From beige to brilliant

When I moved into my apartment last year, I was overwhelmed by it looking like a big beige tidal wave. The carpet and walls were basically the same light khaki color, so I was eager to freshen it up a bit. The living, dining, and kitchen are all open to each other, so I knew I didn’t want to do anything too wild, and I hoped to create a calm backdrop for art and decorative objects. I also knew I didn’t plan on painting the entire space, so it was important to pick a color that would work well with the existing beige. The space gets quite a bit of natural light due to windows on all the walls, so I felt confident that an off-white would make the space shine. I went with Benjamin Moore White Dove (OC-17) and have been very happy with its slight warmth and richness while still reading “white.”

Before

Beware the Big Beige Tidal Wave! The carpet and walls blended together, and the red tones in the beautiful exposed brick were not getting along with the khaki-esque walls.

After 1

Much better! The new off-white paint works well with the brick, carpeting, existing beige paint and furnishings.

after 2

Since the room gets plenty of natural light, the paint color bounces all the light around and makes the space feel bright and fresh.