Yikes! Now, it's time to update! Help Me, Please GET RID OF THE GOLD!
So, I have spent January-May working on my son's house, and I just looked around my own house, and it is in dire need of painting. The walls are currently Ben Moore HC-34 Wilmington Tan and boy, are they dark and dated. Ceilings are 1/4 same formula, Trim color is Ben Moore OC-53 which is a bright white. Seemed like such a great idea when the decorator chose the colors back in 2002 when this home was built, but you can imagine how dark and dated I feel at this point.
The whole house needs to be painted, oh lawsy, I don't know if I can even stand to start this process, but I refuse to be defeated! I have a painter scheduled for 9:00 a.m. for the first estimate.
I would like to use Sherwin Williams paint if possible and my intention is to lighten up, brighten up, and get into 2018 with the right-white! I am not interested in grays, and when you see these floors, it will be apparent why I am not wanting to go that direction.
Please hit me with the best choices for great SW "tried and true" white/off white wall colors that will be consistent throughout the foyer, dining room, living room, breakfast room and kitchen and still work with the other elements that will remain in this house.
Here's the living room wall color, the mantle is staying as is and the white built ins on either side will remain.
Here is the foyer, open to the dining and living room, and the gold sconces and mirror will remain.
Gold has Got to GO!
And here is a pic of the tile floor in the kitchen, breakfast room and laundry. It is staying and the cabinets are glazed maple, granite is St. Cecilia. I love a country french kind of feel, and have a lovely collection of flow blue that I want to carry into the breakfast room.
My biggest concern is how a white wall is going to look with the floors. Will that work? The island is painted black with distressed finish. Ugh, not wanting to paint the cabinets at this time. But, I need a white paint choice that will have a bit of warmth without going pink/gray/green in this house.
All suggestions welcome and appreciated in advance.
Comments (1.1K)
Design2 girl
3 years ago
PROHome Interiors with Ease
3 years agoRelated Discussions
*HELP* me get rid of these bugs please
Comments (12)I'd like to clarify something here. The Bayer Rose & Flower spray in the photo IS a systemic. That's rather unusual for a spray - most sprays only work on contact. This particular spray kills on contact, but it is also absorbed by the leaves, so that when any pests that didn't get sprayed start sucking on the plant's fluids, they get poisoned. From the photo, it looks like you have mealy, or perhaps it could be some sort of scale, or both. Doesn't matter. Mealy actually is a type of scale, so the treatment is the same regardless. jennie, your infestation looks pretty bad, so I would isolate this plant in another room for a month or so and wash your hands well after you handle it before tending to other plants. It is probably a good idea to unpot it, sterilize the pot, clean up the plant with alcohol, and then spray with the Rose & Flower spray. But at that point, I think you would be OK to repot with clean, new media and water as normal. You need to go back and respray at whatever intervals the directions say. I don't have mine handy, but I think it says something like spray 3 times, 7 to 10 days apart. The reason you want to do this is to make sure you kill all the generations of bugs. These guys reproduce very quickly, and the eggs and some stages of the scale life cycle are very resistant to pesticides. So you have to spray again to catch them after they hatch, or when they are juvenile crawlers, or whatever. Why didn't your other plants get it? The pests probably came in with your infected orchid, but they were small and only a few, so you didn't see them until the problem had escalated. I had an orchid from a good seller that sat in my dining room for months and suddenly broke out with mealy. Luckily, it hadn't joined my collection of 40-odd orchids yet, so the mealy didn't spread. But that's why a quarantine of a new plant is always a good thing. I would watch your existing plants carefully over the next year - the mealy may show up on them too. If you want to be extra careful, spray all your orchids, not just the infected one, or at least spray the ones that were next to it. Mealy and scale are tough opponents, but IF you follow the schedule on the spray bottle, you should triumph. Oh, and I would cut off the flower spike altogether while this is going on. The mealy are already stressing out your plant, the flowers are only requiring extra energy that it needs to fight the pests....See Moreplease help me get rid of mint !!!!
Comments (11)I grew mine in pots. (Thank God! Purely because I can only grow in pots, not any common sense on my part. LOL) That being said, at the end of the season, I yanked and yanked and yanked and yanked those suckers out, threw the runners (picture of partial runner can be seen on the link below) in the bottom half of a five gallon container, and then tried smothering them with half a container of soil over them, hoping winter would freeze them to death, also. A few survived. Smothered them again, last spring in the bottom of yard wide and high container. Either that worked, or it's taking them all summer to finally crawl to the top to laugh at me. (I don't doubt their tenacity. LOL) A bugger yours are in among other "real" perennial plants AND not in containers. have you tried manmade mulch -- crushed rubber tires or thick plastic over them? It will need to be a thick layer, with areas for your real plants to grow through, but, worse comes to worse, the only way they show up then is in the same spots as your real plants! Last year I grew one mint in with one tomato plant. (I read rodents don't like the smell of mint, so won't bother the tomatoes. Squirrels won last year and got most of the tomatoes. I swear I saw some grab a little of this herb and that herb from the rest of my garden to make a delicous tomato salad with mint! LOL) I had to yank out the mint as completely as possible three times during the summer, and the final time after the season was over, literally, a very painful chore!. (I'm too disable to even pluck suckers off tomato plants, but I cannot let plants die from my stupidity! LOL) It was only four 5-gallon buckets, and had yanked out the third time just weeks before. Those runners run deep. That's why I ended up with 2.5 gallons of mint in that bucket last fall. just remember, all green plants need their leaves above ground to capture energy from the sunlight. No leaves, no mint -- eventually! Oh, and if you ever do find an easy method -- tell NO ONE, until you're patent is approved. You should make the same amount of money as Wite-Out has made Mike Nesmith! (Reference, if you are too young: Mike Nesmith, a member of the fake, TV rock group, The Monkees, is son of the woman who did invent Wite-Out to correct mistakes on type written pages, back in the olden days when folks had typewriters, not wordprocessors. ;) ) Here is a link that might be useful: Mint's runner is on first column down the middle of the page....See Moreplease help me get rid of these
Comments (9)Oh I feel SOOOOOO bad in hearing your experience. It's maddening when that happens. I've been there! I'm going to head outside the first thing tomorrow morning and check my sedum out. Call a good garden center and talk to someone over the phone. They usually have capable people on staff who can suggest a number of things. The folks who posted here seem to have some good ideas. Best of luck in getting rid of these EVIL bugs. They're all from the pit of hell I tell you!...See MoreSW Dover White Walls and ......????
Comments (11)We are also going through the paint color decision phase. We want creamy walls so studied the Sherwin Williams colors for a ridiculous amount of time. We thought we had found the perfect warm creamy color in Vanillin. I painted a poster board and moved it all around the house we are renting to see in different lights. It was not until I took it to show my sister and put it against her light creamy walls that Vanillin turned to a sunny yellow - pretty but not what we want at all. So back to SW where we chose Crisp Linen. Putting a painted board of Crisp Linen against the Vanillin board confirmed that Vanillin was way too yellow for us. (We also picked up the cabinet samples and went back to the tile store and the slab yard to see how Crisp Linen did with those elements.) Our last step was to paint 2x3 foot areas in various places in the new house. We feel as confident as you can when you have nothing but dry wall and daylight to evaluate against! Moral of the story - paint is very tricky! Put your paint samples against a white background. That helped us see if colors go muddy. We are using Westhighland White for our trim. It does not go gray like Alabaster does. But with Dover White you do want to go with a whiter trim. Compare Dover White to several other trim choices, one at a time. After studying them and going back and forth, you should be able to pick up on how they interact. Remember if your ceilings are not white, you may not want to use white ceiling fans (if you will have ceiling fans). My sister used a very pale version of her wall color on the ceiling to make the trim pop so could not use white ceiling fans. Our painter almost 'requires' (highly, highly recommends was the exact term) that if a customer chooses satin/eggshell finish for the walls, then the walls have to have a Level 5 drywall finish. (That is a very pricey upgrade. Our GC uses a company that does both drywall and paint to avoid the finger pointing that goes on when clients are unhappy with blemishes on walls.) We did not want to pay extra for satin/eggshell so we are going with SW Duration Matte. I would check with your contractor about using anything but true flat on ceilings. My guess is he will only use flat....See More- PRO
Home Interiors with Ease
3 years ago 
niccidhg
3 years ago
PROkaren paul interiors
3 years ago
PROFlo Mangan
3 years ago
greenfish1234
3 years agolol design2 my hearth is indeed ugly but if you look at FPs with hearths they can be quite lovely, firebox looks more proportioned to the mantle when it is sitting on the hearth. Fireboxes floating above a hearth would typically be without a mantle and have a more modern look.
Something wrapped in your stained wood, topped with stone to match the existing surround-It just balances things better IMO
Design2 girl thanked greenfish1234- PRO
Flo Mangan
3 years agoMock up with foo dog vases. Not sure I have size quite right. I would remove center plate to keep focus on jars.
Design2 girl thanked Flo Mangan - PRO
karen paul interiors
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago 
ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago- PRO
Flo Mangan
3 years ago 
allanaspree
3 years agoHi Design2 girl Suggested a few months back that perhaps an urn with a fern or some other plant in the fire place with the addition of a brass hearth surround of some description. These two items will pick up the greens & gold in your art. Add an Asian influenced horse or Tang horse on mantle. I think more blue on mantle or near fire place detracts from the art imo
allanaspree
3 years agoThese sconces are also very pretty with their antique mirror plate and they are very narrow so should fit. These sconces add a prettiness/softness to the mantle if you just have a single object in the centre of the mantle. You can also add a chinoiserie small pillow to a chair or two if you felt something else was needed.
homechef59
3 years agoI suggested a pair of foo dogs or perhaps these Staffordshire dogs The point being, pick up another color besides the flow blue. I selected a rather plain pair at 1st Dibbs.
The pair of Staffordshire dogs are cute.
Design2 girl
3 years agoJust circled back and I am sorting through these comments. And yes, greenfish, I do understand how a raised hearth would have been a better option in this scenario, as well as lighter marble, but alas, that ship sailed! I will have to chalk it up to experience makes one wiser...., but I am not willing to change it at this point.
I really really love the mock up with the foo dog tall pieces! It’s my favorite because in my head, for the first time ever, I might add, I want a “matching” pair of something! I know you are shocked!
And, yes, HIWE, I actually do have a French mantel clock with the matching candelabras that we purchased on our first trip to Paris, so after your comment, I trudged back to the bonus room to give it a try. The best part of this is there is a meaningful significance as it was our 20th Wedding anniversary trip. Do we like this look any better? May not be quite perfect, and if this was placed there, do you see candles? What color/size? Personally I find this very very dark on an already dark mantel shelf background. The mantel clock is usually on the white built ins and the candelabras were upstairs not in use. And I prefer the clock on the white background for that reason. But, what say you, houzzers??
Design2 girl
3 years agoTotally agree that its just all toooooo dark with the clock/candlebras, Flo.
I did seriously consider a mirror here, but I just placed a mirror in the foyer over the sideboard which opens right into the living room and is visible from the same view as you enter the front door. The art grouping that I did on the opposing wall which would be reflected in the mirror is so very neutral and (boring) although I love the subject matter . So, while the chandelier would be great in the mirror reflection, I feel like I would be just repeating what is already done.
So, as far as the painting, while it doesn't have the cows that I really wanted (last name Bovine over here) it gives me the glorious introduction of much needed GREEN while answering the blue in the sky, so lets just say, the painting is a done deal.
I really want to try a pair of taller, matching vases that aren't Waterford. Keep looking, I'll be back. The hubs is ready to go .- PRO
karen paul interiors
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoPatinated bronze with gilt bronze highlights, each on a square base, the ovoid bodies decorated with ears of corn, signed 'A. Erdmann'. $5800/make offer My suggestion would be to take away all the vases and Flow Blue pieces on and at the f.p. Replace with something akin to this bronze pair (no brass) and add a decorative fire screen with a bamboo surround and needlepoint inset (from 19th century)
Pair of Gilt and Patinated Bronze Lidded Antique Vases For Sale at 1stdibs · More Info
Pair of Gilt and Patinated Bronze Lidded Antique Vases For Sale at 1stdibs · More Info
Yikes! Now, it's time to update! Help Me, Please GET RID OF THE GOLD! · More InfoDesign2 girl thanked karen paul interiors 
kjoy1
3 years ago- PRO
Home Interiors with Ease
3 years ago - PRO
Flo Mangan
3 years agoHow about a pair of simple green vases. I looked for antique celadon but i think you will need deeper green. I know you love authentic pieces but the shape and color of these are nice and have the depth of color that works better with the woods and art.
Design2 girl thanked Flo Mangan niccidhg
3 years agoLove the look of sconces there - BUT, since you have indicated you are set with your overhead lighting , this flared shape vase might work. A pair of these with paired pillows on your chairs would give a lighter and brighter feel to that area, as well as a pop that is more unique in style from the rest of your pottery. This hand blown glass is not as subtle as the blues and greens in your painting and that, I think , would add a little life to the whole vignette. —- Love the greenery and a touch of brass/ gold down below.
Design2 girl thanked niccidhg- PRO
niccidhg
3 years agoWishing I could photoshop, but this might provide a better visual next to one another -
Design2 girl thanked niccidhg- PRODesign2 girl thanked Flo Mangan
- PRO
Flo Mangan
3 years agoEvery time i try to crop a picture when I go to place in the “sketch” it repositions the photo cutting off the bottom. So frustrating. This started happening after a update a couple back. I have tried “tricking” it hence all the white background. Best I can do.
Design2 girl thanked Flo Mangan niccidhg
3 years ago- PRO
- PRO
Flo Mangan
3 years ago - PRO
karen paul interiors
3 years ago - PRO
karen paul interiors
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoThese also from Ebay..made to look old and they've done a great job. Reasonably priced like the others...$487.50
Chinese Pair Blue & White Flower Birds Porcelain Temple General Jars cs4464 | eB · More Info - PRO
Flo Mangan
3 years agoI couldn’t find exactly the mirror but this is vision I have. A mirror like this.
- PRO
Flo Mangan
3 years ago - PRO
Home Interiors with Ease
3 years agoWell My first shot at this decor sketch tool! Urns are a bit big and would like them slimmer but couldn’t find any in the app..
kjoy1
3 years agolshack17
3 years agogreenfish1234
3 years agoallanaspree
3 years agoIf you want to keep your current fireplace setup (2 vases & greenery) you might want to go all the way with two cobalt blue ewer vases on mantle. Any cobalt blue in bonus room?
Design2 girl thanked allanaspreeraromeo
3 years ago
Seajay Sparkles
3 years ago- PRO
Home Interiors with Ease
3 years ago
hoovb zone 9 sunset 23