Can we talk about paint colors for a living room?

[popmom]

I say living room, but maybe it's a den, greatroom... not a formal living room, but not a den either. We have a "den" in the basement with the TV and gaming stuff. But since we don't watch much TV, most of our hang out time as a family is in the main level living room. 

I am itching to do something kinda bold in there. 

Several years ago I hired a decorator for an hour to help me pick some paint colors and arrange artwork and furniture. She liked all of my paint colors, but she told me in my dining room to paint the whole room that color (Van Courtland Blue)--meaning the baseboards, the wainscoting, and the crown molding. I wasn't brave enough at the time to do that, and I don't think I will--in that particular room. BUT... I am actually considering doing that in my living room. My focal point is the fireplace that has a dark green/hunter green marble surround and a traditional mantel painted in my off white trim color. 

I am thinking about painting everything green. Some sort of green. It is currently a greige (BM Pashmina) with off white trim. So everything means the baseboards, mantel, crown...everything except the ceiling. I am trying to decide how deep and dark. Do I match the marble? Do I go a bit lighter? Match the marble but paint the mantel black? So many options...

I know it's not for everyone. I have all these beautiful rooms pinned on my Pinterest. And in my dreams I have a cognac leather sofa and loveseat--which is absolutely not in my budget any time soon. lol I'm just tired of all the greige in my house. 

Dare I ask for thoughts??? 😂

 

Edited September 18, 2023 by popmom

[Melissa in Australia]

I have green that is the same shade as robins egg blue.. I don't have a name for it as I just got pigment and added it to white paint until I got a colour I loved 

[popmom]

Just now, Melissa in Australia said:

I have green that is the same shade as robins egg blue.. I don't have a name for it as I just got pigment and added it to white paint until I got a colour I loved 

That sounds so lovely. I think I have in mind something much, much deeper--darker. 

 

[cjzimmer1]

I'm of the thought you should paint whatever color YOU like and enjoy (but then again, I'm the person who has a sunroom the color of raspberry sherbet, a kids bedroom the color of deep purple lilacs, another that is a dark teal, another that is a plum pink/purple and another 4-5 shades of blue in other areas of the house).

ANYTHING is better than the boring neutral colors that so many homes are done in.  Go bold, make a statement and enjoy your color!

[popmom]

3 minutes ago, cjzimmer1 said:

I'm of the thought you should paint whatever color YOU like and enjoy (but then again, I'm the person who has a sunroom the color of raspberry sherbet, a kids bedroom the color of deep purple lilacs, another that is a dark teal, another that is a plum pink/purple and another 4-5 shades of blue in other areas of the house).

ANYTHING is better than the boring neutral colors that so many homes are done in.  Go bold, make a statement and enjoy your color!

I love your thinking! And a raspberry sherbet sunroom sounds absolutely dreamy. 🙂 I do normally prefer more muted, natural shades, but I'd totally be game for that in a sunroom.

[popmom]

I should add...my kitchen is BM Ashley Gray--which is almost indistinguishable from Pashmina lol. I was hoping it would be a shade darker, but because I have so much natural light in my kitchen...it's essentially the same color. So another greige. The other adjoining room is the foyer which is also Pashmina. Hallway to my bedroom is Pashmina as is the staircase and landing area upstairs. And the small parlor/formal living/office next to the foyer. So. Much. Greige. 

Edited September 18, 2023 by popmom

[cjzimmer1]

1 minute ago, popmom said:

I love your thinking! And a raspberry sherbet sunroom sounds absolutely dreamy. 🙂 I do normally prefer more muted, natural shades, but I'd totally be game for that in a sunroom.

We have long dreary winters, I told my husband I needed a bright cheery color that made me think of summer.  It also flooring that has a stone pattern on it and part of my indoor garden is in the room.  It's so lovely to go in there in the winter and feel a bit of spring/summer!

[popmom]

Just now, cjzimmer1 said:

We have long dreary winters, I told my husband I needed a bright cheery color that made me think of summer.  It also flooring that has a stone pattern on it and part of my indoor garden is in the room.  It's so lovely to go in there in the winter and feel a bit of spring/summer!

That sounds amazing. Seriously. I would have to have that, too, if I lived with long dreary winters. 

[popmom]

Also...

Would a dark green wall color help to hide homeschool clutter? 😉 because that would be fabulous.

[Harriet Vane]

I love bold color and we recently painted dh’s den evergreen and our master bedroom navy, so I’m with you on making a splash. That said, a serious consideration is that if the color saturation or shade closely matches the fireplace, the effect will be to de-emphasize the marble. It will blend in with the wall. This happened to me—I have a painting of foresty tree trunks with lots of muted greens and grays. When we hung it on a dark green wall we hated how it looked. We lost lots and lots of forest detail and the whole thing looked blended and muted. The picture looks completely different on a white wall. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Can you post a photo of the marble? 
 

I’d totally saturate a room in dark green, paint the mantle black, and then warm it back up with other wood tones that match the cognac in the couch.

I stayed in an airbnb this summer with deep green walls. The lighting is poor because it was nighttime, but even well lit, the deep green didn’t move much lighter. It felt cozy.

[prairiewindmomma]

This color (same AirBnB) might also be fun. It would offer more contrast against the green marble.

[Forget-Me-Not]

I'd be really careful because you don't want to end up with competing greens in the wall and the fireplace.  What about a complementary color to the green marble instead?

[Innisfree]

I’m with everyone who enjoys strong colors. We painted several rooms this summer and spent a great deal of time mulling over paint chips and then samples on the walls. We knew we needed colors that would work with several pieces of upholstered furniture which weren’t neutral themselves. Like @popmom, we had fireplace colors to consider as well, plus Craftsman-y dark wood trim. We settled on some fairly saturated colors. In our case, going with a lighter/brighter shade of green helped tone down some old mottled dark green and yellow tile around the fireplace which had looked garish when the room was a modern griege color. It still kinda surprises me that I like that room so much, because the green is not a shade I had thought I would want, but it ties the room together and works. So, my vote is to have fun with colors, including plenty of experimentation as you decide.

[elegantlion]

Rachel Maksy recently did an entirely green bedroom with Victorian vibes. She painted walls, trim, and ceiling. I love the idea of a dark green, but if you're not sure about trim, could you leave it untouched and do later? 

 

[Melissa in Australia]

2 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

This color (same AirBnB) might also be fun. It would offer more contrast against the green marble.

I painted my bedroom this shade of pink. Dh is colourblind and didn't notice for the longest time.. Someone must have told him after a year or so. He was so upset then at having a pink bedroom I repainted it a bright yellow. 🤣😂🤣

Edited September 18, 2023 by Melissa in Australia

[popmom]

10 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

I painted my bedroom this shade of pink. Dh is colourblind and didn't notice for the longest time.. Someone must have told him after a year or so. He was so upset then at having a pink bedroom I repainted it a bright yellow. 🤣😂🤣

My Dh is colorblind, too! That is hilarious!

 

 

3 hours ago, Harriet Vane said:

I love bold color and we recently painted dh’s den evergreen and our master bedroom navy, so I’m with you on making a splash. That said, a serious consideration is that if the color saturation or shade closely matches the fireplace, the effect will be to de-emphasize the marble. It will blend in with the wall. This happened to me—I have a painting of foresty tree trunks with lots of muted greens and grays. When we hung it on a dark green wall we hated how it looked. We lost lots and lots of forest detail and the whole thing looked blended and muted. The picture looks completely different on a white wall. 

Thank you—this is correct. Last night Dd4 and I were actually discussing a painting my other dd did. It’s got a lot of deep blues. I think I would have to frame it if I go with a dark green on the walls. 
 

It’s funny—for years I have been fighting that green marble on the fireplace.  So I might not mind if it’s de-emphasized lol. 

[popmom]

2 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Can you post a photo of the marble? 
 

I’d totally saturate a room in dark green, paint the mantle black, and then warm it back up with other wood tones that match the cognac in the couch.

I stayed in an airbnb this summer with deep green walls. The lighting is poor because it was nighttime, but even well lit, the deep green didn’t move much lighter. It felt cozy.

I love these pics!

I’ll try to get a pic of my fireplace in a bit.

[alisoncooks]

Is this the sort of vibe you’re going for:

 

(If so, I love this look. Cozy smoking room /library/study vibes.)

[Innisfree]

7 minutes ago, alisoncooks said:

Is this the sort of vibe you’re going for:

 

(If so, I love this look. Cozy smoking room /library/study vibes.)

This is simply gorgeous.

[popmom]

1 hour ago, alisoncooks said:

Is this the sort of vibe you’re going for:

 

(If so, I love this look. Cozy smoking room /library/study vibes.)

YES. Love it!

[popmom]

Not a great pic, but here is the marble I'm working with... It looks really washed out in this pic for some reason. I found a second pic that I had posted on the boards a long time ago. It's a better pic for color.

Edited September 18, 2023 by popmom
to add pic

[prairiewindmomma]

I would match that same green in the marble if you go the green route, otherwise I would pick something very different and complementary. 

Most of the colors in the “dark academia” vibe would work….plum, burgundy, etc.

I suspect you will either love or hate the white mantle when you paint the walls. The contrast will be much stronger. I would sketch up changing the mantle to black if you hate the white. 

[Momof4sweetkids]

My house is messy and the true color isn't showing in the pic but I painted one wall a dark blue-green (Tsunami by Behr) and I love it! I would also love a cognac couch and gold accents but I don't buy furniture with all the tiny people in my house

[popmom]

12 minutes ago, Momof4sweetkids said:

My house is messy and the true color isn't showing in the pic but I painted one wall a dark blue-green (Tsunami by Behr) and I love it! I would also love a cognac couch and gold accents but I don't buy furniture with all the tiny people in my house

That is beautiful!! I love how it looks with the window trim!

[popmom]

1 hour ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I would match that same green in the marble if you go the green route, otherwise I would pick something very different and complementary. 

Most of the colors in the “dark academia” vibe would work….plum, burgundy, etc.

I suspect you will either love or hate the white mantle when you paint the walls. The contrast will be much stronger. I would sketch up changing the mantle to black if you hate the white. 

You are confirming what I was thinking. I think I will end up painting the mantle black. If I had unlimited funds, I’d replace the mantle with something that could be stained. 

[prairiewindmomma]

20 minutes ago, popmom said:

You are confirming what I was thinking. I think I will end up painting the mantle black. If I had unlimited funds, I’d replace the mantle with something that could be stained. 

Some bold part of me would day dream about painting it cognac as a test before going to black, fwiw. I am seeing a lot more bold brown in the design mags.

[popmom]

I love experimenting with color. This will be fun. My goal is to have it done by Thanksgiving. I have 2 other paint projects to finish before I can do the living room. I just primed over the original-to-the-1995-build wallpaper border that was applied between the crown molding and the little picture hanging trim that was run several inches below the crown in the little office room. If that makes sense lol. I need to paint that and prime and paint 2 walls in the basement to finish another project. 
 

 

[Scarlett]

I am obviously old because I feel like I am reliving the 90s in this discussion of color.

[prairiewindmomma]

Yeah, it’s been about 30 years since we’ve embraced color in our homes. We went to the light blues/greens and navy, then the grieges, then white/farmhouse/reinterpretation of the blue-greens, and we’re cycling back around to rich color and wood colored cabinets. I see more prints and wallpaper too—lots of big florals. 

[Melissa in Australia]

I don't bother at all with  colour fashion stuff and whatever is in for this decade.. I just mix it up and do whatever colour I like.  I think it worth living with colours that give the person joy. Not whatever the latest fashion is.

Not as if we ever have any visitors to see it anyway.. 

[popmom]

7 hours ago, Scarlett said:

I am obviously old because I feel like I am reliving the 90s in this discussion of color.

Yep that’s what was in this house when we moved in. Hence the green marble. What I plan on doing won’t look like the nineties though. I’m finally rid of all the 90s wallpaper. Master bath was the last to go. It was burgundy and green stripes with a border. And I have never been a fan of red or burgundy colors, so I’m not putting that in my house. I am open to browns, greens, and blues. Most of my house will stay neutral. My bedroom/master bath is pale blue. 
 

I don’t thing burgundy or red is ugly. But it looks terrible on me. I don’t wear it, so I don’t want to sit in it either. lol

Edited September 19, 2023 by popmom