Well, we've only made it to week 3 and there is already a speed bump in my home office makeover! Why is paint SO hard to choose? I agonized over the paint color and felt like I did everything "right," so it was so disappointing seeing the color going on the cabinets. It just wasn't it.
My goal was to choose a color that was a nice warm, taupey brown that would complement the stem color in the wallpaper. I ordered several samples and hung it around the room to see the color in all times of day and lighting. And I left them up for a week to be sure I had found the right color.
Day one for painting was prep. Taping off the spapce, removing cabinets, sanding everything, then adding a primer. So by the end of the first day I was still excited and feeling good about everything. But on day two, I snuck upstairs to take a peek after they did the first coat, and I just knew. Immediately, all I could see was purple, or as Andrew called it mauve. I don't think it's necessarily a bad color, but it doesn't work for this space. A little girls nursery or bathroom, maybe.
I felt so bad because the painter could sense my disappointment when they were finished, but I told him it was my fault with the color choice, his painting looked great. We already had the wallpaper installation scheduled, so there is no time to re-paint it before that gets completed. He assured me that he could paint the edges with a brush and not damage the paper, but I'm so nervous! I'm sure he'll do a better job than I would, but it's still frustrating that I didn't just get the color right in the first place.
I cannot get a photo of the completed paint to translate the same way it looks in person. In photos, it doesn't look so bad. But in person, all I can see is purple. So now, I have to try and figure out a new color, and quickly! He said he's schedule is filling up quickly. I already had anxiety trying to choose a color, and now it's reached a new level. There are so many options, and I want to make sure I don't make the same mistake again.
I've been scouring the internet for various brown, but I know photos don't always represent color, I also want to stick to Sherwin Williams, and I feel like the longer I look the more confused I get. There is a designer I follow who I love, and she recently posted a photo of a space she designed that is a nice lighter brown that I love, so I am getting a sample of that. And I've already made one trip to Sherwin Williams for more samples, but I still don't know if I found the right one.
I'm wondering if I should change course and do a darker green that will blend in with the counters a little bit. I could also do a really dark, brown or continue to search for the right, lighter shade of brown. I am getting better at looking for undertones to make sure I don't choose something that leans red/pink/purple, but it's so hard. It's funny, when I first chose Cocoa Whip, I didn't see any pink or purple. It never crossed my mind, but now when I look at the paint sample it is so obvious! I hope I'm at least learning something so I don't make a mistake like this again.
I would love any input from you on what you think might look nice. One person said to match the stem of the wallpaper, but it's really quite yellow. When I tried matching to samples in the store, it was quite gold and I don't want that, especially with the green countertop.
I'm hopeful our painter will be able to come back next week to re-paint, so I really need to get this color choice nailed down. My mother in law is in town this weekend, so perhaps she will be able to help me narrow things down too.
I have so much admiration for interior designers! Color is seriously hard. It made me think of this time at my first job in San Francisco, they hired a color specialist to come in and select the office paint colors. I didn't really get the choices he made and thought it seemed like such a funny expense, but now I have so much respect for that color specialist! Side note: that's a pretty cool job especially in San Francisco, he would help people select colors for the exterior of Victorian homes in the city.
Anyway, back to the office...HELP!
Signed, a very stressed out Mom playing interior designer. xo
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