SFGate

cypress If you want to keep it traditional, I think a pale blue or green would work. If possible, I think the sofas would look better placed opposite each other, they would share the coffee table. Adding an area rug to the space with those same colors would pull it all together.

Ramona I recognize these high end sofas. I once considered them when shopping.

[houzz=Living Room Color Ideas - Living Room Wall Color | Home Interior Design]

[houzz=Warm Color Schemes: Using Red, Yellow, and Orange Hues 1]

[houzz=Warm Color Schemes: Using Red, Yellow, and Orange Hues 2]

[houzz=Warm Color Schemes: Using Red, Yellow, and Orange Hues 3]

Purple grey walls, red accents. I am surprised how much I like the red with the orange. I agree, face the sofas to one another with your hutch in what would be a fireplace position.

[houzz=Decorating by Color: Red Rooms - Martha Stewart]

[houzz=Decorating by Color: Orange Rooms - Martha Stewart]

Manon Floreat I like the idea of a muted green as well. Here's a room with similar colored sofas to yours to give you a visual:

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy I think I like the muted green. It would be a stretch for me as I am a beige/cream/brown/gold person, but I'm open to it. I once had it a very light green/beige but thought it rather wimpy. I've also considered a very intense dark blue/black. Anybody think I should take it in that direction?? NOTE: The room shape and size would not allow for the sofas to be facing or paired, but I would do it in a heartbeat of I could! Thanks so much.

Ramona The pics I posted above are with grey/black walls and I like them although I would not go blue black, but purple/blue/black. The muted green is sooooo conventional. But the red is really necessary to my eye.

Darzy I really like your blue wall color idea. I'm glad you're losing the plaid toss pillows. Here is a lovely blue wall color. I'd replace the mirror with art because the mirror is reflecting blinds.

collettec If you wanted to go dark blue, navy might be something to consider. An Houzz article on navy blue has examples of navy with orange:

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy The mirror is located there because the room is so dark. It's all very nice at night with several lights on but daytime is my worst presentation! I love red in accents, but I simply CANNOT do red in this living room... can't be done. My silk drapes are a dark taupe color. I thought maybe a blue/black would make a statement (as opposed to whimpy green). I tend to agree that muted green could look too conventional/safe. I want to go after a modern twist while working Traditional. I'm still nowhere on this. Not much flex in room arrangement, either.

judyg Love every suggestion you have received. They make orange the new beige. Here is another combo that is interesting…grey and gold. Or, what if you paint your walls taupe like the second picture?

collettec If it's dark in the room, you might consider a lighter color. Another possibility would be a blue green. You might consider bringing home some paint samples and trying them with the sofa to see what you get a feel for if undecided.

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy I have a lot to consider. If orange is the new beige, and red is a viable suggestion perhaps I could do a coordinating lighter orange on the wall turning the entire room into something vibrant? Thanks for the blue connection!! It's a coming color and paired with the orange.................... although my hesitation has come from the off-white carpet. Maybe an oatlemal or "toast"? FYI: I'm in southern Arizona (Phoenizx area).

decoenthusiaste I'm a late comer, but here is a Sherwin Williams palette you may want to look into that will help your room live up to the WOW of the two sofas:
#1 6142 Macademia
#2 6158 Sawdust
#3 6097 Sturdy Brown
#4 7002 Downy
$5 Commodore (accent)

carolannr No one has mentioned my first thought for those beautiful sofas and cherry wood. I'm very traditional ( and its probably too " Ralph Laureny") but I think dark hunter green would be very dramatic with the paired sofas and wood tables. The room certainly looks big enough to carry a contrasting color to perfection. It would even look great with that carpet and the dark taupe color of the drapes.

Darzy I'm diggin' deco's blue suggestion. Carolannr...Green is definately an option and would look "nice" and is Pantone's color for 2013. If Greg likes it, it could work. I'd rather see "emerald green" than as Greg called it "whimpy" green. Here is a nice green...not wimpy or "hunter".

JDice Blue is orange's complement! Go that direction. Seems like you adore the orange color, so why not enhance them by using the complementary color? Go BOLD!

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy So far Macademia. Commodore and Downy catch my eye, while the dark greens seem somewhat harsh to this orange/gold tone arrangement.. Navy/Commadore may seem that way but these blue's intrigue me! Jeweled Emerald Vs jeweled Saffire with orange pops would spark some real conversation IMO. The Downy may be a way out. Thank you all SO MUCH! Each opinion counts more than you know!

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy Just read JDice suggestion and I have to admit this continued blue ideagets me going. To be honest, I'd rather they be more of a "Wheat" color, but they were left to me by a very dear, rather progressive friend. I'd like tohonor her memory by enfusing them with something exciting. Thank you again.

patty526 Add plenty of white to that orange/blue, and make it the richest, creamiest whites you can find. Formal desert colors!

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy Oooo. That sounds fresh! I don't really have "whites" as I tend to go with browns, golds and tans but whites get my imagination going! Would take some doing. Thank you for a fresh twist on this train of thought!!

olldroo Wow, what a lot of fabulous suggestions. I only have one and that is to test the colour you like first, if your room is dark anyway, too dark a colour on the walls could turn it into a cave. I love that sort of effect at night, it makes a room intimate, but it can get very drab during the day.

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy You are correct, of course. Personally, I'm in favor of "dark", especially at night. With the right lighting there's nothing better! I'd like to repost new pictures that were taken more recently. They show new pillows, new string shades and creamy white throws. The lamps are copper and gold. Should stand out nicley against navy/dark gray walls. I have an awesome red/gold/orange large scrolled Ethan Allen sling back style chair to bring in pattern. I'll try to repost fresher pix. You've all helped IMMENSELY!!!!!!!!

olldroo I don't know Arizona but assume it is a very hot place. Orange on it's own is a very hot colour but a strong blue will cool the orange. Together they will make a beautiful room - like a cool oasis.

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy I'm starting to get revved. I like the sounds of that and coming from someone that sounds as if they might be Canadian (??) it makes it sound even nicer. That, plus throwing in a lot of white... I'm getting jazzed. A "cool oasis"... I'll sleep well thinking of that!

olldroo You are going further away, Greg, I'm Australian and why I relate to heat so much. Doing a total reno at the moment and I am really into white at the moment too, it just makes everything look so clean and fresh - even makes me enjoy doing housework!!!

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy That's so cool. In my limited knowledge of worldly locations, I mistakenly looked at your spelling of "color" and thought perhaps one of our Northern neighbors (neighbours?) was writing. I read your post and I'm begining to become motivated. Leaning toward the color of a rich "blue suit" for my walls. Probably break from my usual eggshell finish routine and go with flat to increase the density. Waddya think??

olldroo Ha ha, I keep forgetting about my spelling, it all comes down to the British Empire, the Colonies and all that - what ho? I have asked a few times on this website and have never received an answer - what is eggshell finish? We don't have that. Just painted three rooms and was talked into a low sheen over a dead flat as it was supposed to increase density. We have full gloss and semi gloss for a sheen that does reduce density, but this low sheen is relatively new. I'm wondering though if it might be the equivalent of your eggshell. I have good depth of colour, happy there, but it was a nightmare to paint, took me ages to get it right and I only achieved that by basically wetting the walls and roller down as I went and painting with coloured water. The temp was around the mid 30s C every day so that probably didn't help either, it kept drying so fast. Going back to flat for the next room I do to see the difference, but flat definitely will increase the density normally.

Something people often don't think of, but I'm assuming your desert light could be a bit like our's, very intense? Makes a huge difference to the effect of colours. Check out the colours here as Morocco could have similar lighting conditions. I love the blue in the tile cushion, the peacock cushion gives you the effect with orange, but I also like the stencil design wall that goes into a deep aqua.

Adrian Ramsay Design House Re eggshell finish this is super flat paint and adds depth to any color, I'm for the pale blues,
i would paint some boards of 1ft x1ft size and try them around the room and in different lights before painting out the room,

sometimes I will spec 3 colors in the same room all slight shade variations of each other this way when it is in daylight you get more constancy of the one color, you might need help to do do this if your not handy with colors
Cheers Adrian
ARDH

Chroma Natrix Couldn't resist some photoshop using your stuff plus rug/color. Fun to see all the great suggestions!

Chroma Natrix and a few more...

olldroo Thank you for clarifying that for me Adrian - so flatter than flat would make the colour very intense.

I do at least a 2ft square of colour to test out before painting and it allows for different light at different times of the day too. Took me 5 colours to get my bedroom right!!

My personal preference would be for a pale blue too, I have just done my loungeroom in a soft slightly aqua blue which is a perfect foil for the hot afternoon sun the room gets. However, I do love the colours other Houzzers have posted, I would love to copy some of them, but they just wouldn't work here, which is why I raised the lighting issue with Greg. Only he would know what would work best.

olldroo Oh, CN you are just tooooo clever. That is amazing. Is that just a normal photoshop programme?
Love the last photo, that rug is amazing and I think the paint is the colour I had in mind - just going off blue into an aqua/teal.

Chroma Natrix one more

Chroma Natrix Thanks olldroo.... just normal photoshop. :-)

olldroo CN - something else to add to my New Year must do list. Looks such fun.

Anish Motwani Associates Hello
go for green color on the walls. it will give the warm feeling
and for traditional colorful rugs below the centre table to enhance the look

regards

apennameandthata I think that you need new flooring or at least a huge rug. If you had a rusty rug and wooden floors, the space would look NICE. IMHO.

I like the macadamia suggestion, if you have enough light and height in the room. That is one way of using the plain carpet and still getting some zing.

cohoek Hi, I would use a greyish blue ,(not being a greenish person), you need an opposite color on the color chart, to make the couches stand out more. Now they look very bland. With pillows that have some greyblue in them you can bring it all together. Stay away from beiges and browns as they will look pinkish and bland. The blue will look great with your wooden furniture too. I love persian rugs with these colors, you can spice things up with them and bring all the colors together. You might want to hang your mirror upright but not in the middel of the sofa but to one side and fill up the other side with some other smaller frames, this will make the wall look higher and more interesting. I experiment first with materials likes tableclothes, sheets or towels, even clothes to see what the color combination does.Have fun!

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy Oh, you Hoouzzers are all so terrific!! Those photo shop pix are wonderful and very helpful! I tell you what... I'm (still!) leaning toward a blue. First, I think a deep blue would quell the sense of being too hot here in the Desert. Secondly, it'll make the sofas POP and third, it should make visitors eyes POP. The room is DARK naturally, anyway. No hope there. To answer a couple questions, the ceiling is a high vaulted one so there is going to be a LOT of deep blue. I think that's why I hesitate.

The wall where the mirror is hung is the tallest one, but there is a vent just to the top right of the mirror and that negates any idea of switching pictures, but I'll work on it! The photoshoped mirror may get hung upright. When photoshopped to that side wall location, I can see that as a possibility.

I want to post new pix because so much is different while I angst over color. It has come more together since these pix were taken, but the color is still hanging in the balance. The final chapter in a nice overhaul. I'm thinking Navy, maybe add a bit of Teal or a touch of dark Gray, but DEEP. Oddly, Chroma... my new pillows are a very close match to your red rug in the one PS and red pillows in the other! This has been a real help, I have to tell everyone. I'll take new pix and post today to show where it's come during the interim. Thank you all so much!! Back after sun-up!

lpmenache I think that BM Antiquan sky would look great in this space. It is a very charming color that goes with everything, reds, whites and creams and the wonderful persimon color of your sofas. Even lavender and purple do well with it.

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy I'm a major BM fan but working with SW colors here in AZ becasue BM is not available. I always have SW paint matched to BM colors so will look into that PRONTO!!! Is that Historic or from a newer book?? NO PURPLE... (but thanks).

olldroo Tried to download that colour but it didn't work. Nice colour and looking into other shades I also like Hazy Blue and Summer Basket Green.

lpmenache It is not a historic color and of course SW can color match it. The purple was just to show its versitility. The truth of the matter is that the actual color you go with is not as important as the value of the color you use. If the values are compatable and in a similar range then you will get a calming room. When you change up the values in the major elements in the room you will get a room that is less restful. Leave that to your few accent pieces. I love the idea of using creams whites in this room. Your sofa color is actually quite "neutral" and so you have many options. So the value of the walls should be of a value very similar to your sofa color in my opinion.

cohoek Frame the vent as part of your collection!!!hihi....

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy ip: That's truly where I have my biggest challenge and perhaps why I began posting here (for this room). I have a bathroom I just completed on here with "Before and After" and I love everything about it EXCEPT for choosing the right color in towels. This is the same problem I have here in the LR. Which color VALUE fits the bill. Green, yellow, brown, blue...; even WHITE "works", but which color values leaves me questioning my final selection. I've made a number of attempts and so far all have (IMO) been "mistakes". "Close but no cigar" usually fits each attempt. I want to get it right this next time! You've all given me an ENORMOUS boost to try again. Thank you for the pointers!!

BTW: I'm a firm believer in "hiding" things like vents and cable connections and phone jacks. I won't be mitering any trims for the vent! (But thanks!!!) Seriously. Thanks.

olldroo I'm intrigued, you are introducing me to a new language, when you say colour "value" are you talking about the depth or strength of colour - like not allowing one colour to overpower another?

apennameandthata Value = light to dark
Chroma = how intense the colour is
Hue = where the colour fits on the colour wheel.

So, the carpet in you room has a very low chroma (it is very muted), a high value (because it is closer to white than black and an orange hue (true, if the photo comes out properly on my monitor and the carpet really is bone or light grey/cream, or light beige).

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy You are correct with regard to the carpet. In the right light (rare) it has a slight pinkish or peachy tone to it. It definitely clashes with golds! Is "Navy" (or something equal to it in Chroma) too much with the light carpet? Might that be my "issue"?? Would those "values" also be in conflict or would they compliment one another?? I'm becomming "edumacated"!!

olldroo This is really getting interesting, but too much for my sleepy head. Going to bed and will check it all out in the morning. Good luck Greg. Oh, I loved your bathroom too.

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy Thanks. I read your comment but do not know how to return a message. Sorry. I'm new! I'm going to try the sky blue, thanks to you. Night.

olldroo Return messages work the same as here. At least a towel you can always return if it is wrong, not like a wall of paint - lol!!

apennameandthata When people talk about monochromatic, analogous or contrasting schemes, they are talking about hue. Something called navy could have high chroma (like the dark blue paint in children's primary coloured paints), or low chroma (if it was darker and a French navy).

My guess is that the carpet clashes with golds because its hue is towards the red end of orange (so it looks peachy or pink) and the gold has a yellow hue. And that would mean that they are not close enough to be an analogous pair in this case.

Part of the problem you face, I think, is that the hue of your wall is yellow. When the same hue of yellow gets light it can look greenish - look in a Dulux paint Atlas if you don't believe me. Judging by the photos, the sofa could go with the wall and the sofa could go with the carpet and the wall and the carpet go together, but all three at once pull things in too many directions. Your maroon coloured cupboards are also of a pink hue so they match the pink hued carpet and contrast with the green looking walls. Orange does not fit in because it falls between the two pinks at one end and the greens at the other. The other think that helps the carpet and the cupboard work together is that they are very different values - they can't/don't clash because their values are so far appart. Likewise, the contrast is assisted by the difference between the value between the cupboard and the wall - if the cupboard was a pale pink or the wall a dark yellow/green, this would not look so good with the cupboard. Because your carpet and wall are both high value then you cut down you colour options. When decorating with large areas, you should use low chroma no matter what the value, as you have done with your original room.

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy Appen: I'm putting that in my Bible! I'll come to a more clear understanding faster with this information! Would a "dark Navy" fill the void well or would I go in the other direction, more of a "mono-chromatic" mix of a light orange kind of color making it more of the same tones?? I'm going in either one way or the other, no in-betweens at this point. In other words, no greens, no light blues, no whites and no reds.

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy I sit here this morning watching CBS This Morning and Jeff Glore is wearing a beautiful dark blue/steel Gray suit, a crisp white short and an orange and blue striped tie! STUNNING.

olldroo I think you are getting messages.

Love apenna's comment. I am definitely going to have to look into that, it is really interesting.

apennameandthata I would get some 3' by 4' boards and paint them with sample pots and see. You can see how they look with different surfaces in different lights. You can chose the correct blue better if you buy a colour atlas that the paint manufacturer puts out. In Australia, Dulux is the main paint brand. There are about 1000 colours on the colour wall at the hardware shop, but there are 4000 colours in the Atlas. The extra 3000 colours and better organisation make all the difference. The Atlas costs $165 which is probably less than it costs to make and they do not advertise it at all. My guess is that they avoid selling it at a loss but have to keep the price down so that people in the trade will still buy it. By using a color atlas, you can tweak the hue, chroma and value and experiment.

To answer your question, I would probably go dark blue. That way you don't die wondering.

lpmenache I do worry that a dark blue will have a high value and will not make for a restful room because the value of the orange is more middling. It may be too jarring. Chose a blue that has lower value as well as lower chroma for a more unified look. Again this is just my opinion.

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy I'm still pondering my resolution to this color situation and I'm continuing to listen to everyone (believe it or not!). I'm not ready to jump on anything until I fully understand all options. I hear your comments on value and chroma and I understand. A lighter, less intense version would not please me so I remain open. In the back of my feeble mind I may give in to a light, creamy version of orange (I hate to admit that!) to stay withing the same values. Please hang in there with me!

mveasey After reading all this I just had to post...my first instinct was blue.
Is is opposite orange on the colour wheel and therefore complementary, meaning it pleases the eye.blue would also look "cooler" in the AZ climate and perhaps "feel" more pleasant.
Remember paint is fairly cheap, you can always change it. Simply put some big test swatches on the wall and go with you heart (and gut instinct). You are the one who has to live with this colour decision. Do not overthink it too much. Best of luck from Canada!

lpmenache mveasey is right. Try some big patches of the colors you are leaning to and will get to your answer. While the academic discussion has been refreshing( and very welcomed, it is just that. At the end of the day it is the combination that makes you happy that matters most. Dont over think this(too late for that I think,LOL). Try the test colors chose the color and then repost with a pic.

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy That will be my best course of action. The input has caused me to slow down my normally "flash" instinct to run with the first exciting idea I have and that's good in this case. I've tweaked the room a few times to suit what furniture I HAD and now with these newer furnishings in place it sort of scared me to jump off into something brand new again and begin that process of "tweaking" the color all over to suit.

With everyone's help, ideas and input I have narrowed it down from MANY to two. Obviously, a person couldn't hope for more help than that and I've recognized each idea along the way and thanked everyone for sharing their ideas and comments. I haven't been "over-thinking" my choices. I've been courteous to listen and appreciative of the help. But your last critique sort of stings. You might note that while you say you agree with mveasy, your idea on the most suitable color is in direct conflict?Thank you for it anyway! I'll allow you the same courtesy I've extended to others. Have a fine afternoon and a pleasant New Year.

mveasey Last idea I've been thinking about. You said this room is fairly dark. Color is intrinsically linked to light. I'm not sure what type of ceiling fixture you have, but I see lots of similar height lamps. You'll benefit from light-sources of varying height. You could put some of the metal ones on top of your armoire and have their light pointing on the ceiling. A clip on light, specifically for your beautiful artwork would highlight it and make the room feel special. Happy New Year!

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy Thank you for that. I just finished re-arranging the entire room to get another perspective on things and varying the lamp height was one benefit that happened (oddly enough). You've all been so helpful. After I take the new arrangement in, I'll start opening paint cans. Thanks so much!!!!!

greengirl Apen, Thanx for that lesson although I'll probably have to read it a few times. I've always obsessed and over thought colors even after numerous sample comparisons. Now I know why.

We actually bought 2 chairs this similar color. DH and I wanted to force ourselves away from safe. I currently have 2 blues hanging on wall. Will also drive myself crazy. As a gardener I love to use the orange/red/purple combo. But of course I love green as my favorite. So my question is:

Do you have all the furniture or flooring for the room that you want? It may make a difference in the final decision.

PLs keep this going. I'm going to need the input :)

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy Greenie! I am just kinda outdone when it comes to replacing furniture at this point. The room is NOT easy to arrange and the furniture that is presently on-site is a bit of a hassle getting things "just so". It's a Living/Dining combo and you can put it this way or that way and that's IT. It's never even used but I tend to enjoy looking into the space and it's currently just "not quite right", leaving me wanting for a tweak. In my mind, it's COLOR that's off. In reality, replacing the cherry tables would be AWESOME, but that's not in the plans for a room that's never used.

In the end I'll either lighten the color and make it more orange/less gold or go completely bold with a dark navy/steel gray and make it really POP. I'm giving it a rest for a week or so and go back at it. I'm glad I'm not the only one that goes bonkers when it comes to your own space! Would be nice to get it right the first time. Hire a designer??!!

olldroo Hi Greg, just checking in to see how you are going. Fascinated with Apenn's post, I will really have to study that. Reading your last post, I think you might have said some magic words when you say your room isn't used but you enjoy looking into the space. You need a colour now that you are not going to just enjoy looking into but one that says 'come in, sit for a while and enjoy'. While I love the idea of the blues, and I think you do too, I'm wondering if the grey might look better with your cherry furniture. Only you can decide that. Definitely take time out, there are so many gorgeous options here, I usually try to pick up at least 4 chips of each colour I like to put up in a room until I eliminate down to 2 or 3 and then I use sample pots to really put a decent amount of colour on the wall.

Good luck, can't wait to see the end result.

olldroo Appen, I'm fascinated by your reference to Dulux paints when you live in the US. I had no idea you could buy the atlas. Fortunately, my local hardware has one, although they keep it under the counter, and I have really discovered the value of it, every paint I have chosed in my recent painting effort has been via the atlas. Most shades can be reduced down by a half or three quarters to give even more choice. It is so helpful to be able to pick an accent colour and then look through a range of 10 or so shades to get down to just the right depth of colour for the walls and in one room I even halved the colour of the lightest shade.

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy ALLDROO: I've made some headway and using a newer thread. Check out the progress on my "Living room color fail" thread. I ended up re-arranging the entire room and took some advice on accessories and I'm truly pumped for the first time in a long while! I want to post updated pix but am worried others will think I'm too self-involved. I finally made some exciting moves!!!

I'll take new pix tomorrow during the daylight to show what their suggestions did for me... without a color change yet!

apennameandthata I'm from 'stralia, mate.

And that's exactly how the atlas can be used. Monochromatic schemes really do work the best I recon, and, for some reason, you can really get them to pop.

olldroo Fair dinkum??? What are you doing in the States??

I actually call it the Bible, the blokes at Mitre 10 pull it out as soon as they see me coming, they know they aren't getting out of it easy with me. Haven't done too much with monochromatic schemes I usually have a contrast or two somewhere for interest and so I can weave colours through the house to tie all the rooms together. Do you reckon the light over there is different to here? I find a lot of schemes I see on this site look fabulous but just don't work for me and I'm sure it is the light.

Adrian Ramsay Design House it s the light for sure, i'm a kiwi living in Qld and the light is very different just between those two places,
the USA is vast and the light changes coast to coast as well as in the middle, plains light and mtn light are quite different, when you consider Denver is 1 mile above sea level it has very different light from Huston, so keep playing i spec a lot of resene paint from NZ and they have a similar bible set up
good luck cheers adrian

olldroo Thanks Adrian, it is something that has always concerned me when people start recommending colour schemes and no one ever takes this factor into account. Just hope there aren't too many disappointed people wondering why their rooms don't look like the photo. You would have tropical light in Qld which would make a big difference too. Haven't been over the ditch for years and wasn't into this sort of thing then.

orangecamera How would it look to have blue walls and verrrrrry pale orange on the ceiling, to tie into the chair color? SW 7058, Welcome White is one choice, and of course could be lightened more. It will look "white".

Or, if the light there is really that strong, maybe pale orange walls and a dark blue ceiling? Is that crazy?

olldroo Oooh, orangecamera, with stars that glow in the dark!!!! Heehee. I once painted a ceiling sunshine yellow to cheer a room up and never lived it down.

orangecamera Oh c'mon, I'm not advocating "traffic cone orange"! LOL.

frenchreno Now I've read all the comments - and I don't think I've missed it but did anybody suggest just doing an accent wall - not even sure this is the correct term. Behind your sofa a dark blue wall and a pale, pale grey or other colour...for example for the other 3 walls? Sounds like your having a lot of fun...can't wait to see pictures.

olldroo orangecamera - couldn't resist. I once saw a child's room done with a dark blue ceiling and about 50 model airplanes dangling from it, stars and the moon. Your comment brought it all back. :)

carolannr Its definitely the light - I live in Denver, have an east facing patio door and south facing living room window, shaded in the summer by a nice green tree. I swear my blue-white paint has a greenish tinge just in the summer when the sunshines through all those beautiful leaves. Its the reason we can paint a much darker color on our walls without dire circumstances - the light here and the fact we have full sunshine days at least 305 days of the year, usually more.

Greg the PAINT-IT! guy Adding to the problem is we also have "sun screens" on all windows to keep the house cooler and the furniture from fading! It all plays such tricks on your eyes and every time of dsay differs from another. That's how I ended up so "gold". I wanted something strong but it got TOO strong. One kind poster said I might use the same color half strength. Might be a great compromise.

tgrdnr I like the blue and orange idea. Here's my twist: color block the wall in cobalt and orange, an add thick white trim between the blocks, which will help make it look formal. Then add some really white light to make the room look both cool and bright.

tgrdnr I like the blue and orange idea. Here's my twist: color block the wall in cobalt and orange, an add thick white trim between the blocks, which will help make it look formal. Then add some really white light to make the room look both cool and bright.

tgrdnr Love the blue and orange and white idea. Here's my twist. Color block in cobalt an orange, and ten add thick white molding between the blocks. The molding will help it look formal. Add dark blue and white pillows to the couch. Viola! An amazingly redone formal room with colors that really POP!

tgrdnr Sorry, looks like it uploaded twice

apennameandthata In reply, I live in Australia. I have only been to the US for 5 minutes when I circled through the boarder on foot when I was at Niagara Falls.