The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Janae]

You have given me some great advice in the past on off-diet topics, so...

We are building a house...it is a modern, contemporary style and will have that look on the interior...sleek and uncluttered, etc.

My problem is that we need to start painting in a few days and I can't decide on colors!!! At first we were going to paint everything off-white and accent with color. But, once we got the drywall done and saw that all-white look...it was TOO much! This house is a loft style inside and some of the walls are over 20 feet tall!

So..we need color....but....what? What I know for sure is that the ceilings will be white...paint was added to the texture, so that is done. I have a clean palette here...do I use bold color and risk getting tired of that? Do I go neutral, though not white? Do I do the colored wall and painted white trim look that seems quite popular? I know we do not want to paint every room a different color...but want more of a coordinated look using 2 or 3 colors at most.

Just wondering if any of you have an opinion? Have you done something that you really love in your own home? Especially those of you who live in larger cities...you may be familiar with this type of decor. We are not doing the retro 60's look that is sometimes used...more the contemporary/sophisticated look.

I have a hard time visualizing the finished product...though Sherwin Williams has a web site that has helped tremendously. Now...if I could just make a choice!!

Color challenged-
Janae

[alpha femme]

well, i love color. i think far too many people are afraid of it.
the biggest question would be...

what is your furniture like? what color sofas, what kinds of wood, etc.

do you have any artwork you are hanging?

do you prefer cool or warm colors?

[Janae]

OK...a little more info.....

We have dark walnut colored floors...

We have lighter birch colored wood in cabinets...and in the built in entertainment center (my hubby does sound and video systems for a living, so our living room is pretty much a home theater!)

He tends toward black accents...I usually like cool colors- but I am not sure that is what we need here. We do have a large area rug which will be in front of the huge sectional sofa (whoch is ivory with tan fleck in it). I am thinking maybe I should take colors from it...It is colors of brown on an ivory background with accents of a green and a dark red-brown/burgundy color that I find hard to describe.

We will have some black and white art work...I want to do four or five medium sized pieces that will be framed in black and will be hung all in a vertical row on one of the tall walls. Saw it on a loft makeover show and it looked very dramatic. Hubby has a collection of abstract musical prints with guitar...they are very colorful and will go upstairs in our music room.

I have looked at several magazines and a few make over shows...would purchase more mags if I knew ones that would be helpful. Time is getting away from me here...

Janae

[Prancer]

Janea how about tans/beige?

[Mike]

Janae,
Do you have a digital camera. Take some pics and put them up, then we could help even more (er.. Di could anyways... I'm not much help on these topics)

[Jan]

Ohhh your rug sounds gorgeous. I think I'd go with some of those colors too. They are warm but sound like they would look gorgeous with your wood floors.
jan

[sidrah]

My answer for all of the below questions is the same:

What color should I paint the wall?
What color car should I get?
What color shirt should I buy?
What is your favorite color?
What color are your dinner plates?


OLIVE GREEN, SAGE..anything in that family. I love that color.
So, people stop asking cause I always answer exactly the same. I also like doing one wall a dark color like maroonish or dark blue. I think it looks nice to have the differences in the same room.

[Serendipity]

We have a contemporary home. Most of our walls are off-white on the taupe side, but we have alot of wood and brick to break it up.

I get alot of ideas from "Metropolitan Home" magazine. You could look there for color ideas.

BTW, I love my house. My mother and father-in-law built it, so it's full of many good memories. I was married in this house.

[Aerie]

Last year I went on a color binge. The living is three tones of green with a white chair rail. The kitchen is RED. Bedroon tan on three with deep blue in a Ralph Lauren sandstone textured paint on the fourth. All the house is trimmed in BRIGHT BRiGHT white. enamel We have 8 inch baseboards and very thick crownmolding. It came together very nicely and I love the interesting combo of colors. Color isn't for everyone but remember this it's only paint you can always paint over it!

[FluffyNoMore]

I'm another one who loves color....I have plum sofa and love seat for crying out loud....so I don't do the white wall thing well.... my 1/2 bath is deep plum....and my living room is dark gold, but my suggestion might be choosing an accent wall and painting that a deep rich color....still within the neutral family, but deep.

[Janae]

Alex, Jenn, Mike, Jan, Teresa, Jo, Doc and Jen-

Thanks so much for your comments and advice!! You gave me courage to "open my horizons" and consider color!!!

After hours of playing cards with a deck of palette cards... the house will be done in a palette of Mounting dusk (a gray, smokey purple), Pheasant (a color I can best describe as Olive/brown) and Silt...which is like a lighter shade of the Pheasant). There will also be a very, very light version of it on some of the walls in the smaller rooms.

We bought some samples of each and painted 3 foot squares on the wall and I was amazed at how good it looks! We have had a blast with the process...and I was really surprised that my DH liked these colors as well. I can not wait to see how it will all look when finished! When it is finished (will be awhile, still)- I will try to post pictures.

Thanks again for your help!!! Oh, did I mention that this house is set on six acres amidst beautiful trees and 10 feet from the back deck there is a little creek with a 20 ft drop waterfall...in full view through the twelve foot windows in our living room. You can all come over when we're done and help us celebrate...MF shakes for all!!!!!!

Thanks again- You're the best!
Janae

[TheShadow]

I like when the rooms in a house are not jarringly different colors. It's okay to have different color schemes, but they should relate if you can see from one room to theh next. One way to do that is to paint all the walls a color that can go with several related color schemes. A nice look is a soft gold with white woodwork. Soft gold can go with the burgundies, it can go with greens, it can go with earth tones, and it looks good with the dark floors. Another good color for contemporay looks is a mushroom/taupe type wall with a white trim and maybe dark accent wall. It goes well with black and with bright contmporary accents like red or olive green. In bedroom areas it can look great with sages and even blues. It can even blend with peaches or pinks in bathrooms or little girls rooms.

[SharonR]

When are we invited??

[Janae]

I'll let you know when the furniture is moved in...don't want to sit on the floor!!!
J

[SharonR]

LOL

I WOULD like to come and sit in your backyard. I want pics of that too! Sounds so relaxing and wonderful.