Expert: Jennifer Taylor Wojcik - 7/16/2008

Question
I am trying to select a paint color for the walls of our split level basement family room. We recently ripped off the paneling and installed drywall, so the whole room is basically a fresh slate. The room has south- and east-facing windows and generally receives little light. The room is 27 feet long (4 feet of the 27 are occupied by a wood-burning stove and some bookshelves) by 13/5 feet wide. A little more than half of the interior longer wall is "open" to another area from which you can access another room, a bathroom, and the laundry area. (I'm sure I didn't describe that correctly, but hopefully you will understand that the room is not strictly the 27 x 13.5 with only 1 small door for entry.). Our sectional is a mocha color, very close to Valspar BP9 (sunwashed clay with Down to Earth BP); the other two pieces of furniture are dark, almost a mahogany finish. We have decided to paint the wall behind the bookshelves Valspar EE2035 Rose of Copper and the bookshelves an Ebony (accent pieces, not books, are going on these shelves). This leaves the east exterior wall with french doors and one casement window and the south wall with a regular window. The floor will be a pecan type finish, or lighter cherry faux wood. A previous designer suggested SW 6107 Nomadic Desert for the walls and SW 6106 Kilim Beige for the trim, but we have a similar color upstairs and I don't want to feel morose in two rooms instead of one. While the thought of a gold/yellow or apricot appeals to me, too much color on the walls makes me nervous, yet white or beige walls sounds so boring. Can you recommend a fairly neutral yet complimentary color (other than Glidden's Toasty Grey, which I saw in a picture online and wasn't thrilled with it) that would accommodate accent pieces in coral/orange/red/green, a zebra rug, leopard pillows, and palm tree tapestries containing red, cream, black, and green?  Thank you so much for your help. I am completely clueless when it comes to decorating, and I have been driving myself crazy for the last few days looking at paint chips.

Answer
An Apricot or Pale Yellow would be nice.  I'm leaning toward a Benjamin Moore Color called Yellow Haze, # 2017-50.  Check it out.  It's a yellow shade of Apricot and I think you may like it.  (It doesn't tend to go to orange or yellow.)

Regards,
Jenny

Regards,
Jenny