I'm new to this so let me see if the link will work here more easily.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures of my painting/decorating challenges

Take a look at Todo es for slipcovers and see my post above for pictures.

Lovely home! Really wonderful choices on paint!

Next -- let's approach these questions from a different direction ........ artworks ....... I did notice that you had some bare walls soooooooo how about finding an "inspiration piece" (like a print or reproduction) for your office? Go to art.com -- and just browse through some of their categories to find some artworks that might appeal to you. Take a good look at the colors -- what colors help you to stay calm, focused and working? Perhaps add bookshelves with lots of books? Or a very large bulletin board with a colorful calendar -- and then leave the walls in basic white!

Next -- the slipcovers question goes back to the "inspiration piece" question too. I have included a fun poster for a place like a playroom (see the hot link below) -- take a look at the colors and see if a slipcover color pops out! Maybe a pattern with a bright red? AND that kind of strong color would work with your choice of Blue!

As for window treatments for strong sun in the sunroom -- you could do both the woven blinds AND curtain panels. Start with the blinds and add softness and color with fabrics -- like cushions, and an area rug. Add softness with artworks like a tapestry or painting.

Hope all this helps out a bit!

Jan

Here is a link that might be useful: art.com -- Reading is Fun poster

You've done a wonderful job on your house.

I assume you're speaking of the reddish? sofa in the family room that you're thinking of recovering? I actually like it and it provides a bit of contrast to all of the solids you have. It might be a controversial choice but I would consider not putting a slipcover on the sofa and pulling the color from that into your office.

As for the woven shades vs drapes, either one would work. We have wovens in our family room and they really provide a nice texture. They now come with a cordless option that looks so much better. You could still have narrow panels on the sides if you wanted more layers. Those would be just for show.

Glad you found the 'courage' to post. You know, however, there is trade off involved. We now get to ask you about the things in your home, LOL. Love your coffee table in your living room. Would you share where you got it? Some of us are on a search for ones for ourselves. :)

I love your wall colors. LOL

I can only tell you what gives me inspiration on pulling colors, is fabric. I go to fabric web pages, especially the ones who have the fabric collections, and usually can get a sense of where I need to go with colors.

Because of my simple decorating taste and limited knowledge, I find it easier to concentrate one two rooms at one time and not concentrate on the entire house at once. That's just way too confusing for me.

Right now I'm concentrating on foyer/great room. When I finish making those fabric and furniture choices, I'll move on to the other roooms. All of my rooms are off of the great room and don't necessarily "match" the great room. I thought it important for the great room and foyer to "flow" since people will definitely be walking through the foyer into the great room. The bedrooms are similar in hue and I went with all muted colors so there are no "clashes" on your senses as you'd walk from one room to the other. However, the bedrooms and guest bath are all different and will be decorated according to their wall color. All the flooring is the same in all the rooms.

With all your adjoining room colors flowing so well together it shouldn't be too difficult to find fabric that will incorporate all those colors and that could be your "jumping off" point, as they call it.

One more thing, I would definitely cover the sofa because I think sofa's should be solid or look solid (squint your eyes) and if it looks solid, it's a keeper. Bring in print from other accessories, rugs, pillows, artwork.

My great room is Rich Cream, which is a very pale yellow. I plan on a light colored fabric, i.e. beige or something close to that, for the sofa, and the accessories will have the green from the foyer and another 1 or 2 colors as accents. Still up in the air on that. I find if I take it in baby steps then I gain inspiration from the one item/thing I completed. I won't know what fabrics I'll want for chairs and curtains until I can see and feel my sofa. My decorating is based a lot of how the surroundings make me feel also.

So maybe you might want to start with the sofa color and then see where that color leads your senses.

Here's what inspired my foyer color that leads into my great room color. Don't tell my DH I sent out a photo of the mantle before it was complete. Eekkk!! He likes his "works of art" to be complete before the world sees them. LOL

Good luck.

My inspiration chicken!!

Foyer wall and ceilling

Great room
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I too, love your wall colors and yours too, brutuses. Do you mind sharing? (And your husbnad's mantel is beautiful!)

Thanks Karoloke, the great room is BM Rich Cream and the foyer ceiling is BM Grecian Green and the foyer walls are BM Tree Moss.

Thank you all for your feedback. I appreciate it more than I could put into words :-)

Jan - I really like your bulletin board idea. I have a smallish one on a wall I didn't photograph and maybe I just make a larger one. My husband wants to cover the one long wall with the diplomas, etc. but refuses to hang them until they are painted, ugh. I LOVE the poster your recommended....... this is where I'm challenged with the lack of focus. One thing I'd like to do in our playroom, I know, is to do a b/w poster-size picture of the 3 kids in action together but just haven't gotten a good shot yet since the youngest is not quite walking.

parma42 - I like the print on the sofa, it's just really faded and worn. Plus, if we get some curtains (further on the agenda), I'd like to get a print on those and not have to deal with matching the couch.

As for the table, I wish I knew details. When we had only 1 kid in daycare I could afford a decorator by the hour and she found it at a place in Chantilly, VA called Model Home Furniture or something like that. I crawled around under the table and unfortunately didn't see any markings that would indicate the manufacturer.

brutuses - Really......... LOL about the colors :-) We started with Tree Moss in our LR and DR but if I recall, it didn't pop right with the orange fabric and rugs we'd picked. So went one shade down on the strip! I would prefer to get a room totally finished as well before working on new ones, but the lack of paint on the walls is really bothering me. And knowing a can of paint is cheaper than all the accessories and furnishings, I figured that would be where I would start. I think even though I won't be putting fabric in the office, I should find something that I'd probably go with in the FR or sunroom that has the greens/orange from the front and butter/reds/browns from the back. Then see if I can find a good transition color from that. Hopefully the baby will cooperate for me tomorrow and I can get out to Hancock for a look. I am anxious to see if I can scramble and get some paint on the walls by next Sunday. My husband thinks I'm nuts but once I have something in my head, I won't sleep to get it done........ since everything I do has to be after the kids are asleep!

Thanks again for all the opinions/advice..... keep them coming :)