Everything is so lovely! Trust your eye. You're doing just fine. (And see, here your wall colour looks fine on my screen.)

"...it's so much easier to help others but when it comes to your own home it seems challenging."

I can really relate to that! ;-)

A friend was able to capture better photos of the fabric (she has a different phone). On my screen it looks exactly as it does in person. Hoping everyone can chime in with thoughts. Thanks so much!!

Be careful with light colors and the color Maria Killam's color wheel. She specifically did not include whites because they can't be accurately reproduced (Per her blog).

I don't believe that your sofa is taupe or violet gray. The way to test for this is to look at it next to a yellow beige - does it turn pink or lilac? If so it has the pink undertones of taupe or lilac undertones of violet gray.

If not it is a linen with mixed tones of creams and grays. Usually it is a blue gray rather than a green gray, but can appear green gray as the yellow undertones of the cream mix with the blue undertones of the gray- yellow and blue create green.

Looking at your pictures I am not seeing any pink or lilac undertones.

Looking at your photo, any colors on the left side or bottom would seem to work. The colors on the top and right side do not look good with the fabric. But again, reproducing colors on a computer does not accurately reflect the way the color will look in your space.

Jennifer Hogan-- Your post is very helpful. Ethan Allen has the fabric in their Taupe category. They refers to it as having rustic character and variations in weave, shading, slubs, and texture. So it does appear to change color throughout the day. I honestly do see pink at times but not sure if it's the wall color clashing with the fabric. Other times I see a bit of yellow. The only yellow beige small swatch I have is Powell Buff. I will try and pick up a large sample during the week. My husband also thinks it more of a linen color mix but the designers at the store call it a champagne color. It's definitely a chameleon and I'm losing sleep over it!!

Diana Bier-- I agree that the colors on the left and bottom seem to blend well. Just not sure what the next step is.

Thanks so much... I appreciate the continued thoughts and suggestions.

Forgot to mention that the fabric has a subtle pearly sheen.

Years ago I had tile that was driving me crazy just as your sofa is driving you crazy.

It started my journey into the world of color that has since consumed many hours but also brought me great joy, helping others get just the right color.

One tool that I use constantly is my collection of sample boards.

I started with the 50 Neutrals and Whites sold by Maria Killam ($329.00).

I then purchased good heavyweight watercolor paper and make my own with every paint sample I buy or any samples used to help others.

I have about 400 color samples in my collection after 15 years.

Maria's 50 is usually my starting point for neutrals. If you purchase them you will use them over and over, as will your frineds and family. Mine have been used to help select colors for more than 100 homes, and I am not a color consultant or in the design business (I'm a data analyst).

Using her samples you would have a few large samples in every neutral color category and be able to see what works. Maria is correct that no one can tell color with a 2x2 paper sample.

Jennifer Hogan-- Did you take her course? I'm saving toward purchasing the boards but guessing you need the hands-on class to fully understand how to use them. I plan on taking her course if she comes to the Boston area. I tried searching for true colour experts within Boston but was unsuccessful.

delfgill, what are you trying to determine at this point? I'm a bit lost, sorry. All your furnishings are beautiful and your space is, from what I can see on my screen, harmonious. I fear this colour wheel is overcomplicating things for you and giving you analysis paralysis. Let's be honest here. We shouldn't be losing precious sleep over colours. :) (I've done it so I'm not judging, trust me!)

What's the worst case scenario if you choose an element with the wrong undertone?

ETA: Everything changes colour throughout the day. That's because light gives us colour and the light changes throughout the day. It's a bit silly to try to pin down something's colour as it were permanent.

tartanmeup-- I guess it would only bother me if I chose (or thought I chose) the wrong undertone... lol. But I do want to coordinate the background in artwork, pillows, etc. And a new wall color. The room is long and narrow without a lot of natural light... the gray makes it a bit cave-ish.

That's a great idea, Tina! Another thought is if you're thinking of a new wall colour, start with the fireplace rather than the sofa. You know the sofa coordinates with the fireplace. Being a flatter surface, the fireplace might be easier for the apps to read.

If it were my room and I wanted a change from the current grey, I would be looking at brighter colours than the samples you have surrounding your fabric swatch. Egret White looks nice but a bit dull in your pic. Probably the light. (And how true is my monitor in rendering the colour?)

I really think you can trust your eye to choose pillows to coordinate. (Could you not return them if you chose wrong?) I really don't think you need to fuss with the wheel for that. I can understand misgivings about colour coordination when one is colour-blind but you've no need to worry. Trust your eye. :)

I have thought of a consult but unless I mail a fabric sample to ensure she sees the true color, I think online consult would be too tricky.

Yes, I will use fireplace stone as my start!!!

What do you mean by brighter color?

What are you trying to accomplish? What do you want the room(s) to be that it isn't now? I get that you are focused on "the undertones" ( Teenage Kicks...what a great ditty,btw) but what is the goal...a room more (fill in the blank).

Perhaps cleaner rather than brighter is what I meant. On my screen, the paint samples surrounding your fabric swatch have a bit of muddiness to them. But again, I'm looking at my screen. How do they look to YOU? If I look at your pic with the fireplace, your surround seems brighter/cleaner than your wall colour. I prefer "clean" colours to muddy ones but understand that sometimes "clean" colours are too saturated for people, depending on that space.

If I leaf through my Parrish-Hadley Tree of Life book, I find that the neutral wall colours look "clean and bright" not muddy. (But how much of this is photo retouching though?) I'll share pics providing my iPhone does the colours justice. :P

I am seeing the sofa floating on its own, and understand you wanting to anchor it to the wall. One way to help tie it to the navy chairs and fireplace is to put the sofa fabric pillows on the navy chairs.

I would not try to find a wall paint that blends with your sofa because I am seeing pinks and violets as you have said. And I don’t think you want to have pink or violet beige walls.

So find a light paint that contrasts, in shaded blues or greens.

hollybar-- I want a room more decorated and pulled together. I have artwork in mind to fill the space above the sofa but before committing I want to make sure it will blend and not look out of place.

tartanmeup-- I actually prefer a muddier color scheme. I always have been. I am not one for bright, bold colors. I am drawn to muted shades.

ulisdone-- I do have the sofa cushions on the chairs. I also have pillows incorporating both the sofa and chair colors on the sofa. Pic attached... ignore the blue tape I was using to measure the artwork. I never thought of a color for the wall. I think I would definitely need to find someone for an in home consult to help with that.

By the way, does anyone know how to find a true colour expert? I've searched both houzz and google and haven't had much luck.

delfgill, I purchased Maria's 1 color consultation ($100) for my living room. I tried 16 different paint samples, lol. I could see that none of them were correct, but I was so stuck trying to find the correct color. The color she picked is perfect. I am so glad I got her help, I was making myself crazy. Plus, the cost of all the samples was getting expensive, lol. Best of luck. I will enjoy following your journey.

I did not take her class - When you get the color cards they come with a list of the colors in each grouping.

I organized mine in a binder with separators for each color family.

On my monitor, the colours in your framed art are clean, not dirty. Same with your lamps. Some of the colours in the artwork you're considering are muted but look at the bright blues and pinks. In any case, lynartist is right: there's no need for you to worry about coordinating things in your space. You can easily find pillows to harmonize with your pending artwork that will "go" with your sofa. You don't need to know the exact undertone names of everything to accomplish that. :)

lynartist and tartanmeup-- Thanks so much for your advice and encouragement. I truly appreciate it!! This is the only room I find myself struggling with.

lynartist-- Thank you for adding colors options to show how it all blends.

tartanmeup-- I will move forward with the art and pull a third color from it for the pillows.

Go to your local BM store and ask them to mix you a sample of Devine Color Almond and Devine Color Glass. Both look wonderful with taupe, blues and whites. The top color in this pallet is a true taupe (Devine Cappuccino) The bottom color is Devine Almond. It is a blue/green/gray that is cleaner than what you have.

Devine Color was bought out by Valspar and when Sherwin Williams bought Valspar they discontinued the line, but the colors can still be purchased through Benjamin Moore's paint matching program.

.

colors · More Info

It is tough to see colors on computer monitors, but I believe that this color will be cleaner and brighter than your current color, removing the cave feeling you described earlier.

Without good natural light a color like dorian Gray can die on the vine. You need more depth to the color to be able to see it without good natural daylight. You need lighter brighter.

Below are the color values of the three colors based on RGB - not the best, but gives you an idea of the difference between Dorian gray and the two colors I am suggesting. Devine Glass does actually have a blue/green tint - just doesn't seem to show up next to the almond and dorian gray in RGB.

A few months ago I browsed Etsy and chose some pillows that I like. I hadn’t yet looked into artwork but knew I wanted to incorporate greens, pinks, maybe some purple into the room.

As I mentioned before, I prefer toned down muted color schemes and so I was naturally drawn to these pillows. However, the artwork I have in mind is definitely too bold now that I compare it to the pillows. I did find a muted painting that I also love and thought it might be a better fit, especially given that it coordinate nicely with my existing art on the opposite wall (bottom pics).

I would be happy with either painting but given the size and expense I want to try my best to get the overall look right the first time around :) It's easy to return pillows but not so easy to return oversize art.

Should I mix bold painting with muted pillows or go with a muted painting and muted pillows? Your thoughts?

I have both. One above each console. It's a large front to back room with a console on each end.

I'm looking on Etsy, Houzz, HomeGoods, Art.com.

I need approx 46 wide x 36 high.

Yes, I like that one but the size is too small. It's through Etsy and I've contacted the artist to ask if it's available in other sizes. It might work once I add pillows, etc. I haven't yet found any bright pillows that I like.

lynartist-- I had reached out to a handful of Etsy artists for commissioned work but the prices averaged $1100. That's when I decided to shop around. I also thought of a neutral / monochromatic piece but didn't see anything I like. Most were bland and I do want some color above the sofa. I just heard from one artist who suggested the below. She can custom size to what I need. Price is $350/free shipping. Not too bad.

Thanks for sending along some ideas... I will look into these.

Thank you!!

I will search for pillows based on both pieces of art. It will make it easier for me to envision the complete look.

They don't call it "professional" photography for nothing. Amazing how the sofa in these pictures looks exactly as it does in real life. I came across this yesterday and learned that it is the same sofa and sofa fabric as mine. Slides 3, 5, and 10 are best. I'm waiting to hear back about the wall color around the fireplace.

https://thedecorologist.com/featured_item/raintree/

Suzy-- I don't know why your comments aren't posting but thank you for sending them via message. Here are the pictures. Let me know what you think about the undertones/colors. As I mentioned yesterday, I'm waiting to hear about the wall color around the fireplace. Thanks.