I am not sure why you say you will end up with a neutral paint ?

All I had to do to find paint colors for my home was take all of my art work and my Persian rugs and place them in the rooms that I thought I wanted them in and then pick the wall colors that looked good with them.

It was very easy. As it happens every room in my home is inter-changable as far as the rugs and art since the walls pick up these colors and they are similar in scope from one piece of art to another or one rug to another.

Of course if you have no art work or rugs or other primary accessories than you have a clean slate to work from ...that can be a wonderful thing too. You can see pics of my interior at the link below.

There is no reason to use neutral colors. Pick vibrant colors and find a theme that you can carry from room to room. Not matchy matchy but a theme that evolves through your home.

Good Luck and I would be glad to answer any questions. c

albums are on the right lower side according to rooms.

Here is a link that might be useful: Photobucket link: house pics

Trailrunner, I would love to see photos of your home, but the link led me to pizza... which is one of my favorite foods, but there were no albums on the lower right side.
Neutral, because believe it or not, I do not have rugs or art work. I have been living in a white/cream house for years now, just trying to get the house fixed up. Now I am going to paint and do the floors. The furniture will come later. For that reason, and because the rooms are very connected, it is difficult to make them separate distinct wall colors. I also want to move within 5 years.

We tested 10 different paint colors on the walls of our white kitchen, We went with Beach Glass by BM- it is a blue/greenish gray. Others I liked were - Gray Owl- very light by BM, Rare Gray (sw) and Coventry Gray (bm) were lovely darker grays with a bit of taupe and Vail Mist by SW- was a bit greener. I hope this helps.

Haha...not sure how that happened...all you need to do is click on ALL Albums at the top of the photobucket page and they all come up. Here is the link again. I hear you on the completely empty house and no scheme to follow. That will make it harder. So perhaps it is usually easier to pick your paint after you have something in the house. You are sorta working backward...furniture etc. Also floor tones play a huge part in the wall color that looks good. Too yellow or pink in the wall/floor and it looks really bad.

Hope you get some more ideas. Here is the link again,

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen album

You're setting yourself up for disappointment and failure by the "I know I'm going to end up with neutrals" comment.

Picking paint in a vacuum is easy. Picking paint with existing furnishing is less easy. None of it is hard though. That's what custom color matching is useful for. Since this is an open concept area, do you have pictures of the space and other furnishings? Paint is the last step in decor, not the first. Show us what exists to have to match around.

We used lavender (custom color) for our kitchen and a deep purple (Purple Rain,BM) for the adjoining den and dining room. Our nearby living room is a perky light green (Wales Green, BM). No neutrals here and loving it. White cabs give you freedom to choose whatever color with them you want.

Below is a link to our 1 year old kitchen reno.
The entire kitchen is black & white except for the walls where we wanted a little color.
The paint is a 50/50 mix of BM Pigeon Grey & Metallic Silver.
BTW the rest of our house is BM China White.
HTH.

Here is a link that might be useful: Black & White Kitchen

I used SW Lattice for the wall color in our white kitchen and adjoining family room. I like it...it is a subtle gray with blue undertones. It soothes me, lol!
This is the color, it is NOT the color in the foreground, but the color in the room beyond.

Here is one of the kitchen, but it is looking very gray and not blue at all in this pic, which is deceiving.

I think it is showing up best in this pic-

All in all...it is a soothing, almost not a color, color!

nini, what color IS the color in the foreground, if you don't mind me asking? I like lattice, though I am not usually drawn to blue hues. I'm really thinking I am liking the other color, though.

Trail runner, I headed off to BM and chose several samples of any color that I was drawn to... you made me think again about the neutral comment. That is what GW is so good about... really hearing what is going on... Now I can see your pictures and I see what you mean. You have chosen several colors and they don't have to be all in the same family either. They do look to be about the same tone... thanks for sharing.

Livewire, you are right... I really don't want all neutrals. That was my giving up voice talking. I know that I should choose paint last, but DH wants the floors done now....and it seems to make sense to paint first. Mainly because we eventually want to sell and furniture can wait. We are both tired of all the funds going towards repair/maintenence/remodelling rather than decorating though. We don't know when new furniture is in the budget and believe me.... I have not one piece of upholstery or carpet that I would keep. And now, my sofa and LR chair are creamy colored.

I feel sure of the color that I want for the kitchen, but then lost with the other walls. The entryway is 2 stories and connected to a hallway to the right and the kitchen straight ahead. The LR/DR is to the left. Maybe I can upload a floor plan or a couple of pictures to get more feedback.

Tomorrow I am going to another BM place. There is a color expert there and I will take some of my ideas. Maybe I can have something more concrete to share tomorrow. Starting to panic. There is a painter coming Monday.

Nini, I think when my floors are finished, they will have a similar appearance. It is helpful to see the rooms around your kitchen, because even though my home is smaller, it has a similar feel. I like the blue/grey color... and can see it in our bedroom, which we are also painting. Still want a warmer color for the LR/DR.
Like Steph, I am wondering what the foreground color is also.

I think I have so many of those color swatches from both SW and BM, I almost have a fan deck! Will see if I can check some of these suggested colors out!

The foreground color is SW Grecian Ivory...here are some pics with that color...I only used three different colors in the whole house!

Nini - I think I have that exact same chandelier in our dining room! I love it, the most formal item in my house!

As far as colors that I think would look lovely with a white kitchn, a really nice warm green is SW Livable Green, I have it in my BR and it gives a nice soft touch of color so you feel like it isn't a neutral without hitting you over the head with color so you couldn't incorporate it through your house. Here is a pic I found on the internet (none of kitchens found unfortunately)

Here is a link that might be useful: SW Liveable Green

Nini, This feels like a good start to my morning! The colors you have used are very similar to the look and feel I am going for. I always like blues. I was wanting a warm white/yellow on the wall, but did not want it to read exactly yellow or exactly beige. I am not sure if they read the same on the computer as they would in my home, but it has been an inspiration and I feel back on track. :) Your home is so elegant. Thanks again for sharing.
Thanks too for all of you who shared your pictures and ideas.

I used blue cabinets in my kitchen and went with a nice gray which I thick is a good accent (SW Tinsmith).

I used a LOT of blue throughout my whole house though. Here is a link to pictures of the whole house, every room is pretty much a shade of blue or gray, with some yellow thrown in for good measure :)

Fleur,
I think many of us have been where you are - sort of burnt out and ready to going to give up. I remember when a friend of mine renovated their house she was so confused and had spent a ton on paint samples. She finally contacted a local paint store and they came to her home and helped her choose colors. It cost her $75, which was far less than the millions of paint quarts she had invested in. They also advised her on how to change the color from room to room so it flowed properly without using one color. If you're feeling burnt out you may want to see if any paint stores In your area have this service. Her end result was really nice and I do think many people struggle with paint selections.

I strongly urge you to search for and read every "Design Around This" thread that has been posted recently. Staring at a blank wall with no starting point is no way to pick a wall color. Choosing neutrals is absolutely no guarantee against a big Fail.

my kitchen has almost no exposed walls - just a bit around the window (more will be hidden when the window seat goes in, the corner by the stairway and the corner alcove that opens to the bedroom and bathroom.

This color helps tie the kitchen in with the adjoining rooms, from a color pallet that sort of flows through the house.

As we progressed with putting in the cabinets, I've had a more neutral beige, and then went with a darker green that matched the wallpaper border, then a much paler green that looked better, but ended up too washed out looking once surrounded by white, and then to the gold.

We had planned on going with a green tone backsplash -painted the wall and decided after two weeks we did not like it - too cool for what we wanted, though it really brought out the veining in the soapstone.

After we finally got a backsplash look we liked, the paint was easy.

Thanks so much, nini. You have a beautiful house - and the paint colors are great. I like how they are subtle and neutral. It seems the warm and cool tones are playing nice together for you.

And, of course, Marcolo is right. Paint color really should come after fabrics/tiles/etc and be part of the overall picture. In some cases, though, like what I went through last summer with getting the house ready for an appraisal or for people who need to pick paint colors for a new build they have not lived in and can't really test paint colors appropriately in the real deal, people need to pick a starting place and be prepared to repaint if it doesn't work in the end.

As crazy-making as it was, it was also somewhat freeing to be able to make temporary paint choices. I, for one, agonize over paint chips. I don't have a good eye and it NEVER looks like the chip to my eye - or like my neighbor down the street. Rather difficult, really, when you are someone who likely cares too much about the color...

Fleur222. I am struggling with the same decision, except my floors are light travertine. I am anxious to reading the responses.

nini804. I have seen your house before and it is lovely. Lattice looks so pretty in your house, unfortunately it did not look as nice in mine, I didn't see any blue tones. What is the blueish color on your bedroom wall, where the headboard is?

Sort of OT... but am I the only one who clicked on trailerunners pizza link with an empty stomach and then raided the fridge? I am left full and totally unsatisfied because none of my options resembled those pictures.

LOL Chris! That was some delicious looking pizza. Last time I had great pizza was in DC at Pizzeria Paradiso in Georgetown....fresh tomatoes..amazing crust.

Back to paint... I spent 2 hours with a color specialist. I took a folder of inspiration pictures, some snapshots of my home, outside and inside, and an inspiration picture of my seaglass and glass jars I have behind glass in a kitchen cupboard. We spread them and a sample of my kitchen cabinet color and the countertop sample out in front of us and just began matching. It was like going shopping with a friend who has an eye for fashion. I felt like I could definitely put my preferences out there and it wasn't like she was deciding for me either.

Marcolo, your comments helped me to realize that even though I do not have much upholstery or art to begin with, I could use my inspiration pictures.

We came up with 3 colors: Entryway, LR/DR, and Kitchen. She agreed that the blue/green that I was planning for the kitchen was too strong and would not work, but we found a softer grey with blue/green hints that I think will work. I was so relieved.

Tonight, I will be testing and this weekend, deciding and I will share the colors.

Thanks again to all that helped me get back on track and realize that I do not have to give up on color!

Can't wait to see the colors!

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread. I love that there are others who think about paint colors as much as I do too! I am going to be starting my kitchen renovation and creating a completely white kitchen and feel like I need some color myself. I may be crazy, but I had to throw this idea out there. What about doing a little pop of something instead of the entire wall? I love this kitchen (it's very similar to what I'm creating actually) and how they did just a hint of the lime green (could be a more mellow color if that goes with your home more) but I think there's something beautiful and unexpected about the idea of little slivers of color and letting the rest stay neutral.

[contemporary kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by new york media and blogs Vendome Press

Oh no... I am late to the party.
Here is what I was going to suggest. Can't help posting my
ideas. Maybe there is a lurker out in the wild web who
needs an idea. Or maybe it will help you cement your plans.
: )
~boxerpups

Silver Fox is a fun color that goes with blue, green, white, cream... and it brightens a space.

Woodlawn Blue Benjamin Moore

Clear Skies Benjamin Moore

Ballroom Blue Farrow and Ball paints

Soft Fern

I realized my biggest problem was that I imagined I could put either a strong turquoise ceramic tile or paint in my kitchen. It just didn't flow when it came to other rooms. I have a smaller home with many adjoining rooms, and it is not on the water. It was just too bold to carry off unless I wanted bold colors outside the kitchen as well and I want warmth outside the kitchen.

It really has helped me to have the feedback from so many of you. Boxerpups, I feel lucky, because your pictures are always beautiful and inspirational.

There are so many on the GW who share their heartfelt thoughts and ideas, I am really touched. And some amazing homes that truely look like dreams come true.

I decided to take a break and try to share a bit more of my progression. Two years ago we began our kitchen remodel. It was stressful. Once we had everyting installed, we stopped at decorating. We haven't even painted around the window frame!

The first pics of the old kitchen are for real! The only counter space was in the right corner where I kept my toaster and microwave, I think. I kept a dish rack between the range and sink. No vent. The small window near the range used to be the back door to the house. A neighbor once said that you could always tell when it was Thanksgiving, because people ran around the houses to get to the other side of the table!

I am leaning towards the lightest paint colors... a cream and a faint blue/gray. It is just too difficult to start with paint, when I do not have any furniture or carpets to match with a color. If the paint does not work later, it can always be changed. For now, we at least need a finished look and some repairs to both the floor and the walls.

I have to purchase the paint by 9 am Monday. Wish me luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen before/after and inspiration

Here are a few more blue grays...

Glass Slipper BM

Glass Slipper (Yes this is also Glass Slipper) I love this color.

Blue Haze BM

Harbour Haze BM

River Rapids Ralph Lauren

Feather Gray BM

I apologize for the lack of pictures at the start of this post. This past week was exhausting. The painting is finished. I finally made decisions so that the painting/floors could be finished before the holidays...(my DH's wishes) I do not have a lot of experience with choosing colors or even decorating... having move around all my life and spent the last 11 years in this house just fixing everything with very little attention to decorating.
I ended up finding it easier to choose using the more limited palate of paints from Farrow and Ball. Here is what I chose:
Foyer: Pointing (sl. creamy white)
LR/DR: White Tie ( shade creamier than Pointing)
Kitchen: Blue Ground (a bolder robin's egg blue)
Guest room: Green Ground (a softer green/yellow)
Bedroom: Borrowed Light (a pale blue)

I love the F&B paint... especially White tie, pointing, and borrowed light.
I think I would have liked a shade darker on the guest room to have used Cooking Apple Green. The kitchen is quite a statement and I like things more subtle, but I am going to sit with it for awhile. It is a happy look and everyone loves it.

I painted the front door with SW... a burnt orange/red on a white house with blue shutters. It looks like F&B Blazer. I was in a rush when I chose it, and I do like it a lot. I would have liked to try F&B Terre D' Egypte.. a little less bright.

I will share pictures... and I thank you all again for your help. Next week the floors.