Lilje chairs - need color advice please

by brae Email

The Lilje chairs I built from the Art of Mini kit are wonderful, but some gaps show due to the way they are assembled from parts.  I added a bit of spackling to minimize the appearance of some of these gaps and sanded smooth before painting.

I painted the table and chairs Italian Sage by Folk Art.  I wanted to keep the table and chairs lighter in hue so they wouldn't be lost in the deep room, though I do plan to install a light above the table.  Here they are shown with only one coat of paint and a swatch of the plaid I had intended for the upholstery.  They will be sanded, painted again and sealed with satin varnish.


Whoa!  A ghost must have knocked the dowel loose in the window -- it suddenly closed!  :S

However, I am uncertain about the color when the set is placed in the room.  I like the green, but I wonder if it is the wrong green...almost like it has too much blue in it to coordinate very well.  I know not everything has to match, but I would like to end up with a overall cohesive room since all of the other pieces work so well together.

Obviously the light from my real life ceiling light floods the room with brightness that won't be present once the house is built.  With the ceiling in place, it seems to work better.  I am planning a white chandelier above the table, but I don't have it in hand to test.  It's a traditional dollhouse fixture not LED, so it will have a slight warm yellow cast that will dampen any blue tint in the sage green.

I love the color green Keli used on the Hoosier cabinet, but I don't want to mimic that coloration since it is so similar to the bay window paper that the set might be lost.  I don't think white or off white would work since it would be too close to the color of the window and baseboard trims.  So, perhaps I could pull in either red or yellow from the other paper.

Here are three paint caps with paints I have on hand (from left to right): Sunflower, Black Cherry and Lemonade.

I would of course change the upholstery depending on the paint color.  The green basecoat will also alter any color I choose if I end up going with something different.  I'd have to just paint more layers to minimize it.

So, what do you think?  Keep the sage or go with something else?

Categories: Miniatures, The Haunted Heritage
Permalink12/28/11 10:08:00 pm,

16 comments

Comment from: Elga [Visitor]
It is only in the last photo that I can see the color properly and I quite like it. Since your house is old, have you considered aging your set of furniture, a thin wash of burnt umber oil paint always seem to do the trick for me, just don't varnish until the oil paint is cured if you decide to try this. Some of the furniture in the kitchen of my Victorian dollhouse got this treatment.
12/29/11 @ 00:23
Comment from: Johanna [Visitor]
I would go with the red. That color would make the room more chearful, so if you do want the atmosphere to be calm and peaceful, go with the green or the lemonade-yellow. That green is a bit too blueish in that room. Elgas idea is great too.
12/29/11 @ 00:44
Comment from: Linda Larsen [Visitor]
I like it as it is but maybe too much green? I like the Black Cherry choice if you decide to change it :D Linda xx
12/29/11 @ 00:46
Comment from: Sharon [Visitor]
I must admit that I really like the sage colour :-)
12/29/11 @ 04:14
Comment from: Keli [Visitor]
I like the color, but it doesn't fit in that room. You're correct, the sage has too much blue in it.

The idea of bringing the yellow or red of the wallpaper into the room is intriguing.

What do you think about painting them a base coat of red with a top coat of a sunflower then lightly distressing them? It would give the appearance they'd been around long enough to have been repainted over the years.
12/29/11 @ 05:04
Comment from: PATTI [Visitor]
Hmmm....I do think it is too blue of a green to flow with the rest of the room. I wouldn't use the red personally but I am thinking a more vanilla color on the chairs and table but with an antiquing and destressing. On the seats I would use more of a pattern that incorporated a red in it then you would bring out the red in the wallpaper.~Patti
12/29/11 @ 06:43
Comment from: Lyssa [Visitor]
Okay. So I like the idea of severe distressing AND I agree that the sage is too blue. I personally love sage green, but it certainly doesn't work here.

I think, first, I would try to mix a brighter green, using the sage as a base. Otherwise, I really like the idea of making them look like they had been repainted over and over... If unhappy with a mixed green, I like a sunflower paint (distressed of course &#59;) ) with a red and yellow upholstery... cherries come to mind. :) More of an olive or avocado green might work, too. Lots of options, Pea. Bust out the scrap wood!!
12/29/11 @ 07:49
Comment from: cockerina [Visitor]
I really like the model of the chairs, looks like something old ..
I would go with light yellow, to better visualize the scene in the shaded area.
but then add old cushions worn, perhaps with small dark red flowers on a yellow background to match the wallpaper, which is beautiful and appropriate environment and time!
'm waiting anxiously for developments! : D
kisses
Caterina
12/29/11 @ 08:58
Comment from: Michelle [Visitor] Email
I love the sage, but they seem to get lost in the room, i would go with the cream. I know you will get it right, you always have a wonderful way of making minis.
best wishes
Michelle
12/29/11 @ 12:29
Comment from: Betsy (Daydreamer) [Visitor]
Brae, I LOVE what you do! I agree with the others that the green is too pale and bluish for this spot. I LOVE red.... but it is a dark color and tends to disappear in a dark corner... I would vote for the red undercoat... (they tried red and didn't like it,) overpainted with the sunflower.... and REALLY abused ie. WORN over the years so plenty of red shows through.
I know you will do something perfect... I Really admire your skills and Vision!
12/29/11 @ 13:29
Comment from: Heather [Visitor]
I was thinking of something like the black cherry before I saw it. But I'm a sucker for anything red!
12/29/11 @ 17:22
Comment from: brae [Member] Email
So many good ideas... :yes: I will experiment and certainly let you know what I end up with. :>>
12/30/11 @ 06:05
Comment from: rosanna [Visitor]
Definitely we all agree against the sage green. I'd like to see them in sunflower yellow, it'd bright up that corner. And distress it as much as you can. Best wishes, Rosanna
12/30/11 @ 17:01
Comment from: The Shopping Sherpa [Visitor]
I'd go with the red and a bit of rubbing back where there would have been wear.

Having said that, my feeling is the chairs are wrong for the style of the rest of the room. I'd lean towards something more like this: http://store.dollhousecollectables.com/cla10446.html
12/30/11 @ 22:41
Comment from: Evelyne [Visitor]
I love the color you painted the chairs & table. But you are right, there's a little bit too much green in the scene, and it'll be too dark, specially after the ceiling is in place.

I vote for the third color, left to right, in the last picture. A 'creamy' one?. You can always distress and age it a little, if you want a more 'worn' look...

Oh, and happy new year!!! :)
01/02/12 @ 10:44
Comment from: Angela Matthews [Visitor]
Before I saw the three other colors you were considering changing to, I was thinking, "paint them red to match the red in the wallpaper." That's my first instinct. An alternative, if you think that would be too dark, would be to paint them the same yellow as the background of the wallpaper and then upholster them in something that has a little bit of red. I think that would really tie everything together.
Happy New Year! Can't wait to see what you decide!
01/02/12 @ 17:42