Brown furniture, tan walls, and solid ivory curtains and bedding is not reading especially "luxurious, elegant, warm and wonderful" to me. Not in a typical home with smaller rooms. Be careful that you're not creating a brown and beige box with a limited color palette. If you've been carpet-shopping, you'll know that brown and beige are the most common colors, and after that it gets difficult to find a neutral. Have you thought about what you will use for accessory colors with brown and beige? If not color, how will you add interest in pattern and texture?

may - I hope to bring in some texture with the fabrics and use blue as an accent color. You do bring up some good points for me to consider.

Btw bac, this was my inspiration pic for choosing Lenox Tan. It's a very good representation of the color in its "not in direct light/radiating warmth phase":

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My son's bedroom in Lenox tan and I love it. He has cherry shaker style furniture which is simar in color to yours and it looks great together. I'm not a fan of yellow/gold colors and I like how the Lenox tan leans a bit brown. I also have grant beige in my basement and that's nice color too, but with your wood furniture, I think I would prefer the Lenox tan.

This post was edited by pps7 on Fri, Feb 6, 15 at 16:50

pps, exactly! Tan is the anti-gold/yellow color but with the warmth and earthiness.

I'm hoping to get to the paint store tomorrow to buy a sample pint of Lenox Tan. I'm very anxious now to try it on a sample board.

Also, I just a did a little looking around on Houzz for Lenox Tan and saw several bedrooms using a some blue with the tan. Perhaps I could use blue on the bed instead of cream.

If you want to go a bit lighter, I suggest Putnam Ivory. I have it in my kitchen and living room, and it is a lovely tan, with no yellow or gray.

When I was choosing colors for my kitchen remodel, I discovered the Cambria paint match tool. It offers BM colors to go with each of their quartz counters, in what they call light, neutral, midtone, and bold. For my quartz (Somerset) it recommended Elephant Tusk, Putnam Ivory, Lenox Tan, and Earth Brown. I painted my ceilings Elephant Tusk, to go with the Putnam Ivory walls.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cambria paint match tool

annkh, I used Putnam Ivory in my dining room at the same time I repainted my Living Room in the Lenox Tan. I'm not nearly as happy with the Putnam Ivory. I like it a few hours a day, but in the brighter light, it's very orange. I actually wanted a color with some orange in it because of my pine floors and ceilings, and I was going for that southwest/Santa Fe thing. And while I like it much better than the color i had there prior, I'm wishing I'd painted in in Beach Haven. I'd call the Putnam Ivory "Fine" but nothing to wow over. At least in my DR.

annkh - if I find that the Lenox Tan is darker than I want, I will definitely take a look at Putnam Ivory. From your description, tan with no yellow or gray, it sounds like what I'm aiming for.

I may have found a possibility for bedding, even tho I originally said I was thinking about ivory. I like this whole color scheme. When you open the link, look at the picture on the right (with the poster canopy bed). I like the navy with the paisley print. Notice the wall color?

Here is a link that might be useful: Pottery Barn Mackenna Paisley

Bac, I did blue as my other color with Lenox tan in the BR. The trim is white. I did PB blue wool area rug and similar shades of blue and tan in their bedding. My duvet cover is in an older PB paisley print. I found the Lenox tan very adaptable with my PB and other selections. Our style is traditional and the room's exposure is mostly eastern exposure with the 3 window layout posted by tibbix. My decor is typically hit or miss because I don't know how to commit, so I always think versatility. this room was definitely a home run for me.

yellow Blue (versus gray blue) would be beautiful with LT. So would Chocolate brown. Cream/ivory. I LOVE the White Dove trim and doors with the LT in my LR. The creaminess of the White Dove is gorgeous with the creaminess of the LT, esp. when the LT is in it's cooler phases.

I see trim has come up. I was just coming here to post about that. It looks like your trim is stained. The browns and dark tans look best with a lot of white. I would do the off-white curtains like in the photo. I'd also select carpet and paint at the same time, but start with the bedding. I like a holistic approach, especially as I've seen you struggle with trying to add pieces to your living room.

Tibbrix, what is yellow blue? Green?

mags - your room sounds lovely. I would imagine it's similar to the one on the website with the poster bed.
tibbrix - our ceiling is painted White Dove, but unfortunately, we have stained oak trim that will stay, mainly because to start painting trim in this house would just snowball into an enormous project.
may - I am going to choose bedding before I commit to paint.

In fact, I was out to Pottery Barn this morning and came home with a few Mackenna Paisley pillow shams and the Belgian Linen Diamond Quilt in Midnight Blue. I also picked up a sample of Lenox Tan and am in the process of painting a sample board. I'll try to be back later with some pictures.

bac, take a look at the pic of my LR and make a circle with your fingers and put it around the FP with LT in it but blocking out any of the White Dove trim. That will give you and idea as to how LT looks next to unpainted wood trim.

FWIW, here are a some pictures of the Lenox Tan sample board with the Pottery Barn bedding.

Lenox Tan on left, Stone House on right. With flash.
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Pretty sure this was with flash.
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I'm going to see what the color does this evening with artificial lighting.

What do you think of the bedding, especially the dark blue quilt?

I really like the blue with the tan, esp. the darker blue, the warmer (i.e.: yellow) blue. The blue also goes really well with your furniture.

Tibbrix - Lenox Tan or Stone House? What do you think of the pillow sham? If I don't use the sham, what would you think of just the navy and white on the bed?

I also meant to add that I think you will find the Lenox Tan to be even nicer at night in artificial light. It's almost velvety, rich and warm.

I can't really speak to the Stone House, esp. from one pic. In that pic, though, I do like the way the LT looks better - creamier, more neutral, and less peachy.

However, keep in mind that I am having a bit of a love affair with Lenox Tan since putting it in my LR and so completely and totally loving it, so I might be projecting some bias here! I think the shams are fine. Personally, I prefer very crisp and simple bedding. If I wanted shams, I'd be more inclined to go with something like this, simple but elegant. Unfortunately, PB is out of the navy in this sham (they have it in the divet cover)

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Tibbrix, you are right, the Stone House is, to my eyes IRL, more peachy. That, I didn't like about it.

I like the sham you found! I'm going to take a closer look at the PB website. Thanks.

bac- I love the Lennox Tan from your samples. The Stone House does have an orange tint to it IMO. And I agree the blue will be nice with it. My sister has it in her bedroom with the Porcelein Blue Matine Quilt by Pottery Barn and it looks nice with it.

Love the Lenox Tan! Personally, I like rich, dark colors in the bedroom.

I like the navy quilt. I think you need the patterned shams. I like the Gisela shams too for a little more color and to add some white. I think they'd look nice with the wood and be a little more casual with the headboard.

sis - I'm glad you see the orange in Stone House, too. I really wanted to like that color, but couldn't get past the orange.
pps - We've never used such a dark color (and it isn't really THAT dark) before, but it sure would cozy up the bedroom.
may - If I use the Mackenna Paisley (and I've ALWAYS loved paisley), I would use white sheets, so they are folded back at the head of the bed and a white pillowcase behind the sham.

I still can't commit to the Lenox Tan. We've never used a color that dark anywhere in our home.

I'm going to head out later this afternoon to a decorator fabric store to see if I can find anything similar to the Mackenna Paisley or anything else that catches my eye to use with the navy quilt. Have to know what I'm using there before I commit to a paint.

bac, are you doing the painting yourself?

Yes, DH and I will be doing the painting.

Ah! So don't have anxiety about it! It's just paint. The real cost of paint is in hiring someone to paint for you. Paint one wall and live with it for a few days to see how you like it.

If you don't like it, you simply paint over it! that's one reason paint is such a great fixer upper one of the less expensive forms…IF you do the painting yourself!

Regarding your 2 sample boards, I like the Lenox Tan a lot.

Pics of Lenox tan in natural light.

Pic 2

tibbrix - maybe I'll be brave and actually put some paint from the sample pint on the wall.
laurie - thanks for your vote.
pps -thanks for the pictures. The color looks great in your room. What exposure do you have in the room with Lenox Tan?

I came back from my trip to the fabric store empty handed.

I vote for the Lenox Tan:)
Looks lovely with the PB bedding!

bac, that sample paint goes a LOOOOOONG way! Paint until you've run out. The more you've got on the wall, the better you can tell if it's right or not. Rehang pictures too. That will also help.

Why don't you just go with the PB shams then? You like paisley and it's a subtle pattern, and I seem to recall that you don't like too much pattern. It's got some kind of taupe neutral that you could pull for paint. It's also got a pretty silvery blue, so you've got two blues to accessorize with.

I'll post it so we can see the colors more clearly.

lisa - the Lenox Tan looks lighter in the picture I posted yesterday than it does IRL and especially at night.
tibbrix - I'm still trying to work up the courage to put the paint on the walls (and find the time to do it), but, you are correct, it's the only way to really tell if it's right. And I already have paint. Why not use it?
may - I'm going to use the shams and the navy quilt. I like the pattern on the shams with the iron scroll on the headboard. Thanks for the closer picture of the fabric.

Here is another picture from the PB website. This is my inspiration picture. I'm wondering if the color on the walls is a Sherwin Williams color, since now the PB colors are from SW. If so, from looking at a pamphlet I picked up at PB yesterday that show the SW paint palette for PB, the closest color would be Nomadic Desert SW 6107. I'd say the Nomadic Desert is in between Shaker Beige HC-45 and Lenox Tan HC-44.
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I haven't put any sample paint of Lenox Tan on the walls...............yet, because I'm thinking the Lenox Tan is going to be too dark for our room. I'm seriously considering Shaker Beige now.

I added another response to my own thread because I wanted to see what would happen with my username. The username I set up awhile back on Houzz is now my user name. I went to edit it, but it says the name I was using on GW is already taken here. What a mess.

I just went back and did what others from GW have done. I just added gw to the end of my username.

LT won't be too dark for your room. It will be warm and luscious and elegant at night with the artificial lights, whereas the Shaker Beige would be blah.

bac- did you ever make a decision?

Funny you should ask, sis. I think I have made a decision! As much as I wanted to like Lenox Tan, especially after all the positive comments about the color, I have decided that, unfortunately, for our room, it's just too dark for me. IRL, it's really much darker than what was showing in the pictures I posted last Saturday. Just today, I picked up another sample pint and painted another board and I think it's a winner. I want to give it another day, but I'm pretty sure we'll be going with...................................Wheeling Neutral, HC-92. It's in the neighborhood with Shaker Beige and Bleeker Beige, but is a little warmer. I think I've read absolutely everything that's out there on the web about all the Benjamin Moore neutrals and tans!!! And you should have heard me talking paint color with the guys at the paint store today. My DH was with me and he couldn't believe how we were tossing around all the names. I've also been looking at the LRV (light reflectance value) for all the colors I've considered. LT's LRV is 42.63 which is leaning toward the darker side and Wheeling Neutral's LRV is 51.55 which right in the middle and more where I 'd like to be. Shaker Beige and Bleeker Beige are each a little lighter than WN.

I'll try to post some pictures when I'm done, but I first need to figure out that whole process here in our new home.

Good choice! I'm glad you're avoiding the LT...I think you'll be happier with the brighter color. And this is coming from one who even has eggplant on an accent wall and a ceiling!

Wheeling Neutral seems like a great choice, a somewhat lighter version of the LT. In defense of LT, though, it is not a dark color. I think it falls into the "rich" category, not dark.

I understand completely about paint colors looking dark in your space. That's the issue I've had as well in my own home. Shaker Beige, the so called perfect neutral, went so much darker in my home than photos show it. Lighting makes all the difference. Can't wait to see your room after its painted!

I'm getting ready to head out for the day, but will try to post a picture of my sample board in the room with the bedding later. I do hope I will be happier with the Wheeling Neutral, annie, and I do think you are right, tibbrix, about LT being a richer color. That's a good way to describe it. And, sis, Wheeling Neutral is close to Shaker Beige and does look darker in our BR, but that's OK. That way, it cozies up the room a bit.

Thanks to you all for continuing to help with and follow my paint color decision. As we ALL know, choosing a paint color, can be very difficult. One source I found that was very helpful, compared the best BM beige and tan colors. Here's the link: Comparing the Best BM Beige and Tan Colors

And this source helped with undertones: Undertones

It's amazing how much information is out there when you google certain BM colors!

I tried to post a picture, but am having trouble with a few things. First of all, my photo skills are lacking and the true colors of the current wall color and the sample of Wheeling Neutral are just not showing up they way they appear IRL. The current wall color is much more yellow. In my picture, the two colors look quite similar, when they really aren't at all. The other problem is the size of the picture. I inserted the picture by dragging and dropping from my pictures library and the picture is huge. Do I need to resize before I insert a photo? This is my first attempt at including a photo since the change over to Houzz. Then, of course, there's that whole thing with my photos becoming 'property' of Houzz.

I have been comparing my samples of Lenox Tan and Wheeling Neutral and I think I've figured out what didn't work with the Lenox Tan in our BR with the bedding I'm going to use. Altho I do like the richness of LT, the color needs to be grayer and I think I've achieved that with the WN. Could I go darker? I suppose the answer would be yes, but then the color is just about matching the grayed brown in the pillow sham and that's not necessarily my goal. The colors should just blend, right? I want a nice background color that works with the overall color scheme.

FWIW, here's a picture from Houzz with a nursery done in Wheeling Neutral.

Modern Nursery · More Info

Now, it would be perfect if I could get some info on the carpeting in that room because that will be my next decision and just like with the paint colors, there are too many choices out there in beige carpeting!!

I hope you (and Annie) didn't take my comment to mean I think you should have gone with LT. I don't at all. In fact, the Wheeling looks really stunning in that photo you put up and it's a color I'm going to put in my little notebook of favorite paint colors. It looks like a "perfect neutral".

You should find beige and blended beige carpets that read cool, just like Wheeling Neutral. Pick up some styles that have a lot of neutral colors and you'll see it pretty easily. You're right that the cooler tone paint is better with the beige in the sham. Better with the blues too.

Oh, no, tibbrix, I didn't take it that way at all. I know you love LT and it's perfect in your room, but it just wasn't the best choice for my BR. If you want to add to your list of neutral paint colors, take a look at the links I included in my post from earlier today. Many good choices with a lot of info on many of them.

Thanks for the reassurance, may, about the color choice. After all the research I did on the neutrals and undertones, I think I'll be able to see which carpet color will work with the paint. If not, I'll be back here for help!