hi, i just joined this forum after seeing the creative feedback provided by its members. i was looking for some creative suggestions myself. i'm looking to paint my living room, kitchen/dining area, and possibly the entry way. Here's a slightly old semi-panoramic pic taken from the living room: http://www.imagebam.com/image/0b4c8265118938 the tv stand has since moved to the indented wall in the 2nd shot, so that it faces the counter area that separates the living room and the kitchen. the couch arrangement has rotated 90 degrees clockwise to accommodate the tv. my couches are beige-tannish micro-fiber (cheap from ikea), as is the carpet. the tv stand is a very dark brown. so i'm looking for suggestions to paint the living room, the dining area (pics 3 and 4), and the kitchen. i'm going to replace those old blue curtains as well so suggestions on curtain colors are appreciated. so far, i'm thinking possibly a light olive color for the living room, but haven't commited to anything just yet. i'm also curious if i should handle the indented wall with a different shade? the counter area (pics 4 and 5) also extends outward slightly. should that area be colored the same as the living room? i will appreciate any suggestions as i'm open to anything. thanks in advance!
Color is really going to make your room "pop". I like your idea of a different shade of the same color for the recessed area where you placed the TV. You could possibily add that same shade to one kitchen wall. Whatever you do be brave and give color a try. :-D Paint is the easiest thing to change if you don't like it and makes such a huge impact adding warmth to a room.
Oh, I like the lay out of your area. The greenish color you mentioned would be pretty. My daughter recently painted her family room and kitchen a pale shade of olive. Both rooms are the same as it is one open area, and I think you should consider painting all of yours the same since it is open. I would paint one wall of the kitchen a shade or two darker as well as the indentions and the inside of the arches. Like Jewell said, play with it and if you don't like it, change it. Choose a color palette that makes you happy!
I love your idea of olive, but it worries me that you say "light olive." I would go with something in the mid to dark tone. If you tried something like Benjamin Moore Oak Grove (Classic Colors) overall and then used a deep eggplant as an accent, the room would really pop. You could paint the nook behind the TV eggplant like Benjamin Moore Black Raspberry (Color Preview) and then incorporate some throw pillows that pull in eggplant, olive and a light champagne. (I would recommend to go with champagne colored curtains- it will help lighten things and make the darker paint less dominate.) I hope this helps!
thanks for the encouragement. all these suggestions definitely help. i welcome as many suggestions as possible @kuntrygal i definitely want different colors for the living room and kitchen area. at the very least, different shades to visually define the spaces. @heatherm that oak grove color is really nice. hmmm. not sure about the black raspberry though. i'm afraid of such sharp contrast. but maybe i should try photoshopping it. thanks for all the help so far!
alot of neat ideas and I agree an accent color or a shade lighter to darker Hubby has it stuck in his head that all walls should be white then accent wtih color but I did one wall in the living room and one in our bedroom with color and I used teh suede painting on them here's the link in my website to pictures so you an see ....http://www.ladies-of-the-heart.org/Phyllis/index1.htm its still a work in progress with fixing things up but someday it might be done until I change my mind again
i was just at target and looking at curtains. since heatherm suggested that purple color, i checked something similar out and started got me thinking i will go through your pics tonight mibus. thanks for all the advice so far!
great space It looks like you have really great space to work with. I think for living rooms and any other public areas of the home warmer colors are the best. They feel welcoming, and they also improve lighting efficiency. So reddish oranges and yellows would be my suggestion. Especially with all that open space! Looks like it's going to a fun project for sure.
yeah i definitely want the area to be welcoming. thanks for all the advice so far! i probably have time next week to do the actual painting, so i've been going to home depot and getting a few of those paper paint samples home to compare. if anyone has any more suggestions for colors i should try out, i'm all ears!
If you have a fairly good size livingroom- paint the walls red,get more pillows reds/tan to go with the ones you have- you could buy or make curtains to match the throw pillows -you can get some brown and blue fabric and make valances- the panels will be solid brown- I may be breaking a tacky taboo but add color to your taupe carpet by adding an area rug with colors reds/brwns/tans. I think a green would be nice in your kitchen and green can feel make a room feel warm- depends on the shade- stay in the medium to light- like the lightest being sage and the darkest no darker then pea shade- like I mentioned about the living room curtains get something with a little bit of blue with green for the kitchen
a friend of mine suggested i not really change the color of the living room, but paint the recessed wall (or some sort of design), and then paint the kitchen. i did a quick photoshop of what she suggested. thoughts?
I am loving dark brown for the separating wall with a bar there, between the rooms. It would make a giant move. Some use deep red. Just thinking.
I think light blue is the best for living room .You can use cream color for your kitchen.Decorate your home as your dream.
yeah i really want color too, but the wife is afraid a bold color will make the room feel less open and inviting. so i'm trying to build a case with all the suggestions that have been made