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Arlene Warda, Architecture+Interior Design Hi I like Restoration Hardware, paints. They are always sophisticated and they have a beige collection. You can buy cans in small sizes. Then you can paint, decide.

Here is the site and link for paints. Slate paint collection might work well, and Flax paint colors, and others as well. You can order them and samples online at www.restorationhardware.com and click on menu bar, under hardware, then click 'paints'...

I've used this on my own home and it looks great!...

Paint linK is at:

http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/category/products.jsp?cm_sp=global_top_nav_store-_-dynamic_menu_item-_-NA&categoryId=cat101

ekaterine Thank you for this suggestion. Great idea, Restoration Hardware's colors do look very subtle and sophisticated. I like the look on website of Stone and Gravel, so I'll get some samples.

mpoulsom i'm sure you will love the ceiling painted....

Natalie check colors: SW 6036 Angora and SW 6037 Temperate Taupe-see if those will work with your carpet. Paint the ceiling same as the walls. Add crown molding... 2 scenic prints (24" or more) on either side of bed (the attached prints are 31.5" square) different ceiling fan... Good Luck! [houzz=
]http://www.artprints.com/-ap/Early-Morning-II-Posters_p198464_.htm

Natalie 27.5" square prints---
http://www.artprints.com/-ap/Hillside-Pond-II-Posters_p230290_.htm

Manon Floreat Another color combo to think about is Sparrow for the walls and Pale Oak for the ceiling, both by BM. Pale Oak is one of BM's off-white colors so, you'd still have a color on the ceiling but it would be subtle.

You could also think about a chandelier to replace the ceiling fan. And to mitigate the carpet, you could add an area rug that featured grey. Here's a really pretty bedroom that I could see your space easily emulating.

Oakland Master Bedroom

Also, take a look at this ideabook all about neutral bedrooms for color palette ideas.

Ideabook: 8 Great Color Palettes: Surprising Bedroom Neutrals

williamhayden Hello Guys,

1. Declutter and depersonalize. Clear off the nightstands, dressers, and any other flat surface in the room. Get rid of any piles of clothes or shoes. The more clutter you get rid of, the bigger and more welcoming the room will be to potential buyers. Pack up your personal photos and other items. Buyers need to imagine themselves in the space, and can't do this while they're looking at your wedding photos.

2. Clean everything. This is an inexpensive process that can instantly improve a room. Dust the furniture, even the tops of bedposts and canopies, high shelves and ceiling fans. Polish the furniture and make your windows sparkle. Clean the mirrors and shine up any fixtures, including the doorknobs. Steam clean the rugs. The cleaner the room is, the brighter it looks, and buyers get the impression of a well-kept home they can move right in to.

3. Make necessary repairs. A crack in the ceiling might be something you've gotten used to, but to potential buyers, it can be a sign of trouble. Do the maintenance work you've been putting off and fix ceiling and wall cracks or stains, caulk the windows, and nail in that loose floorboard. Don't give realtors any ammunition to talk down the price of your home.

4. Finish projects. You may have new crown molding in your bedroom, but there's a huge gap in the corner where you ran out of material. You may have gotten new blinds for the windows, but only installed one set. These upgrades can transfer to more money on the sale of your home, but only if they're completed. Unfinished projects make the buyer question what other things have been neglected in your home.

5. Highlight the room's best features. If you have large windows, dress them with minimal window treatments to show them off. Clean and freshen up your fireplace--if the brick surround is stained, consider a heat-resistant paint to make it look brand new. Polish the hardwood floor until it shines, and if it's in good shape, don't hide it with a room-size area rug.

6. Buy new, neutral bedding. The spa look is always popular, with pale, cool colors and simple lines. You can decorate your bed simply with new sheets and a smooth comforter. A clean room and fresh bedding makes your bedroom look instantly more inviting. Here's where spending a little more money can also go a long way. Elegant bedding draws the eye and can distract buyers from less desirable elements of the room.

7. Add a few neutral, tasteful accessories to dress up the space. Keep it simple and pleasant and room appropriate--a clock radio, peaceful landscape photos and art, a few simple vases and a small jewelry box on the dresser.

Thanks and Regards
William Hayden

http://www.usaequipmentdirect.com/

Sigrid I think your problem is that your art is too small for your walls. I think the small pictures make one focus on the expanse of beige surrounding them. With bigger pictures, the art would be the focus, not the wall around them, making the beige a neutral background, rather than boring.

Your room doesn't look like it has a lot of windows, meaning not a lot of light. White reflects light and makes space look brighter. Even a pale blue will reduce that effect and might result in a bluish tone to all the light in your room. So, before you paint your ceiling, be sure your room has a lot of light. Depending on your willingness to tack something up, I'd recommend getting some wrapping paper of the right color and tacking it to your ceiling and living with it for a month. You want to see what your room is like in all weather and times of day. My personal feeling is that you will add a lot of shadow, which can be damned depressing in dreary November.

fletchneff I would suggest taking that big ceiling fan off and replacing with a chandelier. Most people look at us funny when we suggest a chandelier during a lighting walk through. In reality most people never run ceiling fans in bedrooms, some do but for the most part a lot of people don't. If you can live without it in the master bedroom then switch it with a chandelier, you will be surprised at the new look that will give you.

ekaterine Everyone's suggestions were very helpful ! I love the BM Sparrow, but nicer with an off-white furniture than my dark reddish brown furniture alas. Yes, bigger art work needed, I see that and I completely agree ! New bedding too of course. I am leaning towards a color I never thought I would consider, it's Benjamin Moore's TITANIUM with WHITE DOVE trim , and then some other coordinating off-white neutral for the ceiling so it's not so stark. I've given up on the beige family, I can't get one to work unless it's dark and I want LIGHT. TITANIUM is grey but with just a hint of blue at times. Definitely not baby blue, not in the least. I'll test it on the walls, live with it on sunny and dreary days before deciding. Any comments on the BM TITANIUM? THANK YOU to everyone who weighed in and got me thinking. I really appreciate it. Sorry to fletchneff, but I need my fan in summer !!
I could replace it, but I need a fan,

anitajoyce I would leave the ceiling in white and paint walls in a tan , or grey-blue color. Find the bedding you like that will compliment your painted wall color. Your dresser needs a mirror over it or a much larger colorful picture. Add a bigger abstract picture or big flower picture or two smaller pictures over the bed. Change the lamp shades to something more modern in your color choice. I like the idea of plantation shutters. Add two more regular pillows to your bed and add two to three accent pillows with blue, tan and another color in them. You can also change out the ceiling fan. I like the look of the one Natalie sent in.

ekaterine To Anitajoyce: Thank you ! You are absolutely correct, I do need a mirror or larger picture over the dresser, and also a larger picture, or two pictures above the bed. And yes, the lamp shades are very outdated, so that's a great idea to change the lamp shades to something more modern ! Glad you like the idea of plantation shutters. I also agree I could change out the ceiling fan.

beverlynn My room looks a lot like that! I do however, have artwork I bought in the Bahamas that have very vivid colors of the ocean/beach. I also have red lampshades to add a pop of color.

pcmom1 Scrolling down, see most are mentioned already: new ceiling fan, 4ft. round mirror over dresser, large art (oil of old ship at sea) over bed. Add a very large (real) palm to the corner of the room. Add an antique trunk to the end of the bed or a bench. New bedside lamps also.

Ceiling... consider adding wood or papering in a grass cloth. I papered our vaulted family room ceiling in a subtle mattress ticking striped paper. It is a nice addition. Just gives that ceiling a little warmth and interest.

ekaterine To Beverylynn, I would LOVE to bring in some of the Bahamas to my room too, especially with the British colonial furniture I have. Your ocean/beach artwork sounds lovely and gives me ideas on how to bring in just a taste of the tropics without it being a cliche.

judyg


I just finished a bedroom and it really came out pretty nice. The walls are BM pale oak, the ceiling light blue. The quilt matches the pale oak (Donna Karen, Home Goods) and I folded a blue comforter at the foot of the bed. I had three Euro pillows covered in a Jacobean print that I bought on etsy.com. Found more of the fabric and had window panels made. Got a LOT for my (their) money.

ekaterine This is a gorgeous room. I LOVE it. These color combinations are fabulous. I'm now leaning towards Winds Breath by BM, it's very similar to Pale Oak. Haven't decided about the ceiling yet. Glad your room came out well, I'm inspired to keep working on my room.

ekaterine PCMom1: these are also really great ideas, thanks !

Le Java Woodwork Its a gorgeous traditional setting. I cant see your window, but i will add a 2 layered drapes/curtain that can be changed according to seasons. I am a firm believer of using curtains and wallpaper to "pop" up a space. Also add a nice wallpaper at the center wall. A bigger picture frame should do.