BTW, there is 7" white baseboard

Wow! I would send that photo directly to Milliken and ask them what's up ... that's a huge difference. Did you show your sample to the retail people at the carpet store?

Wall to wall carpet colours can vary according to the dye lot of the roll they are using, same as with fabric sometimes. Your sample has a big discrepancy though, how annoying is that but at least you know in advance. This happened to me once with fabric, I was able to live with the variance in color, I did wish I had ordered a swatch in advance from the roll they were cutting from.

Ladies, yes, I'm very familiar with carpet and it's ability to vary from roll to roll, dye lot to dye lot. My husband has been a carpet installer for about 38 years. He's had many women march out to the driveway or garage where he's cutting their new carpet, throw down the sample piece and say, "this is NOT the color I picked out" :o Sometimes it's the difference in lighting, sometimes it's the crushed fibers, sometimes it can be the way the carpet is turned and sometimes it's a dye lot issue (occasionally it IS the wrong color :o). But when he (husband) saw the shading difference, he immediately said something wasn't right. It was too big of a difference.

The Milliken rep has seen my picture and said they have pulled all the Arietta samples they send out because they're the wrong shade. He said they (naturally) aim for the retail sample board coloring and the 9x9 they sent me SHOULD have been very close to the same color.

My husband contracts for this design store and 3 others in Tyler so yes, the owner of the store we're ordering from has seen the difference. She's the one that contacted the Milliken rep for me. I hate to be anymore of a nuisance than I have to be since they're they're doing us a favor and selling us the material at cost. I'd like to be able to speak to her rep personally. I'd like to find out if it's possible to get a swatch from the exact roll they'd be cutting from. That would be great! Store owner says it's a specialty carpet and not in stock in the warehouse in GA. Lead time is 2 weeks so I'm not sure it's something I could actually get a sample of. It sounds like it's made when someone orders it.

I've seen the Artist Brush by Milliken and it's very pretty. It was on my list of "maybes" TILL I saw Arietta. I would definitely make things easier!

Yes, you really need a CFA (cutting for approval) that they use regularly use with fabrics to confirm that a current dye lot matches an older sample a store/customer might have.

I like either equally. I think maybe only minor adjustment of wall color would be needed.

"Minor" adjustment of wall color...Pal could you be a little more specific? Minor as in a different shade of purple? Could you offer some suggestions please?

Depending on your paint color deck maybe one tint lighter on the strip than your original choice. Or one strip to the left or right to adjust for different undertones in the carpet if necessary. It's my belief that you can pick a carpet and paint colors for one room and often pick a variation on the carpet color and paint colors for another room and if they relate to each other in the same way they end up looking the same unless you do a literal side by side comparison.

I can really relate to this. I picked a color from the sample board that everyone who saw it agreed was greige, and the installers showed up with a carpet that most definitely was gray. It was quite a shock. At least you'll know before it shows up on your doorstep but I can totally understand your dismay. I hope that everything works out for you.

Ingrid, do you have a suggestion for a med-darkish plum/purple that you think would work with the (sample board) shade? I have Tropical Dusk on the wall but it's just not working. I need something a bit darker and with less gray. My room has north and east exposure with tree shade so it never gets very bright in there.

I would get the paint chips that contain the current color, the strip that is below that one if it's the more saturated versions, and the strips to one side of those that are in the direction that looks more gray. That's how I would start, rather than looking for a specific color name.

Thanks to ALL who have chimed in with their thoughts.

I have changed lanes (somewhat) to accommodate the deeper, more contrast-y floral print in my carpet.

First, we're ordering and bringing the carpet home before we paint. Two reasons...1) the possible shading difference. When trying to work with a color like purple, there is no margin for error (HA! That's really funny coming from ME) and 2) my husband said that the chocolate brown carpet that's in there now is having an effect on how the color blocks I've painted on the wall will look with the lighter carpet that is replacing it. After I add my latest color samples to the wall, we'll roll out the new carpet to get a more accurate visual.

And if the carpet print is actually the color of the store sample, then I'll have to make a change in the paint's undertone and temperature. I've been looking at cool purples with gray undertones and nothing appealed to me. I've switched to warm purples with red (and yellow?) undertones. Looking MUCH better with the store sample board! The "vibe" will be a little different than what I originally wanted but I'm good with it.

And I've decided to go darker. Here's my theory <g> I'm replacing a dark carpet with an light creamy background and med shade print. I have dark walls right now. A med. chocolate brown so it's not going to be that different. This 10x16 room is half (or more) trim/doors/windows. Including trim, there is a 65" closet, 42" closet, 2 38" doors (one glass), a 5x3 and a 3x5 window, 7" baseboard and 5" crown. Trim is white. Between the light carpet and all that white painted wood, I don't feel like the deep color will be oppressive at all (especially since I like darker walls and find them cozy and embracing). I spent all day yesterday watching the paint samples on the wall change colors with the time of the day. My windows are N and E facing, so not a lot of light. I'm not in my bedroom during the day anyway unless I lay down for a nap (I'll close the blinds). So I'm more interested in how the room will look in the evening with a variety of lighting effects...dimmable recessed and 2 lamps. AND the large 4x4 picture that I said was staying works better with a warm purple (to my eyes). Picture can be seen in this thread Picture

BTW, I have three paint samples on the wall. I cut out and placed each color swatch on it's coordinating color on the wall. I was really surprised that all three of the card swatches were spot on! OTOH, as nice as my displays are (computer screen and phone) all the colors are a bit cooler on my screens than the fan deck samples.

Here are some colors I'm exploring (don't look if you're anti-dark wall/anti-purple) <g> Will be trying SW Plummy and Wood Violet too. They REALLY look "cool" on my computer screen so i didn't bother include those.

Thoughts? (as I brace myself). Bathroom floor and half walls are the color of the carpet background. Granite, Giallo Ornamentale, is largely the color of the carpet. Glass accent tile in the bathroom is shades of blues. I can add purple towels to the train rack above the tub and hand towels on the other side of the bathroom at the sink to tie the two rooms together. Plus this large "watery" purple flower picture to go on the long wall over the tub.

Monica, you truly don't want to ask me about colors because I know nothing, and frankly purple is really outside my experience. What you plan to do makes a great deal of sense in terms of having the new carpet there, and I think it would really play well with different tones of purple. Purple Lotus seems like a pretty color with the carpet.

Maybe look at Benjamin Moore Cabernet, which to me has a browner undertone

Ingrid, I've never been good with paint. I do finally get it right (most of the time) but not without a lot of angst! And I LOVE color and think it plays a big roll in how we feel about our homes and even the clothing we wear.

pal, yes, BM Cabernet looks great with the carpet on my computer screen! I have a BM fan deck here on my desk and found the color. It's reads much more dark brown on the fan deck with hardly any noticeable purple :( It's a gorgeous color and would great in a powder room or dining room. I wish it looked irl like it does on my computer screen.

Here's my sign :) Found a topic on this forum, clicked on it and this was the first paragraph...DON'T: Ignore your heart. Choosing to go against your natural
instincts often leads to regret. Don't be afraid to trust yourself
regarding a design decision you are truly passionate about.
DO: Start small. If you have always loved yellow, or any other color, do not subdue your affection by going with something that's second best...