Tuesday, August 29, 2006

White, white, and MORE WHITE!

I stopped in The Depot the other day to pick up some white paint samples. I am looking to paint the bathroom cabinet, and I want it to match the countertop. I have seen too many amateur redos where the white in the cabinets was different than the white in the counter. And it always ends up looking odd. For instance, the cabinet will be painted bright, bright white, while the sink is yellowish-white. I am trying to avoid that.

When I got to Home Depot, I had it in my mind that I would grab “just a few” samples of white. I would grab samples of eggshell white…off white…Navajo white…bone white…ultra pure white…and antique white. Because after all, that's all I would need and that's all they would have, right?


Wrong. Twenty minutes later, I walked out with a deck of 63 samples…all of which came from different sections classified as “white”. It’s funny, really. When lumped together, the samples all look so different. But when looked at individually, they look exactly the same—just plain white.

Some the colors on the samples left me a little perplexed. There’s one called Frosted Juniper. From my experience with Fiesta, juniper is a very dark bluish green color. Frosted Juniper is white with the very slightest tinge of minty-mint green.

Swiss Coffee, Vanilla Delight, and Almond Cream look exactly like they sound—like something you would find on a Starbucks menu.

Most of the color names conjured up images of snow (Frosty Morning, Polar Bear, Snow Fall, and Glacial Tint), weddings (Bridal Veil, White Glove, Soft Lace, Wedding White, and Champagne Flute), clouds (Billowy Clouds, Canyon Clouds, and Cloudy Day), and bed sheets (Natural Linen, Crisp Linen, Fine Linen, Silk Pillow, and Linen White)

Then there’s Cinnamon Cake. That name doesn’t exactly make one think of white…unless it was covered with vanilla frosting. No, Cinnamon Cake, to me, sounds more like the color of Jango.

My favorite is name is Divine Pleasure. If I end up using that color, I may never leave the bathroom!

6 comments:

Ces Adorio said...

OMG. If it were me, I'd put all the strips in a bucket, close my eyes and pick out one. That's probably why I don't remodel frequently. Still, you are very good at this.

papa said...

"Divine Pleasure"? Can't you buy that in those "marital aids" shops! (of course I have never been in one of those shops!!!!At least not during daylight hours!){grin}

kj said...

i discovered something similiar when i was asked to choose a color for grout! there were far too many choices.

i'm redoing my bathroom too. it's the last of the remodeling. vanity, sink, fixtures, faucets, cabinet, lights. too many decisions. only after it's done will it be worth it all. :)

ChristopherM said...

If those are the Behr paints, everything I remodel in the house that is white gets painted their shade called Swan Wing.

Ms. Val said...

Ces, for me, redoing the house is more hobby than chore.

Papa, real divine pleasure can't be bought at any store. :-)

KJ, I hope you plan on posting pictures on your blog. I'd love to see the finished product.

Christopher, I always use Behr paint. Their satin goes on better than any other paint I've used.

Anonymous said...

I vote for Swiss Coffee - used it for years and it looks great! This from someone who cannot make decorating decisions. My house looks the same as when I moved in 13 years ago! Former decorator did a fine job.