I spent so long trying to pick a paint color for this great room (entry/living/kitchen & dining/den) on the north side of this house.

Almost every color chip looks gray-ish in here. Finally chose one that didn't look gray or yellow and seemed super plain an neutral.

Got one wall finished yesterday and swear it looks yellow-ish like homemade banana pudding. Waited to have some natural light this morning to see if maybe the color wasn't mixed right.

This is the same paint chip on the same wall painted from the same gallon of paint- each maybe 6 to 8 feet apart.

chip looks brighter than the wall:



chip looks same as the wall:



chip looks darker than the wall:



This last pic is the area across from the kitchen where I was standing last night and thinking my warm cream went banana.



Just saying...beware novice painters.

ETA: This dead thread bump brought to you by the following blog post that showed up in my email today:https://laurelberninteriors.com/2021...eid=b2288d28be

And because if you aren't doing some kind of reno while being curtailed from other activities you still might.

I just finished a complete remodel on my home and I GC'd it myself. What undertone are you looking for?
Whites are greatly influenced by the colors in the room around it and the amount of light.

My house is mid century modern.
Flat walls (no texture), black walnut and rift sawn oak bring in the warmth. Matte black and brushed bronze on the HW.

I went with snowbound which has a purple/red undertone in flat to give the house some warmth.

Edit:
Strong interior decor re-edit

Pretty much every famous painter was insane in some shape or form

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I didn't see it until much later and didn't want to bump the thread then. I saw in another thread that the visual arts are part of your career.

I can't say that I actively sought an undertone so much as I just was trying to move towards something warmer and brighter. Here is a pic w/the new color mostly painted over the old color, dark but give some idea:



I've been looking at flooring options though and the undertones are kinda making me crazy. I don't want yellow/orange, green, or gray, or red/pink...just as close to a neutral medium brown as possible. That seems to be strangely rare and hard to find.

Maria Killiam blogs about and actually has a course on undertones if anyone is interested:

https://mariakillam.com/9neutralundertones/

I spent a long time trying to decide on a color and once I was committed I just kept going with it. I think it is okay, but the east end of the room still looks more yellow under certain conditions.

Couple of pics from around Christmas- one looks like a nice cream, one looks more yellow...sigh:





And the ceilings bug me more than ever. It is just such a miserable, messy, neck and shoulder wrecking project. I don't wanna. But I want it done.

what did you do to your hand?

x2

And you're thinking too much about different shades of white.

I actually had a broken arm/wrist early in November. 2 weeks with a splint, 4 with a cast.

https://forum.obnoxiousbrutes.com/showt...hp?t=179269721

It isn't back 100% w/range of motion or weight bearing yet, but it is much better.

I don't just do whites though.This bedroom is painted Honest Blue from Sherwin Williams:



And here are some samples and color chips I'm looking at for the kitchen:

The world of whites is crazy rabbit hole. Your home looks great. My first impression is that the white in the pics definitely have a yellow undertone. If you are looking for a neutral brown perhaps something with a beige undertone could work. Also, I always primer over colors before laying down white.

And I agree on ceilings. I absolutely do not like texture, so when I had the chance I had all new drywall put up and I skim coated every surface for a smooth level 5 finish.

Project looks great. Nice and cozy.

Beautiful house Katya! As for painting, blech, I hate painting. All the prep is such a PITA.

When we were painting our house my wife drove herself crazy going back and forth over the piddliest little differences in color. That is, until I swooped in like a champ. I never told her this but we even painted one bedroom with a color I got from the reject shelf at Sherwin Williams for like $2 because it was bluish grey and that's what we were going with. On the others I just started making decisions and doing things.

Here's the thing about women for all you younger guys out there. The colors on the walls, furniture arrangement in the living room or whatever else doesn't matter. Women just like changing chit and I think its related some sort of nesting instinct. It could be the most perfect color in the world and they'll want to change it again in 5 years so don't fret over it. Just make a decision and it's honestly better if your not too attached to it since she'll want to change it eventually

What? Like you're new here or something?Thanks.

And I do very little prep anymore. I used to do all the things that they load you up for at the paint store. I personally find most of it unnecessary. I wipe the walls down with a TSP type solutions, roll as much as I can and then cut in with a brush. I move around a blue tarp or some flat cardboard to the area where I'm working and if I get a little on the trim I just wipe it off w/a damp rag as I go.Hey, I got there.

Eventually.