Help with Hallway decor!

[MamaTess]

We need help, we have been struggling to choose colours for ages...

We want a two tone way with a dado rail, and had been thinking a warm caramel type brown on bottom, and keeping it crisp and white on the top. The hallway is spacious and fairly bright.

We cannot find a brown that we like at all!! 😩 We have tested so many...

I have been leaning towards giving up on brown and looking at some olive type colours, but OH really really wants a brown, he likes the idea of the high contrast.

The closest we have found is that I like is Dulux -Spiced honey but I still think this is slightly too dark. Cookie dough dulux is too light and pinky for us -we definitely want the deep colour. We have tried the French chic browns and they were either too dark or too grey.

Has anyone used a nice deep caramelly brown in the hallway? Anyone used the dulux spiced honey anywhere?? Any other ideas?

I have no actual experience of any brown colours but have you tried any of the Little Greene ‘Sweet Treats’ collection? They’re all rich warm browny colours in various depths.

We had similar in our old house. Download the Dulux Visualizer app and have a play around. It's pretty accurate with light levels, etc. We had a disaster with Mellow Mocha which looked lilac in our living room. If I'd used the Visualizer app I'd have realised before we bought 5L of paint.

If you're sticking with Dulux caramel cream is a bit paper than spice honey and doesn't have the pinky tones of cookie dough. www.dulux.co.uk/en/colour-details/caramel-cream

If not, I agree that the sweet treats collection from Little Greene is a good start. It's expensive but I tried their paint for the first time recently and I was very impressed. I painted Royal Navy over a pale blue and white room. It took two coats on the walls and three coats on the skirting boards. The last time I went from pale to dark a few years ago I used Crown paint and it took 3-4 coats for an even finish.

If you live anywhere near a Brewers it's worth a trip. We signed up for a brewers account (basically a loyalty scheme) and got 20% off our first two orders, a box filled with colour cards from all the brands they sell and a paint brush. The displays were really good and the staff were helpful too.

www.littlegreene.com/affogato

www.littlegreene.com/muscovado

Mixed reviews regarding application but a lovely colour -

https://www.dunelm.com/product/dunelm-butterscotch-matt-emulsion-paint-1000185225?defaultSkuId=30732753&branchCode=0045&dsc=Home+ImprovementssPaint-PMax%5BGOO-LIA-DECORATING-PAINT%5D&gclid=CjwKCAjwkNOpBhBEEiwAb3MvveU3asPtSj44TugXJOYE601-89hueJeoJYQOEYJLa-96vD706F3fBoCvukQAvDD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Might be a bit dark or red for you. As it's the hallway, I would go bold!

https://coatpaints.com/products/medina-quarter-flat-matt?variant=43860229062903&gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwkNOpBhBEEiwAb3MvvWQyDwhxQoL6dYejX4bbyRzqXnBjiUps74Ic5t00htQWXfOz2a7zBoCPKoQAvDBwE&slvvrt=v1%7E1hdbbemot%7Ee6d4bcbd-ac6c-491a-96b6-1c8b79c2236a%7Ea1c4f213-b568-4a6b-af5a-75c98314ca83%7Em7o5v6

Have a look at Dulux Egyptian Cotton. It's often described as a greige colour and can look quite neutral in photos, but its one of those colours affected by light and it definitely came out very caramel beige in our house.
Had the same with F&B Ammonite, looks neutral in photos but we found it very beige.

@ButterMyParsnip Thank you I have ordered a caramel cream tester!! Only using Dulux as they have a large range, can try on the visualiser app, and easy to order testers. Open to other brands too, we couldn't find a blue we liked for our lounge with Dulux and ended up with BandQs own brand I think. Was so much easier than finding a brown though!! I think one of the issues is OH is keen on the darker reddish browns, and I like the Golder/yellow tones, but he is at the point where he just wants me to choose anything so he can finish the walls! 🤣

These are too light for us. We want a bit of contrast between the white and the brown.

It’s a pinkish brown (or a brownish pink?), but we have F and B’s Dead Salmon in a room, and have always loved it. (Cheap copy, not actual F and B). The picture rail and skirting are warm white and the contrast is lovely.

I love brown and need to use some in my house. As ever, I'm looking at f and b, have you seen this colour? Also their mouses back is a good one. Not brown, but my current favourite is cardamom , would make a great lower hallway colour.

Thanks everyone, I think we are going with the Dulux caramel cream! Just need to work out how much we need now, didn't realise the mixed paints were so much more expensive! 😬

Hi OP - sorry to revive your old thread, but did you go with Caramel Cream and are you pleased with it? We are considering it too.

Yes we did, it's lovely.

Thanks @MamaTess. Testers at the ready!