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Paint Design Dilemma

Bleeker beige vs Shaker beige vs Manchester tan

7 years ago

Trying to find a neutral paint color for our family room. Has a lot of windows but doesn't get a lot of light. Has dark brown leather couches and natural hardwood floors. Tried some samples that look "muddy" so looking for something to help brighten the room its 22X23. I've searched the internet and found Bleeker beige, Shaker beige, and Manchester tan to be possibilities. Any thoughts/recommendations?

Featured Answer

Meg O'Connor

7 years ago

I have Manchester Tan in my dining room which has 3 east facing windows and I thought I might find the room too dark, but I like it. Bleeker Beige is in my sunroom which has windows across 3 of its 4 walls. Both of these rooms have medium stained wood trim. Bleeker is definitely darker. I'd go with the Manchester. I helped a friend paint a room in the Manchester with white trim and it looks clean and sharp. I'm not a gray fan in any of its incarnations. But I'm an older person with a 1925 house and old or old fashioned furniture. The color in my rooms comes from the furniture, rugs, and art work.

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Comments (7)

PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
7 years ago
If you like blah beige any of those will be NEUTRAL why not think about a soft grayed green which IMO is way more neutral than beige. Rain Washed from SW is an awesome choice and if it still seems a bit dark have it cut 25%
User
7 years ago
We were looking at Shaker Beige. We found Manchester Tan, the blah beige and with our decor and granite and sage green islands it's perfect.
pamm19 thanked User
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On our first floor we have several colors that repeat in different combinations in different rooms, and the warm neutral we used for continuity throughout was Cracker Bitz (which I think was from Pittsburgh, but I also find it listed with Olympic, so maybe they are the same company?). In some rooms it's the main wall color with a different accent wall, ceiling color, or accent between the plate rail and picture rail. In other rooms Cracker Bitz the accent color on one wall. It looks great with Lion's Mane of the same brand -- like they are just different values of the same color -- and the very orange Copper Penny. It also looks great next to a cooler color for contrast -- in one room it's a sagey green, in another a washed-out robin's egg blue. Anyway, I was surprised, because to me the color on its own is kind of a blah neutral beige, but it reads very warm and almost yellow, or lighter like parchment depending on the other colors around it and the lighting in the room. It's our go-to versatile color now. Good luck and have fun!
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partim
7 years ago
I have Shaker Beige in all my hallways, staircase, kitchen, family room and one of the bedrooms. I don't find it blah. It works with the color schemes in all these rooms and with different flooring (tile or carpet). I like that it looks a little different at different times of day, or even in the different walls of the room depending on the direction of the light. I would say that it predominantly an orange beige, rather than a green or pink beige. Never muddy, which I think is a green beige. My home's windows face east and west.

That said, do some boards and see if you like it in different lights.
pamm19
Original Author
7 years ago
We had Manchester tan in our old house and I really liked it. Touch of color but clean look too.
pamm19
Original Author
7 years ago
We have a sample of Shaker beige and at times I really like it but you're right everyone once in a while it reads a little orange.
pamm19
Original Author
7 years ago
Thank you I appreciate all the info. I had Manchester tan in my previous house and I agree it has a crisp clean look. Thank you!

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