The walls of the house are various shades of cream and tan. I am thankful everything is pretty neutral but in general, everything is much warmer than I would prefer. All the walls, trim, ceilings, and cabinets need painting. But, after painting the laundry room, I remembered, I hate painting.

This house, like most in the surrounding area, has an upstairs living area, sometimes referred to as a game room. This is slowly becoming our den (the formal living room, downstairs, is completely empty and will be quite the project). Just like every other room in the home, we are happily using the hand-me-down furniture and decor we have had for years. This room is also housing the rustic, Restoration Hardware inspired, coffee table my husband and brother made. But I worry that this room looks random (Asian, rustic, and traditional mixed together) though I have been pretty deliberate choosing what I put in this room and where I put it.  I am calling this room a colorful and eclectic mix of pieces.

I have purchased a few new things. In addition to the curtains (they don’t look like this out of the package, my mom steamed every panel), chair,  floor lamp and tatami floor cushions, I wanted some artwork in bamboo frames. I decided to make my own art and ordered these bamboo frames from Custom Picture Frames (be warned, the color is much more copper than brass). Other than these items, the decor in this room is either from TJMaxx or decor my grandmother was planning to throw away.

We have purchased two new pieces of furniture: the TV console and a sofa. The TV console is a nice piece that ties together our dark colors and Asian inspired decor. The sofa is the product of marital compromise. I got the shape and style I wanted and Matt got leather in a traditional color. It will not be delivered until November. The sofa purchase confirmed what we already knew, the room needs to be painted.

As seen in the photo above, the room is south-facing and way too warm. One of the previous owners chose to paint the rooms upstairs in various shades of tan with warm undertones.  No matter the time of the day, every room looks dark and red/orange.  All the den furniture, including the new sofa, is dark brown, there is no denying it, we will have to paint.

Since the room is south facing, I need a color with a cool undertone. I don’t want to go too white or light but I also want the room to feel airy and look clean and crisp. I saw an advertisement for Samplize which is a less messy alternative to painting samples of paint on your wall. I am interested in trying it. These are my current top picks for the walls and trim. I am afraid my trim picks may be too warm.

SW 7628 Windfresh White, LRV 69, Cool White

SW 7626 Zurich White,  LRV   76, Cool White

SW 7627 White Heron, LRV   76

SW 6070 Heron Plume, LRV   75, Cool White

BM OC-17 White Dove, LRV 85

SW 7008 Alabaster, LRV  82

Paint Colors (L to R) SW 7628 Windfresh White, LRV 69, Cool White, SW 7626 Zurich White,  LRV   76, Cool White, SW 7627 White Heron, LRV   76,  SW 6070 Heron Plume, LRV   75, Cool White, SW 7008 Alabaster, LRV  82, BM OC-17 White Dove, LRV 85

Now I am thinking that since I am painting the game room I might as well paint the master bathroom, half bathroom, and the study. We shall see. Just thinking about painting is making me anxious.