Oh bollocks...

[notasize10yetbutoneday]

Well, after trying 14 tester pots, onsulting people on here, etc, i thought I had found the perfect colour for the hall stairs and landing.

The decorator painted it yesterday.

And I don't like it.

Oh crap.

I wanted a rich cream and this is almost like a lemony-lime. It doesnt work with the dark wood at all.

I can't tell DH, he will kill me after we've just paid to have it decorated and i spent a ridiculous amount on tester pots.

Argh! I don't know what to do!

[greenlotus]

Put up your pictures, curtains, and get the furniture back in, and it will look a lot better.

[kitsmummy]

I disagree, if you hate it now it will only get worse until you're obsessed with how awful it is! (I do this quite often). You will have to repaint i'm afraid

[notasize10yetbutoneday]

Greenlotus, are you my Mum? I just spoke to her and she said the EXACT same words!

I know Kitsmummy- thats my feeling- do we do it now whilst the house is in upheaval now anyway (having new carpets fitted upstairs, etc) or hate it with a passion until I crack a few months down the line? Decisions decisions.

Think I will at least have to give it over the weekend as I haven't sen it in proper daylight yet- last nightwe didnt get home til 9pm and today e left the house 7.30am so maybe in proper daylight it will look better?...

[MortaIWombat]

Presumably if he painted it yesterday he's only done one coat? Phone him and get him to do another two coats quickly in Leyland Barley White, which is a creamy yellow vellum ish colour and what you're actually after.

[teta]

Can you not pretend to your dh that this is the undercoat!.Ask the decorator to come back and repaint.Dorset Cream is a rich cream F&B paint that's good in dark halls.I wouldn't be able to live with a colour that i disliked !.

[notasize10yetbutoneday]

Well having lived in it all weekend...I think its ok. Not what I wanted, but liveable. And a huge improvment on the previous dingy blue. Im getting a new curtain for the long windows so hopefully that will 'break up' the colour.

[MortaIWombat]

Ah good. I was worrying wondering about your walls.

[notasize10yetbutoneday]

Thanks for the advice magic- I hadn't even considered that angle. But we bought the paint, and saw the empty tins when we got home, so I can't see anyhting has gone awry there- also I suspect he wanted to do an extra good job so as to get the work again when we decorate the upstairs in a couple of weeks (actually we will be doing it ourselves but I didn;t tell him that).

Everyone who has been round so far likes the colour, so i think as much as anyhting it is just darker than I thought and the contrast between going from blue to yellow.

[notasize10yetbutoneday]

Magic thats definitely something I'll test next time-trying the colour on adjoning walls I mean. it really does intensify the colour, doesn't it.

So if I want the walls to appear creamier/lighter than their curret yellow- which colour curtains etc should I go for?

[TheNextMrsDepp]

OP, are you pregnant? I say this because I made a catalogue of dodgy decorating decisions while up the duff (turquoise dining room anyone?), and each one had to be remedied later.

[notasize10yetbutoneday]

Thanks Magic, it was Crown's Golden Hue-which looks a delicious warm cream on their website but in our hall which is rather an enclosed space, too yellow for my tastes. It doesn't help that the window frames are dark wood on the inside (not our choice!) making it darker than I'd like. I think a rich gold would look lovely. If I can trust myself to manage to choose a pair of curtains

Mrs Depp- no not pregnant unfortunately- unless making bad decorating decisions is a really, really early sign! I will make a mental note though not to do any decorating once I am pregnant- that sounds like a good excuse to me!

[notasize10yetbutoneday]

Well now I have lived with it for a month, got all the furniture back in, put new curtain up...




I really, really hate it. Its just awful. broke down and confessed to DH last night who obviously thought from my agitated state something was very wrong so was quite relieved to hear it was only about repainting the hall!

The million dollar question is though....what colour do i go for this time so as NOT TO COCK IT UP AGAIN??!!!

The problem is I think the hall and particularly the stairway is much,much darker than id originally thought, and also is quite an 'enclosed' space so the colours reflect back at each other if that makes sense? Also front door and window frames are dark brown wood (not our choice).

I don't want bright matt white though- I was thinking almost the colour of milk- an off white?

Any recommendations to save my sanity welcome!

[TheHeathenOfSuburbia]

sorry but lol'd at the thought of your DH all concerned, "OMG, darling what's the matter?""I think...I think...we're going to have to repaint the hall!"

So, more helpfully... were looking at paint yesterday, most ranges do an off-white, we have used Antique white for a lot of ceilings & stuff.

Dulux do a range called 'Light and Space' which is supposed to be specially light-reflective to brighten up dark areas, we have used it in our v. dark living room (think it was Amber Spirit). Hard to tell how much diffference it makes... think it helps a bit. Worth trying 'Chalk Burst' in that maybe?

Good luck!

[notasize10yetbutoneday]

Heathen thats exactly how it was! I tried so hard to live with it and then it all came rushing out, I think DH thought I was going to confess to all sorts of things!

I just rang our (lovely) decorator who said hes just done a hall in linen white and has some left over from the job so hes going to bring that and some other testers round tomorrow. It was almost worth the embarrassment of having to tell him that yes, I would like him to come and repaint the hall he painted just 3 weeks ago.

[randomimposter]

Oh i do feel for you! Another vote for F&B Dorset Cream; we have that on our hall/landing/stairs and I LOVE it, looks great in all lights. I have NEVER been disappointed with F&B colour, they always turn out better than I hope. Apparently decoraters are a bit sniffy about F&B as it's harder to use, often needs 3 coats, so they try to put people off but the finish is BRILL.

Linen White doesn't sound very creamy?

Good luck.

[randomimposter]

ah just read you want milky now - try House White by F&B, we have that in a bedroom. Lovely. Or Tallow also nice. Dorset Cream defo more yellowy.

[cece]

I always have Natural Calico somewhere in my house and find it works very well wherever I put it. I have had it in the hall of my last house and liked it a lot.

In this house I also have a lot of Natural Hessian - in fact pretty much the whole downstairs! LOL

[notasize10yetbutoneday]

I know, I know...lesson learned the hard way! We are getting it repainted in natural calico today! The decorator came round with a few tins he had left and we painted adjacent corners and it was the clear choice. tried egyptian cotton too but wasn't keen on they grey-y (or so it seemed) undertones.

Holding my breath as to what it'll be like when we get home tonight!

[Fizzylemonade]

Is this the bit where I point out it's Friday the 13th mwah mwah I met my dh on Friday 13th so we have a mini anniversary every time one occurs in the year. Not a bad day for us.

Natural calico is lovely, fingers crossed for you.

I paint A3 white paper in chosen colour and stick about 8 samples round the room against the different walls. Paint always looks different on each wall because of the different light they get.

magic fab post thanks for the information.

[notasize10yetbutoneday]

Ahhhhh Fizzy I didnt even THINK about it being Friday 13th! You meanie, Ive got 6 hours to wait before I can get home and see it!