How that color looks in the photos may not be what it looks like in real life. So no one here can tell you whether you have nailed the perfect shade.

If you are asking whether you should go that bold, well, again, only you can decide. If you can find some photos of AuntJen's house, you will see that she does a great job of making strong colors work. But they work because she has a lot of great artwork to give it balance.

Pulling back on the intensity of the color will still give the room warmth without it screaming "ORANGE!!!"

If you still can't decide, get a gallon of this paint and put two coats (maybe three) of it on the wall that has the clock above the door and the adjoining TV wall and live with it for a while. But do multiple coats of paint. You will be second guessing yourself when there is just one coat of paint on the walls.

Maybe it's my monitor, but I like that color because it works with your grays, the reddish brown leathers, and wood tones. It looks like a soft orange that's been muted, on my screen. It's warm & colorful without being overwhelming. Once you get it on the walls, the wall texture and room shadows will give it more nuance. I like the unified look you have in your photos.

It looks Mustard to me. But I think Dilly is on the right track, you need a plan first before you randomly pick out a wall color.

Ironically, as colorful as the paint is, it still doesn't add color to your space. I would start with color for the inner-room before you decide on color for a wall.

That's why I suggested getting an area rug to go in your eating area, in colors you like. Then spread out from there.

Wow, ask and ye shall receiver º. Let me see if I can answer the questions. The futon couch thread was just to help decide on the frame finish. I¡¦m still waiting for the futon cover I ordered to arrive. The one you see is just interim. The real one will go very well with the existing colors.

My intent is/was to do something to get rid of all the white on every wall and surface. As to the doors. I am assuming you mean the two French doors to the patio and den. They are original; and while they don¡¦t match kitchen, they do go well the other furniture and colors in the room.

Right now doing anything with the cabinets or countertops is out of the question financially. I¡¦m also not changing the chairs. So whatever I do has to go with the furniture, carpet and tile. As a side note I have looked at three sets of cabinets that people ¡¥painted¡¦. They all looked terrible. I don¡¦t think painting the cabinets would ever be an option.

Because of the white walls just one coat of paint does not give a true representation. I will need at least two coats to truly cover that white.

One last comment. I like southwest theme; but hopefully not too much southwest. I¡¦ll call my thinking ¡¥modern southwest¡¦. Sort of earth toned southwest colors in a traditional layout? Heck I don¡¦t know what it is.

No one commented on the issue of just painting the two walls behind TV or doing them all?

I think maybe my best bet is to pick a color and paint a good part of that one wall by the door to see how it looks. While I thought I loved that color (Gourd) I'm affraid it is too dark. I tried a sample more on the yellow side and didn't like how it went with the furniture, cabinets, and tile. So I guess I am going to look for something light 'Light Gourd'.

One final thought to comment on. While the Gourd color may seem dark; I am thinking that all the white tile, white ceiling, white tril, etc would be a nice contrast and help to mute the dark Gourd. Am I crazy? I feel like it.

I tried to convey that I liked the look of all the walls painted. It's unifying.

The more I look at the pictures, the more I like that color. You have a lot of grays, and the color works well with it. The whites work fine.

Get a sample and paint different walls to see if it's too dark. Keep in mind that anything will look dark after living with white walls.

I suggested doing just two walls, but not as a permanent solution. You would still have to paint the rest of the room some color other than the current white, IMO.

Wow, I really like such a warm color in your space, and I think that if this color does indeed look nice in person (it looks pretty darn good on my monitor), you may be onto something! I have used SW La Fonda Ortiz Gold in my living room, and while it may not read as such onscreen, in person it is a deep, vibrant and rich "gourd" hue. In fact, if you notice it on my mantle, there's a gourd made into a bowl on the far right that is just about a perfect match to the wall color. I went from a pale sand color in this room to the bold shade, and haven't regretted it a bit. Then again, I'm not what you'd call color-shy by any means, and I find that I need vivid shades in my home in order to truly be happy. "Your mileage may vary."
;-)

Another view, showing how the color interacts with the artwork (per Graywings' statement above :-)).

Have you thought about getting your preferred color in 1/2 strength? Try a sample or quart size first, paint a poster board and put it up on the wall. Move it to different places in the room at differing times of the day and evening. Look at it in natural and artificial light. At one point I was considering BM's Lexington Tan, but something about it just wasn't working. I tried it 1/2 strength and it was much better. I ultimately went in a different direction, but its an option to consider. HTH

wow, auntjen. the white trim sets it off nicely. I looking at a color much like the Gourd, but slightly lighter and I think I am going to look at some possible throw rug colors as suggested for under the table.

AJ, that room is beautiful.

Splais, I don't think that particular gold you have there is mixing well with the grays or beiges of the flooring and carpet (as seen on my monitor). It's also very similar to your kitchen cabinetry. I may be the only one who likes the below example, but this dark, rich brown-red looks really nice, to me. It looks like your space has a lot of light, so wouldn't get cave-like. It also makes things look less cluttered, imo. There's a lot going on with the adjoining spaces, architecture, and furnishings/accessories. I think things need to be streamlined or simplifed a bit so there's not so much visual activity.

I've pulled the other areas in, to see how things join up and how they might work with a strong color like this.

Painting the peak looks odd to me. Maybe separate it out by using some trim to allow it to be a light neutral? With the mix of wood trim and white, you might pick up an ochre color in the painted trim, so it's more similar to your wood trim.

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Bringing some other colors in with a few rich colored accessories (just the idea, not the actual placement or anything):

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squirrel..., I love the look of not painting the top 'V' glad you posted. I also really like that color. What, specifically, is it please.

I don't like gourd or pumpkin or orange walls with your style ....house/furniture. But.....that dark red....if you want color....go for IT! That's very rich with your red leather recliner and wood trim on your furniture. Nice! JMO....

That's a Squirrel-y mix on the red. Maybe someone knows a similar color?

Here's a more toned down gold, for your gray, and a couple other goldens. Also a variety of olive tones.

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Wow! Squirrelheaven, you are great at photoshop!

splais, I love color, so I initially liked your 'gourd' color, but wondered if it would look well with your cabinetry. But with squirrel's additional options, I have to say that dark olive green is Fantastic! (IMHO) It gives you a lot of color without slapping you in the face, and I think it goes well with your furniture and will look great with your cabinetry. The dark red is my second choice.

As usual our Super Squirrel comes to the rescue. She's amazing.
Splais, I must have missed you were getting a cover for the futon. Do you have a picture or a link of what it will look like?

It's called Island stripe; but the futon cover is irrelevant because I can make it whatever I want that goes with everything else. I'm really get frustrated with the whole thing and about to say the heck with it.

Boy do I know how you feel! Though if you use that cover I think the very first virtual (rusty red) that Squirrel did for you would look great. The Gourd, or a shade close to that might look great in the gable (triangle) part of the wall. That would bring the color from your kitchen cabinets over to that side of the room. From there you could add art to your already interesting pieces. Love the lizards on the wall by the way.

I changed my mind. Trying to imagine your new futon cover (which is great, btw), I think the rusty red would look the best. This is the hardest part - don't give up! It'll look great when it's all done. :)

I just spent an hour at the paint store trying to find something that looked even remotely like that rusty red with no luck at all.

splais, wherever you go for paint bring home everything that remotely looks like it might in the color you are looking for. Even if in the store it's only a "well, it could match". Grab it. Do this with every brand in every store. That's what they are there for. I did this for our Gentleman's Parlor and though it took awhile I found the perfect paint. Just make sure to check the paint chips at different times of the days since the color will change through out the day. Don't worry about rainy or cloudy days if you have sun most of the time. If you have a favorite brand you'll more than likely be able to have the chip color matched for you.
Good luck!

A couple of things come to mind. I think the red and the green both look fantastic. The second red looks a bit like Audubon Russet (BM) Pomegranate in the BM Affinity colors would be a good one to try as well. It's a beautiful red. There's a color right next to it called Rustique that might also work.

The reds look awesome in Squirrel's mock-up, particularly with your leather, but the greens might be easier to live with.

If you've got a color printer, you could print out this thread and take it to the paint store and say 'I want something that feels like this!'

You're right, Indy. I love the red but it would be tough for some to live with in such a big space. For the olives, Laura Ashley has a good selection in her lineup. They're labeled Olive 1 .. 2 .. 3 .. 4 ... not sure how far they go up to ! Easy way to look at them though.

Checking out that kitchen wall, I don't think the neutral peak will work. That other wall is tough with so much going on.

One of the problems is that we have limited paint stores here: HD, Lowes a SW dealer and Pittsburgh I think, that's it. Lowes has an Olympic color called Burled Redwood that is pretty close. I'm going to get a sanple of it tomarrow. there also is a Glidden color at HD called Spiced Gingerbread that I can't explain any better then to say it looks like a redish yellowish brownish mix.

have you tried looking at the color called 'iced tea' at HD. I think it's on a color swatch with other colors..by behr.

It reads a rusty red but is a little lighter with some browns. I 'think' it's on the color swatch with olivewood. I remember seeing it when I painted an accent wall this color.

I did find BM mayflower red, a lighter shade is audubon russet.

You can have the guys at HD mix BM in behr satin and it turns out nice. I did my kitchen with louisberg green mixed in behr and love it!

We only have HD and lowes around here too! You can google both of these colors

Here is a link that might be useful: mayflower red

I actually tried a color similar to the Mayflower Red last night, though it was probably darker. It was quite nice. Much easier to live with if the red is too much for you, as we were discussing.

Just check out the swatches with your leather first, as well as the wood tones, to make sure they look good together.

Another vote for the red! Your home is large enough to handle it. And red just goes with everything.

Squirrel, amazing job!

I think the room looks better with the triangle painted out as "ceiling". The wall with the complete triangle could be painted wall color all the way up, but the sliver of triangle over kitchen is distracting,IMO, in a strong color.

The same color on the ceiling and in the peaked portions of the wall will read as slightly different shades...it has to do with the way that light hits it..the ceiling will always look a bit cooler.

I like the triangle painted out also, but that other, kitchen, wall is very distracting. I didn't like it with the triangle painted neutral (will have to unbury it! to see what you think). The two ends don't align for a piece of trim.

I've been doodling away, trying to organize that back wall so it feels more cohesive and flows better. Here it is with a beam stretched across (if that works out, with all the joins going on). Maybe a drywall soffit could be worked out also, to visually connect the areas across. It would look cleaner and less cluttered. I also find it confusing to work with when there's stained trim along with white trim. I wonder if there could be a stained beam down that center peak, too! (I'm sure Steve is up for all this, lol. Long term plans! We like to dream here : )

I know you're already seated, so hold your hats, lol.

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Oh, forgot. This is the not-so-red color, similar to the Mayflower but darker, from last night.

Squirrel: You are a genius. Nuff said.

Squirrel, I love your creative paint shop work! I love the last picture the best since I feel it is a color easy to live with and ties in both rooms. I love the room with all those windows to let in all that natural light. I wish I had more windows and did not live in an interior townhouse. I wish I waited for an end unit to come available.

Not totally nuts, then, lol?

Here's the original setup with the peak light. Looks pretty good, actually, with the red carrying through all around. I guess I didn't stick with it long enough last night, and took the path to connecting the back rooms more architecturally.

And two other shots of a dark and a lighter olive.

Window painted out in the red, light panels to the side (nice with your other fabrics). Do you think you'd go for a print?:

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Window area reflective with light paint, no panels:

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Now for the one with artwork (supposed to be similar but not identical irl).

And trying on that center beam:

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I have to stop!!!. It's driving me crazy. With Squirrelhevans ideas I am closing in on a red. I just don't think I can start over with the olives now. I have honed in on a SW color called Fired Brick (SW6335). I painted a big chunk of a wall and a pic is below. I wish I had a painting program that would let me paint all the walls with it, but the SW site will not let you download pics. It is very close to SquirrelH's red. I also like the idea of leaving the ceiling "V's" white.

So am I going to paint all four walls or do it in stages to see how it looks - it's going to be a major change from all white for sure. I also found a very light bright SW color called Bee;s Wax (SW7682) can't describe it - maybe an off-cream color that I may paint as a transition strip along the top between the wall red and ceiling white.

Either my camera or monitor are not doing these colors justice both the brick color and dark tan color are actually darker then my picture indicates.

I've got the SW deck here and wow, that's a great color, Steve. It looks very much like the latest red, which is knocked down from the first. I was going to call it an 'Adobe Brick.' Are you liking it with the leather and wood? The next color up is nice, too.

You work fast! I'd definitely take it in stages. Good luck and keep us posted : )

The photo looks more red than the swatch (lots of brown), but maybe this is more it?

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I love the Fired Brick!

And I want those pictures hanging on your wall. They're kachinas, right? :-)

I REALLY like the greens, especially the second one just above. I wonder how a blue would look?

Blue works! Just has to be the right one. But he's frustrated and going with the reds at this point, so I don't think he's interested : )

Let's stick with the red and how what to do about any trim or other related ideas.

Also very observant about the kachinas. they are painted leather artwork I rescued when my 90 yr old mom sold her house and relocated to Yuma.

I am taping off the walls and getting ready to paint the two walls behind the TV as a start. Leaving the upper ceiling V white. But the prep will take a while before I actually get to painting.

Here's a blue that looks nice, for Happy : ) Still got a warm ceiling up there, but it looks nice!

Can't wait to see that red!

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And one that's more dramatic, lighter warm white ceiling :

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Hey, I just remembered how reds can be difficult to paint. Any experience or tips to share with Steve before he ventures in?

Isn't it amazing how all of these colors just totally wake up the space? I love, love, love color!
;-D

My foton cover came; it's a good bit brighter than it looks in the picture and has all the colors in the room.

I hit my first major problem. I can't paint a clean line were the paint stops! I've tried blue and frog tape to no avail. with the knockdown tecture on the walls the paint bled under badly. Right now I don't know what to do; it looks like I may have to go back and redo the whole edge freehand. I did half of the first wall as a test - good thing because it didn't work. I had plans to paint a trim stripe up, but don't see how I can do it with this bleeding under the tape.

Touch up the white freehanded with a tiny artists brush. I have knock down and have done this with great results. HTH

Use wood trim to cover it. Or paint with a little brush as greenthumbfish suggested.

It will look great when you are done. The futon cover is perfect.

I really like your climbing lizards and frog?

squirrelheaven,

I too like your idea of a beam, but why not make it into a ledge, so she could actually display some cool pottery and some of the nice art work she already has on the walls.

That would really pull in some of the bright colors...I can so imagine some rustic looking pottery up there!

Wouldn't a ledge make you not have to do as much freehand on getting it straight on the knock down texture...or you can use one of those pad painters with the wheels..as long as you don't use too much paint I heard it makes it easy to get straight lines on knock down texture.

Steve I wish I would have read or noticed you have textured walls I would have had you try a technique I learned when painting stripes. Granted I did this on smooth walls so no guarantee it'll work, but it's worth trying it on a sample area.
These rules are based on you leaving your gables the existing color and that you have some of that paint left over.
Here goes....
Step 1. Tape your walls making sure to burnish tape with your thumbnail or other similar object (flexable yet sturdy). Doesn't have to be perfect. Using the same paint color you are going over (in your case your current wall color) and a narrow roller thoroughly paint over the edge of the tape that will be next to new color. Let dry according to directions on can.
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Step 2. Making sure other paint is completely dry and covering all edges of tape paint with new color. Let dry.
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Step 3. Once paint is dry you'll want to lightly score using an exacto knife along tape line if latex paint was used since it has a tendency to plastisize and you may pull off more than you intend to. Once scored carefully remove painters tape at a 45 degree angle.
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Here's a picture of my smooth walls that I did stripes on.
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Like I said, do a sample area first to make sure it works on your textured walls. Good Luck!

justgotabme thanks for the illustration! i'd been reading about this technique but for some reasons just couldn't visualize it!