The Room: Buffet: Before and After

I have finally finished painting the buffet that I found way back in May. I really like how it turned out and how it brightens the front hall. Ideally I would like to repaint the walls in the hall and foyer area a lighter colour and change the blah beige tiles, but that would be a major undertaking considering the tiles are from the front door, down to the kitchen, in the back hall, mudroom and powder room. HELP-I hate these tiles!

The hall has very little natural light so I thought that by introducing a lighter piece of furniture and a large mirror it might give the impression of more light.

I used Ballet White- OC 9 by Benjamin Moore. This is a very warm white with a slight yellow undertone. This colour is great as a trim colour in older homes where there is a lot of warm woods and in spaces where a stark white with blue or grey undertones will not work.

If I had painted the buffet a bright white (like I wanted to) it would have looked out of place against the tan walls and the beige tiles, it would have actually made the tiles look more dingy than they really are.

If you need help with undertones and paint picking in general you should visit Maria over at the Colour me Happy blog. Last year I attended one of her colour workshops in Vancouver and learned so much about colour. I have always been fascinated by colour and paint and one of the first courses in interior design that I took was Colour Fundamentals, but I have to say that I learned more from Maria in four days than a whole semester at Ryerson.