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Home Decorating Flooring Design Dilemma

Help with floor color to tie together different elements in great room

last year

last modified: last year

We have a Spanish/California Mission style home. We are getting ready to refinish our narrow plank red oak floorng and replacing the baseboards. It is a open concept house which includes the living room, family room, dinning room and kitchen - all one open area. The walls are painted Elmira White. Right now the color of the wood floor is Sedona Red. There are three large sliding glass doors, two small doors and two large arched windows. They are all a light wood and the casings around them and baseboards are a dark reddish brown. The kitchen, laundry room and guest bathroom have a Mexican saltillo terracotta style floor. The kitchen island is a natural walnut. One side of the island connects to the tile in the kitchen and the other side connects to the living room and the rest of the great room. We will not be changing the tile or the island. I think I may want to go with a lighter color on the floor to brighten our open concept (maybe go with the light color of the wood windows and doors and keep the baseboards and casings dark. But I am not completely sold on going with a light color on the wood floors beause I think most Spanish style homes with wood floors are usually a dark color). I would like to have a more cohesive look and am wondering what color I should stain the floor to try and tie in these disparate areas? Thanks for any suggestions you may have. I am including some pictures.

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Comments (10)

Iri
last year
Haha love the cat photo.

Is the trim around doors and baseboards painted? I'd change that if it is. Perhaps go with wall color. It doesn't go with the doors at all.

You can get away with any (normal) oak color for the floors. I think the current color is pretty good with the other different woods. It's that trim that is wrong. (It's not bad with the floors but it is wrong with the doors and if I have to pick trim vs those sweet doors, the doors win.)
louroberts thanked Iri
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
last year
Another vote for painting the trim and leaving the doors as they are and the floor pretty much as it is- provincial and special walnut are two classic stains to try. I’m east coast so would replace the kitchen floor with more oak too but you said that’s off the table…
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Hi would love to know what you ended up going with.
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You’ve got pattern on the floor, pattern in the shower, pattern on the wall, pattern on the counter. Too much! It’s not the colors, it’s the pattern and they are all different styles. You have shiplap and farmhouse style floors and then very modern shower tile. Something has got to go, what is it? That depends on the style you decide. The cheapest option would be to get rid of the shiplap and change the counter. I still don’t like the floor tile with the shower tile though, they are two completely different styles. Good luck
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Yes, Villa Grey looks very Celery on the wall (I have it in a bedroom, North & East light) I would go with SW Alabaster. a warm white that will look whiter in the light and warm, not yellow in the north light. (not to mention, it goes well with darker colors, so if you plan to do a dark accent somewhere, it's very soft. That red wall would look nice SW Naval (a deep clean Navy) Personally, I would paint the ceiling and all the woodwork SW Alabaster for a fresh look, and to open up the space.
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KW PNW Z8
last year
Another vote for painting trim same as wall color but of course with different sheen. Looking at all the pics, the trim is the only element I found jarring.
louroberts
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
Ha Ha. I did not even notice the cat was in the picture! Thank you for your responses. I assume you are saying to paint the baseboards along with the casings?
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
last year
Yes…
louroberts
Original Author
last year
Thank you. What color would you recommend for the wood floor?
louroberts
Original Author
last year
Thank you
amykath
last year
What a lovely kitchen and home you have! I think painting the casings and floor boards the color of your cabinets would be a good idea. That way, they all tie toghether.
louroberts
Original Author
last year
Thank you for your suggestion, that seems to be the concensus.
flopsycat1
last year
Phew, that just made your life a whole lot easier. Paint the wood trim and leave the floors alone. Love the cat…..and the dog!

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