opinions on paint colors

We used a combination on walls, trim, ceiling of BM paints: White Down, Marscapone and Simply white. I know you said super white, but I found it too sharp. And if that is the moulding, what is the ceiling? For me, I wanted to ceiling to be brighter than the mouldings and the mouldings to be brighter than the walls. Good luck. All those off-whites get overwhleming. We used a soothing medium blue in the bedroom, but for all other rooms we opted to add color through accessories and go more neutral on the walls as you seem to be doing.

What color did you use on the walls? Marscapone?

wondering this too, as I'm looking to paint an apartment white. high ceilings, decent light. all suburbanites seem to recommend linen but it seems a little creamy/traditional. kylewest, which color did you use on the walls?

BM linen white is a classic color, in the ivory family. If you want an off white that ages really well, also consider BM dove white. It reads brighter, not yellow. I've used both colors in my apartment for years and never tire of them, but I like white walls.

Walls = white down
All trim and doors = marscapone
Ceilings = simply white

This is living area and kitchen. I don't like a lot of color shifts in small apts (mine = about 900 sq/ft). It makes me think of the circus when there is a new color on every little wall and when you can see 8 colors at once. Our bedroom is a soft, but masculine, blue that took a lot of work to find. Rest is painted as above.

What color is your couch? Do you have curtains? What style dining table/chairs do you have?

In my old place, I did "super white" on the ceilings, mouldings, and other woodwork, and "Navajo White" on the walls.

Looked VERY rich, and the afternoon sun turned the room into a rich golden color.

For our recent full gut renovation we painted most of our pre-war in Linen White because its ivory cast works well with the western and southern light in our apartment and we love its warmth -- it's more yellow at night with artificial light but any yellow fades out during the day with the natural light. We did our foyer in a medium charcoal grey and the master bedroom in a soft bisque that has a subtle gold undertone that disappears at night. The ceiling and trim was mostly Super White because we wanted the clear, crisp contrast with the creamy Linen White, although we did do some of the trim in Linen White (but in semi-gloss against eggshell walls) to have a tone-on-tone match.

What I think is important to remember is that no two apartments are the same in terms of design, feel and light and what would work for one would be awful for another. For example, NYCMatt's Navajo White -- I love that color and we tested it but it made our walls look like they were just dirty. But on someone else's walls it can be exquisite.

If you're in Manhattan, consider a visit to the Janovic Plaza store on Lexington and 66th Street. There's a Benjamin Moore color consultant who works there (I've unfortunately forgotten his name; he is a Brit, charming and really knows color and how to choose paint). You could call the store and confirm when he will be there but as I recall you don't need an appointment. And it's free. You could visit him with whatever color clues might be helpful -- fabric swatches, floor plans, facts about the direction of light into your apartment. He can immediately cut through choices by telling you which whites tilt brown, or grey, or yellow. For example, he got us away from Decorator White as a trim choice because it was too grey for our rooms.

There's also a Benjamin Moore showroom at 200 Lexington where you can get free giant color chips (about 5 x 7) but they didn't offer any help. For that, the chap at Janovic was enormously wonderful.

Good luck and try to enjoy the process.