I'm finally in the process of stripping the woodwork in the DR, using Peel Away 7. The wood is beautiful and a great change from the lavender(!) applied in the 80's. The room has an Italian glass drop chandelier and oriental rug which are very ornate, inherited, and will stay. My thoughts are to have the woodwork and a warm neutral on the walls that won't compete with those two items. Any suggestions? I'm currently looking at Chestertown Buff, Dorset Gold and Bryant Gold. I'd really like something that says gold, rather than yellow, but don't want a color that is loud. Also trying to decide whether to have the same color above and below the chair rail or whether to have a two tone room. Here is a couple of pictures: <br> <br>http://www.pbase.com/lauren674/dining_room_update

For what it is worth, I would pick a color from the rug (looks like there are some nice ones to pick, I like the rich burgandy myself, but that may be too "loud" for you). <br> <br>What a change with the peel away! [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] <br> <br>

Looking at the background color on the rug I'd say go with more of a creamy color but understand that you want gold. Your wallpaper was kinda of distracting me so not so sure about the dual tones. I would replace the chair rail with something more substantial and then yes two tones would be nice or even a wallpaper wainscoting with your paint above. Bet you're relieved to get that lavender paint off, eww and yuck. [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] <br>tanya

Hmm...I was thinking how great the gold would look with a darker red/burgandy, but how about a that color for the bottom part of the wall, and a creamy or gold top part? I think, though, that a gold tone will not enhance the chandelier, but tend to hide it. That is why I thought that a contrasting color would work best, FWIW. <br> <br>Yeah, that striped wallpaper and lavendar trim is something out of a bad movie set! [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

That sounds nice. I would tend to pick a color that will highlight the colored prisms on the chandelier. Kind of unfortunate that they're purple since that does limit the colors you can use. I think I'm making this far more complicated then it needs to be. How about a deep wine color for the bottom color? That particular color of purple that is red toned, whatever color you go with would need to be warm to go with the wood in the room. <br>tanya

All good ideas! Well, I'm also looking at a ivory color for the wall or a more pale gold. Maybe I'll have red/burgandy wine be the main color in the window treatment. After living with that bright purple, the striped wallpaper and the lavendar wood, I'm hesitant to get a deep/bright on the walls.

I had a problem choosing a light gold paint that did not look yellow also. I must have brought home 20 different paint chips from various stores. I finally gave up and went with Benjamin Moore's Powell Buff (which is a warm beige) in my family room/den - but it has linen white woodwork. Let us know what you do use and post pictures [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Good luck! <br>

Yes, the buff/tan's seem to go really well with the golden oak woodwork. The light colors I am considering are Pittsfield Buff, Powell Buff and Adams Gold...so far. Has anyone else used these colors?

We used Benjamin Moore's Shelburne Buff for our dining room and love how it looks. It can look more golden depending on the way the light hits the walls throughout the day. It is a warm, comfortable color. We tried 9 shades before hitting on this color. <br> <br>If you click on the small pictures at the bottom of the page you can see some pics of our dining room. The walls look more yellow in the photos than they really are but you can get a sense of how well Shelburne Buff goes with the warm tones in the woodwork. <br> <br>Dining Room pics <br> <br>

Your home is beautiful! What a great job you did in your dining room. It must have been a big job stripping all that woodwork, but what a payoff. The paint color is really beautiful and I will consider it for my own dining room. <br> <br>As for the Powell buff, it is really more beige. Pittsfield Buff was the other color I was considering and they are really similar but the light in my room seemed to favor the Powell. I'll try to take a picture and post it although colors don't always show true. One nice thing about BM paints is that you can buy little sample jars for about $3.50 each and try them out on the wall. That is how we chose.

Okay, I took some Fam Rm pictures and added them to my House album to show you the Powell Buff. They are the last 5 pictures. <br> <br> Click here

Denise, <br> <br>The color you chose looks perfect! You have such a lovely home. One of my favorites parts about this forum is seeing everyone's beautiful houses.

Heather, your wood stripping is an inspiration to wood stripper everywhere! Your choice in paint colors is also amazing. Thank you for sharing the DR paint color, I'm definately going to buy a sample jar of Shelburne Buff as well as Denise's Powell and some of the other lighter shades. <br> <br>I won't be painting until after Christmas; after stripping is done, then stain and varnish, then ceiling paint, wallpaper removal & wash down and then I'll paint. Makes me tired to think about it like that! <br> <br>Thank you all for your suggestions, I'll use them to buy my samples and will definately post when the job is completed. <br> <br>

"I say Chesterton Buff is the way to go!" said the woman with FOUR rooms painted that exact shade. <br> <br>This past spring I purchased my first home -- a 1925 bungalow. For about two months I obsessed on finding the perfect gold paint. I looked at all the gold shades I could find. (Dorset Gold was a contender for a while, but as I recall, it was too peachy & perky). It's very tricky with gold, because on the wall, you find that many of them are too pink, too orange, too bright, or too muddy. I lived with blocks of paint chips on the walls, tested small quantities of various shades, etc. Finally I settled on Chesterton Buff. It is in my entryway, living room, bedroom, and hallway. Walls AND ceilings. (I've got a beautiful olive/sage green in my dining room -- Gentle Dill.) I find Chesterton Buff to be a very good gold paint. It's not too bright or overpowering. In daylight, it's very subtle (if gold was a "neutural" this would be it). But in the evening with artificial light, it is a wonderful rich, warm gold. <br> <br>In spite of my endorsement, I'd still recommend that you buy a quart of it and take it on a test drive first. As you probably know, paint can look completely different depending on lighting conditions and the colors surrounding it. Also, the cream/ivory section of your rug may make the Chesterton Buff or the rug look sort of muddy. Then again, the burgandy boarder and table placement may offset that sufficiently. <br> <br>I've been very pleased with Chesterton Buff. Except for the dining room, kitchen, and bathroom, my entire first floor is Chesterton Buff. The week I was painting those rooms, I could see it in my sleep! Whatever you decide on, consider painting the ceiling the same color as the walls. Especially with crown moldings, it looks fantastic. Now that I've done that myself, white ceilings (in colored rooms) look unfinished to me. <br> <br>If you like, I can e-mail you some pictures of my living room. Although in the photos, the Chesterton Buff looks much more pale and bland than it actually is. <br> <br>Lastly, most paint stores do a very good job of matching colors. As I recall, Chesterton Buff is a Benjamin Moore color. But Sherwin-Williams had a sale at the time, and I went there. They did a fine job of matching the color. As long as you're buying a quality paint, follow the sales! <br> <br>Good luck!

I just finished reading everyone else's comments & suggestions. ChynaElizabeth makes a good point about your chandelier. I think a gold paint would look nice with your purple crystals, but perhaps not so good with the gold metal of the chandelier itself. As a gold, I still love the Chesterton Buff and am very happy with it throughout my first floor. <br> <br>But as a wall color, I think I like the Gentle Dill (in my dining room) even more! With your gold/purple chandelier and your burgandy rug, Gentle Dill would look absolutely georgous!! It is also beautiful against stained woodwork. <br> <br>I believe Gentle Dill is either Benjamin Moore or C2... But again, I had mine mixed by Sherwin-Williams (on sale). They did a fine job of matching the color. <br> <br>I know you've got your heart set on gold for your dining room, but if you're considering other colors, Gentle Dill makes everything around it look amazing (woodwork, furniture, art, holiday decorations, etc.). <br> <br>If you'd like me to e-mail a picture of my Gentle Dill dining room along with my Chesterton Buff living room, just let me know. <br> <br>