Painting with Dark Colours

With the onset of warmer weather, instead of wanting to be outdoors (which I do), the need to freshen up my home descends upon me with great urgency.  Are you in the midst of Spring Cleaning as well?  Maybe it has something to do with the increased amount of sunshine highlighting the grubby marks on the walls.  In preparation for repainting the walls, I took down the paintings and was shocked at the accumulation of dust on the frames.

And to emphasize the dirt, here's another photo.  Skip over it if you are squeamish!

Appalling, huh?  Following recommendations, I washed the walls with TSP and discovered a great time saver.  TSP took off a lot of the scuff marks to the point where some walls didn't need repainting.

 

I did repaint one main wall as there was quite a bit of damage to the dry wall underneath which required replastering.  It was originally painted with Benjamin Moore's Rocky Road, CC 470, but I decided to redo it with Benjamin Moore's Hiking Trail, CC 514 which is a couple degrees darker.  The paintings that I have up on that wall have light coloured backgrounds and I thought they would "pop" more against a darker wall.  I forgot to take a before shot but here is an after shot.

Here are close ups of the paintings.

I repainted the kitchen as well with Hiking Trail.  Originally, it was a pale blue but I discovered that it just did not work with the granite countertops which are a very dark green.  Another consideration was that there is no natural light in the kitchen.  White and other light colours just appear flat and dead in a dark room which sounds illogical, I know, but it's true.  Also I have a display of blue Pyrex in the kitchen and they weren't standing out against the blue walls.  Here is a before shot.  Please forgive the poor quality of the photo.  I was balanced on a chair with a camera in one hand and a paint roller in the other. 

The only "problem" with the new colour is that it is a warm brown, the shade of milk chocolate.  In fact, every time I look at the walls, I get hungry as I think of a milk chocolate bar!

The aqua blue of the Pyrex casserole dishes "pops" so much more against the darker colour and looks a great deal more vibrant, don't you think?  Is it completely mad to base a decorating decision partly on wanting to showcase a vintage collection?  Have you ever done that?  I have lots more Spring Cleaning to do but I am determined to soldier on despite the lure of sunny skies.   Please let me know how you are getting on so that I can stay motivated!

I'm linking up with A Stroll Thru Life, Faith Grace and Crafts, Green Willow Pond, My Romantic Home and The Charm of Home.