Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
nannajoe

HELP! Paint color for 3 walls w/Canyon Orange accent wall

Nannajoe
12 years ago

I have read MANY posts here about our (forum) struggle with choosing paint colors (keepers) we adore. I need some HELP for a small LR 13x20 that I want to add some color to.

I confess I have been one of those afraid of color, but I am trying to embrace it. I have chosen a beautiful Canyon Orange color from Valspar and I was thinking of using a light gray on the other 3 walls. However in this process of choosing paint colors, I have already purchased my medium chocolaty colored drapes that were on sale. So I have Canyon Orange on 1 wall, the one that people see first when arriving to the home, and a medium chocolate brown drapes on the large bow window that is on opposing side of the orange wall. Please recommend some good color choices for the other 3 remaining walls, and that color will also blend over into our new kitchen remodel with chocolate maple kitchen cabinets and Antique Mascarello counter tops & stainless steel appliances. Oh, and our floors in LR are an (oak color)laminate flooring. My updated framed artwork is mostly black frames (I have considered a light gray with blue hue or possibly a light chocolate paint color??)

I will post this in the decorating forum also if that is ok.

Comments (2)

  • karinl
    12 years ago

    I have a LOT of orange in my house, and in fact, my house IS orange. I've had a look at your Canyon Orange and I think the basic problem is that I would not ever think to combine it with grey. It is similar to my DR ceiling, actually, a room that has wallpaper with a cream background (and the orange in it, along with purple and green). And plain cream on the walls other than that.

    So if that is your orange colour, I would go with a bright cream, not grey (*and not beige!!!*).

    But... why is that your chosen orange colour? I would pick an accent colour to help pull together other, less flexible elements in the room, not to create another element that needs to be integrated. The accent colour would be an outcome, not a input.

    Do you have any prints in the room? I find wallpaper, rugs, or upholstery to be a good place to unite all the different colours. We usually start with a wallpaper, actually, and then the room is always automatically pulled together as long as we stay within sight of the palette of the wallpaper. Maybe you have a piece of artwork, or could add one, that puts your chocolate brown with a good orange and the other tones you are working with? Whatever you use, it could give you the neutral you are after, and help you pinpoint the right orange for the chocolate brown (although I think the shade you've chosen is good for the brown). I know wallpaper is out of style (other than at my house :-)), but from what you've described, a print somewhere in the room might be a welcome change from all the unicolor items.

    Other orange combinations that we have... the house is P&L Mineral Red and is trimmed with a mid green and Black Magic (dark purple). The stairwell is a creamsicle shade from SW with white trim. And I have some furniture painted a wonderful burnished reddish orange combined with purple in one case, and navy in another.

    As for brown... I like it with a soft lilac, and I love orange and purple together. You might be able to find a lilac that would work with both your orange and your brown. Sounds insane, I know, but if you keep it very subtle it could work - a clear tone, not greyed. Or a sage green? Anything but grey :-)

    Karin L

  • kitchendetective
    12 years ago

    Not being familiar with Canyon Orange, I cannot tell if this photo is helpful or not. However, as someone who also likes orange and purple combinations, I noticed this room because it struck me as a subtle introduction to combining hues that many people would not think of combining. It's a Bilhuber room (and certainly he has used orange and purple elsewhere--and gloriously):


    Note the use of brown, pearly taupes, etc., in supporting roles.
    Here's one, perhaps bolder, but maybe some inspiration for color combinations and proportions?