Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
calabash_gw

Paint colour help for new small apartment, part 2

calabash
14 years ago

Same retirement apartment as above. Bedroom is 14 X 10, with large north-facing window, parquet floor and low ceiling (8 feet). Bed, pretty heirloom bedside pale marble-top table (birch), medium brown armoire and dresser (nice armoire, cheap dresser which I might paint later). Blue accents (wall scone, reading lamp, small area rug with blue stars and moon on very pale yellow background). Wall facing the bed will have to hold a great many books -- either wall shelves in pale wood or more IKEA Billy bookcases (white, blue, beech ?) Top shelf will hold an antique Paddington Bear collection.

Bedding can vary, as I use duvet covers.

The books will be in plain view and will be distracting, but that can't be helped as they've nowhere else to go.

I'm looking for a light, cheerful colour -- but which? I'll need curtains on the large window -- what colour?

Again, any ideas or suggestions would be most appreciated. Ideally I would need paint brand and names. Pale blue, for example, might sound nice, but there are millions of them ...

Thanks, everyone.

Marie

Comments (12)

  • patty_cakes
    14 years ago

    Hi Marie, we all have our own ideas of where we want color~it could be in the accessories OR on the walls. Personally, I prefer to do it w/accessories, cause if I want to change them out with another color, it would be easy.

    Your blue accents would be gorgeous with a warm tan cause the neutral would enhance it, not detract from it. You want your accents to stand out, not your wall color. ;o)

    Here is a link that might be useful: neutral colors

  • jimoba
    14 years ago

    Hi Marie,

    I find the best way to pick a wall color is to use one of the patterned fabrics (bedding, rug, upholstery) or accents in the room as a guide. That way, you already have a set of coordinated colors to work with. Pick one for the walls, and two colors as accents. The darker wood finishes will provide contrast. It will make shopping for the paint, window treatments, and accessories much easier. Hope this helps!

    Jill

  • calabash
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks. I've just looked at the SW warm neutrals. They all look rather dark to me, and my bedroom will only be getting a northern exposure. I see you point about making choices -- walls or accessories. Maybe I should just keep it white? Don't really want to do that, though.
    Still puzzled.

  • jimoba
    14 years ago

    Do you have pics of any of the fabrics or accessories that you will be using? If I could see what you are working with, I could offer more concrete suggestions.

  • calabash
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Finally, we have pictures!

    Photo taken before the apartment was fixed and painted. Window is much taller, hidden here by a blind. Faces north.

    Dresser. It's twin will go in the wall-to-wall closet on the opposite side of the window wall.

    Wall light. Three of these will be wired together to replace a large, ugly square wall scone.

    Heirloom bedside table.

    Small area rug. The background is barely yellow.


    Blue clouds painting (above bed?)

    Proposed bedroom layout.

    Missisng is a photo of the armoire. It's old, plain and of the same medium brown as the dresser.

    Shelves above the bedside table.

    A wall of shelves (or three bookcases) on wall opposite bed (I've got over 1,000 books; they have to go wherever there's space). Top shelf will hold my collection of antique Paddington Bears.

    What looks like a box under the window is a short storage bench; it will have a cushion top and a hole on the side for my shy cat to hide in. It's white.

    Still need bed linen ... and colour for walls!

  • jimoba
    14 years ago

    Hi Marie,

    Thanks for posting the pics and the layout (very impressive!); now I have a much better idea of what you're working with.

    If your area rug is the center of your decor (and that's what I'm inferring from the star wall lights), I'd suggest painting the walls a soft, warm yellow, to make the room look more spacious, maximize the light you get, and balance the dark furnishings and wall of books. Shades like SW 6679 Full Moon, SW 6681 Butter Up, or SW 6687 Lantern Light would add a nice dose of color without being overly bright. It shouldn't be too hard to find bedding with yellow and blue; it's a classic combination that most stores have, regardless of what's trendy at the moment.

    Good luck! I look forward to seeing the "after" pics!

  • calabash
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you. All three are pefect yellows.
    If I pick one of those yellows (and I most likely will), what do you think about curtains? They will be light-filtering. Blue? Yellow? White?
    Do you think I'm restricted to yellow and blue for the bed, or can I do another colour, like this:

    Again, thank you -- those are really perfect yellows.

  • jimoba
    14 years ago

    Glad you liked the yellows.

    You're not locked in to blue and yellow for the bed, but since you're working with the mostly blue area rug and blue light fixtures, the room will look more pulled together if you maintain a similar color palette. If the rug and light fixtures aren't a done deal, then you have more color options for the bedding (does it have yellow in it? I can't tell from the pics) and window treatments.

    To make the room seem as spacious as possible, choose curtains that complement, as opposed to contrast, the wall color. The color of the curtains should also relate to the colors in the bedding. If you're going with the bedding in the pic, then the soft green of the leaves and stems would probably be the best choice. And since yellow is a component of green, it naturally complements it.

  • calabash
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    You've been a great help; I am grateful.
    Rug and light fixture are indeed a done deal. Bedding is optional. I already have a very nice off white duvet cover with a bit of pastel embroidery; another is pale blue with some pink and yellow. So ... would blue curtains work?

  • jimoba
    14 years ago

    Glad I could help!

    If you're leaning toward blue curtains, I'd go with a shade that's close to the lighter blue color in the rug. It sounds like either bedding set will work too.

  • calabash
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Would these work?

    How about these?

    I'm getting samples of the yellows you suggested and will try them on the day I get the keys to the new apartment; then I'll go out and buy a gallon of the one I've chosen.

    Would you -- could you -- do me a big favour? Would you go back to my "Paint colour help for new small apartment, part 1" and, if you've got the time, give me some real paint colour names for the living-room? I've since added a small bright red drawer unit that will fit under my computer desk that's in front of the window; only the front will show.
    Thanks!

  • jimoba
    14 years ago

    I like the blue curtains for the bedroom; they've got just enough color to have a presence, but not so much that they overpower the rest of the room.

    As for the living room color, how about picking up the soft green in the Kilim rug? I think SW 6414 Rice Paddy would be a good choice. If you want to go a bit richer, SW 6415 Hearts of Palm would work; or if you wanted to go paler, SW 6421 Celery would be nice.

    If you're leaning toward pink, try a shade with a little gray in it, which looks more grown-up than girly. SW 6288 Rosebud, SW 6289 Delightful, SW 6294 Rose of Sharon, or SW 6295 Demure, may work well.

    Hope this helps!