We like the Monrowe sofa from Rejuvenation but are undecided on which color/fabric.

Can we see a close up of the chair upholstery since those are driving the bus.

Patricia, here is the chair upholstery. Thanks!

Beverly, that suggestion and visual is so helpful!

If the chairs are comfortable (they look comfy!) I would reupholster those before buying something new. They work with your new (possible) couch. Reupholstering allows you to choose your fabric, which is a huge plus.

Doing that, then shopping for a rug to complement the new couch and chair fabric is the order I would do this. Alternatively, you can fall in love with a new rug and then find fabric for the chairs. You can also paint the wood on the chairs.

Are there colors you love that will go with your new cream colored couch? Pretty much anything will work. (I like the color in your posted photo.)

Which other sofa colors are you considering?

Pretty spool chairs.

Thanks RedRyder! We ordered some swatches for the sofa and we will most likely be going with a light neutral like Ivory. As of now, we are leaning toward SW Sea Serpent for the drapes (a dark blue). I really like the chairs you posted that have the blue design. I'm considering reupholstering. We no longer have someone local who provides that service so it will be a bit of a hassle to get that done but I'm going to see if the Ethan Allen we bought them from will do it. Thanks for your suggestions!

RedRyder, after looking at it again, I really like the entire blue and white room you shared. I might use that as a template.

Where is the blue coming from ? You do not just pop a color into a space for drapes with no connection to anything else. That blue and white space is a very far cry from what you have so I guess you are going to start from scratch and keep nothing in this spac e. BTW the FP will not look good in that blue and white room . I think maybe share what you are doing in the spaces next to this one IMO all living spaces should have some connection to eachother . What is it you do not like in the space now? I think the FP is too rustic with what you have and way too many books on a coffee table that cannot be used form any of the seating. Maybe strat be decluttering all the stuff off the floor needs to go and maybe 3 books on the coffee table and that pulled so the sofa can use it The add a table and lamp bewtween the chairs . I do not like drapery panels that do not have the aboility to close and IMO yours need to be hung differently and the molding above the windows needs to go. Strat with what you have and see what you really need to change .

Why not continue the Greek Villa into here? It would be nice in this room.

I love the photos that Red Ryder posted - you have such a pretty room! I would be tempted to start with a rug you love that goes with the chairs, it might give you the jumping off point you need. A larger square coffee table would be nice - I love the square upholstered ottomans from Annie Selke, we put one in our ”formal” LR and it helped cozy it up

@la_la girl - She can start with a rug and build up, or she can start with a couch and new chair fabric and we can help her find a new rug. I’m so in love with her chairs I don’t want them taken out of the mix.

Greek Villa is a pretty white, for sure.

Walls: B.M. Hemlock

Spool chairs:

Rug: Herringbone wool

Sofa: Mocha leather

Red coffee table to compliment brick.

Art: Minted

Not a pro, but i have a lot of fireplaces in my house, and I find that you really need to stick with colors that work with the brick and (weirdly, but especially) the mortar. For me, finding a paint color that works with my brick and mortar tones has been tough at times. Your bricks look a little purple-ish so you might want to keep that in mind when choosing. The red wall color does work, and I think a white or neutral that picks up the mortar color would also work and be a little more current. I love the way the lighter rug looks in Beverly's illustration and brings the cream to the forefront and makes the red colors recede. It makes your chairs look so much better. I think if you bring in blue, the red fireplace will pop and the room will look more "patriotic" than you might want.

@patriciacolwellconsulting Thank you for the feedback! My contractor said the same about the drapes and I doubted him because they were custom with the help of a designer, although this was 10 years ago. There are vents there she was concerned about covering. Would you be willing to let me know what you would change with the drapes? Your comment was really helpful and I appreciate the advice.

@elcieg thank you for the suggestions! I love that rug. If we decide to go with Greek Villa in this room, do you have suggestions on how we can incorporate color into the room?

Here is a living room with a brick fireplace and a navy couch. I’m not a color pro, but finding a wall color that works with the mortar sounds okay, but the rest of the room can definitely have color in the furniture.

@redryder, that is gorgeous!

I think you need to first decide what you love in the space as it is now. You talk abot the formality you have do you still wna that look or something completely new. Two very different set s of criteria. As for the drpaes no matter what color tey need to be hung close to the ceiling take that goof y trim away then have tehm on rods that span the widthof the window plus a bit the drapes are then 2.5 x the width of the rod and hung so thta you could if you wanted close them .and they would still be nice and full. The sofa you like still has a formal look so that is why I am askig. I think if formal is the plan then the FP needs an redo in a nice travertine or marble facing. If going more casual then the chairs need to go IMO and the FP stays as is . Once you have decided the style then we can really help. Maybe post a couple of pics of the other spaces you have already done that would help us.

@Patricia, of those 2 options I would prefer keeping the fireplace the same and getting rid of the chairs. So, the casual option. Your idea to change the fireplace is tempting because I do love that aesthetic but I don't think that's in the cards for this project. 

We are unfortunately doing all of this at once due to a remodel so I am in the planning stages for the other rooms as well. Nothing is close to being completed yet.

I love your chairs! I'd hate to see you spend the money to reupolster them if they are in good condition. They are neutral enough that I think you can make them work. A less traditional rug will instantly give a more relaxed feel to the room.

If you are renovating one room at a time it is probably a very good idea to build a color palette before starting any of the renovations.

There are literally hundreds of pictures of living rooms that I think are pretty, some are stunning, but only a few would really work in my home and with the other rooms and colors in my home, and you want the whole home to work together.

I generally start with the colors that must stay and the colors that the person who picks the art and furnishings loves.

If you look around your home and at the clothing you wear you can usually detect a pattern. I like teals and purples and wine red. My one sister likes navy and tan, my other sister likes fall colors, the moss greens, orange reds and golds and my sister in law likes pastel blues, peach and soft green.

Do you love blue? Do you wear a lot of blue? Do you own art and décor items that are blue? Will you want to carry the blue through the rest of your home? Is there a color that may be better than blue as the central theme of your home?

I'm sure you know that Greek Villa is yellow based. To work with the warm tone, for a different accent color, as you asked, could be this one:

Could the chairs look good on either side of the fireplace?

Found this inspiration photo and luckily it has some of the blue I like with Greek Villa...lamps.

@jennifer hogan, thanks for your comment. I tend to gravitate toward earthy tones and muted fall colors in my clothes, which I realize isn't reflected here at all. Your comment is making me think!

This is the palette for our other living space, which is where we spend most of our time.

This will be the palette for our dining room, which is visible from the formal living room.

I really like your chairs. I wouldn’t change them. I don’t like your red walls and rug. They are just too bright. I think if you found a rug you love that would work with your chairs and put a more neutral color on the walls the room would look totally different and you may love everything again and not need to change. What is across from the fireplace? I’d like to see that wall, hallway, doorway whatever it is. Maybe a total change of furniture placement if possible. Chairs angled flanking the fireplace and sofa facing it with a sofa table behind?

Just a word of caution; it's fine to line up colors to make a palette. Problem is you may not have considered is the impact of the natural light coming into the rooms. For instance, the dining room palette you have chosen, there are three colors that would not work with south, west or south/west light. None would compliment north light. And only the green would work well if the dining room got east light.

How about some info on what light is coming in which rooms?

If you really want one paint color on the walls, choose one that has undertones that will work with all exposures. S.W. Accessible Beige could be a consideration. It is beige (warm), but leans toward gray (cool), then you choose accents colors for the room's orientation.

@elcieg lighting impacts the appearance of color, but there are not colors that don't work in certain types of lighting.

If you remove the red rug, that will help visualize new items. I think your blues are great and can be added to the mix via a new rug. You can keep the chairs as they are, or consider a different fabric later. The rug is making the room have a specific feeling that isn’t what we think you’re trying to do.

What size rug do you need for the room?

Any light colored rug will change the space immediately. Just some food for thought:

More ideas:

Two others:

I like the color of the two chairs with the fireplace. I would bring in a rug with blues and some soft reds Not really my style or color palette, so I am not liking much of what I am seeing, but for your home and what I am seeing maybe something like this or something similar but more beige than gray in the background.

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/Home-Garden/Lolla-Updated-Traditional-Washable-Area-Rug./36194242/product.html?opre=1&option=69971879

Sofa could be a blue that works with the rug or a neutral and add blue accents.

@Jennifer Hogan, I don't understand. What are you trying to tell me?

but there are not colors that don't work in certain types of lighting.

Jessica - have you decided on which sofa you’re getting? We shouldn’t be recommending rugs without knowing the color of the new piece. If you go with anything in the white/cream/ivory family, the rug can be lots of colors. If you buy a navy couch, we need to move towards different rugs.

@ elcieg - how are you determining that a specific green only works in lighting coming from one direction or another? Any green can be in any room. It may appear more blue in one room or less blue, more green or yellow in another room, but that doesn't mean that it isn't working in a specific lighting. Some whites may be grayer in one room or more yellow in another room, but that doesn't make it wrong, it is just not the same in every lighting.

I think pulling a midtoned neutral color from the grout/pattern on the chairs would look pretty on the walls. Would also work well with Greek Villa in the other rooms.

@Patricia Colwell Consulting by ”goofy trim” are you referring to the crown molding that goes around her entire ceiling? Having a hard time seeing what you’re seeing. @Jessica L. could they be hung a little higher, be a little fuller/longer? Sure. But I’m failing to see them as the colossal miss that Patricia clearly does. They’re fine lol

I'd roll up and store the red rug and then post new pics. You and we will both be able to see more possibilities.

Love the chairs and the beautiful neutral fabric on them. Paint the walls, including on either side of the fireplace, a similar color to the background on the chairs, and add a neutral jute rug. You might even be able to keep the oddly sized curtains when they are not up against a contrasting color. All of this will provide a nice neutral background for selecting a sofa that feels right with the bricks - perhaps a blue fabric will fit the bill.

@Jennifer Hogan, Any green can be in any room. It may appear more blue in one room or less blue, more green or yellow in another room, but that doesn't mean that it isn't working in a specific lighting.

Of course it isn't working. How can you choose green, have it show yellow and say the green is working? I still don't understand your point.

Natural light always to factors in when choosing paint colors. Client wants a green room. So she chooses her favorite green color and puts it on the walls. Oh no! My green paint looks yellow! I don't want a yellow room! Well, she didn't take the natural light into consideration. Would that green paint work in a east light room? Absolutely, because when that fleeting light has moved around to the south, and because green loves east light, it will stay true. Same situation with north light...it doesn't change during the day so a warm color that works with the cold blue influence is the way to go.

Understanding undertones, understanding what the natural light can do to that little sample of green she loved so much, would have prevented the mistake.

Choosing a color is all about undertones and the orientation of the room.

A good read:

https://www.houselogic.com/remodel/painting-lighting/choosing-paint-colors-how-light-affects-color/

@ elcieg

Any green can be in any room. It may appear more blue in one room or less blue, more green or yellow in another room, but that doesn't mean that it isn't working in a specific lighting.

Of course it isn't working. How can you choose green, have it show yellow and say the green is working? I still don't understand your point.

I didn't say it would be yellow or blue the green (blue+yellow) will be more blue or more green depending on the light.

If you go outside and look at a tree, walk around the whole tree, does the east facing side become yellow and the north facing side become blue or is the whole tree green?

A single color in any room will have light coming from different sources and will appear different on every wall and will look different as the seasons change and will appear different on a cloudy day vs a bright sunny day.

Here is a single room that is painted one color, but the color changes from one side of the room to the other and is bright where the sun shines through the windows.

No matter what color they paint these walls it is going to look different on one side vs the other. It will look different in the evening than the morning.

The only color that will be the same in all lighting conditions is matte black (absorbs all wavelengths)

How do you choose a color for the exterior of your home? Each side is going to get lighting from a different direction? Is it a really good idea to test your paint color on all 4 sides of your home and look at it in the morning, afternoon and evening so you are sure you like the color and don't need to tweak it a bit? Absolutely. You are never going to get a color that doesn't look a bit different at different times of the day on each side of your house.

The other thing to remember is as the lighting impacts one color it also impacts the surrounding colors, so the entire palette goes a bit cooler in north light and a bit warmer in southern light. As long as the colors look good together (Don't clash) they will continue to look good together (not clash) if all the colors are cooled or warmed.

If you notice on the Benjamin Moore website they show you paint colors in different lighting, but the colors that they recommend as complementary don't change.

Here is an example created from the BM Website using the same color combination shown in 4 different lighting conditions.

The two colors work together no matter how the lighting is adjusted because both colors are impacted by the same lighting condition.

You can't just say Pale Avocado doesn't work in a room because the lighting is from the north or south, it can work in any room but may look different in one room than another room.

There is nothing in the OPs color palette that makes it unsuitable for any room with lighting from any direction and all of the colors work well together.

@Jennifer Hogan, great simple-to-understand lesson about paint and the impact of light.

You all have been incredibly helpful. We are currently in the process of figuring out which sofa or rug we're choosing. Thanks to you, we are convinced we need to replace the drapes, feel reassured about keeping the chairs and doing away with the accent wall. I will keep you posted as we make more decisions!

You can't just say Pale Avocado doesn't work in a room because the lighting is from the north or south, it can work in any room but may look different in one room than another room.

That's the point. You want Pale Avocado. Here it is.

You don't take into consideration from what direction the natural light is coming? So you will get this instead.

If anyone is interested, I posted another question about changing door casings and whether or not to paint cabinets in a hallway and laundry room: 

Check out this discussion on Houzz - https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6392359/what-do-i-do-about-this-wood-trim-and-cabinets

@elcieg My issue was with your statement that the OPs dining room color palette wouldn't work in this lighting or that lighting . . .

Exact statement " the dining room palette you have chosen, there are three colors that would not work with south, west or south/west light. None would compliment north light. And only the green would work well if the dining room got east light.

So you are saying that, although she likes this color palette, she cannot use these colors in south, west, southwest or north or east light - just the green works for east lighting. That is utterly ridiculous.

There is no reasons these colors can't work in different rooms that have different light exposures.

I agree with Jennifer.

Categorizing human color perception/experience in to northern hemisphere cardinal/intermediate directions is reductive, arguably inaccurate, definitely not quantifiable.