Sage,by degrees.

The brief

A tall, north-lit room that felt flat.

The owners had lived with magnolia for eleven years. They wanted something calm that would still look alive when the light dropped, and they wanted the plaster cornice picked out rather than lost.

We tested six greens on large boards, one on each wall, and watched them for two days. The winner was the greyest of the six.

Four days

1. Day 1Furniture out, floors covered, walls filled and sanded back. Cornice cleaned by hand.
2. Day 2Mist coat, then first coat on ceiling and walls. Woodwork primed and undercoated.
3. Day 3Second coats. Sash window and shutters in satin, brushed, not rolled.
4. Day 4Touch-ups, snag walk with the owners, everything cleared away.