Your room is so nice and bright! I love that! Are you using existing furniture/rugs/window treatments? Those things might lead you to a great color suggestion.

Existing furniture will remain. It is modern Scandinavian. And will harmonize with any wall color.

Future flooring, once walls are complete will be a wool blend carpet. The last I decided, it was to be Masland Heatherpoint. This carpet is pretty neutral as well, so should match any wall color.

http://www.maslandcarpets.com/forms/productdetail.aspx?sId=9247&cId=806

(The original 1st floor wood floors have been lost to history. When I moved in, I expected them to be underneath the laminate. But they were not)

I expect window coverings on the picture windows to be cellular shades. Most likely in a natural looking ivory or cream tone, or something equally as neutral. Probably shears in same color (hopefully) for the double hungs since there is not enough depth on those windows for cellular shades to work. Would it be a faux pas to have cellular shades and curtains in the same space?

From design seeds, maybe a color palette like this?

Start by asking yourself what kind of ambience you would like in each room and if you prefer contemporary, cozy, light and airy...

I'm pining towards a navy blue. But frankly, am worried it will create a cave. The dining room can take the color, but I'm not convinced the living room can.

The way the spaces flow together, I feel one color would be better than using two.

So I'm hesitant to go dark in the dining room, and lighter in the living room. But being color challenged, maybe my concerns are unfounded.

Navy would be beautiful! Just keep curtains, upholstery, and accessories light- as in white/ cream. I personally love strong colors and a cave-like feeling (esp. in a 4 season climate)- never boring. Depends on the colors you prefer. A rich green would be really nice too.

Here's a pretty design seed that includes dark blue...

I love, love, love your doorways! I like roarah's suggestion about complimentary colors in the two rooms too.

Thanks everyone for your feedback.

I may have the courage to go with a navy blue in the DR now. I have it somewhat narrowed down to a few choices.

Is there an unwritten rule somewhere that if a room is navy blue, ceiling shall be white? For ease, I'd prefer to have the ceiling paint tinted at about 40- 50% of wall color. Instead of having to match yet another color.

No written rules anywhere. LOL! Go with what you like.

If you have navy mixed at 40-50%, aren't you going to end up with baby blue?

When I had my wall color mixed at 50% (a lighter blue), I ended up with a totally different blue. Maybe better to pick a blue right off the bat that works with your navy.

Excellent point! That could be a very unfortunate turn of events.

What if you did a light greenish gray blue on the ceiling of the dining room and used the same blue on the walls of the living room? It will appear as two different kinds of blues because the ceiling is on a different plane but I imagine they will harmonize quite nicely.

PS in a similar situation I agonized over what colour to paint the interior of the archways. I found the best guideline was to paint the interior of the arch the colour of the room you would enter first from the front door. So for example if front room is light blue and the rear room is dark blue, interior of arch between would be light blue.

Well, navy blue turned out to be a bust.

I painted a couple areas with a sample pot and it was just terrible. Way overpowering and out of context for the rest of the space. Perhaps it was the wrong blue, but I don't know. Regardless, I'm glad I spent the money and time on trying it out, otherwise I never would have known.

I also tried a complimenting lighter color in the living room and that was terrible as well. The way the spaces flow together one color is needed. Especially without any casework on the archway.

The walls are all primed now. And currently, I'm leaning towards BM Bracken Cream (boring I know..). Essentially a little bit lighter than what is on the walls right now with less beige in it.

I would just do a plain true white.

With your floor (and future carpet), the amount of light you get, and your furniture (scandinavian modern) I think white walls may be the best choice. Also, I fear anything creamy will look more yellow. You need something a little cooler toned.

I like the idea of a navy DR, with an ivory/cream, or very pale yellow LR w/navy pillows, an area rug which includes navy, and a few other items which could be cream/navy. In the navy DR, do the opposite using lots of cream to accent. If you would like a little pizzazz, use bits of lime green!

Navy blue DR's..........

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/50172983322985254/

I'd be okay with an off white. Please recommend one or two!

BM Capitol White, which is a wonderfulyl creamy, luscious yellow-based white; BM Bruton White, a wonderful neutral, about 50% gray 50% beige, a perfect neutral, IMO. I did my kitchen with it 0 love it, and i'm right now hanging out at my broker's house killing time, and they did their adult daughter's bedroom and bathroom with it, and it is really stunning. Her bedroom had east, south, west exposure.

Well, I have actually considered both of those colors. But I'm not sure how well the wood trim would look with white walls. I like bruton white but didn't know if it was going to be too dark and/or too grey.

I think a very light shade of white (BM Simply White or BM White Dove) would work well and then focus your architecture (doorways) and furnishings.

If you go with white walls, you can add color in with curtains and accessories. But do add in colors and make it interesting. Maybe that's the way to bring in the blue that didn't work on the walls.

https://www.houzz.com/photos/laguna-cottage-traditional-living-room-los-angeles-phvw-vp~326260

A good old standby.......i've probably used it in at least 4 homes.

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/pm29

@sambah06 My living room has windows and deck doors facing west. My kitchen is open to my living room and faces east. I have light all day long. I chose a paint color that's on the cooler side but it still looks very warm in my living room (BM Going to the Chapel.) So even a cooler toned off white will probably still look creamy in your home.

Same thing in my bedroom. I have windows facing west (and north) I chose BM Olympic Mountains and it looks very warm most of the day.

I'd be very leery of any creamy white with too much yellow, looking, well yellow on your walls.

Tibbrix, I wanted to thank you for pushing on the Capital White. I convinced my friend who is renovating an old home that gets little light to use it. She picked four whites and went with the capital. It looks so great in her space!!!

this is a lousy shot she's renovating but it does show how beautiful and chameleon like the color is.

Capitol White is sounding better and better.

Although I have lots of light, the color of light coming in through the windows is challenging to say the least.

It seems to be turning most everything either a blueish/purple tone, peachy blush, or a sickly green. I even noticed this when looking at carpet samples a long time ago.

Anyhow, according to the BM Color Capture app on my phone the color that came up the most often as best coordinating for my woodwork and selected carpet looks absolutely hideous on the wall. In fact, on the wall it's not even part of the same color family as the chip. Either it wasn't mixed correctly, or the color chips are just way off.

And now that the walls are primer white, I have a much better idea of what bracken cream will look like. And not good..

The struggle continues.

Aktillery, I'm so glad you and your friend like it. I know I've been mentioning it a lot, but isn't it truly an amazing color? I was at my broker's house the other day, new build, and they had painted a bedroom using the Capitol White, as well as the bathroom that goes with that bedroom, which is all Carerra marble type walls and floor. I went up to that room when I was there to see the finished room and bath, and the Capitol White literally took my breath away, in both the bedroom and the bathroom. It is just stunning and all I could think was, I would love to wake up in this room because of that color. It is just a winner of a color, IMO. the whole world should be painted in BM Capitol White! I bet a lot of this fighting would stop! People would be too happy, calm, and serene to keep killing each other.

Maybe you are on to something Tib! ;)

I'm really liking the Capitol White. I think it would look really good in the living/dining area.

Here is one picture of some sample boards. Not really large enough to show context, but it works with the space.

My concern is I think it might not play nice with the color in the kitchen. Truth be told, I'm not in love with the kitchen color but I don't want to repaint. I've uploaded a photo of the sample boards in the kitchen.

Last picture of downstairs bedroom. The plan would be whatever color is in the living room/dining area would flow up the stairwell. So I'd like the new color to play nice with bedroom color. I think it does.

Finishing the stairwell massive painting project is next, and then I can get the flooring all put in and be done with the downstairs.

I also have sampled out a few other whites too, but will save those for later.