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)
- 5 years ago
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X-Post: Help with living room layout for small bungalow!
Comments (21)Thanks all! We are definitely open to looking for something to replace the media cabinet, but have looked intermittently over the years and had a hard time finding something that closes (DH feels strongly about this aesthetically, and we also have young kids so the out-of-sight-out-of-mind thing is very valuable for both safety and sanity) and is deep enough to accommodate the receiver, tuner, etc.--many of the newer pieces made for flat screen tvs seem to either be intended as bases with the tv out in the open, or do close but are quite shallow. I'll take another look around and see if anything new is out there, though! @roarah, thanks for the photos--your space is beautiful (and I love the window seats!) I can show DH and see if it's worth revisiting the tv on the mantel idea. We'd looked at hanging it rather than just setting it on the mantel, so maybe that would make a difference. We do have a 40" tv and replacing it is not in the cards, though. We've been considering what I think is normal-sized furniture--current sofa is 84" and you might be able to tell from the photos/plan that it has quite a big of space in the room (there's room between the sofa and the bookcase for a light and a side table), so thinking if we go with an 81" sofa (one option in a design I like) that would be a good bet if we keep it on that wall and then get a slightly smaller one (72") to form an L. If we go with chairs instead of one sofa/loveseat--and I do like that look in roarah's room--I'll have to rethink that a bit, though. Off to play with Homestyler--thanks for that tip!...See MoreHelp with small kitchen-living-dining room
Comments (11)Hi chispa, Many thanks for the response! My original idea was removing completely the top right room and merge it with the living-kitchen, but unfortunately the ceilings are vaulted (I saw this after starting the refurbishment). The ceilings rest on the walls so these can't be moved easily (according to a friend who is architect). So I decided to leave it with 3 rooms. Regarding the sink it's right next to the fridge. The laundry is just a way of converting that tiny useless wardrobe (which has its own vaulted ceiling...). I made it about 10inch bigger than it was taking space from the room to fit the washing machine, a drier and the boiler, and allows me to put shelves on the top part for storage. So, considering that this is the plan and walls can't be moved, and the pipes for the kitchen are already on this wall, I conclude after many hours "playing tetris" with the plan and different furniture, that these would be the best distribution of sofa, tv, counter for storage, table and chairs... Unless someone gives me a better idea? ;) Thanks...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 MorePainting two-story living/dining room combo & other questions
Comments (1)Happy for any suggestions!...See MoreRelated Professionals
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PRO5 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:
- 5 years ago
PRO5 years agolast modified: 5 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