If you really, truly dislike the color, bite the bullet and change it now. All the wall prep is done, all the caulking is done, now the only thing needing extra work is to apply color. It shouldn't be too expensive to have it repainted now...especially if you can do it while the painters are still there.

It doesn't matter what I think of the color - or fellow houzzers, neighbors, friends, relatives - it is your house and you are the one walking through that hallway and using those stairs. You've done a lot of work so why accept something you don't like when changing it is only a bit more money. Just think of the yellow as a supersized paint sample, reject that color and try another one, although I would probably try a smaller sized sample first!

Thank you, Linda. You're very right on all fronts. I guess I don't trust my instincts on colors at this moment. So many decisions, so many details! Do you know how many hours I poured over light fixtures just today? Not to mention all the other days? And let's not even discuss my kitchen backsplash (still no decision there). Please, Houzzers, don't make me make another decision in this house!

Hi Alyssa. Linda's right about you being the only one who really has to be pleased with the color. With that in mind, however, you're clear that you don't like this one. By the time you read this, your floors should have their color. That will help you in deciding on the new wall color. Warm red oak floors will totally balance the cool walls. Olympus White by SW is in the "Cool Neutrals" family according to their website, so you might want to stay in that family. Take a look at their Cool Neutrals yellows: "Daisy", "Citrus", or "Cheerful". I think you'll like how bright they are and they are formulated to work with the Olympus White.

Thanks for the suggestions hsharrington! Looking at my walls and pictures, I'm second-guessing the contrasting color on that wall over the entry area at all. Should I just paint it Olympus White, too? Or a complementary color that isn't as jarring as a yellow contrast?

Alyssa, This is Sunbeam Yellow. It seems to work better with the Olympus White because it has a little more grey in it. I think this might be what went wrong - the yellow you chose is more of a pastel. When I look for complementary colors, on the color board I stay on the same horizontal row, or within a few rows, as the color I am coordinating with. So, if you choose from the area where the more greyed out colors are, all your picks should have this same undertone. Likewise, if I chose a pastel from higher up on the board, my complementary color would come from up there. So, Sunbeam Yellow may not Ben"the one" either, but I put it up here because it seems OK. It won't necessarily look good in your home, though.

One thing to be aware of is that it's easy to second-guess yourself while the space is empty. This has happened to me a few times, but by the time the furniture, rugs, pictures, etc. are back in the room, the color looks quite different. Just looking at your pic, and knowing what I'm seeing isn't true anyway, I'd say its a little light, but you're in the ballpark. So, try again - I like the idea of changing it up a bit in the hall area to something sunny!

I think I see what now may be bothering you about that area. I think it feels off balance to you. I would totally paint out that little closet door and casing to the left in the first picture. I would paint them the same color as the wall they are on (Olympus White). If you do that, I think it would be great to have the accent wall as you do now. You're right that one of those yellows would add some nice cheer to the entry. If you'd rather have the closet door and casing be in contrast to the wall around it, then I would not paint the accent wall. Instead I would put two bright, energetic pieces of art, (posters, prints, collages), on that wall, centered on the wall measured from the edge of the stair railing over to the right wall.

Alyssa, I have 2 concerns with the yellow wall.

IMO yellow walls and oak floors do not bring out the best in each other. I don't care for the combination.

And second, when you paint a wall a different color you are highlighting that wall ... and your area above your steps is kind of an odd L-shape. Not sure it's worth highlighting to stand out as a feature.

Good point about the wall shape, Brenda. Alyssa has said that her floors are being stained a warm red oak. I figure that will help a great deal with the underlying yellow tone that oak has. I agree that you have to be careful when combining yellows and naturally finished oak floors. If we haven't solved this for her :;-} by this time, maybe she could post a new picture with the finished floor color?

Ah, you are all honing in on the issue where I couldn't articulate it. I think it might be best to just not accent that wall and keep it uniform with the OW. Now the question remains whether I keep the yellow in the entry and in the stair/hallway or if I go with a different hue as karemore55 suggests? Here's another view.

Paint is wonderful...give me a good brush and roller, a couple dropcloths and $100 worth of paint - voila! - a whole new room in just a couple of hours

Okay, settled. Hope the painter isn't too annoyed! Goodbye yellow wall and probably stairs. How about entry area? I have that yellow wrapped around the wall facing the front door. Everything else is OW. Thinking I could switch to this Buff (SW 7683)?

This is embarrassing. My house is a wreck.

Here's the Buff.

Not sure why that wont upload. :/

I don't think you can beat a rich neutral to tie your wood tones and other colors together. Try Benjamin Moore's Gentle Cream #OC-96

I don't know - it's probably just me - but I've never been a huge fan of this shade of oak. It's too orange-y... or maybe yellow-y. In my world, it dates the house... and a yellow wall just pulls out more of it. Will be anxious to see the new warm red oak color...what will become of the stairs and railing? Will those stay this shade or be finished as well?

...and don't be embarrassed for one second - you've got some major remodeling going on in there... we got 'yer back!

wannadiferntlook, I don't think he color will be all that different from the floors now. They need to be refinished to blend in the newly-laid oak with the existing. I see what you mean about it being orange and the yellow pulling that out though. I'll definitely post another shot when they are done.

paint is relatively inexpensive and I can't tell you how many times I have painted and thought...nope, that is not it. Do it now...you won't regret it

I prefer blues and greens against oak, rather than yellows or tan - just remember, if you don't like it, you know how to fix the problem

Here's the floor with the stain and first coat of poly along with the walls in the daylight. Thankfully, my contractor said it's no problem to repaint the yellow. Any other thoughts?

Just what I thought, Alyssa! That warm red stain does beautiful things with the cool OW wall color. What do you think of that shade of yellow now?

You cannot pick a color without knowing something about the contents of the house. Namely the artwork or a special rug or accessory. Picking a color first and then trying to find accessories or fabric is impossible. Take a common color from the oil painting or your favorite chair or oriental rug. Then it will be cohesive. I ended up color matching the tile, a solid gray, and going with 1/4 and 1/8 and 2x the color recipe for ceilings walls and trim. Then I used the green, a secondary color, from my bedspread for accents(and the bedroom wall color). stick with the same 4 colors and vary the usage. By the way, I like that yellow-green, what made you chose it?

Yellow is fine. Just carry it throughout the house.

This is SW Friendly Yellow, which is a bit softer than yours.

Someone mentioned Gentle Cream..that was my go to color years ago.Loved it,and it never changed in any light.

flyergal, I hear you and you're right. We gave away most of our stuff when we moved, but I do have some sentimental artwork. I just haven't planned that level of detail yet and wanted to get the bones in place. Most of my other art are B/W photos, so I wanted colors that would help them pop and I wanted something cheerful for the entry where we'll have dark wood entry table and B/W photo collage above. I thought carrying it up the stairs would work, but it's just jarring on that wall and too harsh.

hsharrington, I think I like it better in daylight, but still need to get it off that wall at the very least. I think I'll just use the OW for cohesion, and not sure yet about the entry and upstairs hallway. Maybe keep it or maybe try that gentle cream.

Iplay10s, what a beautiful room. Clearly we'll thought out and executed. I wish I was so talented. I think I color tested that color. I'll pull the sample back out and try it again.

Alyssa, is that far wall in the last photo you posted a blue? Or is it just my monitor?

If it is a blue, and you have a yellow, then beware: too many different pastels remind me of Easter.

pcmom, yes! That's definitely happening. The far wall is Olympus White which definitely has a blue hue.

At this moment, my thought (subject to change) is to run the OW throughout all the common areas and choose a complementary color for the entry-facing wall. I want to keep it light, but maybe a step or two up or down the paint strip from OW?

I think the problem is that the walls on the two sides of the stairs do not match and are fighting for attention...I would just paint the short blue wall on the other side the same yellow...together they make one accent wall and won't be fighting.