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54 Comments

  1. Your house is beautiful! I love the soft yellow paint color!

    1. Thank you so much, Angelina! I really love when I see all white rooms, but to live with, I tend to lean towards soft color… 🙂

    2. You’re home is lovely. I really love that mannequin cream color.

  2. I have always loved soft yellow,I think it is a great”neutral”. I am in the process of picking a color for my kitchen and breakfat room,love the manniquin cream. You home is lovely.

    1. Thanks, Diane! Yes, the mannequin cream is so soft and lovely and would bring warmth to any room. Thanks for your kind words… 🙂

  3. Oh my goodness, I feel the sudden overwhelming urge to paint a room Benjamin Moore Wales Green! I love the little peek you gave us. I went to a luncheon at a friend’s house the other day and her family room/kitchen area is painted a beautiful soft green. Such a happy color.

    Your home just couldn’t be any prettier.

    1. Thank you, Stacey! The Wales Green was born from a mistake I made in my last home. Our bedroom was very similar to the way it is now, but the green I had picked was not clean enough and the result was a room not nearly as cheerful as this current one. I was afraid to go too bright, but it turns out the cleaner tone was just what the room needed. When a friend came over when we were painting the house and the room was only half done, she remarked that she assumed we were covering the green. I explained that, no, that was the color we were painting it to! Once it was completed I couldn’t wait to show her the full effect. It’s hard for some people to envision what color will do to a room, but it’s such an important decision… 🙂

  4. Great choices! I love Benjamin Moore paint and can’t say enough good about them. I used Ladyfinger for our living room and love it. I still wanted a hint of yellow to work with the furnishings I have but I was scaling the color down after using Concort Ivory for a long time. BM paints are always true to form and cover nicely. I love that Wales Green you showed- it’s so fresh and cheerful. Your home is beautiful!

    1. Thanks, Liz! Yes, I’m a big fan of Benjamin Moore paints. So many people swear by other brands, but ultimately, as long as the quality is good, it’s all about the available colors to me. I’ll be revealing the rest of the master bedroom later in the week, so you can get a better idea of the Wales Green in the space. It’s such a delightful color to wake up to… 🙂 Thanks so much for your kind words!!

  5. Oh what a marvelous sight!!! You have turned a reading about paints into a very inspiring experience!! It’ s nice to know what a colour can do if used according to its own ‘character’. Looking forward to reading more about your paints :-))

  6. Your house is very beautiful. The colours are lovely and everything is so elegant. I love that elegant look and would really like my house to be like that rather than the casual look it has now. I guess one thing that I have wondered is how to keep everything so clean. White linens and such like get grubby very quickly just from the dust in the air. How do you keep everything looking so pristine?

    1. Thank you so much, Denise! It’s an interesting question you ask and one I feel strongly about. I love white couches! I have 5 of them including one out on the patio. I had white couches when I had 2 small children and a dog and if you saw the post about my son’s apartment, even he has white chairs that he’s kept clean for 2 1/2 years. I think it’s a matter of will. My theory is, you would never leave dirt on a blue couch or a tan couch, so why wouldn’t you simply clean a white couch when it gets dirty? That said, there are certain precautions I take. Our main sofa in the den has slipcovers, so when it gets dirty, we simply remove them and clean them. The outdoor furniture is durable, so it can withstand a good scrubbing. I also keep throw blankets in each room, in case anyone comes in with extra dirty clothing. And with the linens, white is actually easier than beiges or other light colors because you can bleach it to keep it pristine looking.

      As for upgrading your current home to look more elegant, it’s often more about the accessories than the main pieces. You can have a very basic relaxed couch but if you add special pillows and elegant vases nearby, the look is immediately upgraded. Add one special vintage piece of furniture in each room and already your look is changed without starting from scratch.

      Oh, by the way, one final word. We’ve always allowed the dog on the couch, put our feet up on the coffee tables and eat on the sofas. The house is here for us to enjoy. Much like clothing, when things get dirty, just have them cleaned… 😉

      Thanks for visiting and for your kind words!!

      1. Elizabeth Roderick says:

        This is a wonderful article in itself. Thank you for all the good ideas you share. I never fail to be impressed!

  7. Julie Marshall says:

    So beautiful. Classy, elegant yet inviting. That is a tough combination. Thank you for sharing your ideas and insight.

  8. bobbi duncan says:

    As we are now on the hunt for paint, I find this post to be right on time. I am having such a difficult time deciding just where to transition our colors. I love your hint of colors instead of just cream and am going to check them out to see if they’ll work in our home. I find all your colors to go remarkably well with your décor and furnishings…great job!

    1. Thanks, Bobbi! I always feel if the tones work well together, it’s fine to have rooms near each other in somewhat different colors. Almost everything in our home is pale and clear in color, although there is one surprise that will be revealed shortly. I did a dark grey in my daughter’s room if you can believe that!

  9. Paint can be such an emotional color it really is the basis for any decor theme. A lot of people overlook it, but reading your post makes it sound a lot less work and gives it a lot more weight in the decision. Great post!

    Thanks so much for joining the Dishing It & Digging it Link Party and I hope it brings you some new friends to enjoy the tour of your wonderful home.

  10. So pretty and they always have an elegance about them too! Thanks for joining Home Sweet Home!

  11. So very soft, elegant and welcoming…gorgeous home!
    Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

  12. Your home and the paint colors you have shared have inspired me to continue my pursuit to find a paint color to replace the beige paint in our living area. I love the BM Mannequin Cream because of the light yellow tone it has. I have a question: is your trim color a true white or is it an off white? Ours is SW Westhighland White, which is not a true white. I am afraid a cream/yellow may not be enough of a contrast with it. Thank you for sharing your beautiful home and soft paint colors!

    1. Thank you for the kind words!! I used BM Simply White for all the trim and ceilings throughout my home. It’s pretty close to a true white, but not 100% optic white. I’m not as familiar with the SW colors, so I can’t compare, but I’ll bet it’s enough of a contrast. I used the Simply White trim even in rooms where I used Linen White on the walls and I like that it provides some contrast. Thanks for visiting!!

  13. Thank you for the lovely house tour! We are in the process of remodeling a new house that is completely different than our current house and I’ve been searching for a good neutral. Tapestry Beige may be just the ticket. 🙂

  14. My Master Bedroom is also Wales Green, we love it too! A year ago, as a slight update I added an accent color to the wall behind the bed: BM CSP-75 Castle Gate; it complements the Wales Green beautifully–check it out!

  15. Happy to have found this as I am ready to have my kitchen painted tapestry beige. I’m agonizing over the trim since I do not want it too white. BM White Dove is too white I did a sample. I thought to do dove Wing, will that tone work? I have custom color kitchen cabinetry and this is why it’s so difficult. My current colors on the wall and trim is BM Saybrook Sage and California Paint Wild Oats(respectively). The Wild oats is similar in color to my cabinets. I am now going for a lighter and airier feel. Any recommendations for trim?!

    1. Well, if you think White Dove is too white, you won’t want my suggestion. I use Simply White for all trim and consider it the perfect white, but it’s even whiter than White Dove. So it’s hard for me to know what you’re going for. Best of luck!!

  16. Hello! I ran across your post on colors via Pinterest and am in love with your selections. In addition, I have been trying (and trying and trying!) to find a neutral beige and cream comforter for my guest room and you have one in the room with the suitcase at the foot of the bed…would it be possible for you to share with me where this lovely accessory originated? It is practically perfect for my needs! Thank you and be well.

  17. Thank you for sharing all your wonderful paint colours. Gives us a great starting point. Undertones are very important when considering a paint colour as they can definitely influence the overall feel of the room.

  18. Lory, your home is so beautiful and inspiring. I’m working now on a blue bedroom and noticed that the colors listed for your blue bedroom were exactly the same. Would you please update this to the new color? Thank you!

    1. Thank you for the kind words, Barbara! I’m sorry for the confusion that the second photo caused, but I haven’t changed the paint color in that room yet. (In fact I’m just now waiting on the painter, but it will be changed to China White.) The second photo was meant to show that I’ve changed the bedding to all white, and was considering a paint change. You can see that clarification in the post where I stated:

      “The french blue bedroom is our true guest room where I’ve chosen Benjamin Moore Sweet Bluette 813 to give the space a real cottage feel. I’ve updated the bedding here, as well, to all white, which you can see in the second photo and I’m considering painting this room white. That would make it the only room in the house that’s truely white and I haven’t decided yet.”

      I will most definitely update the post once it’s done… 🙂

  19. Thanks for the prompt reply, Lory; that helps. I’ll read more carefully next time. : )

  20. I love everything in your home. I just downsized from a 4500 square foot house to a 1200 square foot apartment and brought half of it with me!! As a result, it looks like a store. I’m fortunate enough to have a large attached garage so I am packing up a lot of things and working to make the apartment more pleasant and not like a shop. I will be selling on etsy in the near future as well as garage sales, Facebook and I’ve donated some things and am selling some furniture items on consignment locally. It’s a real process, but I think I’m starting to at least have a better vision of what I want to be the final result. Your blog shows me to use less, but larger items, rather than tons of little stuff, which causes visual clutter. Thanks for your posts.

    1. Yes, definitely fewer larger things is the way to go! It sounds like your process will make it possible for you to really make decisions slowly and consciously, which is great… :-). Good luck in your new place!!

  21. I think all of your color changes have really made your house French and beautiful. Excellent choices in colors. Thank you for sharing. Jean

  22. International Designers says:

    Thank you for sharing your fantastic experience in home design. Your house is fabulous. I like the colors you choose because they look clean and neat and very comfortable at home. Before the year ended, I also renovated my house, and I am glad I found your post because you gave me more ideas. Great work!

  23. This is worth my time reading even though it is the second time I read this because I love topics that will give me ideas to improve my home.

  24. Jean Windham says:

    I love all of the changes in your home. I especially love the tapestry beige color. Your home is beautiful and shows wonderful French style and design. Thank you for sharing your home. Jean