Decorating help with very bright wall colors...

[Erica in PA]

A few months ago I mentioned that we were buying our first home, and right now we're painting it and getting ready to move in next Saturday! :party:

 

However, there has been a slight glitch in the painting... my 7 yod's (bubble gum pink) and 9yos's (lime green) rooms both turned out obnoxiously bright. They are really so bright that they make me feel dizzy in the room, and send out a glow into the hallway. They almost look like those neon poster paints! But the kids chose those colors themselves with so much excitement, and are so thrilled with them, that dh and I don't want to paint over them, at least not right now. So, I'm looking for tips on how to decorate the rooms in ways that will detract from the bright walls. I was thinking maybe brown curtains, to block out some of the light and provide a darker color to draw the eyes? Ds has a green, blue, tan, and brown bedspread already, and I was thinking maybe a pink and brown bedspread for dd. We have a lot of brown in the rest of the house, so that would help tie it together. Does that sound like a good plan? Any other suggestions on dealing with these really bright paint colors??

[Chris in VA]

maybe you could mount some of their art work on neutral posterboard and hang it up to physically block the paint! lol Or just get some nice repro works that are soothing and still enjoyable--calendars are good sources of frameable art work.

I don't like brown curtains, but I do like the current pink/brown or blue/brown trend. Not sure how it would look with the colors you've chosen, tho.

 

If it gets too bright for them, you can always feather-dust or sponge a lighter color over the top for a sort of mottled look. Tones it down considerably.

[BabyBre]

Well, incorporating the complementary color somehow might give your eyes/brain a bit of relief from the intensity of the walls, although I've never really tried to match complementary colors quite so bright! Your description made me laugh. :)

 

If the brown goes well with the neon walls, then your idea for curtains and bedspreads would probably help. I also like the idea of large frames on the walls. Several smaller pieces would probably just create more visual stimulation. Would dc be heartbroken if you were to express a need to tone it down just a little by leaving only one wall as an accent and painting over the others?

[Prudent]

White/off white/layered shades of white bedding will do wonders for a bright room. I LOVE brightly colored walls.

 

It can look really nice if you keep decor more color neutral and let the walls be the star of the color palette.

 

I couldn't find any really good examples, but here is one ok one...

 

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/look/look-gold-walls-dark-wood-white-bedding-060106

[gandpsmommy]

Dd has the bubble gum pink room. We also painted it before moving in, and it also casts a pink glow into the hallway! I think once you actually get furniture into the room and some things on the walls it will be fine. Dd does have a pink and brown comforter, though, and it works very nicely. For curtains we found some pink fabric at Hobby Lobby with large lime green, brown, light blue, and orange polka dots. Her room is bright, in a very cheery way. We actually painted her desk bright pink and lime green to match, and she loves it. Her dresser is white, though, and the trim in the room is white. When we moved in ds was only 2.5. Orange was (and still is) his favorite color, so he wanted to paint his room orange. We thought it would be too much and convinced him to go with blue, hoping that we might be able to add some orange accents. I still regret that. I wish we had let him have the color he really wanted. Orange is still his favorite color, nearly four years later.

[KidsHappen]

Oh, I know this one. My 13 yr. old painted her room what can only be described as the most obnoxiously dark, bright, pink on the face of the planet. This actually worked out ok because all of her furniture is black: bed, dresser, desk, shelves. Her bedding and curtains are also black with different colored dots on them. Most of her walls are covered with items with black frames: a mirror, a cork board, some pictures. It works out that only small swatches of the pink show and it is not so overwhelming that way. She got what she wants and I can lives with it (which is a good thing because that room was extraordinarily hard to paint).

 

 

Black will probably not work with the two colors you listed but I am sure that you can find a color that will. You could also consider a wall mural that covers part of one wall or a set of book shelves that is covered in books. Cover as much as possible so that you just have small pieces of the wall as background color. Oh, and let your kids enjoy. They are only young once and they will remember this forever. :D

[Ellyndria]

How about a darker blue to go with the lime green?

[Aggie]

Good to see you, Erica!

 

I'm absolutely no help in the paint dept, but I would love to see pictures of the pink room! I would probably tone down the pink walls with white lace curtains on a wall or two. How can I explain that....on a solid wall, put up curtain rods and hang lace curtains. Does that make sense? Or on the wall with the window(s), just extend the curtains to cover more of the wall.

 

Yesterday as we were working in the garden, I wondered how y'all were loving your new home! I thought you'd already moved in, though.

[MariannNOVA]

If it gets too bright for them, you can always feather-dust or sponge a lighter color over the top for a sort of mottled look. Tones it down considerably.

 

THIS was going to be my suggestion -- Home Depot has 'paint over' color charts to help you achieve the look you want without disappointing your kids.