Read through the string of emails and found them very interesting...some facts and some experiences; I own a factory finish company (www.aciprefinish.com) I also field painted for 20 years prior to factory finishing. James Hardie sure did put fiber cement on the 'map' and they really helped my business by promoting factory finished siding (They call Color plus); and the fact is there is no way when I painted in the field I could equal or even come close to the quality, uniformity and 'total' board paint coverage a factory can provide. I certainly would not get caught up on the drying process; ACI has done both and a 'baked' on finish is simply for the manufacture to dry quicker, pack quicker and sell you quicker...the saying '... I don't get paid to watch paint dry' is very true. Air dry is the best, just takes longer; air dry allows the paint to penetrate the surface much better providing a deeper first coat base. Color plus is also sprayed on...ok but not the best; flood coat brushes the coating into the pores and specific to our process we have 6 brushes moving and pushing paint into the siding pores; in addition we 'wrap' around the back side edge of the board this further insures back side pressure from your home does not 'push' or 'pop' the coating, just more quality at no extra charge that most will never see or know about. Color should never be an issue though unfortunately a National company can not have every color in stock... locals like ACI can...over 1001 colors. If you are looking for fiber cement there are 4 brands to choose from; again Hardie is very well marketed though we found quality improvements in other brands, lower costs and better warranties. Really splitting hairs if 'we' beat on any one brand...they all have issues and benefits; I recommend looking closely at the texture grain, choose one and then do your research on warranty, price etc. Lastly, someone mentioned installers liking or not liking the installation process of factory finished - red flag if they don't like; our coatings are hard, our touch up comes from the exact batch we painted all your siding with...move on to the next contractor; at the end of day your getting the best coating process when factory finished. This should cost you less and your the one that will be living in your home and YOU should enjoy a long term coating with out having any maintenance concerns for 25 years (with ACI)less with the nationals. Good luck...believe in the process! Tim C President. Here is a link that might be useful: Architectural Coatings Inc.

What's your budget for sprucing to sell? Rather than painting the cabinets, you could get new doors and veneer the frames - there are internet sources for the supplies that cost a lot less than the companies that sell that service, and it's not a difficult DIY project. Replacement framed shower doors can be gotten stock from HD pretty inexpensively. The tile being neutral is probably good for resale - I'd take that as the color pallette and make it look planned. What color is the counter top - looks like an ivory - that would work with beige neutrals, too. If you can change the cab doors and frame to a stained wood that blends and a beige/ivory neutral scheme, then you could use a couple of 'staging props' of green and have it looks like the planned 'spa naturals' trend. That would go well with the Green Tea MB, I think. I'd definitely change out the big mirrors - I still see them on Houzz from time to time, but to me they really look like the 80's without a frame. Cutting them down to allow you to frame them with picture moulding (stained to match cab's) on the sides and top is an inexpensive option, too, that could be made to look 'custom planned'. It's no harder to cut mirror than any other type of non-tempered glass, just remember to stop by a hobby shop first and pick up some fixative to spray on the mirrored back before cutting (this keeps the mirror finish from being damaged.) Decorative moulding to make the frames is also pretty inexpensive at HD and Lowes, and mitering for the corners is also pretty easy. Just a few ideas off the top - not exciting, I know...

To answer your direct questions: Put the darker color behind the bed headboard and then decide if you want one accent wall (usually a lot of contrast) or if you want to have two walls each color. The Santorini Blue is not baby blue, but I would put a color swatch in your room to see how it looks in different light if you decide to go in that direction. Glass Slipper is more ice blue than baby blue. I LOVE the Santorini blue, but thought it was too dark to have on all four walls. Your bedding is very neutral and very pretty. When I look at it I think "irredesence" or opal. Everyone does this differently, but I tend to decide what I want a room to FEEL like and then go from there. For our bedroom I thought "sleeping in the clouds". Hence, I have blues, whites, creams and beige. For our bathroom I wanted "beach spa". I also suggest you look through the bathroom pictures on the bathroom forum. I found several inspirational rooms that worked with the tile and cabinets we had. I think one of the reasons you are struggling is that you are working with "what matches" instead of what look do I love. Love something, make it work in your room. Having said that, I think your tile would work well with blues, tans or many of the greiges. Whatever you decide, you are likely going to need an accent color since your bedding has wonderful texture, but only one color. Again, look at the bathroom forums pictures and here in gallary under "bathrooms". Which rooms catch your breadth or you say to yourself, "I want that feeling". Good luck!

I was just going to add I'm glad your DH went and bought the actual BM Manchester Tan. I too have learned the hard way not to attempt to match BM paint colors with other brands. It's not that other brands don't have good paint, its the way BM colors are made. You can probably match just about any other paint brand color with a BM paint, but it really is not a good idea to take a BM paint color and match to a different brand. My BM Elmira White match with a SW paint turned out with ugly pink undertones which I didn't catch until everything had been painted and then it couldn't be undone. I've had to live with it for years thinking it was just not the right paint color only to get the actual BM paint and find that no, it was the SW match. The real BM color is beautiful and I will now be repainting with it unless I choose another color. It's frustrating because most painters work with SW paint because it is easy to find. But I love BM and will just have to pay up for it.