, blacks etc. I love it.

This is the floor that is in the kitchen. It is natural clefted slate. Has all kinds of colors and undertones. Somehow, in spite of that, it works well with the scabos backsplash and the busy graining in the acacia wood flooring of the living and dining areas.

You've got a lot of yellow and reddish brown things that are reflecting color onto your ceiling, which may be why it gets so yellow. And anything with a green undertone will have the green intensified by the red-brown next to it, and neutralized to a grayish tone by the reflection in certain lights.

Funcolors, what would you recommend?

another pic of kitchen floor.

thanks for the input bronwynsmom. To be honest, I am not unhappy with the ceiling. It is painted Powell Buff so I intended it to be warm. I grabbed up that color to play against the scabos travertine that goes all the way to the ceiling in the kitchen. Whiter colors didnt look good at all to my eye, so I went with the Powell Buff. I used it on the entire ceiling stretching from the kitchen into the dining and family room areas which are adjacent and joined visually. Presently the walls in those areas are dark olivey and drab. It isnt bad, but I realize that it isnt really the best choice so am now wanting to lighten up.

The issue now is to find a wall color for that other part of the house (dining and family room area) that is adjacent to the kitchen that will also be okay with the Powell Buff. I dont want to have to repaint the ceiling.

I thought about putting Powell Buff on the walls too, but it comes off really yellow at times and really white at others. Something about the lighting or lack thereof in my house. Right now I have virtually no ambient lighting. Really the only lights in the front room are from the kitchen overheads. I have yet to put in pendants, chandelier, lamps in the living area, etc. I am thinking that when I do, it is even more likely to make some colors go 'yeller'.

I see what you are referring to when you say the ceiling is 'so yellow'. There is a snippet of it showing in the kitchen pic. It really reads more of a warm cream in real life altho that pics gives an idea of what happens to it when it is on the walls at night lit by the interior lights. "Yeller" Lol!

I never noticed that my wilmington tan walls turn "yeller" at night. (Powell buff ceiling). It just looks like a nice gold to me. Now watch me grow to hate it that you pointed it out!

I'm not clear wht effect you are looking for - if you want something a little lighter than Powell Buff, but compatible with it, have you looked at Standish White or Gentle Cream?

LOL! NO NO NO - DONT HATE ME! If my room looked a fraction as nice as yours I would be SOOO delighted! I am sure this is a lighting thing! My lighting must be off kilter in some way! Sometimes a color looks one way in one place and not that way in another. I like the way the Wilmington Tan looks in every pic I see and in other areas of my room, but sadly there is a place at the entry of the kitchen where all the unchangable elements of my space meet - the kitchen with its cabinets, granite, scabos backsplash, and slate floor, and the wildly grained wood floor from the other areas. In that area - which is sort of where I 'hang' at night - it (and some other colors) looks "Yeller"! Maybe it is all the gold elements reflecting onto it or the lighting or the way I am holding my mouth when I look at it, but whatever the reason, it really aint workin' for me!

Of the colors I have looked at so far, I am leaning toward Decatur Buff, SW Camelback, and - most recently - am considering Wheeling Neutral. The DB is pretty and not 'yeller' but I have it in my head I want to go lighter than that. Could use it tho as I am not 'set' on going lighter. The Camelback is pretty in the day and greenish at night. Better than yeller but not ideal. I just put up a giant paintchip of Wheeling Neutral (I make 2 foot square drywall samples to paint) and right now it looks kind of decent but will have to see what the night brings. Plus I am not sure of my Powell Buff ceiing with it.

I am hopeful for some other suggestions - or perhaps some agreement on some that I have considered - from the obviously talented folks on this forum. I have learned a lot here and have been inspired and impressed by photos and conversations.

BTW, Annie - is your ceiling painted Powell Buff? I wasnt sure if that is what you were sayng. If so, do you like it?

I would imagine that what I am seeking is a color that is a neutral that complements and does not compete with what I have going in the solidified elements of the room (the stone, granite, flooring, and cabinetry) I havent any furniture or light fixtures up yet so those things arent going to be anything I need to work around. Since the ceiling is Powell Buff, I would think that I would need to be no lighter than that on the walls. My ceiling is only 8 feet tall and I am not thinking it would look balanced to have it be darker than the walls.

The travertine is 'scabos' travertine which is very colorful with warm yellow, rusts, creams, and grays. My granite has the same colors and also some sages. Those are colors that will have to work with whatever wall color I choose. I am thinking that the warm neutrals would be the best choices hence the ones I have looked at so far. I just started considering colors that are more 'grey' than yellow as I think that might complement the scabos without yellow overload. The wheeling neutral is sort of that way - not really grey but more so than what I have looked at so far. Hopefully it will not turn an odd color at night. I dont mind a little change - even expect it with lighting changes - but when it looks like pea soup (or worse yet just PEE) - I cant deal with it!

have not looked at Standish Cream or Gentle Cream. Will put them on the list. But if they are lighter than Powell Buff, I dont think they would work for the walls. I am seeking something with an LRV in the 40s to mid 50s (ideally)

just looked online at the lrv of those two colors - Standish White and Gentle Cream. They are in the 70s. That will be too light. Might be good choices for the trim though. Will keep them in mind.

Sorry, the pic I posted didn't really show the ceiling. I guess I normally cut ceilings out of the photos. Yes the ceiling is powell buff and I like it very much. I also used it on the bathroom walls.

Or maybe this one shows it better...it doesn't read yellow to me in RL though in the pic it seems to be....

From your most recent posts, I now think you might want to fix the lighting rather than the paint color...??

I am sure that when I get lighting in here it will help but that is probably even going to be harder for me since it involves a space that will have an offset dining table to put a chandelier over, relating pendants for the kitchen,, etc - dont even get me started down THAT path! Meanwhile, I am feeling very oppressed by this dark color I have right now and want it gone! This all started with window treatments. I am told I need to do light colored shades / shutters but am visually jarred by the high contrast of this wall color, so started down the path of changing that prior to committing to light shutters or shades - again, we probably dont want to go down THAT path! I am having a time doing all this alone (which is why I am begging for help here and so grateful to get it!) But not complaining.

Love what I see in your rooms Annie. The second bathroom pic, in particular, has a pleasing warm creamy coloration to it. In your second living room pic the WT looks more yellow (not YELLER lol!) than I want to go altho in the original pic of that room it looks more tan. I have so much yellow with the scabos travertine that I am wanting to be careful not to over do it. It works really beautifully in your room because of the other elements. I have yellow overload here at this point tho. I think I could do a warm tan but nothing that gets yellow - or worse yet - YELLER!

Maybe I should be considering colors that have another undertone. The green undertones arent too awful to me altho I dont care for the 'pea soup' look that some of them get. I occasionally get that 'cast' from SW Camelback. Havent tried Whole Wheat yet - maybe it is less that way or less noticable? I am just sick of buying samples!

Presently studying on Wheeling Neutral. It has a slightly green undertone to my eye, but not as much as the SW Camelback. It is 'grayer' if that makes since. My granite has a lot of green in it, so it isnt terribly offensive to have a green undertone as long as it isnt pea soupish.

I am wondering if the Wheeling Neutral (or another light neutral with a green undertone) will clash with my Powell Buff ceiling. Opinions on that? What undertone do you all consider Powell Buff to be? I have heard both yellow and red.

I don't think it's red...it may be more yellow.

I haven't started painting yet, but I bought BM Pittsfield Buff to redo my bedroom as it has a more greenish undertone which will blend nicely with the drapes.

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If you do mean to do things with lighting, I would encourage you to focus on that first.

Color only exists as a reflection of light, and so anything you do to change the lighting of a room - adding light where there was none before, or changing the height and/or placement of the light sources, or replacing one kind of bulb for another, or changing the color of the lampshades, can completely change what you see.

Anything you choose now will look different when you organize your lighting.

Pittsfield Buff is a beautiful color! I am becoming enamoured with the lighter colors these days. I always went dark - mostly cause my DH saw things that way. I am finally stepping up and expressing myself a bit, however, and he will be fine with it. At this point, as he sees all these pale color choices, he says things like 'they are all so bland' but after the art is up, lighting finished, furnishings are in, etc I am sure he will like it.

Annie - I see a snippit of ceiling in your bathroom. Is it painted a diffent color than the walls? Looks almost red in the pic. Also, I am curious about the shower. You have what looks like wood atop the half wall and where the shower door is attached. Is it a tile that looks like wood? Also, is the shower travertine or a tile that looks like it? Hope you dont mind me being nosey, but bathrooms are on my horizon! I would LOVE to do natural stone in there since I have that all over my front room, but have some concerns about cleaning in the actual shower area.

Last night I had all my paint boards up - Wheeling Neutral, Decatur Buff, SW Camelback, and Shelburn Buff. Wheeling wasnt bad at night but is sort of blah. Decatur was very drab - no 'yeller' tho. Camelback was GREEEEEEN. Shelburn Buff was sort of yeller but not bad. I tried Wilmington Tan again based on my admiration of Annies space, but again, I got that extreme yeller thing going on. Guess I will have to put it aside unless a lighting change helps it. Sad cause during the day it is beautiful. Night, however, is when we spend most of our time here so whatever I choose has to do well in night lighting.

So here is the plan based on the input you two have given me. While I cannot get pendants and the chandelier up yet due to other factors, I can see about changing the bulbs in the kitchen recessed lights. That is what seems to be doing the 'yeller' thing, so if I can get a different type bulb I may see some of these colors differently, as bronwynsmom is saying. Then I will probably start with Powell Buff since I have a large amount of paint left over from the ceiling project. Altho it is pale, I think that if it works it will give me that lovely, monochromatic, creamy look that is so nice as a backdrop to furnishings and art. I will do it on the one wall that is where everything in the room meets. If it doesnt work I will take another look at the other colors - Wilmington, Decatur, and Shelburn. They all have yellow toned undertones so are likely the ones that are probably the best choices with the Powell Buff ceiling. Altho I like Camelback a lot (except in the present lighting at night) the green undertone might conflict with the yellow undertone of the PB ceiling. From what I read online, keeping the undertones consistent in pale neutrals is what helps the space look cohesive.

If I had to do it over again, I might not choose the Powell Buff for the ceiling. Might have dont Pittsfield instead - or another with a soft green undertone. My granite is full of greens, so it pulls on me when I am trying to choose a paint color. Even the scabos travertine has a lot of green, as does the slate floor. But there is a lot of gold in all those elements too, so yellow undertones will probably work well, also. I think that is why I have had such a time with this choice - there are so many colors in the natural stones I chose. Love them tho!

I will try to get to the store today and check out the lightbulbs. I sure hope that helps!

Thanks for the input. I am still open to suggestions so - altho I sort of have a plan - feel free to continue with any suggestions. Obviously you folks know what you are doing. Annies beautiful home is evidence of that!

We purposely wanted our master bath small as we live in the northeast and keeping warm most of the year is important. Monster-sized baths just can't get warm from a shower vs. a small room which can. But as the ceilings are 9', the room feels small and tall. So to counteract that, I put a dark color on the ceiling....BM copper mountain. (The swatch is true...the camera and lighting turns the walls and ceiling more yeller!)
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The colors came out of the decorative tile which is two shades of marble with a glass center. The background tile is porcelain but designed to look like onyx.

We picked up on that copper color for the shower floor...a porcelain tile called ayers rock. We used the deco tile as a dot on the floor and as a decorative band in the shower.

The shower surround, the seat, and the vanity tops are all made of corian...egyptian copper. So what you thought looked like wood is actually corian that the glass is sitting on.

We purposely wanted corian as it is so much warmer and softer than granite, esp for the shower seat. We talked to many people who never sit on their shower seat as it's too cold. We wanted to be able to use ours as our shower is also a steam shower. Corian also has the seamless sinks which makes cleaning very easy.

If you are trying to make me jealous, you are succeeding! LOL! It is all so nice!

The kitchen was my first try at remodeling and it turned out okay, altho not really my style. I love traditional, aged finishes, etc and the kitchen has such a contemporary thing going on that it is affecting my ability to make choices in the other portion of the room. I dont mind contemporary stuff, however, so will probably just roll with it and give a nod to 'organic' as a way to bring in the warmer and more natural feel that I love. I have seen rooms done that way and really liked them.

I simply love what you have done in that bathroom and am gonna keep this page bookmarked to refer to it when we get to that point. Hopefully I can wrap up this front room and get there soon!

Right now it is raining outside, which means I get to work in here as I am not able to ride (we train performance hroses). I am taking all my paint samples, dumping them in a bucket, adding some primer, and putting a first coat on that one wall. I figure I am gonna need two coats, and since the samples are all around the same color, I might as well use them up! Then I will put on the Powell Buff and see how it looks. I will live wth it a few days. I have the Wilminton Tan propped up there again - just love the way it looks during the day - as well as the Shelburn Buff. The SB looks very similar to the PB but darker. Has the same tones and since the PB greys a bit on the ceiling just by virtue of the angle, using the Shelburn might make it look like the room is wrapped in the same color - a concept I like!

Am I overanalyzing? :)

Wish me luck!!!

Thanks for the kind words.

Good luck!!!

Well, I didnt get to the store to look at lighting yet, but I did start painting in here and WOW - what a difference already! I took every paint sample and every paint container that I had collected that was of the golden / creamy / taupes and mixed them in a large bucket. Got a color similar to SW Whole Wheat altho not as warm. I did this as a 'first coat' to cover the dark color I had in here as I figured it was going to take a couple of coats to cover what was here. Since I had so many colors in the shed, why waste? All were of good quality paints - most with primer in them - so they did a good job of blocking that dark color. I think, that if I get a good quality paint of whatever color I pick, I will now only have to do one coat in here. It is a large room and a hallway, so that will be good.

Funny how much better I can see the color board samples I have now. I am easily able to eliminate a couple of them. I am now down to Powell Buff, Shelburn Buff, and (brace yourself) Wilmington Tan! The mix I made has a tone to it that has convinced me that if I am looking for a cohesive look, I will need to use one of those three to blend well with the Powell Buff ceiling. WT doesnt look 'yeller' anymore. Must have been something about the light being sucked up into those dark walls that was making it look so glaring.

Have to finish up the first coat of my 'custom mix' before I make a final decision. It will take another half day of painting and I am hopeful I will get opportunity to do it today or tomorrow. I am learning a lot about decorating through all this lol!

Question for you Annie: What trim color did you use with your Wilmington Tan / Powell Buff room? My trim is now looking not so good. It is a color called Indian White by Ben Moore and is not warm enough. I loved stained trim, but too late for that now so will have to do something with paint.

Trim is BM Bone white
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So glad you are meeting with success!