I did a brown room. My decorator told me to paint the doors the same color as the walls, so the room would flow and not look chopped up. She was right.

I was taught to START with the drapery fabric when working out a room's palette, but have done the opposite, too. I think it's harder, BTW, but our living room is proof that it can be successfully done! Paint up a piece of cardboard in your wall color (give it couple of coats), do the same thing for your trim color, see if you can score a sample of the couch leather (arm protectors?!). Your accent color is sage green... what does that mean, exactly? your trim is that color, your toss pillows, it's a color you really like... 'splain it to me. If you have a sample of it, add it to the wall color and leather samples. Go to the fabric store and walk around. Give yourself plenty of time (1/2 hr. won't be enough), and leave the kids with a sitter! Look for patterns that "grab" you and that work with your samples. DON'T rule out fabrics with dark backgrounds; a common mistake is thinking the background of the fabric must match the walls. UNHUH! all that is required for a good selection is that the wall color and upholstery be represented in the palette of the fabric you select. Hope this helps.

Thank you so much for all these suggestions! I've looked online at all the colors mentioned here, and they all look delicious... now to have fun with paint chips. I'm in Canada so we don't have Lowe's or Calico Corners but I'm sure I'll find something nice up here. Bubbamommie, I love all the colors in that palette you linked me to. Thanks! I take ages and AGES to make these kinds of decisions, as I like to look at it from every angle (literally, in this case) and consider all the possibilities. That's a conflict with the rest of my family, who will point to one shade and say "That's nice, let's get it." But of course these are the same people sho don't notice that there's a new shelf display in the bathroom :) Cameron and johnatemp, thanks for the compliments on the windows. We love them. It was one of those projects that took a hold of itself and evolved over the course of a year. There is blood, sweat and tears in that room - our teens helped us with so much - knocking out the plaster, removing the bricks, staining and varnishing the wood -- tough work but so rewarding, taught them a lot, and we have a new room that everyone loves. Chinchette, I found Beach Haven, and it's lighter than the other suggestions, very pretty - thank you! More to choose from, which I love. Will investigate the real color chips and get back to you! Pam

What colors will you use as accents? Navy and ivory/white or BARN red and ivory/white would work with the brown sofa. If you choose navy, then you could accent with barn red or visa versa. These two browns aren't great together but can still work. IF you can paint, I'd go with a taupe wall color. If you don't paint, it can still work, but limit anything brown being added. A rug with a neutral taupe and/or an accent color will help break up the browns. How you style your room will help determine the colors. So think about your final product. What items, fabrics, etc. will you be adding to the room?