Farrar Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 I'm thinking of... for the first time... repainting the living room. When we painted it red fifteen years ago, I loved it. Now, I'm a bit over it. It was hip at the time but it's dated now. But what color to move to? The adjacent dining room is a warm yellow. The adjacent hall is a bland color chosen so that it would go with the blues upstairs and the reds and yellows downstairs so it should go with anything. The sofa is tan and the chair is navy blue. Neither of those are going anywhere. The rug has lots of reds in it, though it could maybe leave if I repainted... ditto the pillows and the various stuff on the wall. The trim is dark wood and the floor is old pine. I really dislike gray walls (and I sense they'll be dated down the road...). I don't want tan or brown - they would overwhelm the wood. I definitely hate white. I don't want blue... all the downstairs colors are warm and blue is too cool. It would take overhauling everything to make blue work. But where does that leave me? I decided I want to paint but then I couldn't figure out what color to paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 What about a sort of pumpkin colour? Or, you could do something in a sort of purple. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earthyfamily Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 If you're looking for something with more of a pop, maybe a purple (like the Monica's apartment was from Friends...that's a great colour.) If you wanted something more muted, a really creamy ivory with yellow undertones could work and would pull the dining room in. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earthyfamily Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 What about a sort of pumpkin colour? Or, you could do something in a sort of purple. Ooooh pumpkin is a great idea! I love that one too. But, not a dingy pumpkin. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 What about a sort of pumpkin colour? Or, you could do something in a sort of purple. I agree with something in a pumpkin color. It would contrast with the navy and tan, and would blend with the warm yellow in the living room. Possibly the red accents would be okay depending on the tone. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted September 20, 2015 Author Share Posted September 20, 2015 I had to look up the Friends apartment. That purple is definitely not me. But I like the idea of an orange. The house is orange. I just want it to be a bit muted yet also a bit lighter than the red has been. This is so tricky... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted September 20, 2015 Author Share Posted September 20, 2015 All the pumpkins and oranges have accented with white... but my trim has lasted a century without paint and I don't have it in me to paint it. Hmm... I guess I just need swatches... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 We have a colonial harvest gold / mustard color in ours that sounds like it would go really well with the wood & red you mentioned. It has a strange-but-awesome way of reflecting natural light but also of cheering up the place on the gray / rainy days, too. It's one of those "little things" that has made my soul sing over the last couple of years. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 I don't want tan or brown - they would overwhelm the wood. What wood? Wood floors? Some wood furniture? Wood, wood everywhere, or just some wood? I am endlessly (so far) devoted to my medium brown living room walls. I call it "hot-chocolate-with-whipped." Here are a couple of pictures of some of the brown-walled living rooms I've put together; they both have wood floors (they both have the exact same color brown although they look a little bit different because of the lighting; the second one is more true to color). I think you could easily soften the wood floor with some area rugs of different colors. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted September 20, 2015 Author Share Posted September 20, 2015 Oh, that's lovely. My floors are the same color, but there's also heavy, dark oak trim everywhere, including for a big old faux fireplace. There shades are white, but there's very little other white in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 Green goes with everything! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 We have used a color called "Silver Sage," from Restoration Hardware. It is remarkably neutral. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 All the pumpkins and oranges have accented with white... but my trim has lasted a century without paint and I don't have it in me to paint it. Hmm... I guess I just need swatches... I think you will be able to find something that contrasts well enough with the wood trim. Good luck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 We used a very pale green in our old house that I loved. It looked yellowish in some light and green in others. Our current house is blue, we also have a lot of wood and one very bright yellow all as well as a lot of yellow in the kitchen. The blue and yellow go well together, I think. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 One of the paint companies has an app that lets you take a pic of your room and try different paint colors on it. Home Depot or Sherwin Williams, maybe? That is what I would try. As for pumpkin, be really careful--it is all too easy to get one that looks like baby poop on your wall. Ask me now I know. . . (it was only a small bathroom, thank goodness). 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I really like a muted green, and it would work well with red and blue. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 How about a sage green? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I really like some of the almost color changing colors by Benjamin Moore. Revere Pewter, Moonshine, and Wales Grey all changed depending on the lighting, time of day, and the things in the room. It was very adaptive, neutral, but everyone who looked at our house for sale was overwhelmingly in love with them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tm919 Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I really like some of the almost color changing colors by Benjamin Moore. Revere Pewter, Moonshine, and Wales Grey all changed depending on the lighting, time of day, and the things in the room. It was very adaptive, neutral, but everyone who looked at our house for sale was overwhelmingly in love with them. I am going to have to check these out! We really need to get everything repainted. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I am going to have to check these out! We really need to get everything repainted. The Wales Grey is a bit darker but so pretty. It looked nothing like on the paint chip. I recommend asking them for a sample. It's less than $5 last I got some (a few months ago) and you get anywhere from a cup to a pint to sample on your wall. I also used FAR less Benjamin Moore paint than other companies. We had Valspar and another company and it took three coats to cover over lighter gray. The Benjamin Moore took only 1-2 coats and that was over blood red. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*lifeoftheparty* Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I also agree with green! Our living and dining rooms are green and we love it... we have blues, reds, and browns all through the space, and the green goes with it well... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 Now I'm considering the green. Maybe... I think it would really be a change. I'm not sure if the red accents would work so well with it, but the tan sofa, the blue chair and the yellow in the next room would. So... I guess I would just need to change the pillow cases on the decorative pillows and maybe the rug, which is getting really worn anyway... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 I have a rich yellow in the den, a red and cream dining room, and a sage-y green in the livingroom. It flows really well--they are all sort of French Country colors (which is probably horribly dated, but who cares...). OOtB idea--Could you do just one red wall and paint the others a cream? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Have you looked on Houzz.com much? That's where I go for my inspiration! Honestly though, painting is such a commitment, that I would hire someone to help me, if I were thinking of painting a large space like living room. You can actually hire a decorator to just do paint colors, and they usually charge only $100. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*lifeoftheparty* Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Now I'm considering the green. Maybe... I think it would really be a change. I'm not sure if the red accents would work so well with it, but the tan sofa, the blue chair and the yellow in the next room would. So... I guess I would just need to change the pillow cases on the decorative pillows and maybe the rug, which is getting really worn anyway... Do it!! Ours was called "guacamole". It's a lovely shade- not too dark, not too light... we have some red accents... you'd be surprised at how well it goes... get some samples and test them out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 Have you looked on Houzz.com much? That's where I go for my inspiration! Honestly though, painting is such a commitment, that I would hire someone to help me, if I were thinking of painting a large space like living room. You can actually hire a decorator to just do paint colors, and they usually charge only $100. Large space! Lol. The dining room is huge... the living room is tiny and all windows in the front. I painted it the first time... Maybe if I'm ambitious I can do it while dh takes the kids to Rochester in a few weeks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 We have used a color called "Silver Sage," from Restoration Hardware. It is remarkably neutral. I love a very light green like this. Not guacamole. Lighter than sage. Like a few drops just to add green calm. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 I have my living room painted a sage green (SW Clary Sage if I remember correctly). I needed something that could handle deep, warm yellow, but I wanted calm too. It could pull in red and blue as well imo. I do have it pulling deep red here. Anyway, you might look into sages. For my yellow, only certain sage tones would work. I loved it so much I bought more to do my bedroom. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 My family room is Silver Sage on two walls. The opposite kitchen wall is red and the walls joining the two, is a latte color. The SS color works great with red and would work with pumpkin accents as well. The pictures on the long SS wall have quite a bit of red in them and they hang directly on the SS color. The kitchen wall is directly opposite the SS color and that works as well, but I do have the latte color that divides the two. I have always wanted to make my kitchen a terra cotta color, but I don't like southwestern design motiffs and that color screams that to me. Maybe it is time to revisit the idea. Flicker- 2 room photos (ignore the other random pictures that Flicker likes to insert into free accounts...seems like it is nurses right now LOL ) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Another vote to try sage or muted green. I think it will go well with the wood too. I suspect the pumpkin might be too much with the wood. If you could paint the accent trim a nice pop of white then pumpkin might be grand. Have you also thought about one accent wall? I did that. Our great room is mostly beige but one wall is a nice rust color. It looks nice without being too much. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Large space! Lol. The dining room is huge... the living room is tiny and all windows in the front. I painted it the first time... Maybe if I'm ambitious I can do it while dh takes the kids to Rochester in a few weeks... Got it!! One thing I do is buy large white poster board and paint sample colors on those. That way I can move it around the room in different lights and at different times of the day. It really cuts down on having to repaint because I usually know if it's right or not, before committing! I like looking at the pottery barn and West Elm paint colors for inspiration. Maybe look at Reatorarion Hardware's colors as well! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 I have the most pale, neutral mauve pairs with Tibetan Temple over the fireplace. I adore it. Even the husband likes this color and we are NOT pink or purple people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 5, 2015 Author Share Posted October 5, 2015 So I thought I'd update. While dh had the kids at his parents' this weekend, I painted. Having to walk in the nasty weather to the hardware store back and forth for the paint was no fun, but I think it came well. I went with a sort of sage green. All the oranges I looked at didn't look right with the dining room. We'll see what dh and the kids say when they get back, but I think it looks good. Some of the red accents are now a little too much... I need to change the pillows and so forth to help pull everything together. And, um, get the art back on the walls and so forth. But I'm pleased. I think I did a good painting job too. Thanks, guys. :D 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Find a color (whatever shade of "pumpkin" or whatever) that makes the wood SING. We just painted our beach house living room. It was a mint color (great for beachy looking house but you start to feel ... like you are a Junior Mint after awhile) and we painted it a "straw" color and you know what? The relatively cheapo maple cabinets SING now! They look like exquisite hoohah cabinets, whereas before they just looked...Home Depot. The paint made all the difference. Find a color that draws the best out of the wood trim that you MUST NOT PAINT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 5, 2015 Author Share Posted October 5, 2015 Oh, I would NEVER paint the wood. It's not even in that great a condition, but there's no way I'd paint it. I'm not sure if this green makes it sing exactly, but it stands out a lot more now. It's so dark. I need to see the room again in the light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 We had to try about 6 pints of paint to find the EXACT yellow that worked. Most of them washed out the wood and looked like we lived in a buttercup. The shade was only slightly different from the rest, but it POPPED the cabinetry. PERSIST!! :0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Add me to the soft, muted green crowd. Pumpkin orange would look smashing, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyS Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 My current favorite is Sage Grey. It's a green with grey tones. Utterly beautiful and nuetral, without being beige. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugs Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 I love the color I have that goes well with wood. It is called Semolina, it is a Benjamin Moore Color. It might be conidered a yellow side of pumpkin (or an orangy yellow). Another color that might go well is Urban Nature (another Ben Moore- no I am not a dealer). It is a light sagey green. Sent from my SM-T110 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.