Color check

[ewx]

LNR is moving out on Saturday. The house has developed some distinct bare spots, as well as the piles of boxes.

I've booked most of June off (work have a sabbatical scheme). I plan to, among other things, repaint at least the living room and LNR's old room, which naath intends to move into in July.

[Poll #947318]

Comments

[aardvark179.livejournal.com]

I can't remember what colour your carpets are, or things like that, so it's hard to say. I seem to remember you have some exposed brickwork which is moderatedly dark, so I'd go for a fairly light colour for the living room to contrast with that.

If you're really undecided then I'd suggest you buy some sample tins, and some sheets of white card and paint them with the samples. and see how they look with the various features in the room.

[ewx.livejournal.com]

The carpet downstairs is grey and the one in the about-to-be-spare room is red-going-on-pink. Carpet color is negotiable in the medium term, none of the carpets being exactly straight out of the shop, but for practical reasons I'd prefer the repainting to precede the recarpeting.

The living room definitely wants colors at the lighter end as it doesn't get enough light to risk darkening further. Yes, there's exposed brickwork, which I quite like personally.

[aardvark179.livejournal.com]

I'd try a sort of muted-green in the living room, it compliments brickwork quite nicely and won't clash with the carpet. Whether it will go with your sofa is an entirely different question. :-)

[ewx.livejournal.com]

The sofa is medium-term negotiable too - it's nearly nine years old. I'd choose a set with narrower arms if buying again now.

[ex-lark-asc.livejournal.com]

What about a nice warm cream or creamy light yellow? Something that will reflect light around a bit and complement the russetty bricks without being as glaring as titanium white? Shouldn't go too badly with those black granite whatsit tops as well. Grey can be OK but it's quite a deadening colour, I'm not sure it would do much to improve the light.

And I bet you laminate floors would improve the light levels too...

[ex-lark-asc.livejournal.com]

Hum, I just said 'magnolia only more tasteful', didn't I. Well I think it's what I meant :) Paint makes a difference too - there are some gorgeous chalky light-bouncing ones in that little paint and wallpaper shop on Mitchams Corner, I did the spare room at Lents Way in one, you can come and poke your nose in if you like.

[ewx.livejournal.com]

I'd been wondering about yellow, in fact.

The kitchen cupboards might get some paint too...

[ex-lark-asc.livejournal.com]

Yellow's quite a strong colour if you're not careful so picking a good one is a challenge, but it's really bright and friendly if you get it right. If you haven't already seen the spare room at Lents Way come over and have a nose, it's a really lovely warm yellow-cream called Sunlight and it gives an idea of the kind of effect you can achieve. Though I think it might be too dark for your living room and it would *not* work with a grey carpet. Rugs and throws, however, can conceal a multitude of sins.

The kitchen is such a lovely room in itself I think it'd really benefit from a facelift. Might be as easy to just change the cupboard doors though - they're melamine or similar IIRC, which would need sanding down to make the paint stick. And even then you'd have to use something with a lasting finish that could be cleaned, and gloss paint is absolutely appalling stuff, it takes pints of white spirit to clean it out of your brush afterwards...