Choosing just the wrong white for our living room

Ahhh, one of the most classic & popular wall colors in a home...white. Then why was this the absolute hardest paint color for me to land on when we decided to give our main living space a face lift? Well, it could be because white isn't always white. If you've spent any time at the paint store with 43 card samples of white in your hand then you know exactly what I'm referring to. You like one until you grab another & realize the white in your left hand is actually yellow & the one in your right hand is....blue? It's enough to make your head spin.

First things first -

One of the biggest things to consider when painting a room is the lighting. I'm not talking about your ceiling light or side table lamp. I'm talking about the lighting you probably can't change. Which direction are your windows facing? If there's ever been a time to become directionally unchallenged & learn North from South...it's now. This seems like a no brainer to some & to others it may seem like such a miniscule detail to even consider. Our living room has windows facing South and West which means on a sunny August afternoon, Mr. sun floods this room from about 11a to sunset. Some evenings it can even look a little orange in here. It's that dramatic.

Way too vulnerable -

Okay, I'll be honest here...probably more open & honest than I should. I've had luck in the past at holding the sample card at the paint store, bringing home a gallon of that color & it just working the first time. Done & done. When I chose "the one" for our living room... that was the process I took. "I always get lucky with this stuff" ...HA. Needless to say this was my very first humbling when it comes to painting walls. I rushed home with what I thought was the perfect creamy white for the room. Not too white, not to yellow right? DEAD wrong. It was awful. In a North facing room where the lighting reflects a little cooler...this might have gotten by but I'm not exaggerating when I tell you it looked like a chain smoker lived here. Even worse I wanted a contrast trim. The "perfect beige" I kept calling it. Well I'll spare you the details for a second time because the process of choosing our trim color is embarrassingly similar to the wall color scenario. Do as I say not as I do.

Sample after Sample -

After pretending I didn't absolutely despise the color on our walls for several days & getting past the "just have to see it in the morning time" phase, I finally admitted out loud that I had for sure wasted money on this paint because it could not under any circumstance stay in our house. I rushed back to the paint store (Shout out to the owner, this wasn't the first time he'd dealt with me on this) & grabbed as many samples of the most balanced whites I could. The goal was cozy & creamy but not dated or yellow.

Okay, fine -

I tend to lean away from things that are already considered popular because I fear our home feeling like every other house I walk through (I'm a Realtor so I see a lot of repeat & you'd never make your home look like your work place on purpose, right?!) After 45 minutes at the paint store choosing samples & rushing home to get them up on my walls...I couldn't help but fall in love with one white right away that was recommended by the paint store owner. I just had to get over the notion that it's already so popular that I wouldn't want it for myself. Well this one is borderline celebrity for a reason..its PERFECT in every single way. Its creamy, but bright. It's cozy when it needs to be and so so versatile. Everybody is best friends with this color. Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore... you won me over. I'm sorry I played so hard to get.