What colors to paint my rooms?

calico2222

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Ok, DH and I have lived here for almost 3 years, and we REALLY need a change in our house. Problem is, I have NO talent for painting, color coordination, anything.

So here are a few pics if anyone has any suggestions....

Living room (when you first walk in the house):


Family room (complete with orange curtans:


Dining room (very tiny!):


I'm thinking about leaving this room alone because the wall is just perfect for family pics, etc. We just painted everything white because I didn't have a clue....and I still don't!

BTW, these pics were taken when we first moved in, so there is a LOT more junk in here, but still the same furniture. Also, we replaced the carpet in the living room with laminante wood floors (like the family room) and have a dark blue oriental type area rug under the coffee table.
 

dusty's mom

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This may help you.

http://www.sherwin-williams.com/visualizer/

Think about a warm gold or taupe or shade of tan or more than one shade of tan to offset all the blue.

ETA: You can drag and drop colors into the scene. I used 6523 Denim as the color of your sofas. Play with it until you find something you like!
 

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pushylady

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I like the idea of a pale yellow to offset all the blue of the family room.
How much do these rooms flow into one another? It that floor fairly open plan?
BTW, I love how the chocolate Lab made its made into most of those pics.
 

pushylady

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I played around with the Sherwin Williams website and came up with this for your livingroom:



You can have a lot of fun with it! I don't know if there's an application where you can upload your own actual photos, because that obviously would be very useful.
 

pami

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Thats really nice, Wendy!
I usually go for warm colors or tone on tone colors, those are always my safe choices.
I just have to say I LOVE LOVE your fireplace!!
 

momofmany

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I see a warm taupe in your living to bring out the accent colors in your valances.

I see a pale mustard (sort of like what was posted above) for your family room.

And I see a grayish-blue in the dining room. Nothing that matches your counter too much, but something to bring out that color. Blues look awesome next to natural wood. Then change out the valance to contrast the walls (taupes or whites).
 
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calico2222

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Originally Posted by pushylady

I played around with the Sherwin Williams website and came up with this for your livingroom:



You can have a lot of fun with it! I don't know if there's an application where you can upload your own actual photos, because that obviously would be very useful.
Oh, that looks great! But, do you think it would make it look too much like a baby's room, since the accent color in my living room is pale pink? See, this is what I mean when I say I have NO idea what I'm doing! I also have a big mirror and high table that are black...so will they clash?

I like taupe in the family room. Actually we are thinking about doing one of those half and half walls (wainscoating?) and paint the upper part a light taupe.

One question....how do you change the color of the furniture on that website???

Thanks everyone for your ideas, and keep them coming!!
 

lynsey

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I would take several color swatches from the hardware or home improvement store and put them up on your walls to see what it could look like in natural light as well as lamp light.

Maybe paint one of the walls in your living room red; the wall where the fireplace is?
 
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calico2222

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Originally Posted by pushylady

I like the idea of a pale yellow to offset all the blue of the family room.
How much do these rooms flow into one another? It that floor fairly open plan?
BTW, I love how the chocolate Lab made its made into most of those pics.
It's kind of like an "L" shape. You walk into the living room when you first enter the house and are facing the kitchen (nothing needs done there because it's dry wall with wallpaper and I'm happy with it...can't for the life of me think of what it's called). Once you walk through the living room, the dining room is to your left and it leads into the family room. Our bedroom is off the living room, and the guest bedroom, guest bath and computer room is off the family room.

And yeah, Snickers (the choc lab) is my baby and has to be in the middle of anything I'm doing, whether it's taking pictures, making dinner or going to the potty!
 
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calico2222

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Originally Posted by Lynsey

I would take several color swatches from the hardware or home improvement store and put them up on your walls to see what it could look like in natural light as well as lamp light.

Maybe paint one of the walls in your living room red; the wall where the fireplace is?
This isn't going to happen until after Christmas so I'll have plenty of time to get samples. Red....hmmm...maybe an orangish/red that would go with the orange curtains. It was was a pure red, with a white ceiling and blue furniture I would feel like I would have to salute every time I came into the room!
But maybe a fall red would look good.
 

c1atsite

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Originally Posted by calico2222

Red....hmmm...maybe an orangish/red that would go with the orange curtains.
one site that can be enormously useful (but possibly addictive) is
http://www.myperfectcolor.com/Paint-...com-s/3220.htm if you browse it, i would suggest you limit your time (e.g. 30 minutes max, otherwise it's like a drug (well, for me))

Originally Posted by calico2222

a pure red, with a white ceiling and blue furniture I would feel like I would have to salute every time I came into the room!
remember if you use red anywhere, the experts* say you MUST use a gray primer underneath or else you'll be wishing you did and pulling your hair out

*experts e.g. Danielle Hirsch, Jane Lockhart, etc
 

dusty's mom

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Originally Posted by calico2222

Oh, that looks great! But, do you think it would make it look too much like a baby's room, since the accent color in my living room is pale pink? See, this is what I mean when I say I have NO idea what I'm doing! I also have a big mirror and high table that are black...so will they clash?

I like taupe in the family room. Actually we are thinking about doing one of those half and half walls (wainscoating?) and paint the upper part a light taupe.

One question....how do you change the color of the furniture on that website???

Thanks everyone for your ideas, and keep them coming!!
I think I would get rid of the accent pink. That color combo is pretty dated. Browns, tans, golds or yellows, and even a darker blue would be better, IMHO!

Like I said in the earlier post, I used Denim as the sofa color. You just pick a color from the chart, click and drag to the furniture. You can change the furniture color and wall color. I don't know about the other.

Also, if you want to change your sofa color in your house, you could think of slip covers. It's cheaper than new furniture!

Good luck!
 
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calico2222

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Originally Posted by Dusty's Mom

I think I would get rid of the accent pink. That color combo is pretty dated. Browns, tans, golds or yellows, and even a darker blue would be better, IMHO!

Also, if you want to change your sofa color in your house, you could think of slip covers. It's cheaper than new furniture!

Good luck!
I know light blue and pink is dated (VERY 80's) but I've always loved that color combo. I reminds me of my mom's house...which yes, was decorated in the 80's!


I do need to get slip covers for the couches now because the dogs and cats have basically ruined the upholstery between being a dog bed (muddy dogs) and a scratching post. Maybe darker blue would be better than the light blue, and they would clean up a lot easier than hand scrubbing the darn things.

I'm definitely going to have to play with those sites more. I didn't even think to click and drag a color for the furniture. We're definitely going to go with wainscoating and a light color for the family room with the fireplace. DH works at a construction surplus store and with his discount we should be able to get everything for a little over $100. I'm just stumped on the dining room. And where to stop one color and start another since every room just kind of runs together.
 

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It really depends on what you like. If you do a warm peachy tan color, it will complement the blue perfectly. If you are really bold and prefer things a little less standard, you can do a deep red
But a shade of blue will also work, just make sure you play around and get the right shade.

ETA: When I looked at the room again, I definitely think a tan peachy color definitely will be too soft- I like the idea of a warm taupe that Momofmany had much better
 
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