My LR and DR are BM Boothbay Gray with BM White 01 trim. I get a lot of compliments on the wall color. It's a medium-light blue gray with a little green in it. It's one of the BM Historical Colors. The floor in those rooms is the thin slat oak from 1940, stained "golden oak" when we refinished them 22 years ago, perhaps similar to yours.

When you're considering paint, you might want to think about Muralo Ultra Ceramic. My GC prefers it, so I checked it out over on the Paint forum. A lot of pros seem to like it.

DERAIL: Subway tile is not appropriate in a 1950's ranch??? Curious to hear both the reasoning behind that and reactions to it. I guess I'm not much of a purist, but subway tile seems pretty darn basic to me...

BACK ON POINT: The good news it that the adjoining living room color, cabinets and counters are not going to pen you in on color. I think what I'd decide first if if you want to lean cool or warm in the kitchen, DR and LR. It sounds like you are contemplating both ends of the spectrum at the moment. Do you have any vision for the LR color scheme yet? How connected are the two spaces?

Picking paint color by mid-week with no splotches up on Sunday would give me spasms, but I had to do it just a month ago so I am just recovering.

Steph2000- That is what I thought but had gotten the advice from a few on this forum. Either way we are not going to do a tile backplash until EVERYTHING else is done!

As for warm or cool cooler I am not really thinking warm or cool, I guess I am afraid of making the floors too orange.

Ginny20- Boothbay is pretty. I like grey I am just not sure I would know how to pull it off-- if that makes sense, as far as the rest of the details go. Can you post a photo?

I was also looking at Gray Mirage BM2142-50. Its sorta of a greeny gray.

Newbie--can you go to the paint store, buy some sample cans and test a few colors out? There was a recent thread with a coupon for a free pint of BM paint. Seeing someone else's room in a pic on a computer monitor to pick a color isn't the best way to go. Your light will be different, and pictures and monitors are very deceiving with color.

Monroe Bisque reads orange-ish in my light in the deck. Maybe its not so much in yours. Edgecomb Gray and Revere Pewter seem pretty neutral to me and like they could either go warmer or cooler depending on what else you put with them.

For BM grays, some of my favs are stonington gray (goes well with edgecomb), Coventry gray, nimbus, balboa mist, and classic gray.

The affinity colors were made to coordinate with each other in a house so you can't go wrong picking from there and then changing your other room to another Affinity color later.

I guess I want something neutral that plays down the orangey hardwood floors but makes the simply white cabinets and soapstone counter tops the true focal point. I noticed katieob has more orangey hardwood floors and went for edgecomb gray.

Breezy- I did see that coupon and will grab a few samples. Its difficult b/c the cabinets, floors, etc are not in place yet. Just walls with subfloor.

Oh and am leaning more towards a warmer color than a cool color

At least you have walls! ;) Edgecomb gray would be a good place to start given your colors and the fact that you want to lean warmer. There are a couple other nice greiges that I'll find when the kids get to bed.

You have a sample of the cabs, right? And is the floor already laid in some part of the house? You can do it!

As much as having to pick a paint without having cabs and floors down is a bit of a PITA, I'm really looking forward to getting to this point myself. I can't wait to see yours done!

OT (sort of) but we used subways when we renovated the bathroom in our 1949 house. You probably heard that about '50's houses because subway tile wasn't commonly used at that time; at least that's my understanding. I think subway tile was used more in earlier decades, but by the 30's-40's, the trend had moved to 4x4 squares. (Our original tile was 4x4.) And now rectangular tile has come back. So our bathroom used to have authentic 4x4s, but now it has subways which look vaguely classic but in another ten years will shout "2010 renovation." lol! I'm not too worried, though; our other bathroom was a 90's addition and it has larger square tile (6x6), so a tour of our house is like a little time trip of Renovations Through the Decades (the doorknobs also give it away).

People renovating the small postwar houses in our neighborhood tend to do whatever they like without worrying about whether it fits the age of the house. It just depends on how you feel about such things. I try to at least give a nod to the original -- that's why we used black and white porcelain tile instead of marble or brown/beige granite. (By the way, I have seen all SORTS of interpretations of "giving a nod to the original," and most of them have nothing at all to do with the original.) I would say that it is more important for your backsplash tile to fit the style of your new kitchen than to fit the age of your house, if your kitchen is to be in a very different style than the original. But I am no designer.

p.s. I am no good with paint color and if it were me, I'd run screaming to my friendly neighborhood paint shop and beg for help. We have the same floor as you, and SW Antique White (which is yellowish cream) with white trim looks just fine with it; it all just blends in together and I don't even notice that the floor is orange. Your idea of a blue or gray (or even green) sounds great too. The problem will be choosing colors when your final lighting is not yet up; but probably whatever you pick will look lovely regardless. (Just be careful with those greens -- I have had some samples that looked good in the store but were hilariously awful at home.)

I just saw that you are using Lidingo with soapstone and want white tile -- well that's such a classic and attractive combination that anything you choose will look terrific. (Tile AND paint.) I would absolutely not hesitate to use subways with that in a 50's house, even if it wouldn't have had subways originally. It wouldn't have had soapstone either, so you are already off the hook and don't have to recreate the 50's in your kitchen.

I have revere pewter in my home. My home has the same orangy oak on the floor. The rooms that it's in are my kitchen, nook, and family room. They are all north facing rooms. I do have some trees and greenery around my home. The revere pewter takes on a definite green color. Next to white (we have simply white ceilings) it takes on a definite taupe color, which is really nice. During the day, it seems to be almost a sage green. I checked, there is green in the formula. Next to the oak, it looks more green. So, if you're looking for a grey or a green, this may be the right one for you. I did check out edgecomb gray too. I am probably going to put that in my foyer. I do think that the edgecomb gray takes more of a beige tone than does the revere pewter, which leans more taupe. The revere definitely changes colors throughout the day. However, at night, in my home, there is barely a difference between the ceiling and the wall paint. It's almost the same color. I was surprised by that. Not sure that I love it. But, half the house is painted in it by now. :) Make up a big sample of it and check it all hours of the day. Good luck!

Have you looked at Restoration Hardware's Silver Sage? It's a soft color that changes depending on the light, looking more blue/grey/green, depending. Still, it doesn't feel cool to me. It would be pretty with your other finishes and colors. Of course the other paint stores (e.g., Benjamin Moore) have their own formulas to match it, so you needn"t buy from RH.

Thanks everyone- I think I am going to get samples of edgecomb gray, revere pewter and maybe owl gray and titanium and see how they look. I am afraid of anything too greeny in the grays since my guest bedroom looks positively putrid in most light.

Lazydaisynot- I have heard lots about RH's silver sage but have not seen a color swatch of it-except online. But heard it is very popular with orangey hardwood floors

Kimiko- hmm the green tones of revere pewter are kinda scaring me. I will have to put samples on the wall first.

NorthCarolina- I AGREE! I am not trying to completely change my 1950s range but then again I really do not want a throw-back kitchen. The reason I am remodeling is because the kitchen was still very much 50s and it did not look good! Lots of golds browns, very dark and drab. I want clean fresh and new! :)

Have a look at BM Rice Grain, nice neutral, slight green undertone...very Pottery Barn-esque. Behr makes a nice, slightly darker version called Brown Bread. Both very nice for toning down orangey wood, which I have a TON of in my house. Good Luck!!

Kismet- Is that SW Rice Grain? I cannot find a BM paint color by that name. I found that mary_in_nc had her walls painted SW Rice Grain. Looks really nice. My painter prefers working with BM colors.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mary's Kitchen Link

Oops! Yes, it's SW, not BM. Sorry for the confusion!

Sounds pretty already. I'm jealous of your soapstone. :)

So here're my notions: Lighter rooms tend to draw people to them, not just by natural light but lighter decor. I saw this illustrated in an excellent picture taken through three rooms painted in, I think, a gold-brown, soft golden green, and off-gold. They varied in value (lightness) but were all midrange, so they harmonized beautifully for a nice flow. The darkest was the foyer in front, the lightest the living room in the middle, and medium the library beyond, so the big draw was the main, living room, with the library beyond also very intriguing but set back gently.

The other thought is that blue and green, as complementary, will both accentuate the orange you want to play down in the floor; however, that may actually be a good thing as they're likely to make your floor look its best, and vice versa.

Just thought I'd offer dynamics since there are so many nice colors to choose from.

Rosie- I would love to see that photo you are describing. I think I am leaning towards a neutral wall color with green accents like this pendant drum shade over my dining area table in "grass"(http://www.ballarddesigns.com/drum-pendant-shade-with-adapter/lighting/top-sellers/13431) and maybe this rug in green http://www.ballarddesigns.com/laney-indoor-2foutdoor-rug/by-design/transitional-rugs/198066? ) But then again I love the seagrass and burlap shades too and the brown or black rug. I am terrible with accents. But AGAIN I need to focus on the paint color!

Newbie- It's paint! Have some fun and pick a warm color that will encourage people to stay and visit. Since this is also your dining area, warm colors are supposed to encourage eating and conversation (don't remember where I read that, but I've seen it in a few articles).

Anyway, if you like neutrals, that's very safe and easy to decorate around, but it might be more fun to pick a color that will really play up your white cabinets and soapstone countertops. With the orange tone to the wood floors, what about a soft, leaf green? It's warm, natural, easy to accessorize (looks great with yellow, turquoise, tangerine, red for Christmas, even pink and lavender) and will really work with your floor.

My mom used this color in her old house, which had similar floors...and it was beautiful! She loved that it went so well with all her seasonal accessories...she changes all her pillows, throws, etc. with every season...especially holidays :)

So put a few color samples next to my hardwood floors. Edgecomb gray did not look great neither did Revere Pewter (my two front runners). I did like Carrington Beige (I heard it is very close to SW Rice Grain) and Gray Whisp (close to RH Silver Sage). Arghh. I may have to consult professionals-- I know it is just paint and fairly cheap and easy to change BUT DH HATES TO PAINT. So I would really REALLY like to get it right the first time.

We ended up going with Revere Pewter - but not so much based on our sample because I wasn't a huge fan of it from the sample on our kitchen wall. But I've seen a lot of kitchens on GW that used it and it looked great. I just kept hoping it would look better on the whole wall and it did. Everyone that comes in the kitchen comments on the paint color. Depending on the light during the day it changes colors between being more beige and then more gray. I've read it's a "Greige" so it definitely is a warm gray and goes well with our dark wood flooring, Ikea Adel off white cabinets, and grayish granite. We also have Carrington Beige in our whole house and have accent walls in each room. I love it. I'd be happy to post some pictures if you'd like.

Breezy- You are not a pain!! You are wonderful and very helpful. If it would not be for you I would have a misplaced prep sink!! I was just looking at the paint chips. And then today I went to BM and one of their consultants helped me. She did not like the idea of the beige colors or the true grays. We both really liked "Gray Wisp" which is almost identical to RH Silver Sage (she had a color chip for it)and "Quiet Moments". The first is more green and rich and the second lighter and more blue. I am really leaning towards the first. She gave me really large swatches to take home and try out. So I will let you know what I find out. Also the mud on the drywall is taking longer to dry so the earliest they can paint is Friday. So I have a wee bit of time to figure this out.

Slush- Would love to see your photos of Revere Pewter and Carrington Beige. Since the living room/hallway is all monroe bisque is probably a good idea that I stay away from beige for the kitchen/dining area since those two rooms open into the LR and that is just a lot of beige.

Lavender- Thanks

Sure - of course now I can't find too many that don't have a ton of family members it them but I found a couple from our dining room, and living room.

BM Carrington Beige color:

BM Carrington Beige paint in dining room at Christmas time:

Also I posted the current kitchen color in a recent post (Revere Pewter) so you can see the walls. You'll just have to scroll down a bit. I'm hoping once everything is complete and we can take all the paper off the wood floors - we will have a much better idea of how the Revere looks in the kitchen.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kithen Progress - BM Revere Pewter color on walls

Try BM Aura paint in Oat Straw.

{{!gwi}}

I like both the Carrington Beige and Oat Straw but think I need some color in this room. The gray wisp and feather down went it today. Looks pretty good (sorry, no photos) but it is difficult to tell if I picked the right color since the room is empty-- no floors, cabinets, appliances, etc. Just a greenish=gray box. So fingers crossed.