Home Paint Colors?

[ladypirate]

OK home decorating wizzes! We're currently picking out paint colors for our house and have some ideas but are a bit stumped on others. First up is the living room & dining room. Here is what it currently looks like:

We are adding a light fixture in the living area and replacing the light fixture in the dining area with a matching one. These are the fixtures we picked out:

 

[ladypirate]

Here is the paint scheme that I''m currently thinking of (please forgive the crappy paint skills--I don''t have photoshop on the computer I''m on). The colors are BM Tudor Cream on the walls, BM Woodland Snow on the ceiling & trim and BM Beeswax as an accent. We tried the Tudor Cream and it looks really lovely in the room (we''re thinking of using it throughout the house in the hallways & whatnot as well), but FI is not sold on the accent wall(s). Thoughts? Suggestions? I''ve never had to pick out paint before, so I could use any advice you have!

 

[ladypirate]

As an aside, we will also eventually be replacing the carpet with hardwood floors, so something that will look nice with hardwood (probably natural stained oak to match upstairs) as well as the mossy carpet currently in there is important.

 

[elrohwen]

I think the colors are pretty and I love the idea of the accent wall! Oh, and your light fixtures are beautiful.

 

[ladypirate]

Next up, the master bedroom. Here''s what it used to look like:

We tore out the 1970s built in and pushed the doorway out to open the space up. We are also removing the ceiling fan (due to FI''s height--he hits his head on it) and putting in a recessed can there and putting a sconce over the bed. This is the sconce we''re putting in (except in a dark brass finish rather than silver):

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I personally am not a fan of accent walls. If you tried a square on the wall and love it I would go for it! Luckily paint is relatively cheap to change if you make a mistake.

ETA: have you thought of putting a single sconce over each of your bedside tables? I think it would be more balanced than the double centered.

 

[ladypirate]

This is what the bedroom currently looks like from where the new (non-louvered...yay!) door will be:

Thoughts on color? We had thought about a light green, but we tried it on the walls and it was too light. Maybe a khaki? We''re also a little torn in here because of the angled ceiling. Is it going to look odd to paint the ceilling a different color from the walls since it comes so far down?

 

[ladypirate]

Date: 6/8/2009 4:35:55 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
I personally am not a fan of accent walls. If you tried a square on the wall and love it I would go for it! Luckily paint is relatively cheap to change if you make a mistake.

What do you think about using a darker color to divide the space into living & dining (as shown in the picture)? I''d love to do something with that beam-type-thing that comes across and divides the two rooms, but painting it a darker shade is the only thing that''s currently coming to me.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

RE: LIVING/DINING ROOM:
Are you trying to play it up as one space or two?

Offhand, the items you are selecting to accent seem inconsistent with either scheme.
--If you are trying to highlight as one room, both the room on the left and the room on the right should all be painted the same color (including the dividing wall) so the concept of division (the dividing wall) blends and disappears. Accenting the fireplace wall is fine, but do not paint the dividing wall the accent color.
--If you are trying to highlight how it's two spaces (but with some cross-pollination), I'd recommend all the walls of the room on the left be painted Color A, all the walls of the room on the right be painted Color B, and for cross-pollination have the accent color over the fireplace Color A.

Great space, BTW. Ladypirate, be sure to post some "after" photos when you're done!

 

[ladypirate]

Date: 6/8/2009 4:35:55 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
ETA: have you thought of putting a single sconce over each of your bedside tables? I think it would be more balanced than the double centered.

We were originally going to do that, but there isn''t room on the wall because of the way the ceiling comes down. You can see it in this picture (California King sized bed painted in courtesy of yours truly to show scale).

 

[ladypirate]

Date: 6/8/2009 4:41:11 PM
Author: fleur-de-lis
RE: LIVING/DINING ROOM:
Are you trying to play it up as one space or two?

Offhand, the items you are selecting to accent seem inconsistent with either scheme.
--If you are trying to highlight as one room, both the room on the left and the room on the right should all be painted the same color (including the dividing wall) so the concept of division (the dividing wall) blends and disappears. Accenting the fireplace wall is fine, but do not paint the dividing wall the accent color.
--If you are trying to highlight how it''s two spaces (but with some cross-pollination), I''d recommend all the walls of the room on the left be painted Color A, all the walls of the room on the right be painted Color B, and for cross-pollination have the accent color over the fireplace Color A.

Great space, BTW. Ladypirate, be sure to post some ''after'' photos when you''re done!

We are separating it into two spaces--the one on the right being a living space and the one on the left being a dining space. I was thinking we could keep the same color in both for continuity but paint the wall in the middle to divide them...the fireplace wall (where there will no longer be a fireplace--long story, but basically the chimney can''t be brought up to code because it''s too small. It makes me very sad.

) certainly doesn''t have to be a different color, I was just thinking it might look nice.

I will definitely be posting lots of after pictures. Thanks for the input!

 

[Shoopy]

I can''t help with colors because I don''t have a single creative bone in my body.

However, I always go to this site when I think about color schemes for our home: http://www.behr.com/Behr/home#

When the page loads, select the drop down under "Explore Color with Color Smart" and then select "Visualize your colors with Color Smart"

It gives you the option of choosing different colors and then "painting" a room with that color to see if you like the look of it. It also provides you with coordinating colors if you have only one color in mind and don''t really know what other colors to go with. Plus, its fun. It also gives you the option of uploading a room pic and it''ll paint the room for you. I haven''t tried this option though.

 

[pennquaker09]

I would suggest picking out your furniture first, then paint. It''s much easier that way.

 

[E B]

Date: 6/8/2009 4:41:11 PM
Author: fleur-de-lis

RE: LIVING/DINING ROOM:
Are you trying to play it up as one space or two? Offhand, the items you are selecting to accent seem inconsistent with either scheme.

--If you are trying to highlight as one room, both the room on the left and the room on the right should all be painted the same color (including the dividing wall) so the concept of division (the dividing wall) blends and disappears. Accenting the fireplace wall is fine, but do not paint the dividing wall the accent color.
--If you are trying to highlight how it''s two spaces (but with some cross-pollination), I''d recommend all the walls of the room on the left be painted Color A, all the walls of the room on the right be painted Color B, and for cross-pollination have the accent color over the fireplace Color A.

Great space, BTW. Ladypirate, be sure to post some ''after'' photos when you''re done!

I agree with all of this.

What about painting one room just a couple of shades darker than the other? This way, you''d have the feeling of two separate spaces, but they''d still feel connected.

 

[ladypirate]

Date: 6/8/2009 4:58:49 PM
Author: pennquaker09
I would suggest picking out your furniture first, then paint. It''s much easier that way.

We have most of our furniture already--upstairs in the bedroom we have a california king sleigh bed in natural cherry and a darker stained dresser (that will go in the alcove where the built in was). As far as the living room goes, we have mostly darker wood tables and whatnot, but it may be a while before we decide on couches/chairs.

 

[ladypirate]

Date: 6/8/2009 4:23:57 PM
Author: elrohwen
I think the colors are pretty and I love the idea of the accent wall! Oh, and your light fixtures are beautiful.

Thanks el!

We really like the light fixtures as well.

 

[ladypirate]

Date: 6/8/2009 4:53:11 PM
Author: fiery
I can''t help with colors because I don''t have a single creative bone in my body.

However, I always go to this site when I think about color schemes for our home: http://www.behr.com/Behr/home#

When the page loads, select the drop down under ''Explore Color with Color Smart'' and then select ''Visualize your colors with Color Smart''

It gives you the option of choosing different colors and then ''painting'' a room with that color to see if you like the look of it. It also provides you with coordinating colors if you have only one color in mind and don''t really know what other colors to go with. Plus, its fun. It also gives you the option of uploading a room pic and it''ll paint the room for you. I haven''t tried this option though.

LOL, fiery! Creative I can do, but I am not well versed in interior decorating. I like the architecture side of things more than the decorating.

 

[ladypirate]

Date: 6/8/2009 5:07:14 PM
Author: EBree

Date: 6/8/2009 4:41:11 PM
Author: fleur-de-lis

RE: LIVING/DINING ROOM:
Are you trying to play it up as one space or two? Offhand, the items you are selecting to accent seem inconsistent with either scheme.

--If you are trying to highlight as one room, both the room on the left and the room on the right should all be painted the same color (including the dividing wall) so the concept of division (the dividing wall) blends and disappears. Accenting the fireplace wall is fine, but do not paint the dividing wall the accent color.
--If you are trying to highlight how it''s two spaces (but with some cross-pollination), I''d recommend all the walls of the room on the left be painted Color A, all the walls of the room on the right be painted Color B, and for cross-pollination have the accent color over the fireplace Color A.

Great space, BTW. Ladypirate, be sure to post some ''after'' photos when you''re done!

I agree with all of this.

What about painting one room just a couple of shades darker than the other? This way, you''d have the feeling of two separate spaces, but they''d still feel connected.

That''s definitely an option...I didn''t love it when one was orange and one was lime green, but maybe if they were more complementary it would look nicer? I guess I just worry that it would look strange to have two different colored spaces in there since it looks so odd now. Also, since we''re matching the light fixtures (although the one in the dining room will be a little bigger since it''s a bigger space) and the windows match, maybe it''s odd to have the paint not match? I don''t know.

 

[E B]

Date: 6/8/2009 5:29:46 PM
Author: ladypirate

That's definitely an option...I didn't love it when one was orange and one was lime green, but maybe if they were more complementary it would look nicer?

When I said a couple of shades darker, I meant in the same color family, for sure. Not green and orange or anything like it!

For example, doing something like Creme Brulee in the dining room and either of the darker shades in the living room for some additional warmth.

 

[PrettyBlues]

Hi LP -- I like the suggestions that you got for the living room regarding colour, I think I would paint each "room" a different, but complimentary, colour.

For your bedroom, when I see a room like that with sloped ceilings, I think it is actually better to pick a colour that you like, and paint the entire room that colour, meaning the ceiling included. Otherwise it can create a really choppy look in the room. I will see if I can find an example to show you.

 

[janinegirly]

just a quick threadjack to ask ebree if she''s actually tried any of those colors? They look great on the screen.

I sympathise with choosing paint colors, one of the most difficult and frustrating things we had to do! Especially since when it came to neutral colors.

 

[PrettyBlues]

Ok, here is an example of the wall colour in a different shade to the ceiling...I hope the image is ok as I had to make it smaller to post.

 

[PrettyBlues]

And here is the same room when it is all one colour.

 

[PrettyBlues]

And one more just to show you that this can work with a darker colour as well.

 

[PrettyBlues]

Of course, this is just my opinion so feel free to ignore if you want