I readily admit it; I’m a color enthusiast. When faced with the choice of using color or going with white, I’ll choose a color every time. However, this is not to mean I’m okay with what I like to call “electric techno-color” shades. I lean more toward muted tints and deeply saturated pigments. I find these tones superb compliments to the warm hues of a post and beam timber frame home.
My favorite paints these days are the products from Benjamin Moore (no I am not a Benjamin Moore spokesperson, nor do I work for the company). I find the paints are reasonably priced , cover beautifully and there’s seldom a bad color in their palette. My new favorite colors are in their “Affinity Colors” line. There is not a bad color in the lot.
Right now I’m on the hunt trying to find a color to paint my new office. This space couldn’t be less appealing! It’s cramped, cave-like and has fluorescent lighting (YUCK!). What color looks good in flourescent lighting??? But the up-side of finding a paint that does looks good in this light is it will be a color that looks good anywhere. Particularly against the richness of a timber frame structure.
As I was flipping through the fan deck, I thought, ” I should write a post about this” as my search might assist some of you on your own quest for great color. To easily view any or all of these colors, open the following link and check them out for yourselves. Click on Affinity Colors on the left side, then click on See Affinity Colors on the top right. Enjoy!
Benjamin Moore Affinity Colors
The Lighter Beige Tones
Jute AF-80; a fabulous creamy light beige; perfect if you want a spa-like effect in a bathroom.
Harmony AF-90; a gorgeous beige to the pink (think worn-out ballet slippers) that would be lovely in a bedroom.
Kangaroo AF-145; a perfect beige to the soft brown well suited for a study, office or reading room (Interlude AF-135 is a richer version of this color if you’re looking for a bit more color saturation).
Lingerie AF-200; a beige to the peach which would work anywhere you wanted a soothing color with a hint of warmth. I think bedroom or maybe a kitchen, when I see this color.
Jicama AF- 315; a light yellow tone perfect if you want a light, but not glaringly bright, shade (think straw).
Handmade AF-325; a richer shade of yellow with the slightest hint of peach in the mix.
Safari AF-335; The richest of the yellows with leanings toward a subtle beige.
Tranquility AF-490; a muted soft green that works well with very warm lighting and/or a spa-like setting ( I know it’s a beautiful color but it does not show at it’s best under flourescent light; of course, neither do I!)
Fusion AF-675; if you’re looking for a fabulous gray with the slightest touch of aubergine, look no further. This color is for you! It works in a multitude of rooms; bathroom, bedroom, study or living room. It’s one of those all around great colors.
Deeper, More Saturated Pigments
Elk Horn AF-105; gorgeous warm taupe to the brown. This color would work in any room from walls to kitchen cabinets.
Lodge AF-115; a true milk chocolate-brown.
Barrista AF-175; one of the IT colors right now, best described as dark chocolate. Perfect for a bedroom or study.
Wenge AF-180; THE IT color right now. This deeply toned color is such a rich brown, you swear you see shades of aubergine in it. I’ve seen it in dining rooms, living rooms and bedrooms, often with a bright white on the trim – gorgeous!
Caliente AF-290; another IT color in the reds family. It’s deep and rich but still with a hint of hot pepper zing!
Dinner Party AF-300; if you like your reds rich and deep, minus the brightness of Caliente, this color is for you. Both Caliente and Dinner Party are great for a dining room.
Citrine AF-370; this color is what I like to call a “warm dirty-gold”, always one of my favorites for a dining room or living room!
Rattan AF-375; muted gold that leans to the taupe. Very nice.
Meditation AF-395; I refer to this color as an “elephant tone” taupe. It has gray, brown, and green in it. Sounds awful, looks spectacular on your walls or on your cabinets and/or bookcases.
Anjou Pear AF-425; if you like your golds with a heavy hint of green, this color is for you. I would use this color as an accent rather than a primary surface such as walls.
Avertine AF-445; a true dirty green.
Jojoba AF-460; a deeper, richer version of Avertine, this color would work well any place you wanted a green that is of the “dirty sage” family.
Azores AF-495; as it name implies, this is an aqua blue-green. Again, I’d use it as an accent color as on walls I fear it might look to “hospital-ish”, if you get my drift.
Tempest AF- 590; it’s a beautiful purple-gray storm cloud of a color. Perfect for a sophisticated look in a girl or woman’s bedroom. I’ve also seen it used in a fabulous modern bathroom.
Silhouette AF- 655; ooh-la-la, it’s a gray, it’s a purple, it’s a brown, it’s totally beautiful!
Sparrow AF-720; a very deep elephant taupe that’s both a gray and a brown. I love it!
BTW – I’ve not yet chosen a color, as I’ve discovered narrowing it down is harder than I tought it would be. Today I’m leaning toward Harmony or Kangaroo, but who knows what I’ll be thinking tomorrow! Stay tuned to see what color I eventually choose…
What a strange coincidence…. we are in the final stages of building our Yankee Barn Home and one of the toughest decisions we struggled with was selecting paint colors (I am an accountant with zero decorating ability!). We hired the owner of the tile store where we purhased all the tile for the house to come out and do a “color consultation” since she already knew the entire palette we were looking at. Almost every color came from the Benjamin Moore Affinity Color line mentioned in this blog and a few from the Historic line!! The colors make the beams “pop” and are just stunning. I have many pictures if there is a way to upload (not sure how to do this here!)
What a strange coincidence…. we are in the final stages of building our Yankee Barn Home and one of the toughest decisions we struggled with was selecting paint colors (I am an accountant with zero decorating ability!). We hired the owner of the tile store where we purhased all the tile for the house to come out and do a “color consultation” since she already knew the entire palette we were looking at. Almost every color came from the Benjamin Moore Affinity Color line mentioned in this blog and a few from the Historic line!! The colors make the beams “pop” and are just stunning. I have many pictures if there is a way to upload (not sure how to do this here!)
Hi Mary Ellen,
Yankee Barn would love your pictures! Please send them to [email protected]. We can get them on our Flickr account, and I’d love to possibly use them on our blog!
So glad we “bumped” in to one another here. I hope you’re enjoying your Yankee Barn home. My husband and I absolutely LOVE ours!!!!
BeamBabe
Hi Mary Ellen,
Yankee Barn would love your pictures! Please send them to [email protected]. We can get them on our Flickr account, and I’d love to possibly use them on our blog!
So glad we “bumped” in to one another here. I hope you’re enjoying your Yankee Barn home. My husband and I absolutely LOVE ours!!!!
BeamBabe
I’m attracted to grey tones and am wondering how they might look in a timber frame home (douglas fir timberframe). Any thoughts? Would I be safe staying in Benjamin Moore’s Affinity Collection? Thank you.
Hi Monique, We have done several YBH Douglas fir timber frames using a pallet of grays in rooms ranging from entryways to kitchens, living rooms to baths. They are gorgeous, and YES, we highly recommend Benjamin Moore colors, Affinity Collection and otherwise. We are currently really loving Ben Moore’s new Williamsburg Color Collection. Check it out! BeamBabe