Hi! I live in a small one bedroom apartment, and I am having problems with decorating, partly because I am not allowed to paint. My living room is my current challenge. None of my furniture matches.
I think that my first challenge to overcome is to pick out a color scheme. The rest is a little easier. Any suggestions would be helpful. I was thinking about doing a beach theme.
Any suggestions on curtain colors (especially!) and furniture colors?
Please see photo for what the paint colors look like! (Also, in the photo you will see that the people who lived in the apartment before me had some not so pretty fabric hanging, so ignore that, please.)
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Your wall colours are fairly neutral, so just consider them as a neutral background that you are working against. The picture you posted kind of resembles this fireplace wall, without the fireplace, and the room is done in neutrals. Notice the light drapes.
Curtain colours can sometimes draw attention to the walls, so I might be inclined to choose white or white-like curtains which could add a breezy, airy feel (like sails on sailboats) and also brighten up the space. If you don't like plain white/light, consider a bit of a stripe or a stripe-like detail like the curtains below which have a chainlink pattern on a light background.
Blues and blue-greens have a nice beachy feel, and you might like to consider those colours for accessories.
Coral shades with blues can be a nice combination too.
Don't worry about matching furniture. Some of the coolest rooms have very little matching going on, aside from maybe a pair of matching lamps or matching chairs. Mixing it up and having the look of a room that has come together over time is highly appealing.
Lastly, I'd probably consider a rug over your carpet where you place your furniture grouping. I'd go with something lighter and brighter than the carpet, possibly similar to the one in the last photo I posted. I think Ikea has one like that.
Good luck, and have fun.
As for your furniture, try covering it with white/ivory slip covers. This will really tie in with the beach theme. I have seen where you take fabric and soak it in starch and then apply it to the walls while it is wet. When it dries it is stuck on but you can peel it off with no issues. You could try doing that to the wainscotting - or even drystrippable wallpaper.