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Thread: Wall color?

  1. #1
    Senior Member Gardenarian's Avatar
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    Wall color?

    All our walls our off-white (except kitchen, which is pale yellow) and I'm thinking of painting.

    There's something about colored walls that pulls a room together and makes it look more permanent, less like a container for stuff...at least in other people's houses....

    We have no plans to move, so that is not a consideration.

    To you prefer neutral or colored walls?
    Have you regretted painting?

    I'm thinking a pale blue or light green for my bedroom, also pale green for the spare/guest/hobby room, a warmish grey for bathroom (would go with tile and floor.) Possibly, a rose pink for dining room. We have white painted trim, wood floors, and white curtains and blinds. There is no crown molding - I'm not sure whether to do ceilings or leave them white. Leaving the living room neutral, for the time being, but considering a richer beige with a hint of gold tones.

    Any advice? Thanks!
    "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” -- Gandalf

  2. #2
    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    Oh, wow, I have had color on my mind all summer. You may recall that when we bought our VT house, I was planning on covering up the walls with some neutral paint. It's only 700 square feet, and I felt that the many colors chopped the house up too much. There are, not kidding, 8 different colors on the walls in this little cabin--sage green, buttercup yellow, pink, magenta, red, neon green, white, and baby blue. I call it the Crayola House.

    My son and DH are fearful that changing the wall colors, especially to a neutral shade, will ruin the cool quirky, bohemian vibe. So I've resisted. I've gone so far as to buy two gallons of "Schooner"--a Valspar navy blue, for my bedroom to cover up the pink and magenta. I made the leap on that particular decision because the paint was returned after mixing and so it was only $5/gallon.

    But I'm stuck on the other colors, because I've grown to like the idea of a couple of bright colors, but just not these colors specifically.

    So, in my research one color palette that is a BIG contender is the palette in the house in this article: https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/1...del-fit-family

    I like it because it combines different colors, but none are fully saturated--I like a touch of grey in my colors. But I also love the primaries: the yellows, reds and blues. And I also like green. It's hard for me to decide--so hard. So I'm giving myself another pass until next summer. By then I hope to make up my mind.

    Not sure that helps YOU, but just wanted to share my similar quest for the right colors.



    ETA: I also like this palette: benjamin-moore-hawthorne-yellow-palette.jpg

    It's from here: https://roomlust.wordpress.com/2013/...thorne-yellow/
    "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
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  3. #3
    Senior Member Rogar's Avatar
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    I prefer neutral colors. My interior is painted in light shades of yellow, green and tan. Off-whites seems sterile. My rough estimation would be that a person would grow tired of darker or vibrant saturated colors compared to less intrusive light shades. I also think that light shades can make rooms feel larger and dark colors can make rooms feel confining.

  4. #4
    Senior Member Teacher Terry's Avatar
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    I do color on 2 walls in every room and then the other 2 walls a cream color. So the LR, DR, kitchen and guest bathroom all green and cream. 2 offices, MB and bathroom are mauroon and cream. But in the bedrooms only the wall behind the headboard is maroon. I don’t like it when every room is a different color.

  5. #5
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    I agree with the OP that neutral colored walls allow ones furnishings to stand out. That is fine if one has nice furniture arranged in pleasing ways. But – personally I like color to give your eye something to look at.

    I am playing around with a color palette for our Hermann house which is years down the road.As of now I am looking at a palette that is light yellow, lettuce green, with Periwinkle accents.I am pumped about getting colored kitchen cabinets this time around, like this:



    Never mind, nothing is loading today.



    For a while I entertained the notion of using palette that reflects grape country, since Hermann is the heart of winemaking in Missouri. Those colors would be lavenders purples greens. But I think I am over that although I am still attracted to it.
    Last edited by iris lilies; 10-6-18 at 1:06pm.

  6. #6
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    When we moved to our hose in 73 the bedrooms were pepto bismol pink, kitchen brownish, bath brownish, dining room brownish, living room off white, hall green. first to be painted was the bedroom to a pale yellow...it is still pale yellow. Our trim is oak, so dark colors aren't nice with it they way they are with bright white trim. Our next was to paint the dining room a pale avocado green, still green, kitchen pale yellow but now almond to match the 80's formica counter top, hall pale cream and living room pale cream. the other bedroom is sky blue and the bathroom is blue to match the blue in the peach and blue tile. Obviously my color palate is blue, green, yellow. good luck choosing. It's not easy.

  7. #7
    Senior Member rosarugosa's Avatar
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    Our house is tiny - about 900 SF, and we have lots of windows (28). Our second floor is very attic-like and you can't really say where walls leave off and ceiling begins. So we have white walls and moldings throughout. Boring maybe, but also as simple as it gets.


    PS: IL, I think you forgot to add an enclosure.

  8. #8
    Senior Member Gardenarian's Avatar
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    Aaargh, just typed a long reply then dropped my phone and it's gone!

    All your replies are so l helpful! I hadn't even thought of a coordinating pallette - will get on that

    All the photos I see online have white sofas and bedding. I do not. I have dogs.

    Going to try and post some photos.

  9. #9
    Senior Member Teacher Terry's Avatar
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    White sofa-ugh! We have 4 dogs.

  10. #10
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    Sounds silly but I did a lot of research on warm whites before painting this house a Benj Moore white. Floors and furniture are light wood and I like that Scandinavian look. Have always used a neutral beigy color in the past so the warm white is a nice change. I have done a couple of accent walls in saturated blue green colors upstairs- like a teal blue color on desk wall and a similar shade on bed headboard wall.

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