SFGate

Shawn Lagemann I have people tell me all of the time, that they want to paint before they move in. I know it's easier to paint empty rooms, but unless the walls are in really bad shape or an awful color you can't live with for even 15 minutes; my recommendation is to wait until you move in and get a better feel for the space. This way you can decide what furniture you want to keep, what the light is like at all times of the day and you don't feel hurried to make a decision and feel you made a mistake down the road.

Linda Painting a room in an occupied house isn't a major problem. We ask customers to find a safe place for any valuable artwork or decorative objects. Then, we move all the furniture into the center of the room, and drape it with painter's plastic then drape any ceiling fans or hanging light fixtures also. Then, we tape off trim as needed and put drop cloths on the floor. Unless the room needs a lot of prep work or is quite large, we can often do the wall prep, paint the ceiling and get two coats on the walls in a single day. For larger spaces or lots of patch work, allow two days. In any case, having rooms painted is nowhere near as disruptive as having a kitchen or bath remodeled...more comparable to having new carpet put in. So, if all your rooms are currently a reasonable, neutral shade, live with it for a few months, then have it painted.

houssaon Or you could pick one color and do the entire house that color. For example: White Dove for the trim and the ceilings (in flat): White Dove OC-17 by Benjamin Moore. For the walls in matte, which is a washable flat, either Edgecomb Gray HC-173, Balboa Mist 1549, or London Fog 1541.

Darzy I ditto houssaon. I don't know about you, but I want to to paint a house before I move in so I don't "breathe" someones else's walls. A "leaving my scent in the corner concept" lol. So, I'd go with the light gray (edgecomb gray) as houssaon suggested and take my time, room by room, to chose the "permanent" colors I want later after I get settled in.

greenthumb2 I like the paint colors houssaon put up. Schnadig furniture -- Yes!

Only thing I'd add to this is for the fireplace wall -- go a little darker so it doesn't jump out so much. an example would be to use two in the same family. Maybe balboa and london fog face front. Or other colors you prefer. I think the four above is a great place to begin. also, remember flat, satin, and semi all look different....

olldbobbi I completely agree with starting with a neutral pallete, like houssaon said above. Until you've lived in a space for a while it's really hard to get a feel for the rooms. Starting with a neutral is almost like starting with primer, you can go anywhere from there.

Gabberts Design Studio What color is the upholstery/leather on your living room pieces?