Ugh, I hate picking paint colors

[mrs.jacinthe]

So, I've had NINE paint chips taped to copier paper and taped to the wall in my office since the last time I posted.  I have managed to eliminate exactly TWO.  In a whole week of looking at them.  Derp.

I thought it might help to take photos and then look at them on-screen ... but nope.  Seriously, why is this so complicated? 

Here's the PIP.  So far, the only eliminated ones are the two on the upper right piece of paper (too dark, too brown-ish):



So far, I'm leaning towards A, D, and F as possible actual paint samples.  What are your thoughts?  

(ETA: The photo sucks.  Let me see if I can get a better one without the flash lighting.)

ETA (again).  Here's a photo without flash.  It also sucks, but may be a more accurate representation of the colors:

[emjacobs]

Based on this I would do with D or E the others all make me think of a nursery.

[sweetredheadx]

I like A or F. D is too yellow for my taste.

[thewop]

I like B C or G. Go Pink! Who cares if it looks like a baby room?

[tarheels]

Ha, I was just gonna say that B, C, and G are very pink and eliminate them if that's not what you're after.

I think A, D and F are good sample choices.

[munkii]

C is lovely, but if you don't want pink...

[sb]

I like C the best. D might also be okay.

Pink is my favorite color. Not just for babies.

[mrs.jacinthe]

Hey, I'm totally cool with pink. I was originally going for a dusky mauve/violet/purple color. I got distracted by pink at the paint counter, that's where the pink chips came from. Honestly, this is a guest room and my office. I'm in this room 8+ hours a day. We have guests for 2-4 weeks a year. So the paint color is all me, whatever I want goes. I think having no input from R is where I've actually derailed, believe it or not. I'm not used to making these decisions without his preferences taken into account.

[IIOY]

I like A and E. I totally hear you on the difficulty of choosing paint colors. We moved into a completely unpainted house and it was agony for me to select colors. I actually want to paint our upstairs hallway a new color for a little more drama and have NO idea where to begin.

[darby]

I like E then A, with F coming in 3rd. I think D looks too much like what's already there (but maybe my monitor is off). Those look like super hard colors to pick from.

[Deleted]

I like E a lot as well. A is a good pick too.

If you want pink or purple by all means go for it. It's only paint. And it's not in a super public space so carry on with whatever makes you happy.

What do I know though? 8timesoutof10 I pick the first paint color that catches my eye in the store. Usually bought sample unseen. It's only failed me once and that was actually on a neutral tan color..ha.

[sierramist03]

I like a too but I also like e

[grey56]

Does the room have a rug? Art? Curtains? Can you pull a color from one of those? Your samples are all pretty similar so I think you know the direction you want to go....but choosing the final sample could come from something in the room.

That's how we did my DH's office, after some advice I got on here. He wanted a yellow, so we got a rug that had some yellow in it. Then we took the 5-6 paint samples that he'd already chosen, and went with the one closest to the yellow in the rug. It wasn't a perfect match but we didn't want to go stand in front of the paint swatches anymore, and we figured DH liked those swatches enough to pull them.... The room looks great now. I should post a pic.

I remember you posted the inspiration pic behind the mauve walls. Do you have any things to go in the room that are based on that pic?

[ssmjlm]

I like D.

[countthestars]

I like C!

[mrs.jacinthe]

Apr 4, 2013 6:12:04 GMT -5 grey56 said:

Does the room have a rug? Art? Curtains? Can you pull a color from one of those? Your samples are all pretty similar so I think you know the direction you want to go....but choosing the final sample could come from something in the room.

That's how we did my DH's office, after some advice I got on here. He wanted a yellow, so we got a rug that had some yellow in it. Then we took the 5-6 paint samples that he'd already chosen, and went with the one closest to the yellow in the rug. It wasn't a perfect match but we didn't want to go stand in front of the paint swatches anymore, and we figured DH liked those swatches enough to pull them.... The room looks great now. I should post a pic.

I remember you posted the inspiration pic behind the mauve walls. Do you have any things to go in the room that are based on that pic?

The only things that are dedicated to the room are charcoal gray curtains, my desk (with skirt), the turquoise headboard (although I can repaint it no prob), and a quilt my grandma made ... which incorporates exactly ZERO color scheme.  It's white and red and light blue and pink and orange and forest green and olive and teal ... so basically, it's Joseph's quilt of many colors.  Ha.  No rugs yet and no dedicated art, although I have things that *can* go on the walls.

[grey56]

Hold the swatches near the pink in the quilt, see what "goes" nicely.

[mrs.jacinthe]

They're actually on the wall just above the quilt, grey56 - I'll PIP the current scene for you (complete with gloomy gray weather outside). This quilt will go with ANYTHING.

[sierramist03]

Beautiful quilt!!

[hausfrau]

From the picture with the quilt, I really like C and G, but those are the pinkiest of the colors.

Your quilt is really pretty, by the way! And I really love your giant windows.

[grey56]

That is a beautiful quilt! I'm leaning towards left paper, bottom left. Very pink!

[mrs.jacinthe]

Thanks, ladies! My grandma made it back in the 70's or 80's. My mom has at least 10 of them at her house. I have two - the other one is orange around the edges, and then a similar conglomeration of randomness. According to my mom, grandma was one of those depression-era ladies who never let anything go to waste. So most of the squares/pieces are made up of either a) whatever fabric remnants grandma found for cheap or b) shirts, sheets, dishtowels, etc that wore out.

This particular one has what is *clearly* baby fabric (baby blue with pink bunnies/bears) next to what appears to have been a set of candy-striped sheets, which is next to what was probably a 70's era dress shirt (olive green and teal flowers), which is next to fabric with santa claus. LOL

ETA for your amusement - PIP of santa and the baby fabric, which appears to actually be pink foxes on closer inspection:

[mrs.jacinthe]

Because I'm an AW and WTH not ... here's a photo (from my wedding shower, LOL) of the other quilt that fits the guest bed:



Again, LOTS of randomness and honestly, I don't think that one will go with ANY color we pick, unless it's practically a primary color.

[hausfrau]

That orange quilt is awesome! It's so great that you have two family treasures like that. My mom has a couple of my great grandmother's quilts that are similarly made from random scrap fabrics. When I was little, I liked trying to guess where each of the pieces came from. Some were prettier than others, but nothing beats that Santa block you have there

I think for the paint color, just go with something you'll like seeing when you have to work in there and will brighten up your room when it is so cloudy. The dusky purple tints feel kind of depressing and institutional to me.

[munkii]

I still prefer C but will add that a light tangerine would look great with both quilts.