If one were painting a wall....

[clogged]

.... would one chose yellow or red?

I am afraid yellow is too trendy and will be outdated by Xmas. But red has been around for soooo long it's becoming old and I am afraid I will be sick of it in a year. We are adding in accent pieces in red, white, and yellow.

It's in our living room/dining room which is in an L-shape with the kitchen. It's way open plan. We are painting one wall in the kitchen the same color, but the two walls aren't touching each other. It's more of a way to make the space cohesive. or whatever a better word would be. My brain is fried.

All other walls to remain white, ceiling white, wall-to-wall curtains in white. Kitchen is white with black counter tops. Woodwork around windows is black. Floor medium tone laminate.

looking at butter yellow or cherry red.

Which do you prefer?

[aMrsin09]

yellow is a bitch of a colour, but I think the red would be too "harsh" against the white.

The only successful yellow painted room I've seen was done in "Buttercream" oh and the Reclaimation Hardware yellow.

[dorothyinAus]

Does the room get morning sun or afternoon sun? For rooms with morning sun, I prefer warmer colors. For rooms with afternoon sun, I prefer cooler colors. And speaking of that, how much fading will occur? Is lit likely that the red will wash out to a pink as it fades? Will the yellow mellow to a creamy tone with fading?

[cricketwife]

Yellow is my favorite color. Most of my rooms are yellow, but I do have red in the kitchen (i know it sounds like McDonald's around here but I promise it's nice). I would definitely vote yellow, not just because it's my favorite but because red, white and black seems to harsh to me. And if everything else is white, yellow is a better color to soften things up a bit.

[anna7602]

I like both colors and have used them in different shades/ways. Our dining room back in the U.S. is yellow, but more towards goldenrod (if you remember the 64 box of crayolas). I forget the exact name of the shade, but I could hunt it down in my email if necessary. And my DD's room in the U.S. is a very pale buttercup shade of yellow that I haven't tired of at all. However, in both cases, it's the whole room, not just an accent. I am not sure any shade of yellow would work as just an accent. I guess I would have to see it.

We painted our entry way in the U.S. in two consecutive homes red and I love it, obviously since I did it twice. I think it works well in a small space and would also look nice as an accent. The key is getting the right shade and figuring out how the light works in that room.

[clogged]

Sun question: it gets all sun. All day long. Our windows are floor to ceiling, in all four walls, and it rises directly in one and sets in the opposite. Summer and winter.

The room is pretty much a 2:1 rectangle. We would paint the long wall. The "wall" directly opposite the ine we want to paint is all glass/open to kitchen. Except for 3 columns, there is no paintable surface. So even though it is one wall of color in the room, it is about 40-50% of the wall space. The windows opposite get full freakin sun from just afternoon on.

Our neighbors (same floor plan, but did a different walll) did an intense, deep golden rod a couple years ago and it seemed too "hot" a color. Like it belonged in a Spanish villa rather than a wet, Dutch town. I loved the shade but the richness and intensity seemed kinda weird and out of place.

[clogged]

In the meantime, I think I will slap up a few shades of yellow samples. See which one I like.

I love the red/white/black high contrast in pics. But then those are ginormous studio rooms without kid clutter, so you are right- who am I kidding? Red would be too sharp in my house.

Ugh. I hate this. Choosing colors is the worst! I know if I walk into the store without a solid plan, I will get wooed by the sample room pics next to the color mixer thingie and end up with something insane.

[blushing]

I vote pink! I know someone who painted just their one wall hot pink and it ended up looking amazing, I was shocked!

[aMrsin09]

Can you post a picture of the room as it is now with it's furnishings?

I just remembered, the yellow I painted my US kitchen was Ralph Lauren Evocative Sunlight. It was a white based "happy" yellow (more on the baby yellow end than a golden yellow)

Here is a link with a full discussion of various "soft" yellow colours.

ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/decor/msg0210431911438.html

ETA: Red is also an angry colour AND subconsciously increases the appetite. Nobody wants an angry, hungry pregnant Clogged ...

[allibally]

Red's my favorite color. But don't think I could ever paint a wall like that. FIL did that in a really awful red shade... Not to mention for a house builder and architect it was the worst paint job I've seen. Sucks to be his landlord.

On the topic of yellow walls... I'm sitting in a sunny yellow EL train at the moment. It makes me want to vomit. Haha... yellow doesn't make the EL anymore happy or sunshine then usual.

I've seen pics of your place. You seen to get lots of light even without full sun. I think you could pull the red wall off!

[clogged]

These are old Xmas pics, but good enough. we have new couches, the same size as these, one in white and one in red. We are debating on changing the color of the red one.....

These were taken just before Xmas, so winter sun, on a crappy weather day.

The wall we want to paint. The wall to the left is pretty much all window.


Turning 90 degrees right:
The back wall we will be leaving white. The wall we want to paint is now on your left.


Turning 90 degrees right:
the "open tomthe kitchen/window wall". The kitchen wall with the cupboards in the background will be the same color paint.

[clogged]

Except for addition of babygates, it's been the same for 4 years. I just realized that. No wonder I am dying for a change!!!

[aMrsin09]

Nice place!

I would go with a soft yellow. It would provide the change and brighten everything, but not colour block the room.

[oneslybookworm]

I would go yellow too. But first, I need to see what yellows you were thinking...that might change my mind.

[dorothyinAus]

I wold definitely go yellow, perhaps one of these:

www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/pineapplegrove
www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/limon

[Cheesecake]

I'd go yellow, I had a red wall, and I loved, loved, loved it, it was however, a bitch to paint. It took at least 3 coats to resemble a little bit of evenness. Everyone I know who's had red walls (and I know quite a few people who have), complained of the same thing, red dries weird and uneven.

So in your case I'd go yellow, but nothing too bright. Also look out with the lemony-yellows, they always turn out way brighter/sharper on the wall than on the sample. (My best friend wanted a very bright yellow wall in her daughter's room, her DH wanted more subtle. He won, then he painted, and apparently she had won (and was super happy she didn't pick the even brighter one, as that probably would've turned out almost-neon.)

[aMrsin09]

Jul 15, 2012 4:18:18 GMT -5 Cheesecake said:

So in your case I'd go yellow, but nothing too bright. Also look out with the lemony-yellows, they always turn out way brighter/sharper on the wall than on the sample. (My best friend wanted a very bright yellow wall in her daughter's room, her DH wanted more subtle. He won, then he painted, and apparently she had won (and was super happy she didn't pick the even brighter one, as that probably would've turned out almost-neon.)

And, unless you like National Geographic Yellow, I would also stay away from 1/4 strength Ralph Lauren Persimon.

[clogged]

HOLY CRAP!!!
I couldn't handle neon. Unless I wanted to get a tan sitting in front of the wall. lol

Ok, try avoiding national geographic, school bus, and mcdonald's yellow.

Now to get some samples- the warnings worked: will test a couple winning shades to see what happens in real life. I like that limon one above (DorothyinAus).... something in that range.

[clogged]

I also like this one.... www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/bananappeal

[aMrsin09]

Jul 15, 2012 6:15:29 GMT -5 clogged said:

I also like this one.... www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/bananappeal

OOH I like all three of those.

They don't sell Benjamin Moore here, but places do colour match and that is the green I want in our living room and the blue I want for my kitchen.

[clogged]

I don't think they sell it here, either, but matching a swatch shouldn't be too hard.

I found this pic (on that yellow thread above) love it being soft but certainly yellow instead of more gold....

[allibally]

Jul 15, 2012 6:15:29 GMT -5 clogged said:

I also like this one.... www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/bananappeal

Oooo. I like that shade. Not to electric I suppose.

[pittpurple]

am totally useless (I have never owned anything so never think about painting!) but I love your house, it's so open and bright!

[allibally]

Jul 15, 2012 6:48:49 GMT -5 clogged said:

I don't think they sell it here, either, but matching a swatch shouldn't be too hard.

Clogged if you want any of the swatch cards from the US let me know. I'm sure the color will match better then coming off the computer screen.

I can just pick them out when I'm out sometime and stick them in a regular envelope. We have some stamps laying around anyway.

[clogged]

Ah, thanks! I am just going to bring my screen into the store and match that shade to the sample cards. LOL. Take that stupid computers! I have outsmarted you!!

[allibally]

Jul 16, 2012 6:24:20 GMT -5 clogged said:

Ah, thanks! I am just going to bring my screen into the store and match that shade to the sample cards. LOL. Take that stupid computers! I have outsmarted you!!

Haha. The power of iPads.

[Wanderista]

I just want to say nice house! Also, I like the idea of yellow as well. Red seems a bit cliched. The decor palette that you describe is indeed interesting and does suit the space well. I'm a weirdo in that I think a really bright graphic yellow would suit the modernism of the space really well. Don't listen to me though, you have to live there, not me.

[glitterfart]

I´m going to be the odd one out, but I lurve me some red. I 2 white walls in my kitchen and 1 red one. The 4th wall is covered in cabinets, but the top 12 inches or so are red. And I always get compliments if that makes any difference. There are some pics on my blog, I believe.

[clogged]

O.M.G.

We picked out a yellow we both loved (ironically called "clog yellow"). But then he decided he didn't want yellow after all. Or red. *facepalm*

So, after every shade of blue being tossed out as well, we are looking at apple green. I still have my yellow sample, just in case. MEN!!! Can't make up their flippin minds! lol

[anna7602]

Jul 14, 2012 16:26:28 GMT -5 clogged said:

Our neighbors (same floor plan, but did a different walll) did an intense, deep golden rod a couple years ago and it seemed too "hot" a color. Like it belonged in a Spanish villa rather than a wet, Dutch town. I loved the shade but the richness and intensity seemed kinda weird and out of place.

Just circled back to this post out of curiosity. The entire inside of my home in NY is kind of like a Spanish villa. I am okay with that, but I can see your reservations.

Also, after seeing the pics of your place, it's totally different light-wise than the place I own. None of the shades I was thinking of would work very well there.