ok well the area im working with is a basement... there is a bedroom and a livingroom.. the floor will have a glossed gray finish (cement) with oriental area rugs most likely.. some of the walls will be drywall but most will be cinderblock... i was thinking of using a darkish red with a sandstone/wheat yellow for the living room and the same darkish red and maybe a dark dark purple? for the bedroom.. on the cinderblock i was planning on filling in every crack and pour with the yellow and then just rolling over it with the red so the yellow shows through the cracks and same with the purple and red.. im looking for some pictures of similar rooms and/or colors to help me.. any color charts or pics will help alot as well.. sorry about the sloppy post its very late and thanks for anyone who helps out...
Hi diyer, I'm trying to picture what you described but it would really help if you could provide a photo or two? (to help the visualisation process). But I have to admit it sounds pretty darn interesting. The yellow will really stand out in contrast against the dark red. How dark (or bright) is the yellow?
I can't help but think the cinderblock painting would just wind up looking like someone did a sloppy job with the red paint. If the cinderblock isn't painted yet, perhaps you could trowel some mortar over it to make a smoother wall? When I've seen paint effects done like the one I think you are describing, it's always looked best with three colors used, different shades of the same color generally, the third one rubbed on more than rolled on, if that makes any sense. Ugh, this all made sense in my head but like Frank mentioned, without pics it's hard to get across. Best of luck though!
I'd stay away from really deep colors on all the walls in the basement. You're already fighting a relative lack of light and a closed in feeling. An accent wall of red or purple would be great, but I'd keep most of the walls a lighter shade. I would probably work with the texture of the cinder blocks as you suggest rather than trying to disguise them. Maybe shoot for an industrial / loft look rather than suburban blah. Hope it goes well!
You're welcome to check out my blog about our basement remodel. We drywalled everything, but used to have block. We painted it white back in those days, and had the kids put their handprints all over it in primary colors. It's still under all our stuff for someone to find someday. Pianolady's Blog I agree with Steve on the suggestion of an accent color if you want a dark wall. A neutral brown with a dark red accent of some kind might be nice, especially if you have a walkout basement with a window? Can lights in the ceiling did wonders for the feeling of our basement, that's also an option for brightening things up, but $ and work.
For some reason I'm thinking a light mustard might be a better solution rather than a brown. Maybe have the brown as a highlight but I'd definately keep the wall color light since you are lacking in the light department. Be happy this is a living room and doesn't necessarily require a ton of light.
HGTV.com photos Type in "basement color" in the search box. There are lots of basement remodel episodes that have pictures on line.
