painting my interior house and redecorating with color
Currently my interior home walls are a warm brown/beige color. I used three colors of the same color family last time we painted. Would like to do the same but get a lighter look and use the gray family.. We have a large brown leather couch and chair, Off white kitchen cabinets, dark countertops of quartz. Our other couch is large gray with blue, taupe neutrals in it. (Not obvious). I love different colors of blues and reds (from raspberry, cranberry, etc) for throw pillows, throws. We need to recover the ottoman (4 ft square upholstered). We have a large stone fireplace, open floor plan with master suite on one end of the house and 2 bedrooms and bathrooms on the other end of our ranch.
We get a minimal of natural light due to a front porch and a rear carport. We have a boring red brick ranch that is extremely well built and well maintained.
1. Find the three cool gray colors to paint the interior house.
2. Find the accent colors to flow thoughout the house and somehow coordinate.
3. Any other suggestions to get more natural light into the interior.
Comments (38)
juliA
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoRelated Discussions
Painting the entire interior of a house...
Comments (4)Will there be wall space above the kitchen cabinets? If so, you can paint Beach Glass up there as well as in the powder room. You say there is a lot of light, does that mean windows on several sides of each room? Even if the windows are large, if they are only giving you light from one direction you have to be aware of the shadows that will be cast and thus making your ivories or creams look dirty. I figured this out when I was working on my bedroom that has a huge atrium window. I finally "got it". I would look at the BM Affinity colors, they really are designed to work in an open space because they play so nicely together. Have you ever considered hiring a professional color expert? As Maria Killam had said one time, she could have done a color consultation for someone cheaper than all the money they spent on samples....See MorePainting interior of house
Comments (4)Well, when you are a painter you will find that some of the customers just don't like sheen. The shinier paints bring out the flaws in the wall surfaces, but some of them just don't like shiny walls regardless of the condition of the walls. Manufacturers these days are pushing the durability of the matte finishes as if they are as durable as the eggshells. Sherwin Williams does not do this as much as Benjamin Moore though...you can see right on their website that they claim the eggshell is more durable and the shinier the paint, the more durable it is. But, when you are getting ready to paint your whole house, you need to consider what you want from your paint before you get going. Are you actually going to be washing your walls? Is durability really that important? How many kids and giant dogs do you have? Are you the kind that washes walls or would you rather just repaint every few years? I find that a lot of people think they want washability, but then they call me and ask for some touching up and I ask them if they ever tried washing instead of touching up and they always seem to answer 'no'. Another thing to consider is how do you feel about shine? Do you like a flat or like a little bit of sheen? Some people consider non-shiny paints to not look professional or like apartment paint. I will say though, that about 70 percent of the jobs I do for people is eggshell, 25 percent matte and the last 5 percent is dead flat....See MorePainting interior of house to sell....no RPewter or ABeige, please!
Comments (6)You might look at Sahara Desert Sand. https://www.walmart.com/ip/ColorPlace-Pre-Mixed-Ready-To-Use-Interior-Paint-Sahara-Desert-Sand-Semi-Gloss-Finish-1-Gallon/45297717?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227038981983&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=92170930337&wl4=pla-183824904497&wl5=9011064&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=45297717&wl13=&veh=sem...See MorePainting interior of house
Comments (10)Any competitor like Sherwin Williams and PPG can do a color match and the price of the paint will be cheaper without forfeiting the quality of the paint. I don't believe this, lol. ;-) My builder used Sherwin Williams in my house, and it's terrible. My husband and I tried to obtain sample pots from SW, to give them a second (and third) chance, and they refused, saying, "I can't sell you anything less than a gallon." Our second and third requests were at different stores, with different employees, with at least a year's worth of time between. The mom-and-pop shop that sold us our Ben Moore sample pots was fantastic. The paint stays on the wall, unlike the SW junk. Maybe the painters watered the SW down too much, maybe it was the cheapest line SW offered, maybe this-that-or-the-other, but BM won us over with good customer service and nice paint. I won't be doing Aura, but the Regal Select is still very, very nice. Oh, and a tip that might help others out there... Sometimes the prices online aren't the prices you'll pay in person. BM's website says sample pots are $10 each. I paid a little over half of that at a local paint place. Part of that might be my geographic location, or maybe the guy behind the counter thought I was cute, or perhaps I saved some coin because they weren't shipped to my house; I have no idea. lol...See MorejuliA
5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
PROBeth H. :
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoI actually like your peacock blue wall. Looks nice w/your wood. However, I would declutter just a tad. let the fireplace be the star without all of the foo-foo around it and on top.
did you want to change that? what if you went darker
and maybe lightened up on the rug w/something diff?
or, if you like the rug colors, maybe a rich raisin or cranberry shade?
or, paint the wall black, the other walls a soft white, bring in a new rug, new lighting.
juliA thanked Beth H. :juliA
5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
5 years agojuliA
5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
I didn't straighten up prior to pics, altho I do have some extra clutter when everything is put up:)juliA
5 years agojuliA
5 years ago- PRO
Beth H. :
5 years agoall I meant w/the declutter comment was in the bedroom around the fireplace. not the entire room. it's a beautiful fireplace and I like the wall color around. all the little stuff on top and next to it detract. that's all I meant. cat ky, no one said anything about making it cold and sterile. for the bedroom I still like the idea of the accent wall with one of the suggestions I mentioned, and the other walls a soft white.
Julia, are you just looking for new wall colors for all of the rooms? I agree about forgoing the grays. unless, you can get a sample of this one. Pale Oak by BM. it's lighter than your beige, has a little gray to it, but not that battleship color gray.
looks nice w/the other colors in this palette.
here it is with white wainscot, dark wood, and a bright entryway. it's a beautiful neutral. maybe try a sample for your kitchen/fam room area. The aloe colors would also work well w/you rug and warm toned furniture.or, see if you like any of these w/the rug
juliA thanked Beth H. : ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoJuliA, from what I can see, now that all your pictures are here, your basic palette seems to be warm rather than cool. If you do choose a gray I hope it will be a light and warm hue, like the one Beth mentions. Paint should be a backdrop that is a canvas for the colors of your furnishings, art and accessories. Your wooden furniture is very dark, and the large, hulking presence of your TV cabinet further drains light from that room, in addition to being "dated". Classical furnishings don't "date", but that TV cabinet does not fall in that category. I would give it away and find a low console on which to place the TV and fill the space around it with meaningful art, assuming that has any interest for you. I'm seeing more organic things, such as the baskets and the trophy heads in the bedroom, rather than paintings. Whatever is important to you is what you should surround yourself with. You say your rooms are dark, but then all the windows are covered tightly with blinds and shutters, and the lights are on. Are you very close to other houses? Even so, very sheer curtains will give you privacy in the daytime without cutting off too much light.
Fortunately your flooring is lighter than your furniture, but again it's a warm color against which a cool gray would look just wrong, and as mentioned it will further drain light and warmth from your rooms. I like the raspberry colored rug seen above, and warm vibrant colors at floor level would look great with your floors and light colored walls. The rug in your TV room is nice, but it along with the furnishings and pillows makes the room look a drab monotone. The pillows at least could be changed to some with more vibrant tones.
Rugs like this one could also be a consideration. esalerugs and rugsUSA have a lot of selections, including synthetic ones which are kinder to the budget.
juliA thanked ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9- PRO
Beth H. :
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoingrid brought up some good points. (I love that last rug!). I didn't know how much you were up for change, which is why I just stuck w/paint. But yes, with your furniture and floors, you need something in the warmer category, or sage greens and soft blues. Not gray-blues.
I also agree about the huge media cabinet. taking that out of the room and doing a smaller console would lighten up that room considerably. that piece is far too big for that spot. Imagine if you had something like this (just the part between the windows) in place of what you have now
the tv is on the wall, you have some simple storage beneath, and a few open shelves for your knick-knacks. for you I'd do a darker wood shelf and maybe a softer white.
same premise. notice the furniture w/the rug and coffee table. you only need a few pillows on your sofa, ditch 3-4 of them. A hanging light over the middle, like shown here^, would also give you some extra lighting.
Here's the rug, above, with some possible colors. since you want more light, try the Creamy or the pale oak or the beige shade. maybe in the kitchen you can do one of the blues
BM SeaFoam
the other thing I would change are the mini blinds. they really add nothing to your room. you have 3 beautiful windows there in the kitchen, and those blah blinds covering almost half the wall. do some sort of roman blind, shade, woven wood, cellular or my fave are these louvered type of blinds. Silhouette or Pirouette in a nice soft white or blue would look great
the last thing I'd do to brighten things up a bit, is spray paint or chalk paint those dining chairs in the same white as your cabinets.
juliA
5 years agoYES, I am painting all the rooms in the house. Love the pillow and rug colors shown aboveas well as the paint suggestions. I can break up the entertainment center and use the columns of cabinetry perhaps in one of the back bedrooms or give to one of my multiple children if they can use it. My husband will like the opportunity to get a larger TV! So thanks for the info. I will mark cool grays off my list . All comments are appreciated. Thanks for taking your time to respond.
We do live out in the country. It was last night when i took the pictures. That is why the plantation shutters and blinds were closed and the overhead lights were on.
juliA
5 years agojuliA
5 years agoingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
5 years agoI'm not quite sure why, but this hallway made me think of your house.
juliA thanked ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
lupins4
5 years agoTake a look at BM Collingwood. It’s a light greige, but is actually part of BMs off- white collection. Nice neutral...not too light and not too dark.
juliA thanked lupins4juliA
5 years agoChanges I have made to my entertainment center so far. More pieces to go if I can figure it out.
juliA
5 years ago
decoenthusiaste
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoWhen you decide on a color, you can still pull it through your home if it is a good neutral. Use the darkest shade on the color strip for your rooms that are open and have good natural light. Use the lightest color for spaces like closets, hallways, bathrooms, laundry, where there is not such good light. The mid-range tones from the color strip will do well in your average lit rooms. I think your rich wood tones would look great with greens that work with your peacock dining room. You can cut the lightest shade with 50% white for ceilings if you like that idea.
juliA thanked decoenthusiaste
partim
5 years agoYou've made improvements for sure. One thing I noticed is that your decor items only seem to fill the bottom half of their spaces. Think about looking for taller/larger items that fit their spaces better. Or put some large books or boxes sideways and place smaller items on them. I did a bit of a photoshop here, and placed one of your large red books sideways, with the 3 silvery items (vases?) on the book, grouped a little closer together.
Also, I'd remove the bowls/baskets from the tops of all shelving. It makes it more imposing and draws the eye up, where you want to keep the eye lower down.
For your books, group them by size with the tallest books on each shelf on the middle or on one end. Then pull all the books forward so they sit evenly at the front of the shelf. They will look better.
juliA
5 years agojuliA
5 years agoalso a pano pic of our 3rd bedroom we use for an exercise room. Put some the LR couch pillow back there, moved the the dining room table rug to back and the bilateral ends of the original entertainment center to the exercise room.. The open door is a bathroom. Also took some pano pics of the other parts of the house and used editing tools to lighten everything so you can really see the colors. Someone had mentioned the kitchen windows. Obviously this pic was taken during daytime with blinds open.
juliA
5 years ago
pano hall, kitchen, etc. You can see the different shades of a beige, deeper tones, etc.
juliA
5 years agojuliA
5 years ago
cat_ky