Newbie needs help choosing carpet and wall colors

13 years ago

Hello Gardenweb,

Long time reader/admirer, new poster looking for recommendations.

We've just bought a new home, a 50's ranch, and are starting our redecorating in the basement, so our mistakes won't be the first thing people see. We are relative novices at home improvement.

Our basement rec room is roughly 25' x 12'. One wall is red brick with a fireplace and incinerator (which we'll use). The room will be used mostly for the young adult kids to hang out in, and for family gatherings.

My decorating palette has always revolved around warm colors; reds, mustards, sages, etc, but I want to evolve. My husband has chosen this tile, which will surround the fireplace and incinerator, and tile a bar area at one end of the room.

I am to choose carpet for the rest of the room, and the wall color. I am looking for wall color recommendations, and carpet color recommendations, and any of your other ideas, which always intrigue me! The only furniture we have that will stay for awhile, is a light sage sofa and loveseat.

Thank you in advance!

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Comments (6)

graywings123
13 years ago
Welcome to GardenWeb, Torsade! Love your name - it means something like twisted in French?

What color grout do you plan on using? I'm imagining gray to match the veining in the larger piece of tile. So if I am correct, your palate will include a clay red, gray and light sage green. How do you feel about light gray carpeting and walls? Gray is fashionable right now and a great neutral.
torsade
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you for the welcome, graywings! Yes, it's a medical reference to a turning/twisting pattern :)
The veining is actually a blue color. I know that different monitors show color differently. I hadn't thought about gray but will, when I meet with the paint and carpet people today.
There is only one small window in this basement. Lighting is going to be an issue. I wasn't sure whether to think about using brighter, real colors, or something that would be "reflective."
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In my experience, no, carpet does not last and keeping it professionally cleaned still does not keep it looking nice for more than a few years. Perhaps I have a lower tolerance for carpet that's starting to look ratty vs other people. So far as that waterproof pad... I had new carpets (the smart strand) installed in the bedrooms in my last house. Shortly thereafter, my cat got sick and she had three accidents on the carpet (urine). All that waterproof pad did was to allow the urine to spread out in a larger area than it would have if we'd had a regular pad underneath. Three spots that would have been small turned into three spread out spots. It was awful. We had two different professional cleaners to clean the carpet in that bedroom. They couldn't get the urine out. It smelled horribly. Both came twice. We ended up lifting up the carpet and cleaning it from the back side. The urine had spread out into large spots because of that pad. I'd never have a moisture proof pad again. If we'd had regular pad, I think it would have been easier to clean (and just replace that section of pad, if we needed to). The carpets in my last house needed to be replaced three times in 11 years. We replaced them once when we moved in, about half way through when we lived there and, then, they were ready to be replaced again when we sold the house. The carpet was just as expensive, per sq ft, as the hard flooring that we put in the rest of the house, when we bought the house. The hard flooring looked pristine when we moved out. The carpets needed to be replaced, again. Carpet can be (but it isn't always) less expensive up front. But, the expense of replacing it comes back again and again, sooner than many people realize. There are also hard flooring options that are the same price, or less, per sq ft. My in-laws paid the same price per sq ft for their hardwood floors as they did for the carpets in their bedrooms. They put in hardwood everywhere except the bedrooms. Then, when they moved, they had to replace the carpets and they were shocked at how expensive it was to replace the carpets. We are two adults who are clean in our home and the only pet accidents we had the entire time we were in our last home were the ones I mentioned previously, when my cat got sick. We vacuumed about 4-5 times per week. The carpets didn't look dirty, but they had wear patterns and just looked ratty and old. Of course, when they are taken up, it's always obvious that carpets ARE dirty. They simply are not able to be kept clean like hard floors. Vacuuming and professional cleaning will not keep them as clean as you can keep a hard floor. I'll admit it. I don't like carpet. I'll never willingly have it again. I hesitated to say anything on this thread, but, when I saw those beautiful hardwood floors I just wanted to say that I'd do that, if possible. I thought I'd mention it because maybe it wasn't something the op had considered. Anyway, sorry. I realize this probably isn't what the homeowner was looking to hear, so I will try to avoid saying anything else.
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Shannon01
13 years ago
I think a gray carpet which goes well with the tile and grout will last a long time. You could then do a focal wall in say a red tone and keep the other walls a very light gray or maybe a tan that is just a shade lighter than the tan in tile. I think sage would go with all that.
palimpsest
13 years ago
If there is only one window, you will need a lot of artificial lighting anyway. Choose with respect to the artificial light. You may be able to to a little deeper than you would expect.
WendyB 5A/MA
13 years ago
is the tile choice a done deal? I see a lot of pink in the small tile. I know it goes with brick well, but I've just spent 15 years with the mauvey brickey clay colors and I'm so done with them. They are really hard to work with for todays colors.

In any case how about tans (neutral, easy) and chocolate brown as an accent. It will go with the bricks, but not be the bricks.
torsade
Original Author
13 years ago
Yes, the tile is a done deal. The area around the fireplace is already tiled. We've ordered the carpet as well....a tan plush, but not too plush, with flecks of blue.
The acoustic tile ceiling, which is not in perfect shape, has been re-painted. This is a learning process for us, that's why we're starting in the basement. DH wasn't sure his first dry-walling job should be this one.
Next issue: The walls are presently panelled. This isn't a panelling that I have seen before. There are no grooves in it. It's more like the wood you'd see inside of a vintage travel trailer. The sheets are about 4' wide.
The next three issues are intertwined:
1) Draw focus away from the wall imperfections.
2) Make the ceiling look a little higher than it is (about 8').
3) Not draw attention to the ceiling.
I've ordered the Graham and Brown beadboard wallpaper for the lower part, and I'm thinking we'll run it higher up the wall than a normal "chair rail" would sit, to make the ceiling look higher, kind of like in the link below. I don't want to bring attention to the ceiling though.
Our wall color (haven't tested that yet, but what I like on paper, is a grayish blue called "Pallisade Blue" by Valspar. The trim will be some shade of white.
Do we want a slightly darker shade of blue above the trim, to stop the eye?
I do appreciate any thoughts.
As I said, we are limited by experience but hope to learn something with each project. We want to do the work ourselves.

Here is a link that might be useful: Graham and Brown beadboard wallpaper

Newbie needs help choosing carpet and wall colors

Comments (6)

graywings123

torsade
Original Author

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Shannon01

palimpsest

WendyB 5A/MA

torsade
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Newbie needs help choosing carpet and wall colors

Comments (6)

graywings123

torsadeOriginal Author

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Shannon01

palimpsest

WendyB 5A/MA

torsadeOriginal Author

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torsade
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