Paint (and furnish) my house! part deux ( I need color/furnishing

15 years ago

Hi Y'all!

I asked this question in one of my other threads*, but thought I'd make it a little easier to find.

Ok, I think I'm going with Aura! I still have the EK samples up though. I love the EK colors more, but need washability of the new Aura.

Y'all wanna have some fun? Let's pick the colors! Don't feel locked into suggesting Affinity colors!

My major challenge is low light levels in the house. Trees and wrap around porches tend to limit the direct light into the house on the 1st floor. Rooms aren't open, but have views into others. I have a large number of doors and windows!

Right now, we're picking a color for the LR, but the DR is next up. I'm pretty sure the Library, given it's very limited exposed wall once we build in floor to ceiling bookcases, will get Caliente! Fun and dramatic, but not so much red as to look dark and scary in low lighting. After the DR, the PR and Hall will be up for grabs.

This is a very slow DIY type project. Lots of wall plastering needs doing. Woodwork needs to be milled and replaced. We'll probably keep the trim stained, but I'm open to suggestions as to whether to keep it the current color (easiest) and match the new trim to it (not quite as easy), or strip it and stain it darker (serious PITA, but could be worth it!) and then stain the new trim to match (also no fun!)

Ceilings will all get skim coated smooth and painted a light cream.

Colors I like: Obviously, creams, golds, yellows, reds, and oranges, maybe brown.

Colors off the table: Anything pink, purple, green, gray, blue, or putty/beige/taupe.

Here are photos of the house in the link below (warning super cluttered/junky! I took the pictures after we started working on the plaster.) I feel soooo exposed! You never realize how bad stuff looks until you see it in a photo!

Be gentle!

Other stuff you need to know:

I'm open to changing the the stain color if I absolutely have to, to darker/warmer - the challenge is I'm bringing new wood in (clear pine) for the french doors and casings, and the original trim is 125yrs old, and may possibly a different species (chestnut? cottonwood? fir? we can't figure it out!) The current stain isn't original but we have no clue what the color is - we found a possible 'maple' minwax all in one poly type product can in the basement. A PO apparently stripped and stained it and only bothered to strip what they could reach so when we bought the house and there were heavy curtains/valances there was still paint on the upper trim under the valances and along tops/sides/behind radiator still had paint!

Many layers of really ugly paint! But we think the trim was all originally stained and varnished. If I need to re-stain it all - OUCH! lots of work! But I'll do it if the final product looks great!

I'm keeping the furniture (for now!). Eventually this couch set will go to the basement, the lamps might go upstairs to the front room which is a combo of DH's office zone and home gym, the tables will hit the porch for donations the minute I don't need them anymore! The floors will be refinished this spring hopefully. They're oak, I'll stain them if necessary, to get them to a medium tone (leaning towards a warm color), and we'll use a tung oil finish - waterlox in satin.

I know this post is about color, and I don't want to stray too far off topic, but I could use some ideas about how to furnish this room! It has 3 doorways, 2 large windows and a fireplace that is way off center towards a corner right next to a huge radiator! Not an easy space. The goal is for this to be a quiet space, a place to talk and read, not a tv room (although one will be tolerated until DH finishes the basement man cave space). My favorite place to sit in there is on the love seat (usually lounging sideways across the whole thing) under the big south window. I like to sit, read, surf the net, and nap there! It's also a social space, the place I'd bring guests to, so I need seating for at least six**. I'd like to get the focus of the room more on the fireplace too. Given we're starting from scratch (completely empty room) anything goes! I do have an antique upright piano in the library that I've toyed with bringing into the room (mainly because it would give me a lot more room for books in the small library!). The room is 16x14 with 10.5 ft ceilings.

As far as personal style, I'm pretty eclectic. I have a passion for leather furniture (current set purchased when we lived in West Germany, and has survived 2 kids, 4 cats and a german shepherd in its 23yrs life. If I can repair the leather tears, it will go on to serve in the basement eventually. It is very comfy! I'm willing to go a bit more formal, but not give up the leather! ;-) The house is 125yrs old, but I don't have a problem not furnishing it like a museum, although I love antiques. I'm sort of a Pottery Barn style mostly, but I like all sorts of things, except really "traditional" furniture. DH sadly, is a tad more traditional, or at least doesn't appreciate more midcentruy modern styles the way I do.

I'm willing to and WANT TO change the fireplace. Again not original it must have been part of the 1970ish remodel, the one that covered the whole wall in dark brown cork tiles shudder! To make it worse, they smoked, so the cork absorbed the smoke, making it all the more special to scrape it all off! We think they bricked over the fireplace too, the funky diamond in the middle doesn't feel very 1884. I want to make it much more 1884 - maybe strip off or cover the brick with wood, and a new mantle, possibly take space up to the ceiling.

French pocket doors (pine, 10 light) will be added to the LR/DR opening.

*For those of you who weren't playing along earlier, here are my other posts on the topic:

Paint my house!

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/decor/msg1018414918173.html

Aura vs Ellen Kennon ICI paints (cross post)

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/decor/msg1114063911479.html

** We're a family of four, but I'm a Mary Kay consultant and would like to be able to hold some MK events here and have some social parties, so let's say comfortably seat 6-8, with parties of more.

Always ;-)

Hunzi

Here is a link that might be useful: Paint Hunzi's House

Comments (4)

graywings123
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I skimmed over most of the text above and went straight to your photo album. Based on the photos, I would pick a light, neutral color (probably a creamy beige) that highlights the floors and woodwork. Do that and live with it for a while, adding drapes, lamps, pictures on the walls, etc. and and see how you like it. Re-paint down the road if you find the neutral color too boring.

Anything other than a neutral is going to limit other choices you make with furnishings and window treatments. It is far easier to match paint to furnishings than vice versa.

There is another thread going on there now that will help explain what I mean. It is actually two threads by a poster who is trying to make a blue-ish red wall color work with floors that have an orange hue, and many of us have told her to re-paint.
hunzi
Original Author
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thanks!

I did see that thread and immediately thought, repaint it!

I do have to work with the stuff I have now. So a dark chocolate brown couch and loveseat, a couple of no so fab tables, and 90ish contemporary lamps.

Lamps and tables will go asap. A few years ago, my DH was horsing around with my DD one day and fell backwards into the matching coffee table and it broke. I was tempted to push him into each of the end tables too! ;-)

I'm actually quite fond of the furniture, but I don't think it really works in this room. I already took the big chair for the set up to my bedroom.

As for color, I think I've settled on BM Soleil. It's light and fairly neutral without being beige. Sort of a pale yellow cream. I have a sample jar sitting on the table, I just need to get it onto some posterboard so I can see it in a larger format.

I think my biggest decision is going to be the trim, especially matching the old and new trim. We have enough old door trim to trim out the two missing doorways on the LR side, so we'll use that, but the door casings will be new pine, the new doors - 2 sets of double 10 lite pocket doors, plus 2 hinged 15 light doors, all are unfinished clear pine, and I have the tops of the windows that hadn't been striped and stained with the rest of the trim to match. I'll paint, try to match the stain, then see how it looks. If it's awful, I'll strip the lot, and restain darker.

In someways this is more of an old house thread, than a home decorating one. I think I'll cross post there too.

My biggest challenge furnishing-wise is the seating arrangement! How do I get the focus of the room on the big picture window and fireplace, and still have good flow in the room to the Library and DR? DH is the line all the furniture up on the walls kind, but we've done that for years and quite frankly it looked bad. I liked the loveseat under the big window, mainly because it's the brightest natural light spots in thr room, so it makes a good reading perch.

Even though I really shouldn't buy furniture, especially accessories, for the room until we're much closer to ready, I do have a serious lust for the photographer's tripod lamp at Pottery Barn. Both my DH and DD hate it, but I don't care! I think it's awesome. I might get it as a birthday present to me next month!

I have a large file of "house stuff". I think I'll go through it and put some of the ideas in my photo album, so we can talk styles a bit better.

Always ;-)
Hunzi

Here is a link that might be useful: Stuff Hunzi Loves
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Congratulations on your new house! It looks beautiful! Very exciting especially since you are starting fresh with new furniture. This is how I would approach it. Do not repaint now - agree with jck910 -- pick your new paint color when you have chosen most of your furniture and big things like rugs and when they are already in place in your house. You want the stuff in the room when you make your wall color decision. For each room, think about what you will be doing there, how many people usually would be using that room. For example, in the living room -- will you be doing your tutoring there? How many kids at one time? Will there be a TV there? How many people will be hanging out most of the time? Function will determine what kind of furniture you need. Measure everything and create a furniture layout. Maybe start a new post to get input on furniture layout for each room or multiple rooms together if open layout, or continue on this post. For the entire house (or at least the rooms that are in view of each other) - decide how would you like it to feel. For example, do you want it to feel light and airy, colorful and joyful, dark and cozy? Create a Houzz ideabook or pinterest board for each room. Look for commonalities in the pictures that you save. Do you tend to navigate towards bright rooms or dark rooms? Do you like heavier vs lighter looking furniture? Are you more modern or traditional? Based on 2 and 3, create a mood board for each room. Like what HU-187528210 has created for you. Go online shopping and save pictures of furniture you like. Keep the dimensions in mind, always consulting your furniture layout in #2. I don't buy big pieces of furniture that I haven't physically seen and touched. So eventually, you would need to try them out. Once you have picked out your furniture, always a good idea to tape on the floor where they will go so you can get a feel if the size is right. I also like to use empty boxes to visualize in 3-d if the dimensions are right or too big or too small. While your layout in 2D is a starting point, you need to get a real feel for what the furniture would be like in your space. Finishes and color schemes next (or maybe simultaneous with 4 and 5). Example, for sofa, fabric or leather? If leather, cognac or dark brown or black? If fabric, what color - plain or patterned - what kind of fabric? Rugs - do you want them to be in the background or do you want them to make a statement? Consult your Houzz ideabooks/Pinterest boards/ your own mood boards when making selections. Keep going back to # 3 - how do you want your place to feel? Then accent furniture, lighting, window treatments, wall art. Start with the fundamentals (sofa, dining table/chairs) because this whole process can take years! Especially if you are indecisive. Of course, hiring a talented designer who will do this for you will make the process much faster and easier. But if you are like me, I enjoy the journey. Lots of mistakes along the way too (designers should save you from these mistakes) but I think of them as learning experiences. But careful planning should minimize mistakes.
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What a beautiful house! In the main room the most glaring dated item is the fan. I am a big fan (lol) of ceiling fans, they save me many $$ in AC costs - but that one is a 1970s throwback to 1900 and not at all suited to the house. There are many suitable styles out there now. The gray-ish looking valances seem to be the wrong color for the room, and clash with the carpet - avoid any but warm grays; you can add any color you like to the walls as long as it is a warm shade. Do you have a favorite? Love blues, greens, cream, yellow? There are many that will work wonderfully with the wood, but warm white is classic for that style house and doesn't need updating. If you choose to use color I would only go with a very pale shade because of that. As for furniture, anything from transitional to sleek modern or simple classic will work, even some vintage pieces in the mix - but avoid "early American" and the "retro faux vintage oak" from the 70s/80s. Be sure to get some pretty, colorful and appropriately sized art for the walls. In the bedroom, I think the carpet and wall color are not awful - they seem a bit dingy, maybe both walls and carpet need cleaning - - it is the clashing ceiling white, and the drapes, that set my teeth on edge. The ceiling and drapes are cool shades, opposed to the warmth of the carpet, walls, and most importantly the wood trim. The ceiling fixture needs to be changed out to something larger and more graceful - or a fan if you would like one. I can't suggest specifics since I've no idea what appeals to you.
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graywings123
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hunzi, you might get get more responses to your threads if you limit the topic of a thread to one issue, post one or two photos of one room, and drastically edit your writing to a paragraph. See if you can get your point across in 100 words or less.

I find it overwhelming to read your stream-of-consciousness thinking and then try to pick out the one or two relevant issues. I stopped reading your second post at this point: A few years ago, my DH was horsing around with my DD one day . . .
hunzi
Original Author
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thank you for your time.
Always ;-)
Hunzi

Paint (and furnish) my house! part deux ( I need color/furnishing

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Paint (and furnish) my house! part deux ( I need color/furnishing

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graywings123

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