Tag Archives: Choosing paint color

Chessie’s Waffle: Exterior Paint Color

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Molly

Chessie’s House

As long term Waffler readers may remember, I had quite a difficult time picking out a paint color for my laundry room (you can see the before and after here). Choosing a color for my little laundry room is one thing; choosing a color for the outside of my house might just make my head explode.

Chessie, however, is up to the task. She just needs a little help narrowing down her choices. Here she explains:

When we bought our two family in Somerville, MA three years ago, we gutted and updated a lot of the interior. We love the inside now–the outside, not so much. It’s a “classic” 1970s light green vinyl that I guess was considered modern and low maintenance then but is just ugly now.

We can’t afford to re-side with wood or a modern siding like hardy plank right now, but we recently learned about vinyl safe paints that could work to update our exterior. We have narrowed down the color options to yellow, green, and blue. The front of our house is lacking in a lot of architectural detail so we are wary of painting a color that will overwhelm. What do people think?

Take a look at the bottom three color swatches in the picture below. Do you think Chessie should paint her house yellow, green, or blue?

And while you’re thinking about exterior colors, Chessie would also like you to weigh in on whether you like the idea of adding panels to the front of the house to boost its architectural appeal. It might look something like this — though the interior blocks would be whatever color they decide to paint the house, not the green in the image.

What have you been waffling about lately? Let me know and readers can help you make that tricky decision.

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Waffler Wrap-up and Recent Poll Results

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Molly

Remember how Kelly from Refreshed Designs was waffling about whether or not to paint the inside of this Ikea Billy bookcase?

60% of voters encouraged Kelly to paint the inside of the cubbies, while 40% wanted her to leave them as is. Here’s what Kelly says she plans to do:

I have decided, because of the close vote and because of laziness, not to paint the shelves for now. My motto is keep it simple, so I think the all-one-color will stay for a while.

This was what my sister’s basement looked like a few weeks ago when she was waffling about what color to paint the back wall.

51% of readers thought Jessie should choose a color in the blue family while 24% favored an orange. So which color did she end up with?

As you can see, she went with a bold orange — Benjamin Moore’s Jeweled Peach, to be exact. Here’s what Jessie has to say about why she chose it:

I did the orange because I was bullied into it by my daughter and a friend who kept pestering me about “warm colors” in the damp and chilly basement. I loathed it for the first few days but it is growing on me, and my husband likes it too. Now I just have to get the flooring down and order the couch!

What do you think of the orange?

Arte Styling

If Waffler readers are any indication, I bet we’ll be seeing more stenciled stairs in the world of design. When I asked readers about this trend, 80% said they like it while only 10% claimed they did not.

When I posted a fantasy waffle about whether you would prefer a free spring-cleaning or a free spring break vacation, the votes were close. 55% chose the free spring-cleaning option while 45% chose a free spring break.

I guess waffler readers are a practical bunch…either that or you just really hate to clean.

What are you waffling about these days? I’d love to know!

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Posted in Poll Results and tagged basement, bookcase, Choosing paint color, Ikea, paint color, spring cleaning, Stenciling. Bookmark the permalink.

Today’s waffle: blues vs. yellows

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Molly

You’ve heard of the playoffs, well today I’m doing a paint-off to determine the best color to transform my dull laundry room into a more cheerful space.

Last week you helped me narrow down my list of blues — Wythe Blue is currently leading in the polls — but many of you suggested I consider yellow, a notoriously tricky color. So I selected a darker gray/blue and a lighter blue, a darker yellow and a light one.

First up, we have Yarmouth Blue. A Benjamin Moore employee suggested this color when I (sadly) realized that Wythe Blue was going to be too dark. Next is Bright and Early, a bright blue which I had left over from painting my son, Will’s, room. Then there are the yellows: Benjamin Moore’s Hawthorne Yellow, supposedly the be-all and end-all of yellows, and Sherwin Williams’ Full Moon, a much paler shade.

Ken and I like the idea of eventually replacing the high shelf with bright white cabinets. This is on a future to-do list, though, so the shelf will be staying for the immediate future.

What do you think? I shot these pictures on a relatively sunny day.

Benjamin Moore Bright and Early, Benjamin Moore Hawthorne Blue, Benjamin MOore Yarmouth Blue, Shemin Williliams Full Moon, painting laundry room, painting small room

Wall to the left of the window

This area under the shelf probably gets the least light.

The wall to the right of the window is often in half-shadow:

Wall across from the washing machine and dryer

I also purchased the Olin Rug from Crate and Barrel. I wanted to see what the room would look like with some bold colors on the floor. Of course I’m not sure if I will keep it or not…

So which paint color should we crown champion of the paint-off? Or if none of these specific colors do it for you, are you leaning toward the yellow or blue team?

Do you need help choosing a paint color, too? Whatever you are waffling about, click on the button below to send a waffle and get help.

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Posted in Paint waffles and tagged Choosing paint color, design dilemma, Laundry Room, paint. Bookmark the permalink.

My waffle: paint color for the laundry room

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Molly

I have a theory that choosing a paint color is like dating. Some colors are waaay too aggressive and egocentric: “Hi, I’m red! I’m really, really red. Did I mention I’m red?” Other colors, like potential mates, seem promising, but are actually kind of dull when you get to know them. Then there are the Big Men on Campus — highly in demand and totally trendy, lots of gals love them…but will you tire of him in a few years?

For my laundry room, I’m looking for the Ken of paint colors: comforting, enduring and cheerful, just like my husband (cue the awwws….or the gagging).

Here’s my laundry room in need of some TLC: