Expectations

I remember library card catalogs.  I know that's one of the things the next generation will have no concept of, like payphones or the US having a thriving economy.  I'm definitely not one of those kids who always had the Internet at their fingertips, who never had to figure out the Dewey Decimal System to find the right section in the library to find the right book to find out what koalas eat for their fifth grade report.

And yet, I find myself still expecting to be able to find through Google every single thing possibly worth knowing.  And normally, Google has not let me down.  Though it took a few months, and extensive rephrasing, I did end up finding that painting my college roommate (Karen, actually) described as "dead people on a raft."  Google has obviously refined their algorithm since then because the Wikipedia article for "Raft of the Medusa" is now the first listing.

But what Google is now not able to serve up for my intellectual delectation is pictures of every paint color I might conceivably want to paint a room in my house.  Yesterday I thought I might be interested in Sherwin Williams' "Bagel 6114" for the kitchen walls, but the majority of the photos I found on Google were "a similar  color would be Sherwin Williams' Bagel 6114".  Well, yeah, sure.  Even harder to find where pictures of Benjamin Moore's Mohave Desert, since those photos were of the actual Mohave Desert.

So to perhaps keep others from hitting the same dead ends, I wanted to contribute my small part to the Internet's paint color collection.


The dining room is Tinsel Beam by Valspar, eggshell finish.

The living room is Bay Waves by Valspar, satin finish.  It is a very good honest gray, not too dark or too light.

Visitors often ask if the rooms are blue or gray and I have to explain that one is blue and one is gray.  Here are Tinsel Beam and Bay Waves side by side:

The kitchen cabinets are in Mascarpone by Benjamin Moore, satin finish in the Advance paint.  The pulls are Thomasville Grayson from Home Depot.

The Mascarpone is a creamy, slightly yellow white (like the cheese, I guess).  Here is the Mascarpone up against the whiter white of the trim.  I don't know the color of the trim because it is original to the house.

And against the white fridge:

This bedroom is Aqua Spray by Behr, adjusted to 75%, in satin.  The cabinet is Du Jour by Valspar, in high gloss.

Here is the 75% Aqua Spray in a different light.  I admit it is a bit more fluorescent than I wanted. 

This bedroom is Maple Cream from Valspar, in satin.  The trim here is Du Jour by Valspar as well. 

This bedroom is Desert Seedling by Valspar, in eggshell.