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Formal room and dining

family room

East light? I would pull SW color strips #20, #22, #23. Each strip's colors have differing intrinsic undertones. #20 yellow, #22 blue, #23 green.

There are two kinds of undertones, in situ and intrinsic.

Intrinsic undertone refers to the underlying color characteristic you see when you're playing around, working with the swatch and comparing it to other swatches. Not in context of a room and its light but in direct context of other colors.

In situ means whatever intrinsic undertone you think the color has may or may not change once you view the color in the actual room and quality of light; in context of the space and its light, other colors in the room.

Areas to accent, meaning bolder color choices, are the fireplace wall - it's gorgeous. And the entire dining room.

From the SW Concepts in Color deck I'd pull strips #41 and #42. Range of colors on those strips that will coordinate with the colors from #20, #22 and #23.

Can select colors from #41 and #42 for kitchen, dining room and accent colors.

For example, Relaxed Khaki throughout the home, Spiced Cider kitchen, Mossy Gold dining room, and pop the fireplace wall with Earthen Jug.

Once you select colors, you need to paint-up samples and test in each room in order to make your decisions.

Funcolors - thanks so much for your input!! I've been reading and getting inspired by your creative posts...

I like your suggestions on #20 and #22 (second and third strips on both).

i'ma little nervous about introducing spiced cier and earthern jug in the house. Even though I love these colors, all my woodwork is orange already and I fear it might blend or make too orange. I've attached a picture of the kitchen that joins with the family room/fireplace.

Curious to hear your thoughts.

Funcolors -

Also I like the Mossy Gold color for dining room, but I have what seems to be Urban Putty in the formal sitting. Picture attached. The two might not work together? thoughts?

Firstly, quit painting samples on the walls. :) Not good.

Regarding the orange, it's counter intuitive how it works. Orange + orange doesn't equal a double dose of orange. A color strategy that usually works is if you want to downplay, dilute, blend, soften (you get the idea) a particular color, you add more of it. That's the counter intuitive part. The effect will be the existing orange tones will blend and merge with the wall color. In a word cohesive. Orange wall colors will not 'bring out' or intensify existing orange nuances.

SW Urban Putty and Mossy Gold, swatch to swatch, harmonize very nicely - it's a subdue but luxe look.

Looks like the kitchen and family room are open to each other. Would paint the kitchen the main color you choose, for example Relaxed Khaki, and pop the fireplace wall with a bolder color. That would balance nicely - cabinets juxtaposed the accented fireplace wall.

Could also choose a bolder color like Earthen Jug or Spiced Cider for the dining room.

You have many options. The house is gorgeous, good bones and all of the permanent existing elements like the wood tones are lovely colors.

It'd be hard to mess this one up. The back splash in the kitchen is going to be important. Makes sure whatever wall color you choose harmonizes with it, aligning undertones with the back splash would be a key objective.

"Firstly, quit painting samples on the walls. :) Not good."

Funcolors, could you please explain why this is not a good idea?
I've never done it myself because the colors next to each other seem to distract from one another (or something like that?)
Please state what the best method for sampling colors in a room is.
I too enjoy your advise given to others and am hopefully learning something. Thank you for your input!

Thank you. :)

Paint Practices:

The reason why you do not want to paint swatches directly on the wall is the edges can telegraph through the final coat. When the light hits those spots just right, you can see the outline of every single one of 'em.

DIYers usually don't think about feathering out edges or taking off ridges with a fine grade sanding block before painting. If you're hiring a painter, you'll be paying him to do that prep work for you. DIY or pro, despite best efforts sometimes the swatch outlines still show.

Avoid the situation by simply using a device/material designed for sampling paint colors.

I prefer to use a circle shape because it better accommodates how our vision system works. A circle is better for visual ergonomics.

To quote Professor Jurg Nanni, author of the exemplary Visual Perception: "A rectangle with sharp edges take indeed a little bit more cognitive visible effort than for example an ellipse of the same size. Our "fovea-eye" is even faster in recording a circle. Edges involve additional neuronal image tools."

The process of choosing wall colors is hard enough why make it harder by using a square or rectangle shaped sample board? Take the edges off so you can focus on the color.

Visual Ergonomics/Color Perception:

Common recommendations are white borders on paint sample boards or viewing paint chips on some kind of a white background. When you find someone suggesting either, that's your clue they are color knowledge challenged. Properly trained color experts would never suggest a white border on paint sample brush-outs or a white background or surround to view potential wall colors. Never.

White will influence the new color as much as any other color. Arguably, it makes things worse because of the amped up level of contrast stark white brings in to the picture.

Is the existing wall color going to influence how you view the sample? Maybe. Maybe not. Much of the magic of color relationships happens subconscious and unconsciously. That relationship changes with the intention of "testing colors in the room". By intentionally, consciously introducing a paint sample into the existing color relationship in the room, you are aware the old color is going away. The dynamics of color perception are forever changed. Seeing color in that room, that specific situation is no longer a reflex. The awareness of the process of testing color gives the paint color brush-out new focus mitigating affects of current wall color. Doesn't matter what the existing wall color happens to be, you know what you know and cannot help but separate the paint color brush-out.

Square and white is bad advice. Opposes darn near everything about how we see, perceive, and process color. Nevertheless, that is what non-experts have repeated for so long people just assume it must be true. What I'd like people to remember is strategies for optimum visual ergonomics are applicable in many ways. They aren't just for manufacturing and work environments.

Funcolors, thanks for another great post. What you said about testing colors against white is exactly what I had read you should do, but when I tried it I had to abandon it pretty quickly because it made it almost impossible for me to see the actual test color I was trying. I wasn't really sure why, but what you said about the high contrast makes perfect sense.

I just am posting to keep an eye on this discussion. We are moving into a house that has a 2 story family room and foyer. We are getting dark trim like your staircase and floors. I plan to paint the same color in all of the main floor rooms and a lighter tone on the color strip in the bedrooms and basement. It is probably boring but I think I want the walls to be a neutral background to what I do with pops of color and art . I hope it plays out that way. I:

I am torn between SW Tony Taupe and Virtual Taupe on the main floor (great room, dining room, bedroom, kitchen, foyer). Today I am leaning toward Tony Taupe on the main floor and Balanced Beige in the bedrooms and basement. I will probably have accessible beige on the ceilings.

I like the khaki strip that you mentioned. Please post pictures when you are finished. Your home is beautiful!

Funcolors, another terrific lesson!

I knew about the white, but not about the circle, or the paint showing through.

I've never liked painting samples on the wall because I have to look at them one at a time, to do the trick of mentally bleeding the color all over the wall.