@feisty68: thanks for reminding me. I wasn't able to find older threads, so I thought posting a new thread might help others in the same situation. The house was built in 1868 and has a Mansard roof. Very little architectural detail has been preserved on the inside. The first floor basically consists of three 13'x13' boxes connected by arched openings: a front living room with a bay window, a dining room, and the kitchen in the rear. All rooms have the same red oak flooring in a reddish tone very similar to Adel Medium Brown. The door on the east wall, which is being resized, leads to a tiny room (can be used as a pantry) on the north and the outside on the south. The nook on wall D leads to the dining room. The door on Wall C leads to a bathroom. http://kitchenplanner.ikea.com/US/UI/Pages/VPUI.htm?LoadDesign=8bf8333e60ed4994bff77dfdf111ee09&UIContext=Kitchen&IsSharedDesign=1 Here is a link that might be useful: Link to Older Thread: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0420205914987.html

Glad you like the suggestion(s). I have a similar color in my livingroom, Behr's War Muffin but it's a stronger gold and I ended up repainting two of our walls cream to help tone it down a bit. Now I love it but when I chose it, I new nothing about painting or color. I think having a more muted tone would have been my preference if I had known then what I do now. Lighting has so much to do with it too, if you paint a sample on your wall, the Oat may not be as muted as it seems on the card. This isn't our room, but it is a good representation of the Warm Muffin color. As for the drapes, I got the 2nd photo off of google images, the first one is from Pottery Barn. I love the idea of a printed drape. If you're leaning in that direction (or even a printed rug) I would first find the drapes or rug you want and then pull your wall color from them. I'm really looking forward to seeing what you end up choosing and how your project looks when it's done!

Amy, I am a huge fan of whole home color pallets. I am not a big fan of trends. I think every home should have colors that make the homeowners heart sing. Sorry, I am going to be sexist here - In most cases it should make the woman of the home's heart sing. (Men tend to stay in the "safe" zone with both clothing and décor and after a year the women feel like they are drowning in a sea of neutral). You know how you have that one outfit that makes you feel like a 10 when you put it on? I want to feel like a 10 when I am sitting in my living room. So I want those colors that make me feel wonderful surrounding me. I want to feel sexy in the bedroom, so I will pick colors and fabrics that make me feel amorous. I want to relax in the tub and feel like I am in a spa and I want my kitchen to be warm and friendly. My office should be a color that makes me feel creative and boosts energy. How do we accomplish this? First you have to know the colors that make your heart sing. We all are drawn to different colors. For me, I love color, more specifically I like bold colors. The colors that make my heart sing are purple, red, teal, lime green, fuchsia and coral. Okay - I can't use all of those colors in one place without making someone sick to the stomach. But I did pick purple, teal and red for the main color pallet for my home. I then picked a taupe with purple undertones as my neutral. I am mid-stream in planning out all of my selections, but here are some pictures and descriptions that will give you an idea of how I am incorporating the colors into my home. The outside of my home is a lighter orange/red brick with the MCM Cherokee Red siding and storm door. I am adding red in my plantings (dwarf weeping red maple, holly and red coral bells.) (Mulching this weekend) Had to add my Welcome sign (Fair warning to those who wish to enter) When you enter the house the flooring in the foyer is tri colored Red/Purple/Green slate. I also painted the previously cream colored light in the foyer to go with the blue greens that I will be adding elsewhere. I haven't painted walls or replaced carpet yet and the floors are dusty from drywall work. Here are some pictures of the flooring and bathroom tile with some of the paint colors. The front guest bath and bedroom will have the dark flooring. The rest of the house will have the lighter flooring. Bathroom cabinets are going to be the darkest of the blue/greens. The walls in these two rooms will be the middle blue green. The master bath is going to be the lightest blue green with white cabinets and the pictured purple towels. The walls in the bedroom will be a purple similar to the towels. Have a sample in the picture, but It isn't quite the right shade. The two neutrals that I have picked for the walls in the living room, hallways and master sitting room are by the sample of wood and the upholstery color of the recliner that will be in the master sitting room. One neutral is just a bit too gray and the other just a bit too pink. Working toward the perfect custom mix. My thoughts thus far are to get a purple/gray sofa with a geometric design area carpet with my purples, blue/greens an reds. Add pillows with the colors and get a deep teal green stressless recliner. The kitchen cabinets will be painted in the taupe neutral, soapstone countertops and the walls will be the deep red that matches the flooring in the entry. Thoughout the house I will have my "Things". most of which have the colors that I love . .

Some like bright colours for a work environment, I prefer a calmer atmosphere. So here are my suggestions. Possibly you can paint some of the Ikea furniture you already have? or combine with other pieces of the same series? Include some art on the walls. Good lighting is important, pot lights in the room would be good combined with other lighting.