skip to main content

Home Decorating

Pls Help Me with Interior Colors

13 years ago

It's time to pick interior paint colors and I need help.

The fixed colors in our new house are the dark brown stained concrete floor (not visible in the pictures), the pecan cabinets and stair rail/balusters, and the stone fireplace with a blend of browns and some gray. There is a lot of brown and neutral/earth tones. I'd like to add some subtle color, but I don't know whether I should do that on the walls or trim/doors (which will be painted). The house is small, so I think I should stick with a lighter wall color.

Here are two pictures. All of your suggestions are appreciated.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (11)

PRO
Lori A. Sawaya
13 years ago
Champagne Gold might be a good option for you to consider. It's the full spectrum version of the evah popular Duron Tobacco Road. You can get it from Full Spectrum Paints.

Here is a link that might be useful: Full Spectrum Paints
htnspz
13 years ago
Pick one of the colors from the stone fireplace. Any of them will really work but you might want to consider your light source and what color light fills your room. It might be nice to paint the kitchen a different color to anchor it as a different space.
Related Discussions
Pls recommend SW creamy/yellow all over interior paint color
Q
Comments (13)
Thanks so much for the input and sharing photos. I'm so at a loss here as to what to do! I've actually considered all the colors mentioned in the thread at one point or another, and it's tough to imagine what it would look like covering your entire house! That's a lot of surface area. I also get so influenced by the name of the color. Does that happen to any of you? For example, if the name of the color has the word "cream" or "ivory" in it, I'll consider it more seriously than if the color has the word "yellow" or "gold", even though the latter might be more of what I'm looking for. Isn't that weird. Ponydoc, I actually really like how vanillin and inviting ivory look in your pictures. I worried that there wouldn't be enough of a contrast between those colors and my trim, but I can see from your pictures that there is contrast. I really like Jersey Cream, but I worry that it will read more pale yellow than cream, which is what I'd prefer. I was pretty sold no Napery, but it just didn't seem like there was enough contrast between that and Dover White. I agree that Compatible cream is too gold (as a previous poster mentioned) for an overall color for our house. I'm going to use it as accent color though. Why is this so hard! Ok, I think I have one more day to make up my mind. Any more pictures would be so much appreciated! Thanks!
...See More
Help me solve my Ikea echeveria mystery! (ID help pls)
Q
Comments (11)
Just wanted to post an update photo of my little plant. The three new rosettes have gotten a bit bigger and are actually starting to look more like compact rosettes. They also each seem to be putting out some air roots. The mother plant's leaves are looking a little worse for wear :) I also noticed that the mother plant seems to be putting out two new leaves in between a few of the old ones. I know it will still be a while before I can figure out the ID (and I may never know!), but it is looking a bit like green goddess as Lisa suggested above. When I was searching green goddess the other night, an image of another plant came up whose little rosettes look similar to mine--though this may be just because they are so young. It was echeveria Van Breen (https://thesucculentproject.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/img_6541.jpg)
...See More
Please help me on interior window shutter colors!
Q
Comments (2)
Definitely light white or off white. Dark shutters block your view, visually your eye stops at the dark shutter but not a light color. It appears the room would be too dark with dark shutters.
...See More
Interior Paint-The gray color i chose looks like it's blue, advice pls
Q
Comments (9)
but i did google it and read that dolphin fin has a blue undertone. but i also read that dolphin fin is a a warm gray, and i also read it gives a true gray color. Since Diana invited me. :) That one is easy to explain. Won't help where you are but at least you'll understand what you found when you Googled Dolphin Fin. It doesn't have a blue undertone. It's not about undertones. Instead, every color belongs to a hue family. Dolphin Fin belongs to the Yellow hue family - the very end of the Yellow hue family right where the Green-Yellow hue family starts. Can see what I mean on this color wheel. Hue family is determined using a balanced quality of light. What a balanced quality of light means is a quality of light with a nice, balanced mix of all the wavelengths in the spectrum. So when you have that kind of mixed-bag, balanced quality of light in your space, Dolphin Fin will look "just gray". Some may call it "true", others "warm". but overall "just gray". When the light doesn't have a mix of wavelengths, when it has more blue to green wavelengths, then Dolphin Fin will shift and appear as tho it is blue. Nothing is hidden or under anything. It's just the way the light is and it's just the way Dolphin Fin looks under that *color* of lighting. Changing light bulbs will change how it looks. Because if you change the light you change how a color looks. That's just the way color works. But if it's looking blue when the lights aren't on, then that's an inherent light issue. Can't move your windows and doors.
...See More
amysrq
13 years ago
Powdered Pebbles is the color that popped into my mind first. Also Full Spectrum.
Oakley
13 years ago
Beautiful fireplace! We have a stone FP in similar colors and went with SW Bagel.

BUT..it all depends on what you're going to put on your windows. After our room was built, before our shutters were installed it was very light and sunny. After we put the shutters on it lost half it's light.

Thankfully, I like how it ended up, but if you plan on putting shutters on your windows you might want to go with the gold color mentioned above.

I also like the idea of painting the kitchen a different color.
User
13 years ago
I was thinking a little different route and maybe pulling the lighter gray from the stones for the living area and then going with some different in the kitchen.
debbiedoes
13 years ago
How about EK "Mushroom"? Your space reminds me of a photo I saw in her last newsletter (it's the first one).

Here is a link that might be useful: Ellen Kennon's newsletter
User
13 years ago
I took some time to fiddle around with a few colors. The lighter colors don't translate well so most colors are probably darker than you want but at least they may help point you in a direction, right?

Elkhorn:

Foot Hills

Grecian Gold

Mohegan Sage

Olivertone

Quarry Rock

Silken Moss
ronellis
Original Author
13 years ago
Wow. Thanks very much for your suggestions and thanks, lukkiirish for your examples. That does give me a good visualization to work from.

I really like the Quarry Rock, but I'd go for a little lighter shade. I like the Mohegan Sage, too.

I'm thinking of painting the door trim, window trim, and interior doors a darker color - maybe matching the dark brown stones. What do you all think of that? Or should I just go with a white?

Also, what color should I paint the ceiling with this type of vaulted ceiling configuration? Should it match the wall color?

Thanks again.
Kathleen McGuire
13 years ago
OMG, funcolors, Champagne Gold! I received the sample from Ellen. Here it is against Duron TR. Also, I just saw the new white,'JV White', on her blog. Another beautiful color!
TR in Full Spectrum (as always, the pic doesn't do it justice!)

Here is a link that might be useful: EK blog
User
13 years ago
You're welcome, glad it helped. I liked those two colors too because they offer the most contrast. I realize the yellows in the examples look a little barfie (sorry they just didn't turn out right) but soft yellows or creams would be pretty too. We used Indian Autumn slate in our bathroom, it too is all about the browns and creams w/some grays. I did the same thing by matching a grey in the stone and love the contrast.

In regards to the trim, I personally prefer white because I think it offers a clean crisp look that works in any style, but I've also seen many rooms with dark trim that look equally as pretty. That's a hard decision I can't really help with.

In regards to the ceiling, whenever I've seen information about painting ceilings such as yours, the rule of thumb has always been that if you don't want the features to stand out, paint it all the same color and everything will blend in. If on the other hand, you want them to show, go with something lighter or a different color altogether. If it were me, I'd want the fireplace to be the focus of the room and I would paint it all the same color so it wouldn't detract from that. Another reason I lean in that direction is because you say the room is smaller and I'd be concerned that the shape of the ceiling along with the different colors would just look too busy.
Kathleen McGuire
13 years ago
Just wanted to add something Amy had touched on in another thread. Although the EK Champagne Gold is a dead on match to the Duron Tobacco Road, once up on the wall, the difference will be apparent. The EK version will make the walls come alive! FS paints just have that "something-something" !

Related Stories

COLOR Pick-a-Paint Help: How to Create a Whole-House Color Palette

By Laura Gaskill

Don't be daunted. With these strategies, building a cohesive palette for your entire home is less difficult than it seems

COLOR Color Palette Extravaganza: Room-by-Room Help for Your Paint Picks

By Vanessa Brunner

Take the guesswork out of choosing paint colors with these conveniently collected links to well-considered interior palettes

EXTERIORS Help! What Color Should I Paint My House Exterior?

By Jennifer Ott Design

Real homeowners get real help in choosing paint palettes. Bonus: 3 tips for everyone on picking exterior colors

Ideabook 911: Help Me Finish My Foyer

By Becky Harris

ENTRYWAYS Help! What Color Should I Paint My Front Door?

By Jennifer Ott Design

We come to the rescue of three Houzzers, offering color palette options for the front door, trim and siding

COLOR Paint-Picking Help and Secrets From a Color Expert

By Tiffany Carboni

Advice for wall and trim colors, what to always do before committing and the one paint feature you should completely ignore

HOUZZ TOURS My Houzz: Saturated Colors Help a 1920s Fixer-Upper Flourish

By Madison Modern Home

Bright paint and cheerful patterns give this Spanish-style Los Angeles home a thriving new personality

WORKING WITH PROS 3 Reasons You Might Want a Designer's Help

By Apartment 46 for the Home

See how a designer can turn your decorating and remodeling visions into reality, and how to collaborate best for a positive experience

CONTEMPORARY HOMES Frank Gehry Helps 'Make It Right' in New Orleans

Hurricane Katrina survivors get a colorful, environmentally friendly duplex, courtesy of a starchitect and a star

REMODELING GUIDES Room of the Day: Antiques Help a Dining Room Grow Up

By Becky Harris

Artfully distressed pieces and elegant colors take a formerly child-focused space into sophisticated territory

Sponsored

More Discussions

Need help on window treatments!

7

Dining room update

23

furniture / photo alignment ? What’s my guide?

12

Help with Studio Apt

24

Bathroom mirror advice needed!

0