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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here u go..this is exactly what I would do...you would then have the best of both worlds, using the one wall to have the rich colour u love and the remaining walls and your ceiling with the lighter paint..it would solve the orange couch issue, would blend with the red, and solve the ceiling thing too..anyways..here it is. eys
:) :) I do agree with decor guy on that...although your heart is lovin the super rich dark colours like the pics above and they would look 'ok'...a lighter version would look so much better but ultimately of course it's what u love.EYS
You've got gorgeous looking furniture, architectural details galore (like the fireplace, the cove ceiling, and the stained glass, and an absolutely wonderful Persian rug. My thinking is that a really strong colour that screams, "HELLO" will overpower all of those other great elements.
My suggestion is for a deep hued tone, but more in the greyed brown family. I love Buckhorn but I think its too much of a definite brown for your room. What about these BM colours?
HC 69 Whitall Brown
2116-10 NightShade
HC 104 Copley Grey
just a couple colour options for ya
:)
Coca-cola red!..........without even seeing the paint chip, I have a feeling that's the colour that might go with your furnishings........I think that will have lots of brown and burgundy in it............did they tell you when these new colours are coming out?...........it might be worth waiting for it to come out and try it
Yet? Nopey nope. I've been out for the past few hours but I did pick up a BM fan deck...a bit odd since I don't use their paint but I think it will help the most given how everyone uses the names and such here. BTW the folks at the store told me they are changing the paints this year and they will have reds (he mentioned Coka cola red) that will cover in 2 coats max.
So I have the chips so I can look up the colours that have been mentioned. Also my vacuum cleaner arrived. That didn't take long (from Costco.ca) so I have some incentive to really clean now and not only see how it works, but take some pictures and start painting after they pick up my rug.
DBD is painting! have you decided on a color yet.........BTW i too love the character of your furnishings and home......what a breath of fresh air!
smiles
janetc
I'd paint the flat border on the ceilings in the wall colour, and paint the textured ceiling part different.
metallic ceiling....absolutely gorgeous girl.....i did this in an apt. one time...the walls in the room were painted in ox blood red and i painted the wainscotting black...i did the ceiling in a deep mustard with gold metallic over .... god it was gorgeous....now picture your fire place going and your ceiling shimmering from the blaze....now, that conjurs a pretty picture.
Dawn the ceilings are the same in both LR/DR. Both definite to the room and separated by that cove thing that is going on.
Cathie I totally agree about dark colours in small rooms. The last time I had a house almost identical to this one I painted the walls the darkest billiard green you can get before it goes black and that room just expanded after it was done (and the wood looked gorgeous).
It just occurred to me that I have a gold metallic glaze....wonder how that would look over a dark ceiling..thoughts?
Now that you've posted a closeup of the ceiling I can see it is like that on the DR side, but is it the same on the LR side?
dustbunny i've got to tell you your home and contents are full of charm and character...i like it alot.
reading your post and then seeing your pics, i automatically thought about how much you like aubergine....pratt &lambert have a gorgeous purple....called deep orchid (1085), from my monitor it looks to be the exact colour in your rug...i'm thinking if you combine this colour with black it would look stunning.....i'd mix up the wall colours having for example wall black and the rest deep orhid...with your couch against the black wall....and then do your dining room completely in black. oddly enough black in a small room makes it look larger...it's like the corners disappear...i like it. anyway i think the black in the dr would look good too with your red office. then paint your lr/dr celings deep orchid. unfortunately neither of your curtains would look good with this combo...but then if you are really married to to the idea of using these curtains...use the velvet ones.....and do your room then in black and deep burgandy. either of these 2 combos would be dramatic and rich complimenting your eclectic tastes. keep us posted i'm curious to see what you eventually do.
Oh good some ideas and not one of them beige. I'm so pleased.
So, I've made a list of the colours mentioned and hope to hit a BM store to pick up some chips before they close today if I can get my butt out of this chair on time.
I hadn't considered painting the ceiling but I'm open to it. I'll attach a picture in case it inspires anyone. There is a border around the edge and then what I cal icing in the middle. One thing is for sure, the wall/ceiling joints are wobbly in places so painting out that edge somehow would help hide that.
Meanwhile, wouldn't you know, to do a mock up one needs a good picture and I don't have any other than what you have seen. This place is still cluttered so not even in any shape to have a picture taken that shows walls and furniture very well. I suppose I could clean it but it seems futile to clean it much at the moment (carpet is scheduled to be taken for cleaning and need to get rid of old TV). I just have to get moving because the rug leaves Friday and I'm thinking that's my signal to start painting as it will be out of the way for a week. So I have to clean anyway I should just do it now...well in a little while...I want to read here before getting ready to out...yeah, it can be done after I get home tonight...
OK, here's a wild and crazy colour suggestion for you -- indigo blue....
To avoid the "dark stripe across a white ceiling" I would consider painting just the DR ceiling a different colour, and doing the LR ceiling the same as the walls.
As for wall colour, I think something a litte aubergine might work really well. If I recall correctly you mentioned that colour when you described the new chairs. Personally I think it would be great with reddy-orange wood. Two that I like are:
incense stick 2115-20
amazon soil 2115-30
For the ceilng in the DR I am thinking of a green because of your rug. I like how timothy straw 2149-40 looks with the colours above.
I don't know...i'm leaning toward the burgandy/dark purply colours. Mockups would be great with the sofa in front of the wall and some the accessories (lamp/mirror), and then a mockup with the stained glass windows and fireplace.
You are the queen of mock ups. Lets see that room and your furnishing with the Buckhorn brown that DecorGuy suggests or a bit darker as Eyes is suggesting with blue cushios
:) That stained glass is beautiful and it appears to be the answer for that room..see the center? your couch colour is there directly beside a beautiful dark rich colour and they look amazing together..you could even add that dark vibrant blue there in some toss cushions on that orange couch for some warm/cool contrast...or you could stick with those drk green drapes and repeat that colour in the office b/c other than brown that red in the office is gonna steal the show...as far as that ceiling goes...I'd paint that sucker and the ceiling and walls all the same colour..yes the dark colour..it will unify the space as long as you have some good lighting in the room you don't need to be afraid of the dark colour on the ceiling monster. :biglol: :biglol: :biglol: I love your home..lots of great character!!! Good luck! EYS
i agree , my first thought was brown for the walls i think that will tie in very well . good luck! :) :)
First reaction as I looked at the first few pictures was a dark brown. and yes people I will suggest CC510 Buckhorn because I love it so much....Im going to come back throughout the day and see if another colour jumps out at me. I was just thinking it would be a nice rich backdrop for your colours..I think Anything with too much colour might take away from the colour in all your furnishings.
DBD....First off I like to say that your home reminds me of the charm of mine...we have similar tone wood trims and floors not to mention having exposed brick .........now saying that it is tough for me to give you a color...you are the queen of mock ups and advice.... :D but I agree with LTD...a warm brown...something to bring out the brick color and wood trim may work....I painted my bedroom the caffe latte by C2 and the pine orangy floors and orangey red brick really popped after that color went on the walls....now the problem is the orange of the couch...do you want to highlight that or downplay it?.....another color that worked well in my old house is the color in my office Bm's Baby Turtle (515)....it goes well with my reddish/orange wood desk, floors and french doors ( similar to yours)..........okay so probably not much help but maybe you could try some of your mock ups.... :D ( being cheeky here now)........good luck............................
p.s...the green in the carpet looks to match baby turtle....and the stain glass would also pop.....with this color..........I guess I am leaning towards the olive greenish color.............I don't know...orange and green should not be seen?.....somebody else give this woman advice......I am going in circles.... :D
You have a very colourful living room..........looks gorgeous
I would use brown on walls.........the brown you have in the fireplace bricks..........it will tie in all your colours together, I think.
and more pictures
more pictures