Color blind?

The first shot shows our fireplace installed and the mantel positioned. I still like the simplicity of the mantel we chose. The last two shots give you an idea of how the timbers will pop from painted walls. That raises the question of what color to paint the drywall? Ellen and I are still in a crisis of self doubt on this one. I suggested a muted gold tone. Ellen's first thought was some shade of green. We just don't know, but our indecision will be unacceptable very soon. The builder will be on us so they can buy the paint. We visited friends in Peoria over the New Year. David and Denise Miller are a nurse and IT professional during the day, but heavily involved in community theater by night. They've been paid for set design work, and have also remodeled their home, creating a striking appearance in the process. They've volunteered to help, but Peoria is a long way away, so I don't expect them to make a trip like that. Still, wouldn't it be sweet to have a professional (getting paid is the difference between amateur and professional, right?) help us for free? I'm tempted to claim that my eye surgeries four or five years ago have suddenly made me color blind, and recuse myself from this decision. It's been known that negative reactions to invasive procedures like I had, can take a long time to manifest themselves. Haven't you heard that? Yeah, that's the ticket. Another angle, for those of you who knew my father and saw some of his attire, is to attest that I have a strong genetic predisposition to poor color coordination. It's on you now, Ellen. For our guests, please direct all complaints and criticisms to her. I'm color blind and can't tell the difference.