Colors for an Arts & Crafts/Mission-themed basement family room

16 years ago

My husband and I are moving into our first home next week, and we need to pick a paint color for the family room. It's in the basement, which has very low ceilings (just under 7'), and receives almost no natural light. It is about twice as long as it is wide (11.5' x 22'). It's divided in the middle by the double-width doorway. Our "entertainment" are will be on one end, with the other end having a desk, computer, and a couple of bookshelves. All of these things, plus our coffee table and TV stand are all in the Mission style, in a red-oak color. Our couch is a plain beige microfiber. We've got some framed prints that I'd like to hang, that have various shades of greens, browns, and taupes. We haven't picked carpet yet, but will probably get a neutral tan of some sort, and then maybe get an accent rug for some color and contrast.

We're trying to come up with a paint color that will complement our furnishings, but will also help make it feel a little lighter and brighter than it tends to be. Plus I don't want the beige couch to disappear into the wall :) I'm terrible at knowing what looks good, and even worse when it comes to making decisions, so any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

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Comments (3)

becky2500
16 years ago
I just painted my low ceiling basement LR/Playroom/Office Compatible Cream by SW. The area has one teeny basement type window, so virtually no natural light. Your couch has the potential of blending in w/the wall color, but sometimes that's o.k. when trying to keep the ceiling looking a bit taller then what it really is. (You can also add some nice color with accent pillows). Keeping it well organized and clutter free is another thing to consider.

Becky
igloochic
16 years ago
I saw a fabulous A&C room in a magazine done in similar tones to yours but with the wall color in a deep gold tone. It was a basement with no windows. They did the ceiling in an off white, walls deep gold and all woodwork was dark brown (aside from the oak furniture which is a signature of A& C of course).

I'm moving and I've put all of the paint wheels away. A deep mustard color, keep it rich in tone, and if you really want beauty, go with venetian plaster (which glows due to the polished finish) in gold...would be a very traditional, but rich A&C look and great for your area. I'll be doing just that in our new place in the family room, which is in the basement with just a few low windows under a deck.
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johnmari
16 years ago
Swing by Sherwin Williams and pick up one of their Arts & Crafts Preservation Palettes (only a few colors are shown online). Also, check out the Bradbury & Bradbury website, look at all the wallpapers (just for the colors) and finished rooms. If you have a California Paints dealer in your area, they've teamed up with Historic New England (formerly SPNEA, the Society for Preservation of New England Antiquities) to designate certain paint colors as best for certain periods; although most of their indications are for exteriors, the same colors were used for interiors as well.

Thing is, for the most part A&C colors were deep and rich - mustards/golds, rusts, olive/forest greens, muddy plums - and the rooms were intended from square one to be on the dark end of the spectrum, somewhat denlike with welcoming pools of light here and there, rather than the almost blindingly bright rooms we are used to today. Instead of trying to "brighten" an extremely dark room with a lighter paint color (which can really drab out the color), try going for the midtone-to-deep color and using generous amounts of lighting instead. Make sure you allow for the undertone in the beige couch, too - beiges can be super tricky in that way, skewing to green or yellow, but an afghan or quilt over the back of the couch can minimize that. You can also swing by the library and see if they have any books on bungalows, or just google "bungalow colors". You may not have a bungalow but the bungalow was the predominant architecture of the A&C period.

Now, that all said, if you want to go straight-up Mission, rather than leaning more toward the A&C end of the spectrum, although your furniture's stain colors are a bit light for it (fumed oak was the norm, which is quite dark) you can look toward the California Mission style, which has more in common with Spanish Colonial Revival than the English-influenced Arts & Crafts. Lighter walls (white or buff were common colors), dark trim, accents of intense colors (reds, sky blue - think Talavera tiles) and earth tones.

Colors for an Arts & Crafts/Mission-themed basement family room

Comments (3)

becky2500

igloochic

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