I know what you saying ladies, it's always good to have an extra opening. I guess the way they looking at it if you awake, you can hear the smoke alarm and have enough time to escape simply put... If you sleeping you might not hear the alarm, and by the time you hear it and wake up, it could be too late, so each sleeping room must have an additional escape route or rescue entry point so the fireman can climb in and out wearing full gear. I can see in NY this being enforced more because most houses are attached and even single family homes are semi-attached or separated by the driveway... not to mention they make any hole in the wall habitable because they rent them for 1k a month... You see basements with a stove next to a bed and table and a clothes hanger and they get 1000- 1500 a month.

Before we sold our last home, I had a really excellent painter come in and paint the bedrooms, a few walls of our great room, our home office, and the entryway in Dover White by Sherwin Williams. He loved it and actually used it on a few subsequent projects. We also loved it. My kitchen and dining area were in a color called "green plum passion" by valspar, and the Dover White complemented this color as well. I think it would look great with a satin white trim and a bright white ceiling. We had similar color tile to what you have on your kitchen floor, which went well with the Dover White. A friend recently painted her condo (which is an interior unit and doesn't get a ton of light) in Sherwin Willams 9109 Natural Linen. She says when she buys/builds her next house she'll use it everywhere... Hope these thoughts are helpful.

Sarah said she wants to reduce the number of colors on her walls but not get rid of color completely, so I don’t think that warm white walls throughout would make her happy. I’d paint Benjamin Moore Whispering Spring (2136-70), a light aqua, on all walls (including the brown ones) except possibly in the dining room. The current aqua color you have is a pretty color but is just too bright. A more muted, subdued (i.e. less saturated) color would look much better. Dark wall colors can look great in rooms with little natural light! I’d look at either Summer Nights (777), a dark blue, or Travers Red (CW-345), both Benjamin Moore, for the dining room. Both are bold choices but neither is harsh. Either would look nice with Whispering Spring. You’d have to see how they would look with your slate floor, furnishings, and rug- it’s really hard to judge online. I would use no more than two colors and get rid of the brown. If you like Whispering Spring, you could use it on all walls. I’m not familiar with Sherwin-Williams colors so I can’t make any suggestions there. Again, look at colors that are more muted (grayed, subdued) and remember that even light colors look brighter when painted on the walls than on a little color chip. When you narrow down your choices, consider ordering a few from Samplize (shipping is free if you order at least three).

I love a good creamy color. My favorite color combo, right now, is cream and white. So, without seeing photos or knowing anything about YOUR style and vision, I would generally love to see the moldings all be white. White molding and trim and white doors. I just like the ability to change colors in a particular room, and have the whole house cohesiveness with the white trim. As an FYI, using a % dilution of paint color doesnt necessarily create a lighter version of that color. Expertshave explained in these forums multiple times, that it creates a whole new color. So, be careful with that.