We are lousy at choosing paint colors.

After we bought our fixer-upper, we knew we would be painting, inside and out.

When we looked at the house last October, the round living room with a fireplace in the middle (it’s either striking or oddball depending on your point of view) hadn’t been touched in 30 years. It has a pine ceiling, paneled walls stained a dark brown and oak floors.

Brown.

Brown.

Brown.

Too much brown.

It stopped agent Amy Buckley and me in our tracks. Finally, she broke the silence: “Maybe you could lighten up the room by painting the walls cream.” When we showed Bill the house, he agreed.

But we know better than to paint right away. We have to settle in and let the house speak to us. Bill would sit on the couch and stare at the room. Finally he said he liked it the way it was. “What if we paint the wood and the next owner wanted to see it? This is good oak!”

“Oak that has been stained into ugliness,” I replied. I never went into that room, even though it has my wonderful recliner. I stayed in the nice, bright kitchen.

The impasse – to paint or not to paint – was broken recently when Jayne Enneking viewed the room for the first time. After an awkward pause, she asked, “What are you going to do with this dreary room?”

I shot a knowing look at my husband.

When Bill relented and said yes, we could paint the walls, I wasted no time in starting the project.

We went to Home Depot on a Friday night to get paint chips of a brand recommended in Consumer Reports.

Whoever names these hues has the dreamiest job ever. Cotton Whisper. Linen White. Toasted Marshmallow. Swiss Coffee. Oyster. Parchment Paper. Ivory Mist. Innocence. White Clay. Princess Ivory.