Okay kids, thinking caps on please. Finally after months and months of living with white walls :hurl: I think it's time to paint. I got the new chair and think I will try and live with my sofa (if I can find the right colour for the walls).
I'm going to overload you here with pictures just because there is so much going on and possible. So you will see the room, the furniture, some of my stuff just in hopes you'll get a feel for the direction I like to go.
So here's the deal (explaination of the photos that will follow):
1) sofa...not happy with the colour which I have discovered is exactly the colour of a terracotta pot in daylight and brandy at night. Basically too warm a colour for me but I am hoping maybe the right wall colour will tone it down.
There are pictures of the sofa as well as three samples I tried with paint I happen to have. None of them seem to be working so you can see why I need help. The red is a mix of two Farrow & Ball colours, the brown is some paint I had left over from the last house, the purple is a F&B called brinjal which I had in the last house and really liked but it looks a little dull in the photo with the sofa.
2) The rug. You'll see one way it looks in the picture of the sofa and the other in the close up. It can look bright or dull depending on where you stand but it has nearly every colour you can think of in it. It goes pretty well with the sofa because the border is quite a rusty tone. There are also lots of colours in my stained glass panels.
3) The chair, new. Supposedly aubergine, but thousands would say it's brown and gold.
4) the woodwork and bricks and floor. All will remain, none will be painted although sometime in the future those bricks will be covered. They also suit the stupid sofa colour as the wood trim is kind of orangey red. The floor, well forget the floor, it's someone's idea of a match to the trim but it doesn't, it just isn't right and not much chance of that changing.
5) My office. This joins the LR through some divided light doors so it's a bit visible. It's three shades of deep red although my furniture covers all but two. My curtains are also a deep burgundy and are hanging in the office and they are okay. I don't mind the colours of the office at all and have no plans to paint it at the moment.
6) The curtains. I have the burgundy ones I mentioned which are velvet and there are plently more which I would like to use in the DR window. OR I have some green and gold drapes Imade in the last century and never hung. They could easily be put in the DR and the office as there are plenty of those too. I'd sure like to use one of these sets since I have lots and they are both new(ish).
7) I'll throw in pictures of my huge mirror as it will fill one wall. it's an ornate gold. Also a picture of my brass lamp as it's pretty typical of the look I'm after. My lamps have either black/gold shades or are stained glass.
Sorry the picture of the room is one a realtor took. Basically it's the dinning room but you can see another issue I have. It's that plaster cove type thing that cuts across to separate the LR from the DR. Now in my mind, whatever I paint will be dark (if I haven't said it a thousand times before, I don't do white, beige, or any colour that cold be confused with those). A dark stripe going across a light ceiling seems like a bad idea to me so I am trying to figure out how I should handle that.
BTW light comes through the office windows from the south. The DR window and two that are covered with glass panels are west facing.
This is an itty bitty room but I love dark rich colours and have even considered black so let your imagination go wild. I suspect a warm gold might go best but I really find I am not a happy person when surrounded by warm tones (and here I sit with a stupid orange sofa that suits the trim and rug...everything would be fine if not for me and my tastes). BTW I am assuming whatever I paint the LR will also be for DR but I am totally open to ideas.
So, ideas please as I am quite hopeless when it comes to figuring out what to do here.
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If you end up moving just use the paint you bought in your new place.
Gads, I was trying to look invisible on this topic. The short answer is no, I haven't painted yet but here is the sample patch on the colour I bought. Not bad for one coat. It's the Sico cashmere you recommended way back when. It reads somewhere between a deep purple and black depending on the light.
The long answer is That something came up that is still a bit of a mystery that meant I couldn't bend my ankles or knees very much for about 20 mos. (they are fine now .. since the summer...and all I have to do is actually get around to doing it now that I have some muscle back). It's funny how much that can affect plans when it comes to walking, bending, kneeling. So all the stuff I had planned got put on hold and I am still living in beige:hurl: with an untiled shower etc. I have all the supplies and have had all this time, just couldn't actually do the work and of course as per my previous whinings, couldn't find any trades wanting to take on 'small jobs'.
Meanwhile I am now still thinking of selling maybe this spring so that has me wondering again and stalling until I decide what to do. Something tells me I could just paint and it would still be a fine colour for selling but I'm on a coin flip still. I still love the aubergine, but maybe it's better to tone it down to something like the turtle green for selling. I'll just have to write off the paint I already bought. I have a houseful of paint here for all the rooms and here I sit still in beige :hurl:
BTW I still am not impressed with my sofa but if I keep the lights low I don't notice it much anymore. Janet should have this one as it's still like new and solid as can be so I have had no reason to call and have it taken away other than the colour not being my taste. It does get full points for comfort and durability however.
DBD, did you ever paint your living room?? I don't remember ever seeing pics if you did.
DBD.........i personally do not feel that your sofa is hopeless, :rolleyes: matter a fact i think your sofa is very nice and i think it goes with what you have in character of your home and i have seen dark colors used in many small rooms and if the contrast is right between furniture and paint color it can work and not make the room feel small ( at least that is what i have learned from the experienced ones)......hardly wait to see your color on the walls.
smiles
janetc
I just posted an update in the "Dustbunny" thread of the colour I am now aiming for. I'll have to get a sample tomorrow which is handy since the BM store is only a block from Ebony's groomers and she is getting her hair cut tomorrow.
Cat, I love dark saturated colours. Maybe it's from a lifetime of neutrals in my mom's house or later in apts, I don't know, but light colours just don't do it for me. To me dark is rich and warm and moody. I also love the way anything hung on a wall just ends up standing out while the walls seem to fall away.
and just for interest sake. Here in Old Salem Gray that Kburg01 used in her bedroom, that someone mentioned to look at.
ohh I like the smoked oyster...very serene and calm...downplaying the orange of the sofa...everything kinda blends......hard choices DBD...so where are you?...painting?
Some inspiration pics with orange toned furniture and light walls.
So many choices!!!
I really loved the blue jewel tone - bright but sets off everything so nicely - I'm not I'd be that brave though
Baby turtle is soo nice! I know I would love that one - not so daring mind you but very calming and yeah that would be nice
I will say though the smoked oyster mock up looks fab - so another good choice.
I can't wait to see what you choose and of course the finished pictures.
Good Luck!
Can I ask why you want to go with dark colours? Seems as your furniture and floor are all dark, wouldn't a light colour be a wiser choice? Just wondering. :)
[url]http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://images.scrippsweb.com/HGTV/2002/09/04/dct111end_d.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/decorating/article/0,1793,HGTV_3545_1369187,00.html&h=103&w=140&sz=6&hl=en&start=5&tbnid=IwYTC37K8rq_fM:&tbnh=68&tbnw=93&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddecorating%2Bwith%2Bdark%2Bfurniture%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG[/url]
Smoked Oyster.
Brown on the walls would collapse that room. The floors are dark and the room is small. Brown would make it look suffocatingly tiny. :eek:
That sofa has no hope. Sorry.
And the others you liked:
Buckhorn
Garden Path
Raphael
and my favourite Ginger Root. I have it in my diningroom, looove the colour. It goes with dark brown and black.
Hopes this helps.
lasalle...you seem to have great color choices and advice....maybe DBD can mock that color....I know she is wanting a burgendy kinda color but I think the woodwork and couch will get lost in that color......unless she is in the mood for love....and just wants romance??????
whoops!...that is not my baby turtle...see janet's thread with the picture of the chip.....it is green like olives...not beige...maybe the US BM is different?...weird...........
Hey BM Smoked Oyster I gave that suggestion last week, DBD is that in the running??
And BM Smoked Oyster
Here is a clip of BM Baby Turtle from this site
[url]http://www.colorcharts.org/ccorg/resources/colors.aspx?ProductID=791&CBN=VW7K-R0JR-QC15[/url]
If all else fails....slip cover the couch in a neutral and go with the exact colour u want for your space :)
I agree with trynto. Buy a quart of the Rafael and do one section. You seem to really love it and want a deep dramatic colour. I must admit that I'm not a fan of it for the living room (although for some reason I would love to have that colour in my bedroom, but I would pair it with creams and golds). That being said, I defiinitelyI like this deep plum colour the best of all the deep tones you were looking at. Try one wall, push up the couch and then let us all critique it! :-)
DBD...if you instinctually ( is that a word)...gravitate towards a color...I think that you should use it.....you have to live in that space......and I think you are not off base with your color selections... I think the brouchure represents good color choices....so I would just pick the one you like the best and go for it.....so I guess I am not much help....but I am a person who goes with my gut....everytime someone "talks" me into a paint color at the paint store....9 times out of 10 ...I don't like it and decide to do what I want.... it will be interesting to see what the others think.....if I had your room...my instinct is the green..but that is what calms me...I like rich colors from nature, ..brown represents the wood, green represents the trees and an orange couch represents ???...and orange tree of course...........no the sunset silly.........
Take a look at these. I picked up a BM brochure and on two of the pages they had colours close to my sofa (although you'd never know it by the way they look on my monitor but if I get the other colours looking close, the orange ones blow. On the chips they are CC126 and cc390. still not the colour of the sofa but in the same family).
Anyway, the colours they have put with them are similar to those suggested by you folks. One is Buckhorn, another is garden path CC632, which might be closer to the green you've been mentioning. Of course I immediately gravitate to the raphael cc2 (which could be paired with the gold on the page CC274 for the ceiling..do ya think?).
I do like green and think a sagey or olivey one would go especially with the wood. My fear is it will also enhance the sofa given how well green and reds go together.
I agree I think this color would really tone down her orange sofa which I BTW love. I saw that you had said that in the other thread after I posted here and i agree your color in your DR would look great for her.
jeep....great minds think alike...I pm'd DBD this morning about using that color...I have been hinting for her to look at BM's baby turtle which is similar to the color chip that kburgo1 used in her bedroom...hence my reason to ask for the color on her thread.....and HC94 /HC96..same chip is similar in tone to the color I used in my old dining room and now office...DBD and I have virtually the same coloring on on woodwork, french doors and hardwood floors...but the orangey couch I am not sure about.......hopefully she can get a chip of HC 94 or BM 515.....................this may be a good solution for her....
DBD look at the color that Kburgo1 used in her bedroom in the post Bedroom Update I think it would look great in your LR. Just a thought.
I know you are not crazy for the color but I actually love that couch.
It looks very old, classy. I like that the color is not like every other one in the stores.
That said, it is hard to get the right wall colors to go but I am sure you will find the right color.
If I had to choose from your mock ups, in the first set I would go with Number 4 and in the second set numbers 1 and 3.
Everyone is wanting a buck!....well at least you can go to a BM store for free advice......I mentioned in another post...that maybe janet could take a picture of the BM 515 (baby turtle) chip...it is a nice green..and goes well with your wood and doors.....I was actually recommended that color by a decorator years ago when I was working on my first house...3 houses later...and I still find a room for that color...just love it.....good luck...you have had a lot of great advice but I agree you need a color with umph!...not too light........
Trynto, the furniture from my last house was sold because it wouldn't fit through the door here so it's long gone :cry: My LR colour there was a deep red (similar to what is in my office here) and I know from having this sofa sit in the other house a couple of weeks before I moved that it doesn't do well with red at all.
As for the stager, I did hire her before I moved to help me figure a few things out and I got the impression she doesn't do anything for free.At the time we never got around to colours. On her site she offers to help pick colours but I think she asks $75.
Yes Cathie, it's just the colour. Nothing else is wrong with the sofa and if it was just in another colour I'd be very happy with it. Unfortunately when I bought it at a one day clearance event, the lights made it look more brown and since it was a clearance event I was stuck with it.
Since then it's been a nearly daily debate with myself whether to sell it or keep it. My practical side says I have a really good quality sofa that I got for a steal and that I'll have to pay nearly 4 times the price to buy it again in another colour or twice the price to get a lesser sofa. But my practical side also says to sell it while it's still new so I can get more for it. The reality is it does goe with pretty much everything I have and the house. The other side of me just wants it out of here and replaced with either a burgundy leather or something closer to a brown because I just don't like the orangeyness.
this is sort of the last kick at the couch so to speak. Seeing if I can find a colour for the walls that makes the sofa more acceptable.
Being reasonably new it's probably better for me to sell it than recover because I do want leather. I'm pretty sure I could get what I paid for it since I did get such a deal, the trick is how much money this house is eating in fix ups and whether I can work everything into the budget I've allowed myself.
DBD....I know this is a really dumb question but couldn't you use the same color you used in the old house since the furniture is the same...( but I think this couch is slightly different but same color family)....just a thought...as for the stager...gosh you think she would be happy to give you some free advice since you are a previous client......as for the mock ups....I still like your originals...the green..............maybe Bm's Baby turtle would work....I know it looks great with the red/orange floors and french doors...maybe it would work the same with the couch.......................too bad you can't get a chip...