A couple of months ago we shared our home color palettes (you can see Sage’s here and Naomi’s here). It may have struck you (it sure struck us) how much there is in common between the two. We obviously share a love for light and dark grays, crisp white, blue, and teal.
Wait, you didn’t obsessively click between the posts comparing tones like we did? OK, lazy reader, we can make it easier for you:
All colors are Benjamin Moore – with the possible exception of “mystery color”
For two people not actually trying for the same colors, you have to admit that it’s eerily similar. We tend to think of ourselves as having very different homes, so this is actually pretty shocking to see. Thank goodness Naomi went and painted all her doors yellow.
However, with the exception of our choice of a clean white (Chantilly Lace), they are not actually the same colors. So we thought it would be fun to talk a bit about how we picked them out. In this post, we’ll talk about our choices of teal – Surf Blue and Calypso Blue.
We were both going for a strong, bright teal that would stand out and command the space. However, we had very different uses in mind. Naomi’s is used as the wall color for a full room (her dressing room), against bright white trim and yellow doors. Sage’s is the highlight color for a built in bookshelf in the hallway, surrounded by white and coordinating with a teal pattern on the stair risers.
As you can see, in the space they look virtually identical – if anything, the Surf Blue looks a little more muted. However, if you actually compare the tones directly against each other, you can see that it is the opposite.
The Surf Blue is the clear, true teal, while the Calypso Blue is like its slightly older cousin who is entering a goth phase (i.e., it is coming from the same place, but is a little muddier and more muted).
That’s because colors always seem brighter and more intense when they are spread over a large space (thank you, YHL). When painting a whole room, even a slightly muted tone can end up looking insanely bright — and small variations in the brightness can mean the difference between the perfect shade and something a little too “electric.”
On the other hand, something the size of a bookshelf, especially when surrounded by a more neutral space and with colorful accents, can stand up to a clearer tone – and actually needs it to make the big statement you might be going for. In this case, Sage had in mind a final result that would look a lot like Naomi’s space (because she is a big old copycat knows good ideas when she sees them), but knew she needed to pick something clearer and brighter to combat the darkening effects of putting it inside a bookshelf.
And in terms of how we actually chose these exact colors… let’s just say it took a lot of trial and error in Naomi’s case:
Whereas Sage just crossed her fingers, bought a quart based on the online swatch, and went for it. It’s a little easier to take a plunge like that when you’re painting a much smaller space.
So that’s the fascinating tale of teal vs. teal! We could talk about blue/teal/aqua/turquoise for days (or at least Sage could), but I guess we’ll leave it here for now! Anyone else have entertaining color picking stories to regale us with?
(Sharing at Two Uses Tuesday, Totally Terrific Tuesday, Create Link Inspire, Whimsy Wednesday, Pin Worthy Wednesday, Think and Make Thursday, Your Turn to Shine Link Party, Weekend Retreat Link Party, Create It Thursday, Remodelaholics Anonymous, Link Party Palooza, and Tip Me Tuesday)
Thanks for the comparison. I, too, can talk on and on about teal! I’ve been going through a similar shade/tone dilemma to pick just the right one to use as an accent color to accompany the vivid drapery material that will be in the same vicinity. The info about muted color being brighter when on large surfaces vs. brighter within a space such as a bookcase is SO logical, yet I know I never thought about it that way. Thanks again … and I love both your houses.
Thanks so much Karen! It’s so interesting how color looks soooo different across spaces. I know we’ve learned that lesson the hard way plenty of times 🙂 Thanks for reading!
P.S. I lived in the SW suburbs of Boston not long ago, and I couldn’t help but notice that first, you two live “near Boston,” and second, the Marlboro and Ashland colors! I actually lived for a year in the latter, after one year in Milford, and 4 years in Uxbridge. Still miss it 10 years later.
How funny, I never even noticed the MA town names in our colors! Now we’ll have to stick with the theme! When you find yourself missing the area too much, just remind yourself what the winters are like 🙂
I noticed that, too, and said to myself “but I thought Benjamin Moore was a New York company – so why do they have all of these New England / England place names”. Well, as it turns out, there are is also a Marlboro and Ashland in New Jersey. I don’t know how they name their paint colors, but I’ve been suspecting that those are named after those towns.
I can’t believe you’ve researched this. <3
Someone has too much time on his hands, get that man a paintbrush and a bucket of white paint, and set him loose in the garage!
Your example of how different colors look in different spaces is a good clear lesson. Paint and decorating experts cautioned me that when painting a whole room there is no substitute for putting samples right on the wall and looking at them in different lights.. even different walls. When I was not able to leave paint tests on the walls, I painted poster boards to hold up on the walls, but even that was not as accurate to the end result.
It’s so true, Lee. I’ll admit that I have painted a few spaces in our house without testing first because of time constraints associated with moving, but it’s never a good idea. I got lucky, but wouldn’t take the risk in normal circumstances!
Totally! Sage is much braver than I am… or perhaps just has a better eye. It takes me several tries with samples for sure!
It’s fascinating how different it is picking paint for a small space/furniture vs. a whole room. Well, I’M fascinated anyway. I just sold a dresser we weren’t using anymore on Craigslist, and I called it a white dresser, even though I KNOW I painted it a very light blue. It just doesn’t look blue at all, and it was too hard to explain on Craigslist: “you will actually be purchasing a blue dresser, but it will appear white to you at all times.”
LOL. That is exactly my sort of explanation, but I think you made the right call for selling that piece 🙂 It really is amazing how different paint is on different surfaces. I couldn’t believe the first time I tried a sample out on a wall – the nice sky blue I had picked was suddenly electric!
I’m currently on craigslist (I try to check it regularly just to see what I find), and am desperately hoping to come across something hilarious like your hypothetical posting….
wow i love both teals! what a great post…thanks for linking up to Pin Worthy Wednesday 🙂
Thanks Keitha!
Blue is one of my favorite colors too! I have done a similar exercise to pick one.. but did not try this many options. Well, the final outcome is beautiful. Visiting you from Create it Thursday 😉
Thanks Vidya! Naomi is much better about testing paint in advance than I am 🙂
What an awesome color…both versions! Such a bold color for Naomi’s room, and the pops of yellow are perfect! Makes me happy just looking at it. And that bookshelf…that color makes such a statement. Love the way you have the shelves styled also. Visiting from Remodelaholic. 🙂
Thanks so much, Rachel! I’m totally in love with that room of Naomi’s, especially with the yellow — she’s so adventurous! I’m just happy to have a little piece of it in my house too 🙂 Oh and the shrlves were a collaborative decorating effort, I basically need Naomi’s help with everything 🙂 (feel free to check out the post about that here: http://www.plasteranddisaster.com/bookshelf-styling-double-date/)