wall paint color help

[lust2hart]

I'm looking for paint ideas for our main living space. We have a fairly open floor plan, with the living room, dining room, and hallway all flowing together - but we also have vaulted ceilings which is just so much area to cover - so you'll see I have an "accent wall" to try to break it up a little.

I went with these colors originally because we moved here from the southwest and had a lot of southwest decor, but since replacing our floors, painting all trim white, and buying a new rug, couch, and bench, I'm not sure the wall colors really work anymore. Especially the lighter one - you'll see in the hallway picture that it goes almost apricot in natural light. The living room window faces west and is 10x6, and the sliding door in the dining room faces east.

I would love some suggestions. I am inclined to do an accent wall again because I imagine all one color would just be way too much, but my DH is concerned about going too dark on that wall.

[flygirl]

I like the light colored walls...the accent wall seems too dark (with the dark wood), Could you just do a shade darker than your lighter color?

[lust2hart]

May 26, 2020 10:40:10 GMT -5 flygirl said:

I like the light colored walls...the accent wall seems too dark (with the dark wood), Could you just do a shade darker than your lighter color?

Thanks for your thoughts! Since installing the new flooring I've definitely thought that the accent wall is too brown, but hadn't considered that it might be too dark (regardless of color). 

[lust2hart]

May 26, 2020 11:24:30 GMT -5 mofongo said:

I would go lighter and cool tones instead of warm. I still love greige colors, you could do a lighter one where everything is currently light and a darker one from the same family on the accent wall if you decide to keep it.

This had been my thought too. I took another picture that is better representation of the two colors against the rug. Do you have any specific suggestions? I really struggle with wall color. 

[sotally tober]

I would definitely get a few samples that you like and do swatches on the walls to see how it looks in different lighting. We're getting our house painted this week and I have 5 colors in at least 6 areas of my home to compare. Thank goodness I did because one looks totally purple in certain light.

I agree with others that colors to lighten it up would make a huge difference in your space, especially with the dark wood. I know accessible beige was really popular for awhile, that's actually what the builder for our home used - it might be a good option for you?

[TR]

I'll be the dissenter and say I hate accent walls. I feel like they box in the room instead of creating a more open feeling space. I think all one color would be fine and I'd go light with the dark wood beams and dark floor creating contrast at the top and bottom of your rooms.

[alicethellama]

We have a similar floor plan with vaulted ceilings and bamboo flooring that’s maybe just a bit lighter than yours. I think with the dark floors a lighter wall color would work better, and I’d skip the accent wall.

We went with a neutral cream and I haven’t gotten tired of it in 10 years, and it’s been versatile as we’ve changed out decor. Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois is a nice neutral that doesn’t read peachy.

[Roc A Bee]

I don’t like accent walls. I would paint in all one color. I like the white trend, so I would find a light color for all the walls.

[flygirl]

We have dark wood in my house and painted the walls SW Versatile gray, which seems more beige than gray. I painted my mud room one shade darker with SW Perfect Greige-the lighter version definitely brightens up the space

eta-Im not a huge fan of accent walls either-I think it draws your eye there whether intended or not 

[mich1]

I think accent walls have passed their time.

We painted the entire interior 3 years ago and the painter suggested one. I did not like the look, and thought that they would look dated in a few years. As we have an open first floor, I needed to take the quartz, backsplash and tiled entryway into consideration for color. As the house was painted peach, the tiles were a color to enhance this.

Our house has a lot of windows that overlook a wooded area (so they are never covered) and light wood, so we could go slightly darker for paint. I chose BM Thunder, which really is not a true grey, and because there are beige tones in it, it goes a long way to making the residual peach look beige.

[lust2hart]

Thanks for the feedback. One thing I forgot to mention is that I had also considered painting the hallway (which includes the wall that my cat is sitting in front of) one color, and then the living/dining room walls another color.

I swear I'm not completely opposed to painting it all the same, but I do like color and the thought of painting everything cream or beige just seems so boring! But, I do have a lot of color in the rugs and furniture and in the artwork, so maybe it would look okay.

[janegold]

We recently used BM Titanium and BM Paper White (on two different projects). They are both “barely there” type of colors but I love them. Just a bit more visual interest than white, but still make an impact, especially when contrasted with crisp white moulding.

[TR]

May 26, 2020 12:56:31 GMT -5 lust2hart said:

Thanks for the feedback. One thing I forgot to mention is that I had also considered painting the hallway (which includes the wall that my cat is sitting in front of) one color, and then the living/dining room walls another color.

I swear I'm not completely opposed to painting it all the same, but I do like color and the thought of painting everything cream or beige just seems so boring! But, I do have a lot of color in the rugs and furniture and in the artwork, so maybe it would look okay.

I like thinking of light, neutral walls as a blank canvas. It allows the pieces of furniture and art that you choose to display in your home to stand out and not have to compete.

[TBM]

I don't think that accent walls are necessarily passe...I have seen a lot of new designs with dramatic accent walls of either larger scale pattern wallpaper (more like murals than wallpaper... giant flowers, etc.), and dramatic paint colors.

I think you have to really make an accent wall a feature though... there has to be something there that is the main focal point in the room.

We have an accent wall in our living room. It is the wall that you see when you walk into the house, and is the only wall without doors and/or windows. The ceiling in the living room is 12ft, and we have art where we can fit it, but there accent wall is a gallery wall and is covered with art. The BM Avalon Teal is a great backdrop for our art and makes me happy. It looks good with the BM Whisper on the other walls, and it is what makes it feel like home to me. We get a lot of compliments and comments on it... mostly of the 'I love the color but I am too chicken to use a color like that in my house' variety.

We used the same color on the tiny wall at the end of the hall too. When the hallway was just the light neutral it felt boring to me. I wanted it to feel like it wasn't a forgotten space, and the accent wall at the end with the art that is on it feels complete.

[lust2hart]

May 26, 2020 18:31:12 GMT -5 TBM said:

I don't think that accent walls are necessarily passe...I have seen a lot of new designs with dramatic accent walls of either larger scale pattern wallpaper (more like murals than wallpaper... giant flowers, etc.), and dramatic paint colors.

I think you have to really make an accent wall a feature though... there has to be something there that is the main focal point in the room.

We have an accent wall in our living room. It is the wall that you see when you walk into the house, and is the only wall without doors and/or windows. The ceiling in the living room is 12ft, and we have art where we can fit it, but there accent wall is a gallery wall and is covered with art. The BM Avalon Teal is a great backdrop for our art and makes me happy. It looks good with the BM Whisper on the other walls, and it is what makes it feel like home to me. We get a lot of compliments and comments on it... mostly of the 'I love the color but I am too chicken to use a color like that in my house' variety.

We used the same color on the tiny wall at the end of the hall too. When the hallway was just the light neutral it felt boring to me. I wanted it to feel like it wasn't a forgotten space, and the accent wall at the end with the art that is on it feels complete.

Yes, I would love to do something like this - navy, hunter green, deep teal - but my DH has given a strong veto to that, ha! Maybe I can do it in a bathroom.  

[Aloe Vera]

I dislike wall colors that vary vastly or that are different for each room like red bedroom, green bedroom, blue bathroom. You don't decorate and add color to your home with paint on the walls. The decor (curtains, pillows, art, rugs..) is what is going to bring color to the space.

[TBM]

May 27, 2020 10:05:49 GMT -5 Aloe Vera said:

.... You don't decorate and add color to your home with paint on the walls. The decor (curtains, pillows, art, rugs..) is what is going to bring color to the space.

Some people do, some people don't.... there isn't a one answer fits all to paint and decorating.

If everyone decorated and painted the same way, it would only suit a portion of them. I can appreciate that others have a different style, different preferences than mine, and I want to see homes that reflect the people who live there, whether that means colorful walls or not, colorful accessories or not.

[snipsnsnails]

Another option is to paint the beamed ceiling a dark navy or black, leaving the wooden beams, and then the trim and walls a bright white. It would look dynamite with your rug!

Attachments:

[lust2hart]

May 27, 2020 20:34:02 GMT -5 spearmintleaf said:

May 27, 2020 10:05:49 GMT -5 Aloe Vera said:

I dislike wall colors that vary vastly or that are different for each room like red bedroom, green bedroom, blue bathroom. You don't decorate and add color to your home with paint on the walls. The decor (curtains, pillows, art, rugs..) is what is going to bring color to the space.

Plenty of people paint their walls in color and it can look fabulous.

OP, if you like color, start thinking about what colors you would like. If your furniture is very colorful, you’ll want it to balance out somehow. Look around at your rugs etc and see which colors you’re drawn to. I sometimes sit with samples on my walls for weeks, trying to strike the right note. No rush!

That's a very good point! 

I'd been thinking about something like Sea Salt from Sherwin Williams, or some other kind of gray-aqua. But I'm not sure about using that all the way down the hallway. 

[lust2hart]

May 27, 2020 21:10:57 GMT -5 snipsnsnails said:

Another option is to paint the beamed ceiling a dark navy or black, leaving the wooden beams, and then the trim and walls a bright white. It would look dynamite with your rug!

I love this! There's zero chance my DH would go for this look, but I think it's awesome.  

Good to see you on here, snips!! How have you been? 

[snipsnsnails]

May 29, 2020 9:10:04 GMT -5 lust2hart said:

May 27, 2020 21:10:57 GMT -5 snipsnsnails said:

Another option is to paint the beamed ceiling a dark navy or black, leaving the wooden beams, and then the trim and walls a bright white. It would look dynamite with your rug!

I love this! There's zero chance my DH would go for this look, but I think it's awesome.  

Good to see you on here, snips!! How have you been? 

Ha, it was worth a shot! I see those gorgeous nesting end tables, white-wood paneled stairwell, and cute rug-it’s a total vibe, but definitely not an easing in going straight to a dark ceiling;)

We’re doing ok! I keep saying this quarantine has been like A Tale of Two Cities-“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity....it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us...” The highs are high and the lows are low.

How’s your job? Higher ed, yeah? That’s gotta be bananas! I’m so glad to see you on here! I try to pop in every few days or so, when I’m not schooling my trio and amassing my Animal Crossing fortune, that is. 😛

[simpsongal]

Have you considered turning the rug and floating the couch by the stairs a bit forward? I think that would make the space feel even larger. It looks like there is more space between the dining table and couch than needed, so I’d try to claim that for more living room space (hope that makes sense). I think the scale of your tv stand and furniture on the accent wall are a small for that huge wall/ ceiling. A pair of bookshelves or something else with height would be a great way to frame the living area from the dining and compliment the height of the wall.

If you want to make a modest change, I’d try a blue accent color instead of the beige, so it’s not all cream. I like to keep hallways light so I wouldn’t be in a rush to paint unless the undertones just can’t work in the room.

[lust2hart]

May 30, 2020 10:05:24 GMT -5 snipsnsnails said:

May 29, 2020 9:10:04 GMT -5 lust2hart said:

I love this! There's zero chance my DH would go for this look, but I think it's awesome.  

Good to see you on here, snips!! How have you been? 

Ha, it was worth a shot! I see those gorgeous nesting end tables, white-wood paneled stairwell, and cute rug-it’s a total vibe, but definitely not an easing in going straight to a dark ceiling;)

We’re doing ok! I keep saying this quarantine has been like A Tale of Two Cities-“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity....it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us...” The highs are high and the lows are low.

How’s your job? Higher ed, yeah? That’s gotta be bananas! I’m so glad to see you on here! I try to pop in every few days or so, when I’m not schooling my trio and amassing my Animal Crossing fortune, that is. 😛

Thank you - we made those! 

Yes, I'm in higher ed, and on April 20, moved out of direct student services and into IT, so, out of the frying pan and into the fire! Right now we're moving forward with classes being in person this fall, but who knows what the next month or so will bring, after Memorial Day weekend and all of the protests. Honestly I'm thankful I don't have to make these decisions, since I can't even figure out what color to paint my walls, LOL! 

[lust2hart]

May 30, 2020 15:38:59 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

Have you considered turning the rug and floating the couch by the stairs a bit forward? I think that would make the space feel even larger. It looks like there is more space between the dining table and couch than needed, so I’d try to claim that for more living room space (hope that makes sense). I think the scale of your tv stand and furniture on the accent wall are a small for that huge wall/ ceiling. A pair of bookshelves or something else with height would be a great way to frame the living area from the dining and compliment the height of the wall.

If you want to make a modest change, I’d try a blue accent color instead of the beige, so it’s not all cream. I like to keep hallways light so I wouldn’t be in a rush to paint unless the undertones just can’t work in the room.

Thanks for your thoughts! I agree there's some wasted space between the dining table and the living room - I'm hoping to get a bigger table within the next couple of years that will fill the space a little better. I'm also working on replacing the striped couch with a couple of chairs, so that will open things up a little more. 

My DH has often talked about putting something higher up on the big wall, but I just don't know what to put there. I feel like it would have to be quite large to not look ridiculous. I would actually love to cut a window into that wall!