Can't see your pics!!

Darn! Sorry about that, I can see them just fine! Weird...

I've actually got a sample from Lowe's American Traditions line home that has a very nice neutral, not too dark gold on it called 'Oatlands Gold Bluff.' Lowe's has a lot of nice golds in the American Traditions Line. You might also want to look into the Olympic paints they sell. We're had good luck there also.

Links to my pictures

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u101/bubbamommie/LR2.jpg

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u101/bubbamommie/Rug1.jpg
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u101/bubbamommie/LR1.jpg

Here is a link that might be useful:

I just finished painting my house half Blonde and half Ivoire. Was afraid the Blonde would be too dark for the northeast front. It wouldn't have been.

Funcolors talks about LVR, which is light reflective value. On the Sherwin Williams strip that has Blonde and Ivoire, they are both over 50(it gives the number on the back which is quite useful) Anything over 50 is supposed to be ok for a low light room.

I tested LA 3 also. The formula for that was the same amount of raw umber, but 5 more parts of gold (in the quart sampler)also the SW color match had LA with a bit of magenta instead of the red it added for the Blonde. I found it a little too jarring for my downstairs but wish I would have used it for my master bedroom.

BTW, I couldn't get your pics to show up.

Good luck!

Sorry again about the picture mess. So frustrating.

That's great to know about the LRV - I had no idea!

drkona has a beautiful color in his foyer/dr. I don't remember the name. check this link.

Here is a link that might be useful: drkona

Your rug is beautiful!!!

Try Benjamin Moore Decatur Buff. Not too light/not too dark and stays a true saturated gold and will not look too dark with little light.

I was looking for something similar and we ended up with Oatlands Gold Buff that citymom was talking about. I am in two minds about it. In daylight, i love it..it has a hint of brown with mostly creamy gold tones but at night with CFL's, it became this YELLOW color that i couldn't stand. I changed out the CFL'S to GE reveal/philips day light bulbs and the yellow has gone down. Still, i keep thinking i will repaint it..if only DH would consent to moving the huge ent center again :-)
So just wanted to give u and citymom a heads up on the color!

That was one of the colors I was planning to look at also. I don't like CFL bulbs, I know they are better energy wise, but they make everything look so ugly to me! We don't use those in the living room but I can imagine the lighting makes a huge difference in any paint color.

Seriously, those bulbs do make everything look like bootie. My laundry room is so blah from them!!

My husband installed them in every light fixture when we moved into our house and I threw a fit. He refused to change them so I went around and switched them all out with reveal bulbs. We are energy conscious but that is one thing I will not compromise on.

As far as the paint goes, I'm going to spend a little money and get samples to paint on the wall. Our light varies so much in that room that I want to be 100% sure of my choice. The color will go from the entryway thru the living room and down the hall so it will be covering a large area.

A few more suggestions from BM....concord ivory (trust me it is not ivory, but more yellow, gold, mustardy). Also BM's Barley or Barly (sp?) is a very nice color. I tried SW's blond and restrained gold and in my home they looked kind of "dirty" and not gold/yellow enough. The golds and yellows I have found look so different on the wall & I highly rec. testing a large enough area before you start!

I love Blonde and Restrained Gold, but if you're wanting something a little more toned down, look at BM Wilminton Tan. Quite a few people have used that color, so if you do a search, you'll find some pictures of it.

Laurie

I love the SW colors, I actually dont own the BM color stick but I almost think I need to get one. If you like Blonde and Restrained Gold, which are beautiful but definately colors with lots of color, try two of my favorite color sticks which are several steps down from what you were looking at. They are from the old SW color deck. One stick has browner gold tones.... Raffia Basket and Sesame are on it, the other is a little more gold and has the names Dromedary camel and Autumn Blonde on it. My neighbor borrowed my decks so I dont have them to check which numbers they are.