Gray Cabinets

Fieldstone Sally Wheat' s Kitchen  via Cote de Texas

The main bath of our house is in need of an update. When we bought the house, we planned to replace certain things which we could not spec with the builder. So, in went the basic cabinets, because glazed cabinets were not available as an "optional upgrade."

Vapor Trails Casa Verde Design

Those are my two least favorite words in the vernacular of regional builders.

Contemporary Bathroom by Toronto Interior Designers & Decorators AM Dolce Vita

The bathroom upstairs was decked out in a neutral colored vinyl. It gave the appearance of tile, similar to this. But with that all important forgiving nature that vinyl has when young hands drop, well anything!

Now that those young hands have matured, it is time for an "upgrade". 

One of the first things to go was the shower curtain, while not all the way to Disney, was still a bit too juvenile. We chose the Striped Shower Curtain in Dusty Navy.

After making this choice, the paint could be chosen, based on what coordinated best with the white in the shower curtain. We auditioned quite a few colors, and settled on...

AF 15 Steam

AF-15, Steam. We are now in the process of choosing a tile, the marble mosaic tile made the room a bit too white, we felt as though we'd gone snow blind. The tile below is the current favorite. The look is similar to the tile in the second picture above.

Metro Gris

We are planning on painting the vanity.  Pigeon Gray, Fieldstone Gray and Vapor Trails are current favorites. 

Segreto Finishes

Have to admit that a glazed finish keeps giving me a siren call. 

What I am pinning this week - Paints

My pins are focusing on paints this week. I usually paint in Benjamin Moore. The color is true to the chip, and it doesn't spatter, no new hair color for me! I have painted in Ralph Lauren and in Pratt and Lambert as well. But I always come back home to Benjamin Moore.

Steam AF-15 on stairs, Collingwood 50% on walls via West of the City

I love the freshness of this foyer. The Steam is just a bit lighter than the Collingwood which has been mixed at 50 percent.

Furlow Gatewood via Veranda

Furlow Gatewood's Beautiful gray doors inspire me. I don't know the color, but pigeon gray looks close.

Simply White, OC-117: Homebunch

I pinned this beautiful kitchen, in Simply White OC-117, both for the beautiful paint color and the timeless appeal of the medium wood floor, the marble and the leather island. 

Dragon's Breath, 1547 from A Well Dressed Home

I love this door in Dragon's Breath, 1547

Berber White, 955, via Homebunch

Back when everything was a bit browner, I used Benjamin Moore Berber White 955, as a trim color. Now, I want it as a wall color, somewhere.

Paint Sample Weekend

There isn't a  lot to show for this post. The focus for this weekend was resolving the design details for the upstairs "main" bath. This bath is shared by two young women. The color and design has been the same for about 10 years. It reflected the aesthetic of their early teen years, though it never quite resolved the issues of two girls using a 30" vanity with a mega-sink. 
As part of the design development, we were choosing paints. To choose paints, a large sample needed to be examined, something bigger than the fan deck or paint chip. Three whites were selected for a background paint. Which were painted on foam core sample boards. When painting is eminent, say with in the next few days, then painting on the wall works. Some advocate for a white band around the paint so that the existing paint doesn't taint the visual. On my sample boards, I leave a one inch border all around.

Benjamin Moore Steam AF-15

Benjamin Moore Simply White OC-117

Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace 2121-70

The first two are more yellow, while the last is a bit more green. 
A stencil is planned to mimic the look of wallpaper.

Benjamin Moore Pigeon Gray 2133-50

And that is how I spent my weekend, contemplating white, not beige. 
The remainder of the bathroom plan is next.

Just Paint it White

I cringe when I see this advice to those wanting to sell their house. Why? Because there are so many white paints. Benjamin Moore has 165 paints with white and 72 with cream in the name. This doesn't even count those paints which don't even have white in the name, but which are actually white. Harwood Putty CW-5 and Steam AF-15 are good examples of this.

Harwood Putty CW-5 via Lisa Mende Design

Michele Jalbert Benjamin Moore Steam AF-15 on stairs Collingwood at 50% on walls 

Granted, a hand full can be discounted because they aren't even close to white. 

Pumpkin Cream, Tracey Stephens Interior Design

Pumpkin Cream via Houzz

Pumpkin cream, for example,

Benjamin Moore Tomato Cream Sauce

or Tomato Cream Sauce. 

There are literally five, which are not really cream, I counted. Of the 232 remaining colors in the Benjamin Moore fan deck, the question becomes Which White?

 

Benjamin Moore Elmira White HC-84

Benjamin Moore Ivory White 925 Southern Living

Benjamin Moore Berber White 955

These three paints are very different from each other. I have used all three in show houses and client spaces. They are very different from each other.

How do you choose the right white? Each house is different. Consideration has to be given to the flooring and the lighting, especially the amount of daylight in a room. Just paint it white may result in a house that is memorable, as one that needed to be repainted.