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catherine_sienna_marie

Traditional blue paint color for historic living room quandary

catherine_sienna_marie
11 months ago
last modified: 11 months ago

Hello,

I am having a paint quandary. I love Louise Townsend's living room and I am trying to emulate the wall color. It is a beautiful historic blue with tones of indigo, yellow, green and blue. In a magazine, "Cook's Blue" by Farrow & Ball was recommended as a close color for her walls. I think Cook's Blue lacks a lot of the prismatic depth of the color of her walls. Here are a few pictures of her room. Can anyone recommend a similar paint color? I will show you, too, what I have come up with for samples so far:







I took the lead of Cook's Blue (Farrow & Ball) from the magazine and began researching similar colors. The closest ones I found were Benjamin Moore's Lazy Sunday, and Behr's Empire Blue. I also looked at Valspar's Blue China (for a dark bright saturated traditional blue); Glass Sapphire (a true indigo); and Sherwin Williams' Prussian Blue for a dark indigo blue comparison. I am not really happy with any of these colors. They don't seem close. My husband is not a fan of any of them.


First, to get the lay of the land, please observe the entry way and the half wall and overwhelming whiteness of everything. Plan is to paint the living room some iteration of blue and the wall over the piano moss green, the dining room through the door by piano lighter moss green.





Next, the paint colors (so far).





Two other spots in the room:





We don't have art on the walls in this room yet, so whatever color is going to seem rather loud for a while. I don't think any of them look as deep or as teal as what I was trying to match. I'm open to any suggestions, but I want this room blue. The current color is close to Aegean Teal by Sherwin Williams. It's beautiful but not as saturated or bright as I would like, because I am trying to balance out the huge amount of white in the living room with the crown moulding, wainscoting and half wall, plus the bookcase (which I am also considering painting). Williamsburg Wythe Blue by Benjamin Moore is a couple shades brighter than the current room color. I am tired of things feeling washed out and wan, but maybe a more sedate color than any I picked is warranted... still blue, but less?


Also, I want something that goes well with Delft pottery/chinoserie. Pictured is the chandelier that we will be hanging eventually.



I hope this was as streamlined as possible. If you've made it with me this far, thank you for your interest and helpfulness.

Comments (60)

  • marmiegard_z7b
    11 months ago

    Do you plan to have a lot of the blue & white chinoiserie out on display, & where?

    Theoretically that is “ classic” and goes with quite a lot of other colors, but there are particular blues in it. So. you might want to be in same tonal family OR so different that it make a good and intentional contrast.

    You could put some on mantel by your swatches, or elsewhere you might expect to use it.

    catherine_sienna_marie thanked marmiegard_z7b
  • catherine_sienna_marie
    Original Author
    11 months ago
    last modified: 11 months ago

    @marmiegard_z7b I would like a lot of blue & white chinoiserie in the room, but for now with small children placement is limited. There is a Delft lamp in one corner (I used to have it displayed more prominently but again, kids), and there will be a Delft chandelier. I plan to have some blue & white potted plants on the half wall and end table.

    @houssaon Glass Sapphire was my favorite at first, too. It dried looking rather purple. Maybe it is just in comparison to these blues. The purple tone does not show up in the pictures I took, unfortunately. I am wondering if some of my samples were mixed properly, actually. Prussian Blue looks a lot darker on the wall than it does in the pictures.

    @Susie .There will be brown leather furniture, the red rug, Delft lamp and chandelier and flower pots, the black piano, gold mirror. Plan on adding gold framed art. Plan on obtaining a complimentary accent chair where the blue velvet wingback currently resides, maybe adding some chinoserie accent pieces to the top of the half wall. I *love* the Georgian Revival Blue color! I'm going to get a sample of that. The blues I used are too saturated for my taste, too... too monochromal. I like the more prismatic look of GRB.

    @RedRyder Strong natural afternoon and early evening light, soft ambient daylight other times of day.

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  • catherine_sienna_marie
    Original Author
    11 months ago

    Hello @Jilly, thank you for chiming in! It's nice to hear from you again! And thank you too, for solving my riddle! I tried to go on the Dulux website to order a sample of Jazz Blue but they don't appear to ship to the US. Do you know a way around that quandary? Otherwise, it seems like SW Dynamic Blue, BM Lake Tahoe & BM Sailor's Sea Blue are reasonable stand-ins. Worth a sample.

  • catherine_sienna_marie
    Original Author
    10 months ago

    Hi everyone,

    I've been experimenting, and have it narrowed down to 2 colors- Secure Blue by SW and Georgian Revival Blue by SW. Here are some pictures. What do you think?


    I found that I could not order Jazzy Blue by Dulux without a lot of rigmarole. Palace Blue by Benjamin Moore and North Pole Blue by Behr appear to be the closest analogues. I think they would likely be too much in my room, as we don't have much on the walls yet. Louise Townsend pulls it off beautifully but she's got a lot more bona fides under her belt than me.



    Left - Secure Blue

    Right - Georgian Revival Blue


    Right - Georgian Revival Blue

    Left - Secure Blue


    These 2 are the most accurate visually:


    Top - Georgian Revival Blue

    Bottom - Secure Blue


    Top - Georgian Revival Blue

    Bottom - Secure Blue




    Long strip that looks like Florida - Secure Blue

    Next swatch - GRB

    Next swatch - SB again



    Top - GRB

    Bottom - SB


    It's kind of difficult to get a good look at these paints because the samples are satin. I hate that. I also had them mixed at Lowe's and not at Sherwin Williams. They seem to look nothing like the online visualizer on SW's website.


    A couple more visuals.





    Thank you all.

  • RedRyder
    10 months ago

    If you have a lot of natural sunlight, you might want to go darker/deeper.

    The samples seem okay, but it's hard to judge when not inside the actual room. Georgian revival is better but both seem too bright.


    And any color you like should be able to be "matched" at a BM or SW store. But you'd have to buy a whole can.

  • Susie .
    10 months ago

    I also wish samples came in different sheens. In your room is the most important visualizer. I think either can work. How are your furnishings and accessories with the colors?

    catherine_sienna_marie thanked Susie .
  • catherine_sienna_marie
    Original Author
    10 months ago

    @Susie .The browns and whites in the room I think go with both, but I like the deeper blue of Secure Blue with them, I think.

    @RedRyder I agree with you, they do look too bright. I don't understand it, really. Can they be that off from the website/swatches/etc. if not mixed at Sherwin Williams? They don't look as bright on the website. See-


    Georgian Revival Blue





    Here is a picture of Secure Blue in someone else's house:




  • catherine_sienna_marie
    Original Author
    10 months ago

    Philipsburg Blue - SW



    Refuge - SW



    Labradorite - SW




    Maybe I should try some of these. Begining to wish I would have hired someone.

  • RedRyder
    10 months ago

    I like Labrodite. It feels more “historic”. I would try that one next.

    I have had this exact same experience. Colors don’t look as expected on MY wall. But don’t give up. The right blue will be found and it will give you the feeling you’re going for. It’s a good design plan. Implementing it is not happening in a straight line, but you’ll get there. Perhaps your brighter exposure is the challenge.

    catherine_sienna_marie thanked RedRyder
  • Susie .
    10 months ago

    The reflection from the satin may make it appear a bit lighter. It's possible that the paints are a little off, but probably not that likely. What's more likely is you're expecting a photo to match the results in your own home. They are almost always retouched and shot with different lighting conditions.


    Sherwin Williams will give you free advice from a designer. You can sign up online. It's definitely worth trying. It is very easy to go down a rabbit hole with color and it becomes frustrating quickly. I tried the service once just to see how it worked, and I was pleased. I ended up going with my original choice, but the designer they assigned me asked a lot of good questions and I felt was good at choosing color.


    The original color in the picture is much more saturated than the paints you have tried. Not a lot of people want to live with that much color, but if you do here are more options. I don't mean to drive you even crazier :) Home Depot carries PPG so they could mix you a sample of Quiet Night and I have found that they do a pretty good job matching BM colors if you want to try that one.


    catherine_sienna_marie thanked Susie .
  • Susie .
    10 months ago

    I know I said I didn't want to drive you crazy with more colors, but I can't help myself. Included Labradorite - it is even less saturated than the ones you have already tried. Turkish Tile is a little darker than GRB and Georgian Bay is a darker alternative to Secure Blue. I will shut up now.


    catherine_sienna_marie thanked Susie .
  • catherine_sienna_marie
    Original Author
    10 months ago

    @Susie .Ha, no, I really appreciate it! Thank you for your time and your suggestions. It is overwhelming, how many options there are... I was looking at Edward Bulmer's website, and I have read mixed things about how their natural paints apply to the wall. Some say you need many coats and it isn't long lasting, and it's so expensive so I decided not to go that route. But it is nice how everything is already selected for you.


    Yes, the colors have already worn on me. Too much color. Before, it was too little with the grey-blue wall, now it is too much. Georgian Revival Blue looks practically grey beside Jazzy Blue, it's shocking how bright it actually is. You can tell I am new at this paint stuff. How did you generate those images?


    @RedRyder Thank you for the encouragement! You have framed this positively and given me a good way to think about it going forward.

  • Susie .
    10 months ago

    I use a graphics program with the hex values (SW lists their hex values on their website). Again, it's deceiving because it's a monitor not a real wall but it helps me visualize some aspects of color, especially saturation.


    Copying a photo is the best way to drive yourself insane. Even the person who designed that room would probably advise you not to try to copy it because of all the variables. Your best bet is just to find something you like with your furnishings and lighting. No it's not any easier. Try the Sherwin Williams service - worst case you get more ideas, best case you find the perfect paint.


    I ended up with 15 quarts of yellow paint once. I had picked a color I thought would be perfect for a darkish living room and ordered a quart to test (the paint company didn't have samples - it was a long time ago). After painting it on the wall, it looked green, so I started having different samples mixed. Before long I was pulling out my hair. My husband looked at the first sample and said "that's a different color than you asked for". Indeed it had been mixed improperly. Took it back and had them mix it again. Turns out it was the perfect color after all.

  • thinkdesignlive
    10 months ago

    I give a third vote to Labradorite- here it is in a friends kitchen (before stool selection):

    catherine_sienna_marie thanked thinkdesignlive
  • HU-918119203
    10 months ago

    Prussian blue is of course not an exact match, but I love the color and think it looks much more traditional/historic than many of the brighter and teal-leaning options. I think those options may lean more modern in a room that is furnished in a considerably different way than the inspiration photo. I also prefer that blue with delft.

  • Hope Stewart
    10 months ago
    last modified: 10 months ago

    Do you have to change the color in that room? I don't mean to be obtuse, but I'm curious to know more about your desire to repaint the room? I really love the color you have in there and it seems to work really well with all your components. I understand your love of the inspiration room and desire to emulate that, but is there more to the desire to change color in that room? I totally get wanting a change. I just hope to encourage you that what you have is lovely and seems to work well, and it'd be ok to keep it for now if you can't find just the right new color. Additionally, it looks like the walls in the inspiration photo are somewhat subtly textured- perhaps its a colored plaster wall treatment vs simple paint? In which case matching that becomes even trickier! FWIW, I like the China Blue color you have already sampled on the wall along with Greek Revival Blue, and the Turkish Tile and Labradorite are also pretty colors, too!

  • catherine_sienna_marie
    Original Author
    10 months ago

    @thinkdesignlive Color is wild, in that island Labradorite looks almost navy, in the other pictures it looks like blue/yellow/grey.


    @HU-918119203 I did sample a Prussian Blue, it's in the original samples - most of which were awful! LOL. I did like it, but it's pretty dark. Do you know any lighter Prussian blues?


    @Susie .Oh my goodness, 15 qts of yellow paint, lol. Good eye, hubby! I'm glad he nipped that problem in the bud for you, because you would have been in for a sore disappointment, otherwise. Thank you for the encouragement to let go of copying someone else's room. I was so taken with the jewel-like hue of the walls and the beautiful brass and Delft all coming together. That is, I guess, a long-term goal of mine, but practically, you can see whre I am with that furnishings-wise.


    @Hope Stewart Thank you for your graceful and thoughtful comment--not at all obtuse! I do not indeed, have to change the color in the room, and there was another woman who commented above who encouraged me to keep the current wall color as well. It's called Blue Arrow by Valspar, and I do think it is tasteful! I suppose I contracted a case of the color bug... I wanted a more true and traditional/historic, less modern blue that my brown furniture would stand out against more, and that would look great with gold framed artwork as we collect it. I do think that for now I will repaint with Blue Arrow, and perhaps paint an accent wall past the half wall to satisfy the need for color. It's just too much grey and white everywhere with the half wall, wainscoting and foyer. The dining room is also grey. No warmth, doesn't feel like home, and with tall ceilings, that feeling is exacerbated.

  • catherine_sienna_marie
    Original Author
    10 months ago
    last modified: 10 months ago

    Edward Bulmer's Azurite became my inspiration after I realized that Jazzy Blue/Louise Townsend's room color was way too bright and not going to work in my space. Azurite to my eye, looks like the color I have (Blue Arrow by Valspar), but more a couple shades darker and more pigmented.

    https://www.edwardbulmerpaint.co.uk/product/natural-paint/azurite/

    I took the HEX code from the paint and matched it to the following (not a perfect system but I did cross compare with pictures and they're pretty close- a synthetic paint will have less dimension than a natural paint but I can't afford to import Edward Bulmer for now).


    Sherwin Williams - Refuge





    Sherwin Williams - Labradorite





    (Haha, this 2nd one is taken from a blog post entitled "Give me anything but grey" - yes!)


    Benjamin Moore - Philipsburg Blue



    1st column 2nd swatch - Philipsburg Blue


    Blueprint - Behr



    Aegean Blue - Behr


  • catherine_sienna_marie
    Original Author
    10 months ago




  • HU-918119203
    10 months ago

    I have to say, none of those blues except for Phillipsburg or maybe Labradorite look historic to me. If you're set on teal, I think your best bet would be to find a pretty, classic wallpaper incorporating that color, which would be consistent with the historic look you're after and would allow you to bring in the pattern that your inspiration photo has and your room currently does not. You seemed paralyzed by too many choices. No judgment, I've been there, but it's not very productive to waffle between 15 shades of the same color. I'd stick to the Farrow & Ball palette which is mostly historic inspired and offers a more curated set of colors (try Stone Blue, Selvage, or De Nimes).

  • A M
    10 months ago

    Not to add more confusion but I think SW Bunglehouse Blue would look nice




  • RedRyder
    10 months ago

    Yes! @AM - that’s the deeper blue I was envisioning.

    Catherine - don’t give up. Your vision is a good one. Implementing is super hard but once the right color comes along, you will be happy.

    Samplize may make it easier to “see” colors in your house. Can you get some of these from them?

    catherine_sienna_marie thanked RedRyder
  • blfenton
    10 months ago

    Have you chosen your moss green colour yet?

    catherine_sienna_marie thanked blfenton
  • A M
    10 months ago

    Another really beautiful color is Benjamin Moore Van Deusen Blue





    catherine_sienna_marie thanked A M
  • A M
    10 months ago



    catherine_sienna_marie thanked A M
  • PRO
    JAN MOYER
    10 months ago
    last modified: 10 months ago

    Forgive me, please.

    First: Are these the same room?



    Well. The hearth is nearly identical, they share white trim. But after that? They aren't the same unless we broaden the similarity to "traditional".

    No blue, I mean not a single one, is going to make the room with the DEEP red rug, and brown leather sofa and chair, and wood cocktail table feel as this Townsend room.

    Why...? The bright red/white rug, the patterned blue sofa, the Colefax and Fowler iconic chintz floral chair, the glass top open cocktail table .........are throwing light into the room with nary a light bulb employed.

    What about here? Look at the paint at the hearth area....does it look identical to the op's inspo pic? No It doesn't- it appears to have more green....a bit more teal flavored.


    What about this one......



    With this? Light...shadow..photography.......







    My point.......ASIDE from the fact that all of these op swatches tested above, clustered too close together, too many on a wall, is no way to test any paint color. It's like testing fragrance at the perfume counter. It equals nothing but confusion for the eye.

    Beyond that, the furnishings, the rug, the natural light, the artificial will alter perception of that color. Perception is the very important word. Better stated as your "sense" of the color.

    Unless the op is planning other significant changes within the space BEYOND massing gold framed art on the walls? All of the blues being sought are too bright, too vivid, too saturated to pull off "the look" in her home . To pull off THAT look, in that inspo picture. Do the room you have.

    Empty the room. Paint four walls Bunglehouse Blue.....and get on with it. I'd not go brighter than that, or risk the effect of a room simply trying too hard.

    On that topic? We used to have a joke in retail..."Does this go with this'"? .........."yeah.......as long as you PAID enough for both!"

    This cobbled, eclectic, collected jumble is specific to the look. It is layers, added over years with NO regard to "does it go"? But trust me. It was all darn expensive, deceptively so : ) More importantly.....? Much lighter, brighter elements reside within the room of lust.

    catherine_sienna_marie thanked JAN MOYER
  • catherine_sienna_marie
    Original Author
    10 months ago
    last modified: 10 months ago

    @A M Great suggestion with the Bunglehouse Blue, thank you.

    @bfelton No, I have not found a shade of moss green that is quite right. I tried Iverness by SW but I think Oakmoss might be closer. I am also considering painting the wall behind the half wall a light brown. I am considering Sassafras Tea by Valspar, Tea Chest by Sherwin Williams or Roadhouse Tavern by Valspar for the brown.

    @JAN MOYER Thank you for your insightful comment! Indeed, emulating Townsend's room was too aspirational. We are just starting out... far from her mature accumulated style as yet. It isn't evident from the picture of our living room with the hearth, but the foyer leading into the living room is filled with white trim, wainscoting and woodwork. One of the living room walls is 3/4 windows, the hearth wall is 1/2 windows. I thought that is why a brighter blue would work, but perhaps the brown furnishings and red rug simply do it in. For a better sense of the space-

    (Not staged - weary from kids)






    (the painting has since been hung yes)

  • PRO
    JAN MOYER
    10 months ago
    last modified: 10 months ago

    I think there's nothing wrong with aspiring to a look or feel. Personally? The lifetime of accumulation in those inpos's might drive me a bit mad, and any sane cleaning help would simply quit.

    You've a very cottage craftsman feel in your home, you have young children. YOU are undoubtedly young. I'd go a bit younger, fresher , but that's me : )

    I will confess I do not SEE the need for blue, and I don't see the need for moss. I might even consider Hale Navy in the living room.....and a brighter, clearer green ( more granny apple ) in the dining room. With lots of white trim ? Hale Navy, while deep and dark ? Often makes a room feel much brighter, and yes.....larger.

    No paint is forever. Also..... don't be shocked if your style changes quite a bit over the years. Life is funny that way : )

    catherine_sienna_marie thanked JAN MOYER
  • Beerpocketbook
    10 months ago

    Blues are so tricky - I have a house full of them. And the lighting changes them constantly. The varying shades tend to complement each other, though. I would suggest settling on one blue that you happen to like the best and stop trying to match the blue from photographs of a room from someone else’s home. Put your mind at ease that it will become YOUR blue room with your own personality. The “feel” will be something that only YOU can interject. Your home is beautiful even with paint splotches all over the walls. Go with your gut as you stand in each room and forget about what anybody else has - that’s how the rooms acquire your personality.

    catherine_sienna_marie thanked Beerpocketbook
  • blfenton
    10 months ago

    I would start by choosing a colour for the entry way (where the piano is) and go from there for the living room and dining room. And those moss green colours are just too dark and cave like.

    Do you know what the white colour is in the entryway?

  • catherine_sienna_marie
    Original Author
    10 months ago

    I did try Labradorite and Bunglehouse Blue but they looked too dark, mostly slate grey on the wall. I know it is rather bold but I did decide to go with Georgian Revival Blue. I just really love the color. It's deep, jewel-like, multi-faceted with yellows, greens and blue all together. I also tried Stone Blue and almost went with it. I got a sample mixed up at Lowe's. Stone Blue would also be gorgeous but my personal preference was for the slightly more saturated blue.


    @blfenton I chose Tea Chest by Sherwin Williams for the area where the piano is, but not the mud room area where you enter the house. I think I will do a light coral or barely pink there. It was not white before, but grey - Agreeable Grey.


    @Beerpocketbook Thank you for the encouragement. I did decide to go with the Georgian Revival Blue. I haven't started painting this room yet, but I did paint the accent wall behind the columns Tea Chest by Sherwin Williams.



  • catherine_sienna_marie
    Original Author
    10 months ago


    Tea Chest by Sherwin Williams on the entryway wall. Plan is to paint the ceiling an off white.

    If anyone has any opinions as to how to eliminate the samples that can still be seen under the Tea Chest, I am all ears and rather abashed. I thought because I purchased a dark color and sprang for best SW product (Emerald, which is supposed to be include primer), it would cover them. I LOVE the color! Just have to figure out this next hiccup.

    After

    Before


  • gigi4321
    10 months ago
    last modified: 10 months ago

    I think what Jan said is spot on. You have "winter" furnishings which will not change with "spring/summer" paint. Think of wearing a summer sun dress topped with a fur coat. But the opposite. First I think you need to decide on what you want your living room to "feel" like. Warm, dark, cozy winter, or light, happy, colorful spring. Your living room feels like a place to curl up in front of a fire with a hot cup of cocoa. The inspo pic looks like a place to sit on a summer day with a cold glass of ice tea. If you changed your furnishings you could have that look. But your furnishings dictate the "feel." I hope this wasn't too harsh. Your home is so lovely I'm sure anything you do will look great.

    Eta It doesn't need to be absolutely one or the other, you could have a blend, but your largest furniture will set the scene somewhat.

    catherine_sienna_marie thanked gigi4321
  • RedRyder
    10 months ago

    Unfortunately, the paint samples now require you to do another coat. They are slightly visible.

    All of your stunning white wainscoting does brighten the house, so some darker colors will work in those areas.

    Jan gave us all a great Decor 101 class and her comments about the inspiration room are helpful. She’s right about keeping your house feeling “young”. When you mentioned pink I thought the right shade of pink would be helpful towards your goal of brightening the place, but I have no idea if it will look wrong with the colors you are posting about.

    catherine_sienna_marie thanked RedRyder
  • Susie .
    10 months ago

    Is that two coats of Tea Chest or just one? I hate to say it, but you may have to prime the wall and paint again. In my experience, the all-in-one with primer isn't really a great primer, especially if you're painting over paint with a red hue. I like the Tea Chest against your white wainscoting.

    catherine_sienna_marie thanked Susie .
  • catherine_sienna_marie
    Original Author
    10 months ago
    last modified: 10 months ago

    @RedRyder Thank you! Yes, it is stunning white. I almost want to paint it off white or even a sand dollar beige. But we'll see how it all turns out, first. It makes sense to keep it looking young insofar as affluence tends to correlate with age and if you go for too much of a bold paint color it's going to look embarrasing with your lack of fine appointments. Jan seems to really know what she is talking about.

    @Susie . One coat of Tea Chest. The wall behind it was grey before, and the samples that are still taunting us were for the most part, greens of various shades. Do you still think prime? Yea, ha, they say it covers, and then when you complain, they're like, "Oh yea we don't say it covers in one coat." Hmmm. Haha. Thank you, I love Tea Chest color.

  • PRO
    JAN MOYER
    10 months ago

    I'm confused................?

    What's the reason for the dark color over the piano?


    After all of these, which is NO way to test any paint color?




  • Susie .
    10 months ago

    I have never been able to paint over a red without a really good primer. Even pink. I hate to tell you to start from scratch - maybe another coat will do it? Ask your friends at Sherwin-Williams. In the future, I would get Samplize or paint your own foam boards. It's much easier to imagine how things will look and you can move them around from wall-to-wall and put them behind furniture, etc. And of course you don't have to worry about painting over them.

    catherine_sienna_marie thanked Susie .
  • RedRyder
    10 months ago

    Crisp white wainscoting is good. I wouldn’t necessarily change it to cream unless you have a burning need to do that.

    Try a second coat on the wall behind the piano. And definitely invest in Samplize or poster board for future paint evaluations as @Susie said.

    catherine_sienna_marie thanked RedRyder
  • catherine_sienna_marie
    Original Author
    9 months ago
    last modified: 9 months ago

    @gigi4321 Good advice! Thank you for your conscientiousness, but not too harsh at all. I was going for something "celestial" on the wall, something transcendent, I guess. It isn't the most congruent with the current furniture, true. I am a bit obsessed with English blues. Little Green's Blue Verditer and Airforce Blue are perfect to me, Azurite by Edward Bulmer, Stone Blue by F&B, they're all similar - albeit, Stone Blue is pretty grey by comparison. I'm hoping the GRB will be a muted enough version of those crisp English blues to work in the space, especially as it is embellished over time. I am stopping short of Robin's Egg blue, at least. :-) Credit where it is due, everyone? lol.

    @RedRyder I stayed in a historical home in Williamsburg that had color everywhere. Painted trim, walls, wallpaper everywhere. Goldenrod living room, Williamsburg Wythe blue trim, as one example. So cozy. I loved it. But I think you're right to leave it white for the forseeable future. It's an airy room, especially with the columns which I think impart some grandeur... I want to be cozy in this room but also go with the flow of its beauty.

    These are from Kenwood House in London (no, I did not take them FWIW).

    I thought it was an interesting idea to paint the doors like this. I don't know if there's some way I could incorporate that strategy into reducing some of the white in the foyer area, but that is a distant project if so. (Not the same colors in the picture oc.)





    ^ Very similar wall color to Dulux, Jazzy Blue, or Benjamin Moore's Palace Blue, or Valspar's Crisp French Blue.


    Here's another cool example of that kind of thing. There's probably a word for this type of painting the paneling? Hm.



  • catherine_sienna_marie
    Original Author
    9 months ago

    @Susie . I noticed that where I cut in with the paint brush, I couldn't see the samples through. Where I rolled, I could. So I decided to try to cover it with a coat with the paint brush in a sample area, let it dry, and then make the decision to prime or to do a second coat.

  • RedRyder
    9 months ago

    I think rolling doesn’t put as much paint on the wall as using a brush. I’m hoping your recent addition of more paint (brushed on) will cover the samples spot.

  • catherine_sienna_marie
    Original Author
    9 months ago

    @RedRyder It turned out really well after I hand painted over the swatches and rolled on another coat. All better!

    As for the living room that began this thread, that's still a work in progress.



  • RedRyder
    9 months ago

    Glad the next coat did the trick.

  • RedRyder
    6 days ago

    Any updates? Did you ever paint the living room?

  • lawsonch19
    4 days ago

    I love the Georgian Revival Blue for your room Please post "After" photos!


  • catherine_sienna_marie
    Original Author
    4 days ago

    Hi everyone! Thank you for following up. We did finally paint the room a couple of months ago. Here are some pictures! We went with Georgian Revival Blue from Sherwin Williams, in the eggshell finish, the zero VOC ProMar product. It is a little darker than the sample; I think because of the particular ProMar emulsification. I wish it were a touch brighter, but it's really beautiful. :) It looks less cyan and more slate blue in person... something about my phone camera.

    I ordered new pillow covers in reds, pinks, greens and whites. I'm waiting on them to arrive. :) I'll post another picture when they're here. And then otherwise it's wall art from there.








  • catherine_sienna_marie
    Original Author
    4 days ago

    We're going to put The House that Jack Built in the entryway, or paint it pink - haven't decided.

    Also just had the junction box moved to the center of the room so that we can hang the chandelier soon. (Picture of chandelier in original 1st post)

  • Hellogardener
    3 days ago

    Wonderful progress. Please keep us posted!

    catherine_sienna_marie thanked Hellogardener
  • Jilly
    3 days ago

    Catherine, great paint color choice! It looks so beautiful.

    Thanks for showing us. :)

    catherine_sienna_marie thanked Jilly