old country house blog

TIMELESS YELLOWS – NOT CALLED YELLOW

YELLOW is my husbands favorite color….

Our very first home was a sweet small brick home, with low ceilings and little light in the hallways. I  wanted to brighten the main hallways and chose a pale yellow. The color was called…”Yellow” something…maybe “Spring YELLOW”, I can’t remember….I wanted a nice light creamy yellow and that is how it looked on the card. I was so certain it was perfect that I did not even feel the need to put a tester swatch on the wall (BIG..BIG… MISTAKE). I could not wait to come home and see the beautiful hallway  inspired by this English Countryside Inn .

KESWICK HALL, KESWICK VA
KESWICK HALL, KESWICK VA

Unfortunately I walked in and was slapped in the face with a LEMON……It was so bright I needed sunglasses (maybe I am exaggerating a tad). We are not talking a deep rich gorgeous yellow like the  beautiful MONTICELLO CHROME YELLOW which I adore…..

MONTICELLO - ELLE DECOR
MONTICELLO – ELLE DECOR

…but no, OUR HALLWAY  was like the inside of a lemon.

LEMONY LEMONS PINTEREST
LEMONY LEMONS PINTEREST
LEMON SORBET DONE RIGHT!
LEMON SORBET DONE RIGHT!

We repainted immediately.

 I learned a valuable lesson …and  that was that MOST TIMELESS interior YELLOWS ….are actually…

NOT CALLED YELLOW AT ALL!

.HAWTHORNE YELLOW

HAWTHORNE YELLOW

Of the 10 best selling  yellows that Benjamin Moore sells…only one,

Hawthorne Yellow  uses the word

“YELLOW” in its’ name.

Hawthorne Yellow Front door from Pinterest
Hawthorne Yellow Front door from Pinterest

THE Remaining 9 are all beautiful ….

9 of the 10 most popular Benjamin Moore Yellows: Concord Ivory, desert Tan, Hemplewhite Ivory, Mannequin Cream, Montgomery White, Philadelphia White, Rich Cream, Weston Flax, Windham Cream.
9 of the 10 most popular Benjamin Moore Yellows: Concord Ivory, desert Tan, Hemplewhite Ivory, Mannequin Cream, Montgomery White, Philadelphia White, Rich Cream, Weston Flax, Windham Cream.

…but NOT called YELLOW. I learned that the yellow colors I like need to almost look creamy whitish in the can…then on the wall they translate to that lovely creamy yellow I wanted… LETS TAKE A LOOK….

CONCORD IVORY
CONCORD IVORY
CONCORD IVORY
CONCORD IVORY
WESTON FLAX
WESTON FLAX
WESTON FLAX
WESTON FLAX
philadelphia cream
PHILADELPHIA CREAM
PHILADELPHIA CREAM
PHILADELPHIA CREAM -ANITA HOLLAND INTERIORS
MONTGOMERY WHITE
MONTGOMERY WHITE
MONTGOMERY WHITE
MONTGOMERY WHITE THE GARDEN WEB
MANNEQUIN CREAM
MANNEQUIN CREAM
MANNEQUIN CREAM
MANNEQUIN CREAM
HEMPLEWHITE IVORY
HEMPLEWHITE IVORY
HEMPLEWHITE IVORY
HEMPLEWHITE IVORY – HOUSE BEAUTIFUL
desert tan
DESERT TAN
DESERT TAN
DESERT TAN

AND MY TWO PERSONAL FAVORITES….RICH CREAM AND WINDHAM CREAM

RICH CREAM
RICH CREAM
RICH CREAM
RICH CREAM
WINDHAM CREAM
WINDHAM CREAM
WINDHAM CREAM
WINDHAM CREAM..JUST LOOK HOW LOVELY IT IS WITH THE WHITE PORCELAIN…
DECOR PAD - I ADORE THIS WINDHAM CREAM LVING ROOM...!!!!
MORE WINDHAM CREAM …..LVING ROOM.   I ADORE THIS ROOM..!!!! THIS IS MY PERSONAL FAVORITE!!!

….our living room WAS painted a color with a golden undertone, very subtle but lovely…

CREAMY WHITE AKA SPRING IN ASPEN
CREAMY WHITE AKA SPRING IN ASPEN
MY OLD COUNTRY HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - SPOONFLOWER FABRIC DRAPES
MY OLD COUNTRY HOUSE – LIVING ROOM – SPOONFLOWER FABRIC DRAPES

WE RECENTLY CHANGED THE LIVING ROOM PAINT COLOR (AND ALMOST MY ENTIRE HOUSE!  – EVER SO SLIGHTLY TO A NEW COLOR WHICH HAS A TAD LESS GRAY..BUT STILL THE CREAMY WHITE COLOR –

SHERWINN WILLIAMS STEAMED MILK

SHERWINN WILLIAMS STEAMED MILK
SHERWINN WILLIAMS STEAMED MILK
LIVING ROOM PAINTED STEAMED MILK
LIVING ROOM PAINTED STEAMED MILK

ALL of these “YELLOWS” which are NOT CALLED YELLOW are timeless.

AND VERSATILE. They look great in combination with pale blues and sort reds, greens and pinks…even Black……they are warm and inviting and relaxing and cozy and can be appropriate for nearly all styles…be it ….Mid-Century Modern or Vintage or Cottage or Country or Arts and Crafts, Colonial Revival.

YELLOW AND BLUE KITCHEN
YELLOW AND BLUE KITCHEN
YELLOW AND BLUE
YELLOW AND BLUE
sand and sisal
sand and sisal
POTTERY BARN
POTTERY BARN

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE “GO TO” INTERIOR YELLOW???

have you ever had a yellow mishap?

5 thoughts on “TIMELESS YELLOWS – NOT CALLED YELLOW

  1. Wonderful, that lemon sorbet bath is wonderful! This is my dream color for a bath. Warm enough for a winter day and fresh for a summer hot day.

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