Juliehc, it sounds like you're cooking. I like the cozy sound of saturated gray, but a white ceiling sounds both rather harshly contrasting and as if the white will set it off as not belonging with what's below it. That's a cousin to the problem illustrated in those initial pictures of a room that Hhireno so accurately described as decorated for a lower flat ceiling, with the rest just sort of...up there. A lighter neutral paint on the ceiling that was dark enough to blend calmly into the walls, or more accurately walls into ceiling as the eye travels up, would help make the ceiling part of the room. (I like beige with gray and wonder if that would be a place for it.) I was also struck by Hhireno's comments about the effect of furniture shapes in the pictures Palimpsest posted. This isn't the only way to decorate high volumes, but it certainly works exquisitely in those pictures. Allied with that is my own observation that in every one of those designs, which are meant to celebrate their wonderful high spaces and make them look their best (rather than "deal with" or ignore them as problems), is that dark, contrasting colors are kept low, while the rest of their volumes soar with little interruption to their lightness. Julie's going warmer and richer with grays and beiges, with a very different feeling in mind, but I feel sure there're lessons in there anyway.

I see you found the answer . Thank you for liking my closet. No one that sees it guesses it's MDF either. I chose it because of now smooth it is compared to plywood. We were new to woodworking so we'd not discovered carpenters grade plywood like we used to build the bookcases in our library a couple years ago. Linelle I've heard that too about the grit of the sand paper. We usually use the finer grit only between coats of poly. I think I'll edit that above. I was trying to write it while working "in my head" and one always doesn't remember those little details. Thanks!

That's my..well, cal it "recipe" for kids Go to the paint store by yourself. Pick there two-three versions of darker warm blue(a teal?) and two-three versions of purple. But. Don't take bright, nice ones)) these look best on wood in high gloss, and tend to fall flat on walls and look like Barney etc. Pick bleaker, paler, grayer versions of those colors. The ones that look less cheerful.. more "meh" Believe me on the wall they'll be all right.. Of course you should like them yourself. your pre-approval should happen in that store..or maybe in some secret place where you can try samples on paper.. Then present the chips to the kids and ask them (especially important with your toddler)- "Which one you like more: THIS or THAT?" Here. You get the color you like, that will look sophisticated enough, and that your kids chose:) And I have a feeling these will go nicely with your trim too, given bedrooms have same trim. (don't ask painters-in case you don't pain yourself- how many colors a house should have..huge chance they'll say "people usually use two or three". I have 19 or 20, and my house is 1000 sq feet smaller than yours. True, many of them look pretty similar..lol Painters were very surprized,, Usually the bigger the room, the more open the plan-the easiest is to go with lighter paint. whatver it will be Just mind your colors being similar in terms of clean/muddy and warm//cool. Then it will flow)

mnzinnia, thanks! It took me some time to embrace those stepped windows, but now I love how unusual the house is. The front room is not open to the dining room. The dining room is open to the living room, but the living room doesn't have windows other than the sliding doors to the sunroom. I understand, Patricia. I know you feel like I'm putting the cart before the horse and I'm sorry. I presented the case for waiting, but my partner is resistant to the idea, so I'm trying to make selections that will work with the colors we're most likely to use in this house. I hope you'll still help me make selections, even though it's not the order of operations you prefer. I have a fair idea of what sofa I want for this room and I have fabric samples coming. I should have them in hand before we place the order for the drapes. We are awaiting a quote from Budget Blinds for these fabrics: Front room: Left to Right: Front room, dining room, and a slate gray sheer for the master bedroom to be hung in front of the white blackout drapes that are currently installed. (I find it a bit hilarious that we have chosen two circle patterns.) Wave/Ribbonfold for both the front room and dining room. Front room hardware plain white installed on ceiling. Dining room decorative hardware in black (goes well with the bronze that the new windows will have) wall mounted due to the ceiling slope. Triple pinch pleat with bottom tack for the master bedroom sheer, and using the ceiling mounted traverse rods that are already installed. The wall color is Hint of Vanilla, and we're not planning on repainting. We have this color throughout the common rooms in our house - and I checked on here when we were having the interior painted and I was strongly advised to stick with the eggshell-like color, so that's what we did.