Anyone good with Benj Moore paints selections?

[janinegirly]

I'm going a bit crazy trying to choose paints for our new home--and wondering if anyone here is an expert?

Right now the only color I've decided on 100% is Windham Cream for the living room. (upholstery is a darker yellow so needed a pale background).

For dining room (which is visible with living room) -- I'm stuck on either Limestone or Flowering Herb (for greens). Or Squire Hill Buff or Monroe Bisque for beiges. Dining set is mahogony and chair fabric is a beige satin with sea foam accent (bluish green). I should mention the house gets a lot of natural light.

Upstairs, I'd like to paint the bedrooms a soft, warm and neutral cream to beige. I've narrowed it down to Natural Wicker, Malton and Everlasting.

I'd really appreciate if anyone has thoughts or real life experiences with any of these colors. I'm hoping to narrow it down a bit so I dont' have to buy so many samples!

 

[packrat]

Flowering Herbs is one of my favorite BM colors! Have you played around w/the color tool on their site? I went to a popular decorating website and visited the color forum there for help when we did our kitchen. There are some incredibly knowledgeable posters there that know paint colors like the back of their hands!

 

[Mara]

I am a big fan of BM colors, but I have to say...the stager did some of our new house in a color called Snip of Tannin from Kelly Moore which apparently is a very popular staging and decorating/design color and we LOVE it. It is the taupe that I wanted our last place to be but I didn''t quite get there...it ended up being a bit too light for me. The contrast color is Swiss Coffee for the baseboards, doors, crown moulding etc..the two work FAB together. Totally suggested.

 

[diane5006]

I love BM paint...have used them in redoing at least 2 houses...

They do tend to rename the colors from time to time...

They had teh ''Serenity collection" when I first started...

I love the palete...it had an ashy/grey-y/bluey undertone

My favorite from that is 982 Peacefull Breeze/aka Cedar Key....a great taupy/beigey...

In that house from the one room...you could see into the other rooms...

The Peaceful Breeze was teh middle room

1 was a custom green halfway between the 2 of the samples

The kitchen was paper white (sometimes listed under blues go figure)

I also really like winter wheat 232....subtle but there...

a light light green was silken pine (double formula) they added double the color formula to the base the original was too light for the room (really big)

Good luck

 

[Girlrocks]

My family room is painted BM Adobe Beige, it is a light beige-tan color, and I swear, I get more compliments on that paint color than any thing else I have ever had in my life! It is the perfect beige!

 

[janinegirly]

Thanks everyone.

Girlrocks--do you have any photos of the adobe beige, or can you let me know if it has any undertone? They all look so similar on the swatches, but I always hear they look different on the wall or beiges can go pink, yellow, green at times.

 

[HeartingDiamonds]

Not sure if this is helpful but Pottery Barn uses BM paints and colors in all their stores and catalogs. As a matter of fact, if you pick a PB catalog, they will list the BM color featured on that very page so that you get an idea of how it looks in certain settings with certain rugs/furniture/window treatments.

I went completely nuts while picking paints and colors for our walls (painted our living room 4 times!). I love Restoration Hardware paints too. They have one called Latte that I loved (used it in my dining room).

Good luck!

 

[pennquaker09]

Flowering Herbs is one of the most popular BM colors. I know it is used in kitchens quite a bit. If the dining room chairs have a sea foam accent, I think HC-141 Hollingsworth Green is going to coordinate better than Flowering Herbs. And I would probably paint below the chair rail in the green and above it in the Windham Cream. (Also, I''d probably replace the Windham Cream with Natural Wicker for the living room. I know you made your mind up, but just in case. I think Natural Wicker could be your "main color." For like your hallways and the living room, etc. It has a good LVR.)

Also, Squire Hill Buff and Monroe Bisque are more towards to gold family, than the beige family.

Malton and Everlasting have peach and pink undertones and I take it that you don''t like that? That would leave Natural Wicker as the winner, but I''d probably go with either AF-150 Cotswald or 1066 Barely Beige for the bedrooms. The only think about Cotswald is that it is exclusively mixed in Aura and I don''t know if you''ve decided on the type of paint you''re going to get.

If you don''t get Aura, the next best thing is either the Regal or Ecospec.

You''re very much like Nate, he wants everything to be neutral.

 

[Mara]

Both PB and Restoration Hardware paints are Benjamin Moore colors.

I think that PB has it''s own line but the RH line are paints that BM typically carries in their regular line as well I think.

The RH line are my favorite for blues, greens or taupe''s that ''match'' pretty much anything and everything.

 

[diane5006]

One other thing to consider wiht BM paint...is lighting source in your room....sun/incand/flour/halogen...all of the above

It has this weird thing that it will look to be 2 differernt shades in teh same room usually in corners...closets

My new house I originally thought had one color upstairs...but alas it is 2...diff in master and dining...both of which get a lot of light (sun) I only realized after we moved and the bedroom color turned weird...it had this greenish/brownish tone...almost depresing...

In the day it is oky...we have window on 2 sides...but i do get the ''corner'' effect depending on the time of day and where the sun is in the sky

You can get samples which might help

 

[pennquaker09]

Date: 2/25/2009 1:55:00 AM
Author: diane5006
One other thing to consider wiht BM paint...is lighting source in your room....sun/incand/flour/halogen...all of the above


It has this weird thing that it will look to be 2 differernt shades in teh same room usually in corners...closets


My new house I originally thought had one color upstairs...but alas it is 2...diff in master and dining...both of which get a lot of light (sun) I only realized after we moved and the bedroom color turned weird...it had this greenish/brownish tone...almost depresing...


In the day it is oky...we have window on 2 sides...but i do get the ''corner'' effect depending on the time of day and where the sun is in the sky


You can get samples which might help

That has a lot to do with the way your house faces or the exposure. The dining room might get northern light and the master might get western light. But that''s not just with BM paint, it would be the same with any paint. Unless you get full spectrum paint.

Also, GE Reveal light bulbs come highly recommended.

 

[pennquaker09]

Date: 2/25/2009 12:43:45 AM
Author: Mara
Both PB and Restoration Hardware paints are Benjamin Moore colors.


I think that PB has it''s own line but the RH line are paints that BM typically carries in their regular line as well I think.


The RH line are my favorite for blues, greens or taupe''s that ''match'' pretty much anything and everything.

I know the Pottery Barn paint is made by BM, but the RH paint is not. BM paint is only through a BM dealer. I will say that BM tends to be able to match pretty much any other manufacturers paint colors.

I wouldn''t be surprised if the RH paint is made by Sherwin Williams, they own almost every paint company imaginable.

 

[Mara]

Date: 2/25/2009 4:42:24 AM
Author: pennquaker09

Date: 2/25/2009 12:43:45 AM
Author: Mara
Both PB and Restoration Hardware paints are Benjamin Moore colors.


I think that PB has it''s own line but the RH line are paints that BM typically carries in their regular line as well I think.


The RH line are my favorite for blues, greens or taupe''s that ''match'' pretty much anything and everything.

I know the Pottery Barn paint is made by BM, but the RH paint is not. BM paint is only through a BM dealer. I will say that BM tends to be able to match pretty much any other manufacturers paint colors.

I wouldn''t be surprised if the RH paint is made by Sherwin Williams, they own almost every paint company imaginable.

That is funny because online I found some references previously that it was BM paint and they used the same colors. Maybe not!

MyPerfectColor.Com looks like they can match any color into another manufacturer''s paint if you want a specific color in a BM paint...check it out.

 

[janinegirly]

thanks penn. I''ve actually picked up more sample paints..they''re starting to pile up! Picked up Malton, Sea Urchin and Monroe Bisque. First 2 are for bedroom, last one for dining. Picked them up before I read your post of course! I actually really wanted to pick up Natural Wicker, but they didn''t have it, so will have to try another store today.

The Ben Moore designer sold us on Windham Cream when we showed her the fabric swatch. I''m still concerned it''ll be very bright (in a room with a lot of natural light), so maybe we''ll go 150% or something. I also was decided on barely beige for bedrooms but she really kept telling me that it just "be there" and do nothing. But, I remember looking at your photos, and I thought it all looked really nice and subtle!

As far as undertones, I guess I''m not a fan of them in general. Pink undertones seem like they would clash with our bedroom colors (light blue with dark woods). In any case, I''ll try some of these swatches and let you know!!

PS Nate and I DO have the same taste..heheh.

 

[janinegirly]

Date: 2/25/2009 12:13:53 AM
Author: pennquaker09
Flowering Herbs is one of the most popular BM colors. I know it is used in kitchens quite a bit. If the dining room chairs have a sea foam accent, I think HC-141 Hollingsworth Green is going to coordinate better than Flowering Herbs. And I would probably paint below the chair rail in the green and above it in the Windham Cream. (Also, I''d probably replace the Windham Cream with Natural Wicker for the living room. I know you made your mind up, but just in case. I think Natural Wicker could be your ''main color.'' For like your hallways and the living room, etc. It has a good LVR.)

Also, Squire Hill Buff and Monroe Bisque are more towards to gold family, than the beige family.

Malton and Everlasting have peach and pink undertones and I take it that you don''t like that? That would leave Natural Wicker as the winner, but I''d probably go with either AF-150 Cotswald or 1066 Barely Beige for the bedrooms. The only think about Cotswald is that it is exclusively mixed in Aura and I don''t know if you''ve decided on the type of paint you''re going to get.

If you don''t get Aura, the next best thing is either the Regal or Ecospec.

You''re very much like Nate, he wants everything to be neutral.

also should add I''m off to take a look at HC-141 Hollingsworth Green now--thansk for the suggestion!

 

[janinegirly]

Well Penn, just heard from DH who tried the samples last night and he says Malton is peach, Sea Urchin is pinkish and Monroe Bisque is gold yellow. Guess I should have listened to you!

Back to the drawing board--who would've thought finding an light tan or beige would be this hard!? I'm going to take another look at Barely Beige or Natural Wicker. I was hoping to find a beige with a bit more oomph than those 2 for the dining, but seems impossible to find one that's subtle without crazy undertone. I'm going to look at RH's Latte too...

 

[Girlrocks]

Date: 2/24/2009 10:35:48 AM
Author: janinegirly
Thanks everyone.

Girlrocks--do you have any photos of the adobe beige, or can you let me know if it has any undertone? They all look so similar on the swatches, but I always hear they look different on the wall or beiges can go pink, yellow, green at times.

Here is my family room in Adobe Beige by Benjamin Moore.

 

[Allisonfaye]

I tried a bunch ofBM beige shades and one problem I had was that they ended up too yellow. I think I tried Monroe bisque. I thought it was more of a greenish cast but I can''t recall. We ended up with Putnam Ivory which I understand is very popular. My issue with it is it is still a little lighter than I would have liked. My DH is a freak about dark colors and he was afraid we would end up with something too brown. I wanted more of a taupe shade. I am generally happy with the Putnam Ivory. It was a good compromise, I guess.