Friday, February 29, 2008

Tidewater Landing, a lovely palette


A coastal home in Virginia:
Entrance hall painted in Benjamin Moore's Hazy Skies (OC-48) with Acadia White (OC-38) trim.

I've just come across a lovely coastal home in Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, featured in a past issue of Coastal Living. This gracious home encapsulates a colour palette I've been considering for a while...you see, I've been smitten with the notion of painting my main floor (dining and living rooms) blue! And I'd like to carry the blue into the rest of the house, along with lots of white and touches of linen brown (at least this week...)

Currently, our whole main floor (living, dining, foyer, 2 stairwells and upstairs/downstairs hallways) are a pretty chartreuse-green colour, which is warm and inviting. But the walls have a lot of nicks and chips and need a fresh coat. So, why not try something new?

But I'm struggling with this blue concept, since blue can be a little cold if you don't choose the perfect one. And I don't have an ocean outside my window for context (and to make it entirely unnoticeable). My living and dining rooms (not to mention the foyer) are naturally what one sees when one opens the front door, so I want these rooms to be as welcoming and warm as possible. Luckily, the foyer and living room face south, so the whole space gets tons of natural light. My furniture is sage green (and the new rug is beige and blue and green), so it's already a warm-enough space. But the existing greens are so inviting and cozy that I'm afraid to change. So I'm tempted to be a bore and repaint in the original colour or do a greenish version of blue.

But I'm so fond of those gentle pale blues, as shown in the living room and dining rooms below:
Living and dining room in Benjamin Moore's Woodlawn Blue (HC-147) with trim in Acadia White (OC-38)

In these rooms, I also like the use of those linen browns and whites with small dashes of brighter complementary colours. I love this combination and it seems a natural fit for our house since the downstairs (family room floor) already has lots of brown (a brick fireplace, wood library panels, off-white berber, brown linoleum in the hall, taupe walls, brown linen curtains, etc.)

If I go with blue on the main floor, I'd prefer a different colour for the two stairwells and hallways that lead to the other two floors. For these, I'm considering ivory (like my master bedroom, which is White Down from Benjamin Moore). But I also like the idea of a warm pale brown (like Maritime White by Benjamin Moore, which is a beautiful milky coffee-ish colour) or perhaps a greige/grey colour, like that shown in the main entrance (first photo above) and the landing below:
I really adore the pale blue, white, light brown scheme in this house. I find it oh-so-soothing but would definitely need to spice things up a little with some brighter colours. I happen to love pink, but I also like the whimsical guest room below, in which they've used fresh oranges and corals and such, a perfect foil to the nautical blues and whites.
I think the possibilities are endless here, don't you? Now, if I can only stop changing my mind long enough to paint...

20 comments:

  1. Wow, what a lovely blog!

    And wonderful photos too! I really like the pale blue too! We are going to repaint, totally redo the kitchen and redecorate our new apartment (a small sunny getaway) and I'm also thinking about the colors. Right now I want to do it all offwhite which I've wanted for years. However... the pale blue is absolutely wonderful!

    I hope you keep posting so we can see what the result will look like!

    Have a nice evening!

    Susanne

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  2. You know how I feel about blue...go for it!! It's only paint...

    Linda

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  3. I don't see blue as cold. I see it as very tranquil and peaceful. Oh, Terri, those colors are beautiful! I say go blue!

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  4. Hi!
    Thanks for visiting! :)
    Well... I don't really know whether or not I will be doing another Masters this fall. If so I will have this little getaway to go to when it's too dark and damp in Sweden. And regardless of where we go we can always have this small place to return to.

    I really like your other pics as well, so calm and relaxing!

    Have a nice saturday!

    Susanne

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  5. Just when I'm starting to ignore some of the colour on my walls, you go and post some beautiful colours.... AAARGH! Now I'm getting the urge to paint some more!!

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  6. Wonderful pictures! In my first appartment I had pale blue walls (like the last bedroom picture) and I loved it. Yes, the impression was a bit cold but I did not mind. I really enjoyed the fresh feeling.
    hugs

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  7. Hi Terri!

    Thank you so much for adding a very thought-through answer on my latest post!! I love making posts that makes people think, think about life, wonder and ask questions.

    I am amazed about your plans, but a bit worried too. About painting your floor blue, I am not quite shure. I have never been very much fan of painted floors, unless it is white brown or black. Your coloursheme is great, but I am afraid that this blue colour will mess up the peaceful emission in your house. However,if you do have plans to make this change, I would have chosen a dark blue colour. Like that it will not be to visual or attract to much attention from the other colours or decorations in your room. Are you with me on this one? I am a bit afraid to say something, but I am worried that you soon will regret.
    I don`t see blue as a very cold colour. It is more a relaxing colour with lots of freshness.
    I really love your colourscheme,it reminds me of the Scandinavian homes :))

    I wish you a very good luck with your choices!
    Aina

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  8. Brown are very relaxing and I like them mixed with the blues. Not a blue fan myself however I can appreciate it. I prefer a gray blue if I had to choose.

    Very Nice!

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  9. Are you the gal who once said to paint it taupe and be done with it? LOL! It sounds as if the blue is calling your name and, from what you have shown us here, it looks beautiful. Not sure about the switching out to another color for the stairwell ??? would it be too stark a transition?

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  10. Where did you find those pictures and are they able to be reproduced because I'd really love to use them? They are gorgeous shots.

    ReplyDelete
  11. hi my name is Valdilene from Brazil your blog is beautiful, I watched here in Brazil through the top design of cable TV, I loved the decorating tips, you have very good taste for the surroundings, I saw your picture with one of the top design of the program,

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