I know what you mean about starting from scratch. Not a new house for me, but renovating a lower level and not planning to use anything pre-existing. All new drywall, all new flooring, no furniture or window treatments to work from. I sort of figured out that wood treatments (something we aren't getting rid of) and flooring would be our starting point. Got the tile picked this week. Used it plus a piece of wood trim to get our paint picked. We'll have the walls primed by the middle of next week and then check the paints. Meanwhile, I'm going around now with the BM paint sample strips (the ones that are about 8" x 5"), a piece of tile, and the wood trim piece and tire-kicking on possible fabrics for furniture pieces. 1. So, will you have wood elements? (Floor, built-ins, baseboards or trim?) Mine's golden oak! That's the only pre-existing thing on this lower floor. In addition, there's golden oak hardwood flooring on the stairs down to this level and elsewhere in the house. It's not something we will change. It's a bit tricky to work with, but it is a given for us. 2. Have you selected flooring type(s)? We're switching to tile with a heating layer or element beneath. It's pretty pricy, so it doesn't make sense for a paint color to dictate our floor. Since it's tile, I'm sure hoping it's permanent. Elsewhere in this project I'll also have carpet, but it will be a neutral beige, and doesn't play in as urgently. Our new floor will be tile over a heating element. We've chosen Terra Antica in the color called Oro. We also plan to remove a skimpy brick hearth and use our tile plus a few decorative tile touches to modernize the fireplace. 3. Drag what you've got around with you and begin to get an idea about the paint. Plan to try it out before final selection. The paints I'm considering are sort of two ways of thinking about the same thing. I know I want a pretty greyed blue with a hint of green (or the other way around) as one of my colors. But do I want it: a. On the walls, or b. In furnishings and accents. The paint colors that seem to work best at the paint store with the tile and wood trim piece are BM Mount Saint Anne or one lighter BM Beach Glass The small decorative tile border has one square that has this blue-grey color (or near enough). It's just a hint, but a nice touch. If I go with walls in this color, then I'm thinking neutrals for a sectional or main seating sofa. / love seat. Pillows will pick up the blue and a toffee / soft terracotta color. I'm also considering BM Toffee Cream. It looks great with the tile, picking up one of its colors very closely. Blues would contrast with it beautifully ... at least I think they would?! I have, by the way, no clue whether my process of deciding makes any sense. I may just be living in a semi-delusional state and all these choices will prove to be wrong! Wellspring

I love florentine plaster and I think it will look great in the lr. I am not as sure about the Sandy Hook Gray but I haven't seen it in a room. It feels a tad dark for the fireplace-- but again, that's based on just the paint chip. I would do the trim in off white. A different trim color helps define the room boundaries. I am not sure how/where you'd use a third color. I'd bring in a third (or more) accent colors in your furnishings, art, etc.

I vote for Cordovan Brown - assuming that pic is true to what the stain color really is. There is a LOT of gray in it, which means it would blend nicely with gray siding. On the other hand, a semi-transparent gray stain is going to let some of the wood tone and texture through anyway. What Cat said above - test it and consider fence to match.

Be sure to research pros and cons of using paint on redwood vs solid stain. My house has cedar siding that was neglected. I had to replace some damaged wood, so I chose a solid acrylic siding stain (Cabot) to cover everything up. It has a matte finish (not my favorite), but I am pretty sure it’s not going to peel. It goes on like paint, sinks into the wood, and covers really well with 2 coats. It will need refreshing every five years. I don’t expect it to need scraping or a lot of prep like the peeling paint I see on houses near me. If you choose a stain, you will be limited to midtone and darker colors. They have a whiter base, I think, but it got bad reviews IIRC. You can call them for color suggestions. I am using sagebrush, which is a very organic green that changes with light. My house tends to disappear into the landscape, which was the goal. They probably have colors that will blend with your stone.