Color is our Friend

I decided to paint the fireplace mantel.  A few years ago I did a faux stone finish on it and with the new stipple finish on the dining room walls, I thought it was too much to have a faux finish on the mantel and a similar, but different faux finish on the walls.  So I decided to paint the mantel white.  I'm not a big fan.

The white is too stark for me.  I want some color on it.  So I went to http://www.behr.com/ and used their ColorSmart system to coordinate a color for the mantel that would complement the new color on the walls.  The stippling effect I've used on the walls has a basecoast of Swiss Coffee and a topcoat of Castle Path.  Since Castle Path is the predominant color in the room, I asked their system to coordinate colors that would go well with Castle Path.  The Behr ColorSmart system is really wonderful and gives you many options to choose from.  I have decided to go with Platinum Gray for the mantel.  Here is a color swatch:



I think this will give the mantel a great look and will make the fireplace the focal point of the room.  I'll do the mantel in high gloss and I think I'll paint the walls and each side the same color in eggshell.  We'll see how that turns out.  More on this project to follow.