Painting a small DC rowhouse w/open Mudroom/Kitchen/Dining/Living
Hi! My name is Jennie and I'm afraid of color lol. I would like to embrace some color as we redecorate our space but I'm stumped by how...1. all the wood details don't want it to get too dark 2. where do you delientate between the living and dining and kitchen and mudroom spaces - like can the living room be one color and dining another. We are keeping the big wood table and modern dining chairs...everything else (rugs, sofa, etc) is being switched out for lighter neutrals. We've been looking at some sage-y greens or rose/tan color?
For reference one photo is looking from front door, second it from the kitchen looking towards the front door.
Comments (9)
PROlast monthThis is one of my faves for just this situation I cut it 25 -50 % often for a less intense shade but it looks great with wood and is IMO a true neutral have never found a color thta does not work with it. It is a BM color IMO all one color will make the space feel larger and allow all the different decor from space to space .
Related Discussions
Cross-Post: Modern Aesthetic in 1906 House/Help w. Living Room
Comments (20)Some people have seen these pictures ad nauseum, so I apologize, but I am a big supporter of both honoring the historic fabric of the structure while furnishing the house for your own aesthetic, for comfort, for whatever. My apt is 1838 so most of the units never had any kind of ceiling fixture at all, and the first floors at some point had a chandelier mounted at the medallion. Only the Gentleman's Chest and the Japanned cabinet on stretchers would be vaguely "period" in this room, all the rest is modern. (The wing chair is the wrong period, too). But when I bought this place I actually emphasized the 1838 by stripping anything off the perimeter that wasn't period. In the hall I did put a fixture that was at least "more" period appropriate, although modern fixture would be okay too. The public hallways mostly have fixtures like this: And I think something like this could work in your LR if you did not want another large drum shade. I would consider putting the current LR fixture in place of the small bell at the vestibule door, if you don't store it away. Personally I like the tension between historic elements attached to the house vs modern contents....See MoreLayout Advice Welcomed -- Kitchen/Mudroom Expansion
Comments (9)The island will not seat 4 as currently shown. An island can never seat two people at a corner. All them legs from island, stools and people on two side can't fit under the counter. You can start to see it in the drawing with the stools actually overlapping the island legs and it gets worse with people - legs and knees for the two around-the-corner diners can't overlap under the counter. The corner of the table, the desk and the island is pretty tight. The small ?shelves? look less than two feet away from the corner of the table. I'm not sure anyone will be able to get through when the table is actually occupied. The desk will need a chair and I wonder if it will cause a big snafu with the table chairs and the island stools. I believe some of the assumed sizes of appliances may be off in the drawing. The sink looks like a 24", the ovens look like 27", the range and ref look like about 30". It's always hard to tell but that's what they look like using one of the marked 36" cabinets as a ruler. The one foot deep cabinets will make seating on the far side of the island an issue. Roughly, seating with a walkway takes a minimum of 44" from the counter edge to a BLANK WALL. It looks like you may not quite have that much to the cabinets - a lot of the time, a cabinet plan actually shows the size of cabinets without the doors on and certainly without handles. When you have cabinets behind stools, it's nice to be able to use them. Generally you need to leave at least 54" but with a pair of 18" doors to open, I'd consider leaving 60" because its a main walkway to the outside and will be in the route to the drinks. Combining a pantry and laundry might not be a great idea. The requirements for the two tasks are different. Pantries should be dark, laundry needs a lotta light. Laundries tend to be overheated, and overly humid. Pantries like cool and dry. Add in that laundries produce a fair amount of dust and possibly perfumes - cheerios that smell like Tide? The spacing issues and circulation need some thought. People will want to use that corner between the living room, table and desk for circulation go to/from the kitchen. People will use the walkway from the front door to the back door -or- around the top or bottom of the island if you don't have any other way to reach the back deck. Maybe think of changing the use of the spaces? Living becomes dining, family becomes kitchen, kitchen becomes family. I would tell them to go fish and try again. just bad wit If the kitchen is the heart of the home, that island is a clogged artery....See MoreA Rowhouse Kitchen Renovation: Planning Stage
Comments (57)The powder room question is a bit of a stinker. We've woven back and forth on it for several months and finally fell on the side of keeping it. On one hand, we feel that we under-use the room, and we could really up the "wow" factor on the first floor by removing it. On the other hand, we have also admitted that it does have current and future utility, and we feel like that we should be exceedingly reluctant to spend money to remove a functioning bathroom from a 1.5 bath house with enough bedrooms to accommodate a family. It's both a shame to eliminate it, and a shame to leave it in place, but for entirely different reasons. An idea occurred to me while musing over the suggestions that have been made. What do you think of this as an approach? Suppose that we leave the PR in place, and build the kitchen around it. This eliminates all the outstanding repair issues the house has (all are in the addition) and fixes our frustration over the kitchen. We don't reclaim the back view we might have had, but we can address light issues with some combination of improved lighting, side windows, and skylights. I think we could also minimize the offense of the wall the "sticks out" by decorating it - maybe we put something of visual interest on the wall, or perhaps we use it to hang some pots: At the completion of that move, we've got a functional kitchen, and a functional powder room. Here's a rendering I made while playing around, which incorporates some of the smaller modifications suggested - move the sink to the long wall; consider a larger sink; vary the size of the cabinets; conceal the vent. Once kitchen project is accomplished, we can build savings back up and decide where we're going next. One idea, per my previous post, might be to cut back the wall that is partitioning the living and dining areas. Another project might be re-configuring the layout on an upper floor to accommodate an second bath. Perhaps when that is done, we decide the powder room is no longer as needed. Or maybe, once we know our final family size and the kid(s) are older, we can drop back to a single bath. When/if we're ready to nix the PR, rather than redo the entire kitchen, we could remove the PR, and repurpose the now-open space to create an eat-in kitchen. Here's roughly what we'd have, if we removed the PR and touched nothing else - the back door and PR window are in the same place. Not that it matters, but I wonder if this may be close to the original configuration of the addition. It would explain what this space was doing prior to the installation of a PR and a W/D stack, with an off-center door....See MoreLiving Room (narrow rowhouse) Follow up
Comments (41)Hi Carrie. Your friend is right. Get the smaller sofa and go from there -- as you say, the current one's time has passed and it's dragging you and your home down. You don't need to have a plan for every square inch of the room -- and honestly I don't know that you NEED to do much, if anything, else. I think when the new sofa is concrete vs abstract -- when you are looking at its color, shape, and texture in your room -- you'll have a renewed sense of what additional touches you want. I may post a thread on this soon as I'm curious about people's process -- I am often a collector of ideas until I get a catalyst piece, then it's easy to make follow-up edits or choices from there. Alternatively I may have a space that's pretty much done but missing something...and when I find it that "something" fits right in with all (or most!) of what I have. I kind of feel like your TBD sofa is that complete-r piece for you but only time will tell!...See MoreRelated Professionals
Glassmanor Painters · Marlboro Painters · Trussville Painters · Waukegan Painters · Hanover Park Cabinets & Cabinetry · Burr Ridge Flooring Contractors · Indian Trail Flooring Contractors · Kirkwood Flooring Contractors · Huntington Beach Window Treatments · Clinton Township Interior Designers & Decorators · Northbrook Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Mahwah Furniture & Accessories · Boardman General Contractors · Sterling General Contractors · Wallington General Contractors
PROlast monthI would not cut up/chop up an already cut up jog/turn/bump space with changes in wall color.....UNLESS very tonal and two would do it and keep the green warm. Ixnay tan
Then add defining rugs that are complimentary and harmonious and make large and expensive upholstery pieces neutral as you like, and add accents in chair, or pillow colors.The DEAD LAST color on the walls that I would want? Tan anything....
Why? The wood trims and flooring.
If you want a green on the walls? Fine you test it and you test warm greens, then add all the neutral upholstery you like.
Jennifer Hall thanked JAN MOYER- last monthlast modified: last month
Actually the warm white color you have harmonizes very well with your "givens" wood floor and trim throughout. To repeat what several others are saying: streamline some elements--new living room rug with warm tones in a less busy pattern. Pull your colors from your art over the sofa. So palettes that have golden browns then the blues from the art:
Chandra Vingel VIN-36803 Rug 7'9"x10'6" Blue/Brown/Gold/Gray Rug · More Info
Then tie your sofa and pillows to art and new rug--reddish gold, blues, gray.
Off-White Wool Blend Lumbar Pillow With Blue and Brown Pattern · More Info
Get a large horizontal artwork for the dining table wall that echoes cream walls, red/gold floors, new rug. These from society6.com. Another landscape would give you the sense of the outdoors at the back of your townhouse.
Or pair two square or vertical art works for dining wall:
If you're ever changing out your dining table, get a round, expandable one to float in dining area. Use round size day to day then oval when/if you have more people to seat. Also try to match any wood finishes you bring in to your warm wood trim. This isn't quite it, but you get the idea. What gives a room flow and harmony is having similar tones and finishes along with wall paints of the same shade throughout.
Coastal Beach White Oak Round Expandable Dining Table 54" · More InfoJennifer Hall thanked housegal200 
last monthlast modified: last monthPainting would maximize what you own in real estate, big time. Should you want to spend money on furniture and art, is up to you, of course. All the orange wood, make it gone. Walls, thinking B.M. Gray Mist.
https://www.blesserhouse.com/i-found-the-perfect-green-gray-paint-color/
last monthlast modified: last monthCharming home.
I love these two colors with wood like yours (and in one, similar brick). I think your style of house is made for colors, especially with the neutral furniture scheme you’ll be doing.
Sherwin Williams Homburg Gray:
Sherwin Williams Pewter Green:
Another I’ve had saved a long time — a fabulous townhouse in Harlem, painted with Benjamin Moore Dark Pewter:
Maybe not going as dark as these, just showing some beautiful, rich colors that really highlight the lovely stained wood. And of course your lighting will be different, these are just examples.I think the right white can look stunning with stained wood, too:
Also love Farrow & Ball Drop Cloth:
In fact, a consultation with Farrow & Ball might be worth considering, if budget allows.As far as what/where to paint, if it was me I’d paint each room we see (living and dining) the same, and might look at wallpaper for the inset wall in your dining area.
I’d probably wait on paint, though, until you know exactly what furniture you’ll have.
lisedv