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Paint Design Dilemma living room

Advice on paint colors for built-in bookshelves in open concept?

last year

We've just bought a 70's split-level ranch and as you can see, it needs updating! We plan to paint over the red paint with a white and was hoping for thoughts on the bookshelves. We have a more modern/warm industrial style than these owners. I can obviously have the shelves done in the same as the light walls, but was also thinking of a gray tone for some contrast and visual interest. I'm also wondering about stripping/restaining the white beams. Any ideas would be welcome! I'll need lots of advice on our new fixer upper!

Thanks in advance!

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Comments (5)

Stephanie
last year
beautiful home! for me grey will contrast with the warm wood and not well and is a trend on the way out. also you will need to hire cabinet painters and not wall painters to paint them so that is very expensive. i would go slowly and start with the red wall first. then see how it looks for six months. a lot of people suggest the green family with wood etc so look into that as well. but if it is in good condition i would leave them or just consider new doors on the bottom in a matching stain.
cat_ky
last year
I agree with above. However, I do not like the beams painted white. They sort of stick out and not in a good way. Its a lot of work to strip them, I would have them recovered with a wood of your choice, and then stain them.
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Great comments so far, so thankful for all the different ideas! Perhaps leaving the wood for now, adding some lights and changing out wall colors and adding color with rugs and pillows may be the best option... I believe the wood is maple but I'm not sure we haven't closed on the house yet just trying to gather some ideas on which projects to tackle first. Sadly, there are no hardwoods under the carpet. We were thinking of putting the TV above the fireplace.. Love the idea of adding a wood mantle though! If we leave the wood alone for now what wall/trim colors would you recommend? I love the look of the "country farm house" style
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@elcieg, wow, a lot of negativity here! Yes, I am a professional color consultant; I actually worked for Sherwin-Williams as a color consultant and have worked almost exclusively with their colors for nearly 20 years. I am not contradicting pairing Accessible Beige with Misty; however, I believe it is a poor choice for the author's living space as described. I have no problem offering personal advice with professional confidence. Perhaps you've noticed by now that I had offered @janesterly some color options for her space. Also, you misunderstood: gray with blue undertones (in lighter shades) gives off a baby blue vibe -- and I stand behind that statement!
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apple_pie_order
last year
Beautiful place.

Are you replacing the carpet at this point?

When choosing a white paint to go next to the stone fireplace, choose one that does not make the fireplace stone look grimy. In other words, not the bright white that was used on the beams. I suggest priming over the red paint with 2 or three coats of white primer. Then sample some off-whites on foamcore boards you can move around. I would start with sampling any leftover cream paint from the hallway. That cream is a much better choice for the beams than the bright white they used.
arieleleven11
last year
last modified: last year
Thanks All!

Sounds like we all agree to get rid of the red wall first :) I like the idea of priming the cabinets and then seeing how we feel with them in a "white family" of colors. Good idea to replace the beams - the bright white is so jarring. In our current home, we used White Dove for trim and Revere Pewter on walls, with warm wood floors, which actually made it all feel warm and not sterile. I want to see if White Dove could be a good choice with the light in the new house since it's a warmer white without a strong undertone.

Possibly lighter shelves up top and a darker tone for the cabinets (and new doors)? We'll also likely repaint the kitchen cabinets white so I am a little worried about white walls, white cabinets being too much? Possibly a darker grey/green on lower cabinets with white shelves and/or white with colored backboard?
arieleleven11
last year
And yes, we'll likely replace or remove the carpets.....

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