My husband and I just bought our first house, and I deperately need advice on painting the inside. It’s a small house, and basically the only thing I know about interior decorating is that dark colors make rooms look smaller. The house has brand new carpet in the living room, hallway, and master bedroom, but the carpet is a mauve/maroon color. Being on a limited budget, we can’t afford to unnecessarily recarpet the house just because we’re not crazy about the color. However, we must repaint the inside of the house. There are only 3 windows in the livingroom (on 2 walls), and they’re not very big windows. Also, I should mention that there is about a 6 inch deep recess that covers about half of one livingroom wall (don’t know what the point of that is), and I thought maybe that part should be painted a lighter color…we’ll have to put our desk and computer in the living room, and that may be a good area for it. Can anyone recommend some colors for the living room to help make it look bigger AND match the carpet?
We plan to reduce the wall between the kitchen and the livingroom to a half-wall or bar in the next few months, which should help open things up, and I think we’re going to paint the kitchen cobalt blue. The kitchen has much more natural light.
I like the idea of painting one wall a lighter color, but my husband is not big on that idea. He has very traditional, conservative tastes and really likes dark colors (he says “either dark colors or just white, LOL). I think I’m going to have to trick him into thinking it’s his idea… If we do end up painting one wall a lighter color, should it be the same color as the trim in the rest of the room? Should the lighter wall be opposite the windows or on a windowed wall? Should the trim be painted the same color throughout the house, even though most of the rooms will be different colors? Should mirrors be placed facing windows or the lighter wall?
What about the ceiling? Should it be painted a lighter color? The same color as the trim or as the lighter wall?
I would appreciate any help–I’ve never been interested in this stuff until we bought a house, and obviously I’m pretty clueless! I’m not sure I’ve given the right information or asked the right questions, so please help!! Any helpful websites you can direct me to would also be appreciated. Thank you!
Replies
I understand your plight and do not have all the answers either. Hopefully, there will be a decorator looking at your post at this site).
Major paint companies generally will provide advise & many will have a decorator on staff. Call for appointment, take some photo's & work this thru. You may prefer to tap the expertise of more than one company (Home Depot provides such service & did an excellent job for a niece, who moved into similar quarters).
As you may not know whether paint there now is latex or oil. The 2 do not mix (will peel), but there is a company who offers a primer for such... I just cannot locate name at this moment though I learned about it in a forum here! Hopefully someone else will respond & provide. I, too, will need to know what is this primer prior to moving as I had someone use oil base in a couple of rooms. Never told my hubby I opted for oil instead of latex...actually could not tell the difference & will never use oil again!
Benjamin Moore Paints offers a small sample size to take home & test your color prior to loading up only to find color is not exactly right. Believe cost is 2 bucks.
Take advantage of opportunity to choose your own colors & enjoy!
I hesitate to make suggestions for fear people will follow them and hate the results. I am more of an artist than an interior decorator, but here are my ideas:
I almost always paint ceilings white. This seems to make the rooms brighter and look bigger. I would probably get a much lighter version of the carpet color for the walls--any scraps of carpet to take in for a match? Or I would go with a complementary color to the carpet--some sort of green--if the carpet is maroon, i would think a sort of "sage" green or fern green, not dark, maybe with a hint of silver/gray would look nice. Taupe or mushroom, but lighter, might also be okay.
I would actually paint the recessed portion a couple shades darker than the rest of the wall or other walls in the room to emphasize its acting as sort of an alcove.
Some places will give you samples of paint in little like quarter cup containers that you can use--either paint right on the wall, or on poster board or cardboard (fairly large--2' x 2') to get an idea of whether you can live with the color. I'm not wild about white, unless it's a more cream-colored version like Navaho white, antique white, linen and so on. White with a hint of green (one that comes to mind that I think Benjamin Moore has is decorator's white, or dove white (more gray)) or tan or warm gray might satisfy your husband and still have enough color for you.
We have burgundy carpet in out dining room and painted the walls and woodwork a silvery gray called "Sterling" (I think) and then I rag-rolled (actually put a plastic bag like newspapers come in over a roller and rolled it that way--taking off some of the paint by rolling the roller on cardbaord before hitting the wall) burgundy over the walls. But it's pretty intense--not for everyone.
Mirrors opposite windows will add light to a room. Again, you could buy a cheap one 2' x 6' like go on a door and move it around the room to see how it affects the light.
Good luck!
hello. ill try to give you some help.
first, dark colours dont make a room look smaller. thats a bit of a myth. monochromatic makes rooms look smaller. contrast makes rooms look normal or bigger. i like to tell my customers to chose the colours that make them feel good, go ahead and try those bold colours. its paint, if you dont like change it again. before you paint every thing, see if your paint supplier has small samples available. chips are usless. when you do look at chips, stare at them in bright natural light, and look for its true colours in it. it may be yellow looking but it could be grayish, or greenish, or ect... paint patches (2 ft squares) on several walls so you can see them in your house in different lights(morning, bright, evening). often people choose 2 similar colours then when they paint the various facets of there house, they cant tell the difference. (eg. light coloured dark lit hall beside a darker coloured room with lots of light). a really popular choice is bold colours with white or light trim. it makes the woodwork stand out and emphasizes the colour. a common painting rule is 3 &1. 3 walls 1 colour and 1 wall another colour. the single wall being the one with a large surface area or the feature wall, eg fireplace wall. the goal your trying to achive is to make the viewers eye travel around the room and boldness and contrast helps do this.
cobalt blue is a wicked colour but it takes getting use to. dont go nuts with it. it can over power everything as can reds.
as for the paint, you get what you pay for. i use mostly benjamine moore. there mid grade is equal too or better than most others high end. good paint goes on way better and is more durable. other great brands are pratt & lambert, ralph lauren (but your paying for a name).
i dont recommend textures or faux finishes unless its a higher end home with a theme room. why? because if you put a texture on the wall its very difficult to change in the future. your kinda stuck with it unless your prepared for a big drywall job or a lot of sanding
painting the all the trim the same colourcis a good idea because it helps tie everything together. keeps visual flow. if you have polished (smooth) ceilings, coloured cielings are great. i dont know if it will shows up very well but check out this link
http://www.urbanworkshop.ca/page_2147484141.html
the 2 choices on the right show a good example of bold colour with painted cielings. what we did there is everything is the same colour but, the main area is the normal colour strength, the living and dining room are the same colour but the recipie was half strenth and the ceiling was quartered. it gives you the same colour but different shades of it. just because you see a colour on the chip dosent mean you have to find a colour to go with it just change the intensity of it.
the room on the right shows how bold colours look in a small room. trim, walls, and the fixtures stand out.
well good luck i hope i have given you some insight to making you house a home.
cheers.
Tmaxxx
Urban Workshop Ltd
Vancouver B.C.
Now when i nod my head, you hit it.
You people are AWESOME!! Thank you so much for all the help! Unfortunately, we don't have as much time as I may have led you all to believe! We've been living with my in-laws since the beginning of January, and let me tell you...we are about ready to move in that house paint or no paint!
Thank you for the advice regarding oil based paint. I didn't know there was a difference, but I painted the inside of our old house and don't recall knowing then, either! I may have used oil based! Haha!
The color of the carpet actually is probably more burgundy than mauve, but a light burgundy. I probably just need to take a picture...is there a way to put a picture on my posting, or would I have to just link to a website? I like the fern green idea (or sage), and we originally talked about cream for the trim and extra wall, but then talked about khaki, too. The ceilings are smooth and very paintable, which I'm excited about! Do they need to be the same color as at least one wall, or would it be ok to paint them a version of white? Maybe 3 walls one color, then one wall khaki, and the trim and ceiling cream? Is khaki too dark to use as a lighter wall in such a small house? I definitely plan to use mirrors...and possibly shades that open from the top down (or bottom up?...you know, where the top part of the window is exposed...) to increase light.
The living room is actually a decent size compared to the rest of the house, but it's long and rectangular. We plan to use about the front 2/3 or 1/2 for the tv area and most of the furniture, then a quiet area toward the back for the computer desk and reading/quiet time spot.
The idea that dark colors don't make a room look smaller is a shock, but the "contrast" point makes sense. It's such a relief to know that I can use darker colors as long as I make up for it in other areas.
Thank you!!
to check if your paint is oil or latex, all you need is a little nail polish remover and a cloth or paper towel. wet the cloth with the remover and rub a spot on the wall. if the paint comes off on the cloth easily(a few seconds of scrubing) its latex. if you rub like crazy and it bearly comes off and shines the paint, its oil. check every room and all the differnt trims. it is common practice to use oil for trim, kitchens, and bathrooms but not regular walls. if its latex you can paint over it with anything. if its oil, use oil again or prime it first then u can use latex. oil can bond over latex but latex wont bond over oil. most stores that sell paint sell Zinsser. they make great primers. primers can be oil or latex and can stick to both oil and latex because they contain bondong agents. there coverstain is fantastic, dries in an hour but needs good ventalation. it can make you dizzy. until you paint over it.
before you paint your kitchen or bath room, its a good idea to clean your walls.
cheers.Tmaxxx
Urban Workshop Ltd
Vancouver B.C.
Now when i nod my head, you hit it.
I just saw in a magazine an ad for Kilz paint. It seems inexpensive and guaranteed to cover any color with one coat. Any opinions on Kilz?
kilz is only neccesary when you need to cover mould, or in old bathrooms the metal corner beads can rust. basically things that can bleed through the paint. zinssers covewr stain is kinda the same, but its a little moreuser friendly i think. there are alot of other primers out there that are cheaper, just make sure its for your application. drywall sealer is a primer but not as good for priming over oil based paints.
cheers.Tmaxxx
Urban Workshop Ltd
Vancouver B.C.
Now when i nod my head, you hit it.
Great! Thanks!
But doesn't Kilz eliminate having to do the primer first?
I believe Kilz is the primer--then you paint your final color over it.
No, they have colors as well, but I may still have to use primer first...I'll have to do some reading on it. FYI...www.kilz.com
They are referring to Kilz 2, the company has come out with a full line of latex colors... Walmart actually carries it.
-zen
Didn't know they had colors now. We recently did a job where we painted the bathroom with tinted Permawhite and that was "self-priming" (needs no primer). Maybe Kilz is the same.
I hope so! I'll let you all know! I've also have a lot of recommendations for Behr. Any opinion? I heard it goes a lot further (lasts longer) and goes on smoother...
I think it was Behr that got good ratings from Consumer Reports magazine. People on the Breaktime forum seem to like Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore. The guy I work with swears by Benjamin Moore.
Behr did get the highest rating in interior paint last year. There were 5 categories... strange to all of us, SW and B. Moore came in around 15th?
Valspar, California, there were a number of surprises, but paint companies change there formulas all the time so its not surprising that ratings will flux... most of them would suit just fine. ahh SW produced the low end paint that Walmart used to carry.
-zen
behr is the last paint i will ever use. true it does seem to cover well, but every time i used it in the past the number of chunks was rediculous. i helped another contractor paint a house once and we could not spray it without filtering it twice then thinning it. i dont know why its like this, it just always seems to be.
a few tips before you buy.
if the pros dont use it its junk.
if you choose the lowest bidder, hes using the junk.
just because alot is sold dosent make it good, just cheap.
you get what you pay for.
cheers and good luckTmaxxx
Urban Workshop Ltd
Vancouver B.C.
Now when i nod my head, you hit it.
There are certain sites you can visit were they offer a free design facility normally paint manufacturers or diy stores. One is a site called DULUXMYCOLOUR just do a google search for duluxmycolor up comes a free design site were you selsct a room to design ie bedroom
You can change the color of the carpet-suite-ceiling-walls curtains until you get a combination of colors that are suitable.