When we moved into our house it was almost all white because the elderly p.o.s probably paid someone to whitewash it to sell. They painted over bad sheetrock and wallpaper. It looked ok at first glance, but one of the best parts of doing the reno was to finally have some color. If a house is white for a scheme, it comes off better than if it is white because it is easier to paint the walls and trim the same color. You can tell the difference. I think if you want a light neutral and don't want the creams and beiges that have been very popular, I'd try a pale yellow. It looks great with wood floors and antiques and mixes well with a full range of decors. We painted an apartment in our first house and even though we had male tenants over the years, they all commented on loving it. It works best if the trim is a pure white to have some contrast. It gives you color without hitting anyone over the head if you go very light toned. I have used it when recommending to builders and flippers what to paint for the main rooms because it is cheery and subtle. Blues come in and out of fashion and beige and cafe au lait have been big for a while, so will be on the way out soon. Greens can be hard to coordinate if you want flexibility (although I love a nice green). Pink and peach take real commitment, and a thick skin if used outside of a child's room, and a pale lavender is also one that can limit the materials used with it (no maroon or reds work well with it, IMHO). White can actually be harder to match because of the many tones to white. When I used a pale yellow in my house, I made sure that nothing of any significance in the room was yellow, so there'd be no clashing. It worked as a back drop for the stronger colors of the antique furniture or white wts. It is the prettiest color to put alongside oak floors, to me.

I think the valances would be a nice addition to the windows. I would hang them on rods that match the curtain rods, and hang them as high as possible to give more visual height on that wall. In looking at your drapery, which is great in there and much better than white would have been imo, I have to ask. Have you pressed those drapes? The valances look very wrinkled, and the panels look to have some wrinkles as well. If you haven't pressed them yet, do that (or take them to your dry cleaners for pressing) before you make the final decision about how they should hang. Pressing them will make them longer.

Hello all. I wanted to thank you for your advice and let you know I have finally followed through on it. I got the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Pro. It cost around $225 all in, I think, from Sears, and I finally got to put those gift cards to use. It's a great vacuum. It is completely unfair to compare it to the decades old Eureka I was using, so I won't. I'll just say that two pet peeves of mine are now easily vacuumed up. My bedroom area rug is white, I have long, fine, brown hair, and a navy blue flannel duvet cover I use 8 months out of the year. The swirls of hair and nibs of blue (concentrated but not limited to the edge of the bed) swept up in a single pass. Happy Days!

If shiplap does become dated, then one can always do what we’ve done for ages and replace it, just like shag carpet, olive green tile and laminate countertops. But if you love the look as I do, and you’re happy with your space, you don’t need to be shamed as if you’re an uneducated peasant. Often what professional designers think is fabulous will seem garish and cold to the average “peasant” person. I believe any material done tastefully will never go out of style, although it may not appeal to the taste of a future buyer. The pictures posted here of tasteless 70’s fads do not fairly compare to the clean lines and character of today’s shiplap. I can find plenty of examples of high dollar interior design work that would make one’s eyes bleed. That being said, I would go with a matte white on the shiplap and a satin white on the trim.