I am just here to say that.... wow. I found this thread an hour ago via a Google search. BM has samples 50% off right now for 1/2 a pint so its like 2.99 a piece and with Free Shipping.. Sounded like a really good deal, as i paid $18 (on sale, in addition to borrowing my dad's small discount he recieves for using his store loyalty rewards card) for a pint this morning of another equally consistently good paint that ive used. I have been flipping furniture and doing a lot of DIY type things, as well as am an artist with an educational background in color and how paints have historically been created (and marketed)- for extra money since the pandemic happened. And yes - paint has gotten so expensive. I understand the quality and work that goes into developing the higher end paints and the skill in those that use it for way bigger jobs than i do. And in totally respect that. But In regards to what I need it for- I simply cannot pay $30-80 a quart. I will buy samples and mess-ups all day long as cheap as I can find them. I will literally choose the color I am going to use based soley on what's cheapest. And that's only because this is like a hobby that occasionally will make me some really good extra money. I don't depend on it as my main job- so I'm definitely not in the same position many of you are. But when I saw the discrepancy in price, it made me pause and do some googling. i think i typed in "why are bm samples so cheap and are they the same paint they sell?" And the very first link Google gave me was this thread. I have learned more in the last 1.5 hours (9 years for you guys) about paint most people will ever know. Like, EVER. Y'all are some dedicated and highly intelligent people and I never knew there was so much misinformation to customers, unregulated practices among businesses, opposing opinions among companies and professionals, nor did i know there were people like Lori who is still showing up after 9 years to answer people's questions and provide answers and solutions. I'm just very impressed with this whole thread right now. I work in the Anti-trafficking movement and I though we were persistent 🤣 It's just super cool to see people caring so much about their work, each other, their industry and its just nothing like I ever would've expected. keep up the good fight. We'd love to have some of you bring this dedication and commitment to excellence and holding your industry accountable on over to help us fight. We could all learn from folks like you 🥰

Sounds like your foyer is a high traffic area, so durability is important too. I had a neighbor who had the same dark woodwork, skimpy trim, & dirty linen white walls in her home. She had some money to work with, so I was sure she'd redo the home top to bottom. Instead, she left the woodwork as is, painted every room a fresh coat of Benjamin Moore Linen White, changed out the bland floor tile to rustic terra cotta pavers, and brought in color through French Country fabrics (sunny golds, burgundy & bright blues). She then filled the house with a few choice French antiques, and it was stunning. I couldn't believe how she made dark woodwork, skimpy molding & plain Linen White walls look so beautiful. So taking a cue from my genius ex-neighbor: 1. Your wood doors are actually pretty & should stay. Better quality doorknobs will make them special. 2. Keep the trim. If you change it, it won't be consistent with the rest of the house and you'll have to make changes elsewhere or else the foyer trim will look out of place. Don't paint it white. It will still look like skimpy trim. Command attention elsewhere: 3. Replace the tile. The bland tile in the foyer grabs most of the visual attention. You don't really see the walls so much. Put your money into replacing the flooring with a rustic paver or stone that has a beautiful texture. That will add instant character to the space & will fit in with whatever decor is in the adjoining rooms. 4. Interesting lights will also attract your eye & add character. Here are some great semi-flush mount lights in a variety of prices: semi-flush mount lights. That fabulous light in the foyer makeover blog sells for $689, but there are similar styles for less. 5. Bring color in with some nicely framed art or even some extra sparkle with a beautiful mirror. I've done a mock-up. My software isn't very sophisticated, so it's a bit crude. But you get the idea at least. I painted the door French blue on a whim so you can see how well that color works with the brown wood. And I added a glitzy light because I'm a sucker for glitzy things :) If you like the light too, I've added a link for it. Here is a link that might be useful: glitzy hall light

I don't color match from brand to brand and I don't try to customize, personally. Since I have tended not to fully repaint, ever, in a different colors (I've moved first, I guess) --I want complete reproducibility, because I do touch up. I couldn't find exactly what I wanted in Benjamin Moore for particular room this time and that's when I went to Fine Paints of Europe, there, and that meant buying a fandeck, too. What this means is, if I am committed to using a particular paint brand, and I can't find exactly the shade in say, Behr, that I would prefer in Benjamin Moore, I will use the "close enough" in Behr. (This would be if I were picking paint for someone else--I would use BM or FPE but many people will not spend the money). Because quite honestly, I don't think that you can really tell the difference between two subtle differences in paint color if an entire room is painted in it and you are not comparing one swatch to the next. If you have no point of reference to what the exact color is, I don't think anybody could walk into a room that had one of two very close paint colors and say "this is X, not Y" And I get an almost perfect score on those color discernment tests where you have to separate and line up different shades in order. However, if you custom mix or have had color matches made that are not a specific formula within a paint brand, it can be almost impossible to get a match from mix to mix if you need to touch up.

Color is always so much fun when it comes to remodeling! Chantilly Lace is a very bright white (High Hide) color. It's beautiful! I usually recommend that people reserve this color for baseboards and woodwork. However, if you love it for your walls, you could always decrease the sheen on the walls and increase the sheen for the woodwork. It will give the illusion of two different colors (both white) but still allow your woodwork to pop! Here is a blog post that is loaded with ideas that may help. Have Fun! 2023 Trending Ideas