painting living and dining room in very small bungalow
Hello!
We just downsized to a very small house. 815 square feet. I love it, but it's also been a more difficult transition than I imagined. I want some color in it, but I am stuck. I stare at sample colors and get overwhelmed, especially in terms of the two main rooms -- living room and dining room. People always try to discourage me from using bold colors because they say they make rooms look small, but I've never found that to be the case. I'm open to anything. I'm lacking courage because of the size of the house. I've always been up for picking new paint colors, but this time I'm anxious! I don't want it to look like the paint colors are wearing the house, you know? I'm not much of a decorator. I have a pretty spare style. My friend jokes that it is "monastery chic."
Regarding the pictures, ignore the paint on the walls. I've been trying some sample colors. :-) I really want to use a navy blue in the living room, but I worry it's too much in the small house. What do you think about brilliant white in the living room and then a dark blue in the dining room? Would the white mitigate the dark blue a little, or would the transition between the two rooms be too extreme? I'm not a huge fan of the Greige movement. I am not a fan of anything beige, in fact. I know it has its place. I really do, but it just feels too safe for me. I enjoy paint that has a life of its own, if that makes sense. If you are willing to respond, I really appreciate your time, and I am open to absolutely any color. I know what I like, but I'm not good at being patient enough to explore colors I don't know. Thank you for your time.
Comments (11)
Laurie McCartan
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Painting my dining/living room
Comments (1)Do you have an inspriation pic of your idea yet? Here's a dining room with the colors flipped: http://www.craftsmanperspective.com/images/renovation/diningroom2004.jpg Here's a dining room with red and white: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_TKTLIhBfAM8/SENodAtDQKI/AAAAAAAAAt0/kXpsBbkl-...See MoreFeature walls and painting open living room and dining room
Comments (12)I'd like to suggest that you at least paint all the walls a soft light gray so that your sofas stand out in front of the walls. The simply paint a rectangle on the dining room wall created by painters tape. However, the home still needs some finishing so I have added drapery panels, some wall decor, art and accent tables. You have light blue on the rug and navy on the swivel chair. The dark teal pillows are not working on the leather sofas. Some round elements on the walls could complement all the round spheres of your dining room lighting....See MoreKitchen island as only dining? Ideas for small kitchen/living room?
Comments (3)I don’t know if you ever finished your kitchen, but in case you did not, and in case others come across this thread, I thought I would tell what we did. We remodeled our kitchen using a 24 year-old high end kitchen from a kitchen charity reseller (Green Demolitions). It had a huge island that I could fit into our space if we did not have a kitchen table. I have lifelong knee problems and could hardly rise off a regular chair height, so moving to 24” kitchen stools sounded like a solution. We went with the island, with space for four to comfortably sit. It turns out that my knees don’t much like sitting on stools, either. We are a family of two and take our meals in our recliners, anyhow. The issue became how to have people over and sit comfortably. Then I discovered convertible furniture of Italian design! They make coffee tables that rise up on scissor legs to dining height with tops that swivel 90 degrees and open like a book, doubling their size. There are other designs as well, all creating full size dining tables. We found a leather sofa at Macy’s that has a seat height of 20” and we keep our old dining chairs in the basement to bring out when people visit. Our family room is now easily and quickly converted to a dining room with banquette seating. Here is where I got our table. If you live near NYC there are local choices, too. https://expandfurniture.com...See MorePainting my Living Room/dining room.
Comments (3)A sage green would probably go with a dark blue. Also greens in the lime color would work. I would pick a blue that is much lighter that goes well with the dark...See More
PRORL Relocation LLC
4 years agoIMO,
The character of this house does a lot of speaking on its own, the woodwork is the star and not the walls, I think in this house a soft wall pallet and get creative with the rugs, pillows and artwork/accents. I could see a cowhide rug in the living room for example or a bright modern oriental rug.. here's some ideas:
Laurie McCartan
4 years ago
PROStyldod
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoLaurie, instead of pastel navy blue that would make your room look darker, you could try a blue/ deep cyan wallpaper, like below. We have reproduced your room and existing furniture based on the photos you shared.
If you wish to have the trending navy blue, complement it with vibrant and light rugs, a white or light ottoman. We also added a monochrome wallpaper to bring the room together.
There can be many other possibilities, such as below. Let us know your feedback, or if there are any specific colors you would like to try out. You can also do that yourself here.
Debbie Downer