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tibbrix

Painting LR is done!

tibbrix
9 years ago

Last spring I sought opinions on repainting my LR from BM White Sand to a dark chocolate brown. Choc. Brown way too dark. I ended up painting the room BM Lenox Tan, and it is beyond gorgeous. The color changes by the minute, as the light changes, and every single rendition of this color is absolutely beautiful. This is a winter living room, and the color is cozy and warm, and the pine floor and ceiling are beautiful with it.

I did get my choc. brown fix by repainting the half bath that is in the winter living room in BM Whitall Brown (a beautiful brown, btw).

Here are pics. I have to do one at a time, so bear with me. And I love the Lenox Tan so much, I can handle boos.

This post was edited by Tibbrix on Mon, Oct 13, 14 at 16:36

Comments (63)

  • ellendi
    9 years ago

    Lenox Tan come up every so often here, so it's a tried and true for sure. It looks lovely in your living room.
    What are the other colors you see in it as the light changes?

  • eandhl
    9 years ago

    It looks beautiful. I have the trim & wainscot painted BM Lenox tan and I love how the color changes.

  • carolt924
    9 years ago

    It look's horrible! OK, unlike you I just can't do it. I love it all and am so happy that you do! If you keep this up, I'll be seeing the place next summer, oh please, please...

  • tibbrix
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Errant, exactly. I was concerned it would be too dark, but it isn't at all.

    ellendi, It's hard to explain. It starts out softer in the morning, but then it starts taking on this almost glow that radiates back into the room. At night, it's luxurious and like being wrapped in caramel. I see no undertones in this color, which I think is one reason I'm loving it so much.

    Eandhl, love hearing that you also have the Lenox Tan and that you also notice how much the color changes by the minute. It's such an interesting color that way. And so unusual that every change is so beautiful.

    Lol, HK. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, I do my own painting. But I painted the entire house when I bought it, including all of the windows, doors, and woodwork, and I swore I"d never pick up a paint brush again after that. But here i amâ¦!

    Thank you again, everyone, for your kind words.

  • teacats
    9 years ago

    Perfect!!! Wonderful color in the LR and in the half-bath -- very charming! :)

    I do love the way that color can change as the light changes .....

  • tibbrix
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Carol ;-)

    TY, teacats.

  • ohgoodness
    9 years ago

    Looks great! Love your house!

  • tomatofreak
    9 years ago

    Wellll...... I absolutely **love** the windows and planked ceiling! ;O

  • amck2
    9 years ago

    Beautiful room. Love the color. What a cozy space to enjoy in winter!

  • Sheeisback_GW
    9 years ago

    Very nice! Looks rich and warm without being too dark. It's also refreshing to see a paint color that's not gray. Love your ceiling!

  • franksmom_2010
    9 years ago

    OH! Very, very pretty! I'm a fan of beige/tan, and that color looks just perfect with everything else.

    Love the ceiling, the doors, the white trim, the furniture, all of it! Great job!!

  • cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
    9 years ago

    Oh, Tib, wrapped in caramel! Exactly! Perfect.

  • tibbrix
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    cyn, Starting @ 3 pm, that is how it looks and feels. I think browns are so underrated as a wall color. I find them to be so versatile and luxurious. And everything goes with them.

    Most of the day, the Lenox Tan is more like a radiant gold w/o the green undertones. A magnificent color.

  • Bunny
    9 years ago

    It's beautiful. And it's fun to hear how much you love this color. Ain't it grand when you find The One?

    I have to ask: What's a winter living room?

  • tibbrix
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks Linelle.

    The first pic makes the color look washed out; not representative of it at all. IRL, the Lenox Tan is such a perfect fit for that room; it's like no other color would work now. I'm so excited about that precisely because of how hard it is to get even just a really good paint color, never mind an over-the-top extraordinarily perfect one, which I consider the Lenox Tan to be for this room.

    On the other hand, I repainted my DR also, in BM Putnam Ivory, going for that southwest/Santa Fe Orangey yellow to compliment the pine ceiling. It's fine, but not even close to wow. Too orange most of the day, in fact. Sigh.

    My house has a really great porch with huge glass sliding doors on three sides of it and all glass doors and windows on the back, facing the dining room. That room becomes the living room in the warm months, and the room above is where I hole up in the winter. It really doesn't get used much at all in the summer and actually gets used as another bedroom, since it has the half bath.

  • chloenkitty
    9 years ago

    It looks great! I am in love with the ceilings!!!

  • akl_vdb
    9 years ago

    Looks so cozy! Great choice in colours.

  • Patty C
    9 years ago

    What a charming room! And the Lenox Tan does look beautiful on the walls. I can understand your excitement; it's no small feat to find the perfect color of paint.

  • sis2two
    9 years ago

    I just love that color! And the bathroom color too!

  • nutsaboutplants
    9 years ago

    Very pretty!

  • amykath
    9 years ago

    Wow! Beautiful. I could spend all day and night in that room. It is so cozy!!!!

  • tibbrix
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    This was actually the Web photo that tuned me in to Lenox Tan and was my inspiration pic. Whoever took this pic did a great job, because it's an excellent portrayal of the Lenox Tan when light, artificial or natural, hits it.

  • tibbrix
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Btw, do any of you remember, from when you were a kid, that really cool Crayon color called "Burnt" something? Burnt orange? I can't recall the name, but it was a really cool brown color Sometimes the Lenox Tan looks like that color! Couldn't believe it the first time I noticed it. It jumped out at me and took me right back to my childhood and my fascination with that interesting and unusual color.

    Burntâ¦something.

    Lol.

  • Sueb20
    9 years ago

    Very pretty. Lenox Tan is a popular color for a reason! Looks great in your space.

    Burnt umber? or burnt sienna?

  • tibbrix
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Oh, I think it was Burnt Sienna! Yes! Thanks!

  • decordummy_gw
    9 years ago

    The colour isn't the only lovely thing in your room.

    I love the round table, the gold frame (over the mantel),and the hutch (between the window & door).

  • springroz
    9 years ago

    Wow, it is beautiful! Beautifully decorated, too! I want some real wood doors like yours, please. They would be perfect in my house.

    Thanks for posting the pics.

  • bonnieann925
    9 years ago

    The room was lovely before this transformation. You have taken it to a whole new level of " wow"! It is beautiful and so fitting for the style of your home. It was a perfect choice!

  • tibbrix
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you so much, Bonnieann, et al. I'm really looking forward to my first snowstorm and fire this year!

  • mtnrdredux_gw
    9 years ago

    That half moon hearth is kind of unusual, no? Is it original?

  • tibbrix
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Mtn, yes, it is original. That particular room, and the master bedroom, were each outbuildings on a huge dairy farm in 1880. My neighbors' house on behind me was the enormous dairy barn, and on the other side of me is the original farmhouse. My house began with the two outbuildings, which were connected to each other, and then @ 1970, the second wing was added - a garage, and the porch and deck were added at some point, and the garage wing was converted into two bedrooms and the front door into a sitting room @ 2004. The house has an interesting evolution history.

    There was a third outbuilding on the property when I bought it, stables, but it was falling down, so I had to have it torn down. It was a liability.

    The living room, I'm pretty sure, was where the farmhands came in to warm up, rest, eat, etc. The large white door you see is the original entrance door and has a reclaimed bran door outside of it as its storm door. It's very charming. Interesting that there is a half bath right in the living room, to the right of the fireplace.

  • mtnrdredux_gw
    9 years ago

    I don't recall seeing a half moon hearth before, it's pretty and "fancier" than what one might have expected in an outbuilding. Cool!

  • Arapaho-Rd
    9 years ago

    The paint color looks wonderful. Lovely room and décor. Thanks, Tibbrix, for sharing with us!

  • loribee
    9 years ago

    Sooo warm and cozy, great choice!!

  • tibbrix
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    What can anyone say, Mtn.? They built things so much better back then, with a lot more architectural heft. I fell in love with the fp and hearth the first time I saw them.

    TY, arapaho & loribee.

  • outsideplaying_gw
    9 years ago

    Tibbrix, it looks just wonderful. I've looked at Lenox Tan many times, just not used it for one reason or another (can't remember), but always loved it. It is perfect in your room. I'll bet you just can't quit looking at it and being happy. Such a warm, cozy space!

  • beachpea3
    9 years ago

    I am late to the Lenox Tan Reveal Party - Your Lenox tan winter living room oozes charm, warmth and coziness. Makes you want to curl up with a good book, a cup of tea or a glass of wine....and of course have a fire in the hearth! Good job...getting that brush out...one more time ...was inspired! Enjoy hibernating this winter.

  • tannatonk23_fl_z9a
    9 years ago

    Lovely room, Tibbrix! So nice when you find the perfect color.

    Can I ask you what is the thing called that is hanging on the wall near the powder room door? It looks like glass birds. Does it have a significance? Silly question I know, but I noticed while watching the tv series "Vikings" that they had these "chains" for lack of a better word, hanging in all of their entrance doors. But they were made of rocks, not birds. LOL! I have searched quite a bit to find out what these were and why they were used, but no luck.

    Anyway, your room looks perfect!

  • tibbrix
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Once again, thank you for all the kind words and compliments. I continue to be enamored by this color. Pics don't do it justice. The way it changes throughout the day and night is amazing.

    The blue things you see out the large window are my bird feeders. It is fun to have coffee and yammer away on GW on winter mornings and watch the birds vying for food on the feeders.

    tannatonk, those are "Prosperity Hens." I bought some years ago for my father for a gift, from a store in Provincetown. I had to have a strand for myself when I bought this house, which was once part of a farm, so a friend in Ptown picked up a strand for me..but ended up giving them to me as a housewarming gift. I've given them to a couple of other people as gifts as well. They get a lot of comments, attention, and compliments.

    The Ptown store doesn't have them anymore, so I ordered a strand for a birthday gift for someone from the link below. You can also read about their origin there. Fair trade; help poor people in India; hand made⦠They're really cute. And actually, the ones from Fern's Garden are nicer than mine!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Prosperity Hens

  • tannatonk23_fl_z9a
    9 years ago

    Thanks so much for the info, Tib. I knew it must be some sort of charm! Those would make wonderful gifts for a couple of people on my Christmas list! Have a cozy evening.

  • tibbrix
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I think they make a great gift, Tannatonk. They're unique, go to a good cause, and they're not at all expensive. And as I said, everyone loves them and comments on them.

  • sas95
    9 years ago

    That really looks wonderful. The color is perfect.

  • tibbrix
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    TY, sas! I love, love, love it! I have duct tape over my mouth to keep from telling everyone to use Lenox Tan in every room and on their children and pets.

  • trailrunner
    9 years ago

    Beautiful. So warm and inviting. I love rich dark colors and know what you mean about them changing with the light during the day. My chocolate DR with the 12 ft ceilings and the huge windows does the same. The color is called Belgian Chocolate and when it was completed all I wanted to do was stroke it.

    Your home is so lovely , Have you even posted pics of the glass room sunroom ? c

  • tibbrix
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Ugh, your DR sounds delicious ,trail runner! Someone yesterday put up a pic of (one of - lol) Ralph Lauren's DRs, and it too is painted a very dark brown, possibly black, and it is just gorgeous. Love those high ceilings too, huh? Browns get such a bad rap, but they can be stunning. yes, dark colors for rooms with little wall area, around windows. Makes the windows like picture frames.

    My broker asked for my opinion on painting the lower 1/3 of her kitchen (the rest was all cabinetry). She 'd been thinking a neutral beige kind of color, but when I walked in, immediately I saw a chocolate brown, told her so, and we both, purely by coincidence, landed on BM Midsummer Night, and very dark, cool brown, almost black. Their windows look out onto a golf course. They went ahead and painted it with the Midsummer Night, and it is SO amazingly stunning, they were THRILLED and told me everyone was commenting on the color. Their house is now on the market, and here is a pic from the listing of the Midsummer Night. Doesn't show a lot of it, butâ¦
    (Pic of my porch? No, haven't posted one. I actually have to paint the wood trim around the windows in there in the White Dove. I was so burned out from painting when I first got the house, I just couldn't pick up another brush for a while. Lol).

  • nhb22
    9 years ago

    Love your room, love the color! I should...I suggested and painted my daughter and SIL's den in Lenox Tan.

    Their den turned out a little darker than we had anticipated because of the fact that they do not get much sunlight in their room. In fact, most cannot make out a difference between the darker color in their kitchen and the Lenox Tan in the den.

    The kids have a set of French doors on one end, and single windows on the other end. However, both ends have porches outside the openings, and the back yard is wooded. Their kitchen and dining area, on the other hand, feature 4 large bright windows that are not obstructed on the inside (blinds) or outside (porch), although there is still the woods.

    I keep meaning to post the Before & After of their house since they bought it 6 years ago. After one baby, they have now listed their house for sale and looking for something larger.

    I love your neighbors kitchen. What a view! What area are you located in?

    Enjoy your room with those gorgeous walls, floors and ceiling.

  • tibbrix
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Glad to hear of another Lenox Tan fan, newhomebuilder. MY LR also gets no direct sunlight, but the way the light changes as the day goes on has glorious effects on the color. First thing in the morning, it is the softer cooler tan, which is my least favorite rendition, but very soon, it starts warming up and glowing and continues that way throughout the day. Late afternoon is downright radiant. Love it.

    Not my neighbors. Rather ,my broker. They live over in la-di-da land, while I'm in la-di-blech land. Cape Cod. Her hubby is a homebuilder and builds gorgeous homes, including that one, for all the la-di-das over there. Lol.

  • jellytoast
    9 years ago

    Sorry if I missed it in a previous post, but what is the color of your trim? What finish and formulation did you use?

  • tibbrix
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    jellytoast, the trim is Benjamin Moore White Dove semi-gloss. Walls are eggshell.

    This post was edited by Tibbrix on Thu, Oct 16, 14 at 20:55

  • oldbat2be
    9 years ago

    Tibbrix, I am late to the party! Love the pictures of your room and of the gorgeous paint color. I am definitely bookmarking this color for future use. The half moon hearth is lovely! Great shot of your broker's house, I am still trying to figure out the layout/what causes that sharp jog/narrow wall.

    So you're somewhere near the cape? I'm just a little north of Boston. If you ever make it up this way, let me know!