Paint Color Advice for Living Room, Dining Room and Entry?

by Jeanne
(Riverside, CA)

What color should we paint the walls?

I just bought a new house along with new furniture. I would like to paint but need help as I would like to go with Green shades (Sage), along with having some accent walls.

The furniture is dark brown with shades of burgundy so I would like to warm up the room. Possibly Dark Green accent wall behind couch with light green walls and white trim?

We plan to add Crown molding, pull out the carpet and go with wood or slate flooring.

When you walk in, I have an entry way, go left to the hallway, straight to the open dining room, and to the right is our living room. This means paining the entry way, hallway, dining room and living room.

This first photo is as if you were standing in the dining room looking towards the front door entry way.

This second is as if you were at the front door looking into dining room.

This third is as if you were standing in the dining room looking straight out to living room, no wall separating the two rooms.

Yelena's Response:

Congratulations on the new home, Jeanne!

I have a few suggestions for you:

You said you'd like to "warm up" the rooms, but sage green will not do that - because it is gray based. It will add color, but not "warmth".

Another reason why sage green is not the best choice is the color of your furniture - all your wooden pieces, leather couch and even your artwork have warm, golden undertones. So in order to coordinate, your wall color has to have a yellow undertone.

Here's a beautiful green that will look great with your decor: 6423 Ryegrass from Sherwin Williams. It is a lovely green with just a hint of yellow to it.

Now if you want to add an accent wall to your living room, it should be the wall with the fireplace. The reason is, that wall is a natural focal point in the room - any other wall with an accent color will only compete and add confusion.

I would recommend 7679 Golden Gate (Sherwin Williams) as an accent color:

It will bring out the golden tones in your furnishings, artwork and the pictures on the mantel, and tie it all together.

Also, I would paint the accent color just on the upper part of the wall.

Let me know what you think!

P.S. The colors may look very different on your monitor, so make sure to see them in person before buying paint for your project.

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Paint Color Advice for Living Room, Dining Room and Entry?

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Response to suggestion
by: Jeanne

Thank you so much! I like the colors you have selected very much but I have a few questions and concerns.

To be honest,the yellow scares me but I am not good with colors so I was somewhat expecting that. I do like the two colors together.

Should I carry these colors throughout the house as I was trying to achieve somewhat of the two-tone look? Should I stay with the white trim, crown molding, baseboard, & fireplace? We will be replacing the mantel and removing the board which goes the length of the wall and I am thinking of wainscoat as currently it is painted paneling.

Also, I have concerns because the house and rooms are fairly small. Are these colors dark for small area's?

In regards to accent walls, should there only be the wall above the fireplace or should I do something in the entry way or hallway or bathrooms? Currently, we are remodeling the guest bath which is at the end of the hallway. Should it be tied into the colors of the hallway?

I could keep going and going because a designer I am definately not! I appreciate all your help and advice! Thank you!

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More suggestions...
by: Yelena

Jeanne,

If you are not a fan of yellows, you can try a more subdued golden color - 6129 Restrained Gold or 6128 Blonde - they are great alternatives.

It's always a good idea to stick to 3-4 colors in your decor, and re-use them throughout your home - that's how you create a theme. Your colors are: green, gold, orangey-red, and brown. I would keep all the woodwork pure white.

To address your concern about the colors being too dark for your home, I'll send you over to: "Room Paint Colors for Dark Rooms".

Finally, I saw your entry, dining room and living room - where the only appropriate place for an accent wall is your fireplace wall. As far as the other rooms in your home, see "Painting Accent Walls" for guidelines on how to choose the right wall to highlight.

P.S. If you are removing the mantel/board, apply the accent color to the entire wall, not just the upper part.

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