White

Different colors or tints/shades of a color could work. For instance, tge framing coukd fade into tge background while the stairs are enhanced. or visa versa. Or highlight the vertical lines

I see now you've updated your original post with additional pics and comments. Wouldn't have suggested cleaning the tile had I seen the floor pic with new under layer. :) Good luck with your project.

I wouldn’t do black or dark brown, I think it would look so chaotic and stark.

Allison’s green would be lovely. Organic and highlights without being bossy.

What an awesome space, lucky you!

Allison0704, atrium has a pre-existing built in fan at the top that takes hot air out and through the attic and one portion of the atrium has windows to the outside. But I'm also having HVAC installed. I've attached a photo of the tile going in. Since the entire house is in disrepair, there's no way to splurge in any one area of the home, so I'm trying my best to make good design choices on a budget! BTW, love your sunroom...I wrote down the green color to get a sample!

Just saw your tile pic added — love it!

I wish it was cost effective to strip the wood. But I can imagine the $$$$ price of doing that kind of work.

Can’t wait to see what you decide!

Awwwe! did you have to show me those pics!! :( absolutely beautiful! I would like nothing more than to strip the wood and have a warm/rich brown natural wood. But husband says no! It truly is $$$$!!! I tried putting wood stain over the current color and it looked like a DIY nightmare, lol. (I was desperate) so I will continue the endless search for the perfect color.

Maybe someday! But in the meantime, I think you have a great vision, the room itself is awesome, and it’s going to look wonderful with whatever you decide. :)

Thanks! Great choice on the tile. Just remember, everything doesn't have to get done (or finished) at once.

Tell us more about the haunted part. Lol. Have you seen or heard anything? Interesting

A favorite green of mine is Crisp Romaine. Green speaks of life and is soothing.

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I'm sorry I don't have a paint color recommendation of my own but I'm digging that green color recommended above. But OMG! You could have the most awesome herb and small veggie garden in that space! Add a little blue tooth speaker for music, some lounge furniture, maybe a bubbling little tabletop fountain. If you want fresh herbs to cook with, put them in raised planting tables with a deep well for dirt, in an L-shape on 2 of the atrium sides that get the best natural light throughout the day. Then put your lounge furniture on an L shape opposite the planting tables, the other 2 walls, and a coffee table or poof to put your feet up. Put any gardening supplies or stuff like that under the stairs where you wouldn't want furniture anyway, and there's not good light for plants. You could grow any herbs that you like to use for cooking (parsley, cilantro, chives, basil, sage, etc), and some veggie plants that don't get very big (onions, serrano peppers, etc). If you ever get tired of, or too busy to plant stuff, clean out the planter table and put a top on it and use it for serving things at a party. And if you hate the idea of herbs or veggies, forget all that and fill the space with lounge furniture, maybe a couple of yoga mats and a balance ball.

I'm so jealous. I want to buy your house!

Gorgeous space! It’s going to be amazing!

The haunted part…To bridget and cat…my husbands grandma died in the back bedroom, his uncle (who owned the house) never removed the bed or sheets she died on (everything the same for 30 years in there) its called the clown room (pics attached) very dark and gloom of doom feeling. My husband just threw out the clown, it gave us heebie-jeebies. my daughters friend said shes had nightmares of this house since visiting it. I refused to ever live here but now circumstances are that I will be. I dont come here at night, a forboding and lonely vibe. I must fix the atmosphere. Funny to talk about on houzz but you asked!

back porch

I suggest priming the atrium walls and trim with white primer. Then it will be much easier to decide on new colors for them. The wall color could match the adjacent rooms and the atrium trim could match the interior trim if you prefer a smooth flow through the house.

If the room where a relative died bothers you, choose new paint, flooring, and lighting after professional cleaning. New paint conveys renewal to many people. Some people ask their church ceremony officiants (or the church of the dead person) for a visit to clear the air, so to speak.

Wow, I have nothing to add either but am looking forward to seeing what you do here, what an amazing space!

Yes, please share when you are done with this renovation.

What geographical region are you in, roughly? The green twining vines on the porches are impressively enthusiastic.

Sorry to hear of grandma's passing I may have been too painful for her (elderly?) son to deal with.

On a different note, it would be nice for older folks moved to a more conducive environment. its just too much for the elderly to maintain a house well and fully. Especially when a couple becomes one. At my age, 62, I often wonder when it will be time to tranition to a less demanding home.

Im looking forward to seeing your progress @Jorie

Can’t wait to see the progress on this very unique home. Check out the Isabella Stuart Gardener museum for atrium inspiration. While this former home was built by a very wealthy woman, the colors, plants, textures can serve as an inspiration.

This house is in San Juan Capistrano, CA (orange county). I certainly will update on progress because I have several more rooms I will need to harrass ya'll with...if you are willing, it would be greatly appreciated! To Allison0704: It seems you know exactly what I'm going through!Thanks for sharing. We threw out the sock monkey/clown combo..:) the 1st chance we had! I saw smudge sticks/sage at sprouts, I think I'm going to do it!

WOOD BEAMS - I'm feeling lighter is the way to go here. Anything dark is looking gothic and drab. However, since the tile is white-ish and the stucco will be white. I don't think also having white wood and white balconies would be good (could be wrong) but this isn't a Grand Hotel.

I'm now looking to paint the wood an off white or a taupe with green undertones. Something neutral, But, I want to stay away from beige, I fear the beige/tan of the 90's!

Neat house! I don't have any suggestions for the atrium... but you will probably want to clear those vines off the back porch- they look grown on/into the porch instead of being on a structure and what kind of appears to be a crack in the ceiling might make the removal a bit of a PITA.

I understand. Hopefully, repainting and some changing, will make it easier for you to live there. Sorry to hear about your grandma. The house can be really beautiful, with a lot of work.

I think y ou need to check out the cost of going with a natural wood finish. ... just to know. Consider that proper prep for painting over that much painted trim is going to cost$$$ and repainting (w/prep again) will have to happen far more frequently than refinishing wood trim.... so it could be that over the course of a couple decades cost is comparable. This suggestion is contingent on quality and species of wood - do you know what it is? Also difficulty of removing paint and what kind of final stain/finish is desired. If a heavy bodied gel stain then you wouldnt have to get off every last bit of paint and a quick simple sanding could suffice. Do you know if it was always painted, or if its paint over a clear finish ? If the latter it could be very easy to remove.

BTW I really have to take issue with the blanket statement "white is timeless." It's timeless only if it's part of the historic style or design esthetic you are going for. This penchant for turning anything and everything white regardless of historic context is actually a peculiarity of the early 2000s. Mrs Pete was spot on with her advice to look what the house is and wants to be, and not impose current trends on it. One thing I always like to do is try to determine what were the original colors and finishes - not to slavishly reproduce it in my reno, but just to use that as a starting point or inspiration. If the original wood was dark walnut for instance (as it likely was in the 1970s) it doesnt mean going out and getting that exact same walnut color but it does inform you that some sort of dark neutral would work well with that architectural style. ONe of the best victorian renovations I ever saw was one where they painted the woodwork a dark almost black charcoal. It was a very modern color but because it was so in sync with the original victorian esthetic (ie dark woodwork) it really looked fantastic - in its own way historically accurate, but still very compatible with modern furnishings and color schemes.

The peppercorn color in one of the above mentioned comments! Use it as bold low maintenance color! then you can use any color you want everywhere else. Almost all decor should have a touch of black/almost black somewhere, even if its a small thing. But in this case it would be a beautiful statement!

Following

What seems to me to be current is mixing in black iron / steel, etc.. in good spots, and reasonable proportions: stairs, window frames...

I would think your brown would be fine, if there were a couple changes like that... stairs? is that more expensive to alter, than painting? idk.

Then transitional/ contemporary/ eclectic ... style yours?

I think of bringing disparate looks together, for example, how that railings have 1 look, risers have another.

If scrolls were replaced with tiles [same as flooring] might that help?

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Green... verdigris is a garden, atrium color. and you could use it around.

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Might be neat and trim look if 2 or more corners had raised beds, at the level of the lower wood verticals - flowers !!

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We have bought two houses where their elderly owners died. This house I had a screaming nightmare the first night!! Saw my daughter outside looking in while she was in Redwood City in her apt. After that I talked to Betty told her we loved the house and would take care of it! Nothing creepy since. That clown doll was awful. Get an architect. This Is a biggy

I would choose a color in the off white family that complements the stucco and the beautiful flooring you are putting down. Plants will look great in such a background. This color will also give you flexibility for changing things up as time goes by.

Poor you, thats too bad.🤣

following

I am following also. I love the off-white or taupe color idea. Gorgeous architecture in that house and once you make it yours it will no longer feel haunted.

I'm repeating what's been said, but can you picture light color, and later what dirt and cobwebs will look like? it . will . come.

There are likely design options to liven it up... the stairs maybe: tiling of the side showing in atrium [or some colorful accent stucco] ... and matching tiles on inside stairs..?

New day, and so I think of dirt -yes dirt- and how greenery and how flowers are the focus. I understand that yours is huge 'framing'... maybe 1 large palm would be great, as you see in commercial buildings/ malls with tall trees ? Make arboretum with succulents/ low maintenance...

Think muted and soft interior colors. Maybe this mirror, or any thing you like, can inspire a palette - needed if framing is seen everywhere.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LX420C7/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?pd_rd_i=B01LX420C7&pd_rd_w=YHvp0&pf_rd_p=54ed5474-54a8-4c7f-a88a-45f748d18166&pd_rd_wg=jFGbU&pf_rd_r=BRX9P8BWXB58N65JQCK0&pd_rd_r=2f49e9a1-9218-4f8f-ac03-f0697ea708bd&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFNSVNPNEIxRURGRzYmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA0NDc2MjUxOEtNM1U1QzBGRzUxJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAwNDEwMzgzRVgyRUM2TEVBSVZNJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsX3RoZW1hdGljJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1

Mediterranean is not out of style. .. I"m not an expert, but I think 'old world' might be what it's called too.

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Think of your house as "before" - on hgtv, the "after" can be so much better, and feel better. On patio, remove everything, dead vines... maybe keep the table?

Brainstorming with you - second floor might seem like a little extra - cause ground floor could have corner planters, flowers, cactii.

so I picture the base of 2nd story tiled in accenting brights - basically only showing to the atrium. The interior hall could be waterproof material.

Could adding appealing 'screen' soften the look of posts? - expert could help install exterior-wood panel, onto 1 side of staircase [showing in the photo] and/or metal screens, in good spot.

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Of course, it's an investment in the property. Do you want to keep some heat out of the house? solar shades...

Don't need more than 1 sliding door? these don't open.------

"PRO /Webber + Studio, Architects: These are fixed panels of double paned glass with silicone joints. The wall does not open."

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Linsteadt “We tried to make it sculptural with tread detailing and the paneling"

Your stairs don't have to have same "framed" appearance as the 'walls' of atrium. This seems doable on your stairs - could be an accent.

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This house is amazing! Yes, update the trim paint color (NOT white) and flooring, but please keep the original features or try to stay true to their design in anything you replace.

Without junking up the place, consider string of outdoor Edison lights.