Oh, Olive -
That sounds exactly right. It's so simple, but an idea I had never really allowed to solidify in my brain. A more simple design is perceived as more modern. Even Shaker has a clean modern aspect to it, to my mind. The room faces north and it is used mostly at night. I'm sitting here with my Benjamin Moore paint samples saying, okay warm vanilla - where are you?
I was too embarrased to admit before, but I slid a long dark-stained stick through the sleeves of my mother's 1960 off the shoulder satin wedding dress with a huge skirt and I have it mounted on the largest wall. In a simpler room with some sort of lighting that could by so much cooler than it is now because I have the wall cluttered up with other things. I'm going to take everything off that wall except that!
Yippee - I think I'm on my way!
Thanks everybody!
Making it a room you'll love.
You do sound like you are 'on your way'. But I caution, the best interiors reflect the person who lives there. Be careful that the feelings you have in missing your mom don't make the space hers and not yours. Hanging only the dress on one wall is indeed a modernist interpretation, but the statement it makes more 'shrine than 'living space'. I don't mean to be hurtful, just realistic here.
North light is cool and bluish. Any color you put on the wall is going to be affected by that factor. For example, pinkish white will look more lavender. Yellow white will look greenish. I'd suggest you go with a slightly brow/yellow white to counteract the bluishness, but you'll have to do tests. Put the swatches on the wall that receives the North light and take a look. Since you use the room mostly at night this is the only wall that will likely be affected and only for part of the day. I'll go pull out my Ben Moore chips, I have the complete set and have a look too. The type of lighting in the room will play a factor in this as well. You're best to use incandescent and halogen mixed, I think.
Also, James has the right of things with his window treatment ideas, to my way of thinking.
You Have Really Made Me Think.
Thanks for your words. I do think I've been influenced by trying to respect my mother by respecting the things that were important to her. I would feel the same way about her if I had nothing physical of hers so making the space my own is not a disservice to her. Wow, who thought this thread would turn into an emotional revelation?
I looked at Lemon Ice, Easter Lily and White Chocolate last night. What do you think of those?
I'm glad I didn't offend you.
I do understand the desire to honor a loved one's memory by honoring their things. But ultimately too many things weigh you down, keep you rooted in the past and in grief. I am a professional organizer, I deal with this sort of emotional attachment to objects all the time with my clients. It is good that you realize that the objects are not the memory. Display one or two things and indeed you will feel a stronger connection to your mom, as the singular objects will make a much greater impact when displayed by themselves in places of honor. Rotate them and you'll always feel a fresh connection.
Now for color: None of the colors you mention are a good choice to my way of thinking. They are all cool yellows. Lemon Ice indicates that just in the name! Look at the rest of the colors on the strips. They all turn into greens. Green is not a good idea for this room.
You want a warm brown-y yellow-y tone, of which the base tone is called yellow oxide or ochre. These will work well with the red-brown woodwork and balance the cool northern light. Also don't make the mistake of thinking you need to select the lightest tone on a color strip. The room has dark woodwork, gets little light and you use it mostly at night. Trying to make the room look 'bright and airy' will fail. Instead go for enveloping and cozy. Think of the glow from a candle and run with that.
Here's some of my thoughts:
There's one colorway strip that I just love all of. The 2154 group. For you, I think 2154-70 Vanilla Ice Cream, 2154-60 Filtered Sunlight, or 2154-50 Straw. Straw is just a gorgeous, gorgeous color, I recommend it a lot. I have client that used it in her kitchen and it looks just so delicious. There's a Farrow and Ball color called Pastry Crust or something like that which is similar and also a completely yummy color. A couple of other Ben Moore strips to look at are the 2159 and the 2165 groups. Let me know what you think.
Filtered Sunlight
I really love Straw and Filtered Sunlight. I'm actually surprised at how much I like Straw but I'm afraid I can't commit. (I spent my formative years steeped in Early American and there was a lot of ochre and harvest colors around. So, Filtered Sunlight might be it.
I have a dining room with a lot of windows separated from this living room by an arch and at the other end of the room there is a small room with lots of windows. Perhaps I could paint one of them in straw. They have 9' ceilings instead of the 14' in the living room.
Eww Harvest Gold
That was a very bright gold color, not soft and greyed like the Straw is. Don't worry, you'd never feel 1960's Americana with the Straw, it's soft, but still interesting. However, I like the idea of connecting your rooms with the varying shades of Straw and Filtered Sunlight. The design of rooms leading to another and another is a French term called 'enfilade', which translates to 'in file' or 'in line'. Designers often utilize color to connect or surprize the eye in rooms arranged like this. Think of what it would be like if you were in your living room looking through the dining room to the room at the end and it's a vibrant red or something like that and you are looking past golden-toned walls. It would be quite interesting to look at. And you bring that far room all the way back into your living room just with the color!
Also, I agree with AzC, the names are meant to invoke a response and make you think that certain colors connect to a certain life style, that's bull-hockey. Certainly, some colors are associated with certain design styles, but that's not what the paint companies do, they focus the names on lifestyle. My ceiling in my very modern abode is painted a historic color with a quaint name, I didn't even think about the name. Just ignore them and pick what look/feels good to you.
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