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decoenthusiaste I only see one photo. I think if you use lots of colorful art, you won't notice the green so much. Lots of white and may a purple accent can help the green recede somewhat. Use white sheers as I suggested in your previous post about the verticals. Can you slipcover your furniture with white? Try a large purple area rug Purple and green are naturals, so I think with white or off white if your carpet is beige for relief you can get the condo to look really nice.

christi If I am unable to paint all the green, I will definitely use purple accents. Wines, purples, anything that won't clash. Thank you! Here is a paint swatch that kind of gave me an idea to work with both what is there and what we have (cream/off-white leather sofa, loveseat, chair, etc.) I think a purple rug is a GREAT IDEA! thank you!!!

decoenthusiaste You're welcome! Would love to see your Before and Afters here on Houzz!

diyher I love green, but I agree, this color green is almost a grey green. A purple like mentioned would go nice. Our bedroom is a pretty light green called "Mountain Haze" and the curtains and comforter have purple, greens and a shell color. Good luck

bananamamma You can't ask the owners to paint? or at least ask for one or two key walls? or if it's ok if YOU do it? not a good thing when you've not even moved in and you're using words like 'NOT like it' pretty expressive! ask, you never know

Ironwood Builders As a landlord and a renter at various times in my life, I never met a property owner that would turn down a free paint job. Give them say so over your color choice...choose three YOU like and let them pick one of the three. Can't hurt to ask. I was going to suggest an interior tent or loose fabric walls (see them here on houzz) but for the investment you could paint the place now and again when you move out.

Margaret Phillips It is a curious color to have in a rental, I agree. I like the color but of course I only see one photo. As a landlord I personally do not welcome offers to paint from renters. Unless it will be professionally done, I can't have my investment being painted by just anyone, the headaches from a bad paint jobs are not worth it. In my case it is renters wanted to paint the walls all the colors of the rainbow.

biffwellington Yeegh. I like dark colors, but even I am scared by this a little. If you do paint:
1. Use primer. Primer is your friend
2. Benjamin Moore makes this wonderful 1-coat paint that you can put over the primer. It's more money, but it really only does take one coat. Do that or you will be painting for. eh. ver. Stuff that dark is tough to cover unless you are painting an equally dark cover over it.

twylahaj If you need to work with the color, try to accent with unusual and eye-catching items that will draw attention away from the walls. A spectacular light fixture (swagged, not installed, of course), amazing curtains (even on some walls) and some great thrift store furniture painted all white or bright colors or even covered in metal leaf or glaze can go a long way toward distracting the eye from the walls. If the furniture comes cheap and you're going to paint it anyway, as long as it's sturdy and a decent shape, you can always improve it by adding mouldings, wood trim, and new hardware. If you don't do thrift stores and there's an IKEA near you and you could spend a bit getting free standing open shelving, you could always tack fabric to the back of the shelving so the right side shows through in place of the walls. You can also vary your color schemes in the different rooms, which would help the green seem less overwhelming, Good luck!

finowolf Ceiling fixture outlets are not that common, I have lived all over the country and rarely have I had one. I like the color, use lots of whites and creams and texture and then your pop of color. It is a rental. Save your money.

diyher I agree with Finowolf, Whenever I was in a rental, I just brought whatever furniture I had and made it look presentable knowing I was moving out in 1 or at most 2 years. It could take you 2-3 months or more to get things the way you like them, and then within a year after that move out. Too much time wasted. enjoy your stay thinking what your new place one day :)

orangecamera I just found this while looking for pictures for someone else's dilemma, and thought of you. It's an ideabook, and shows (surprisingly to me) yellow accents. I wouldn't have thought of that, but they look nice. What do you think?

christi do you mean do i like it for my green drab? or do i like it generally speaking? If it was to be a pseudo-solution to offset the green on my walls now, I would pass on it because I would only want something that was a STARK contrast. IMO the pic is certainly grand in size & it is nice, but still not my style. It blends too much. I am drawn to cool over warm hues. I am actually looking at a few things on here out of my normal comfort zone...brown...but it looks appealing for maybe one of the rooms. I got "lost" on this site last night when I thought I was signing off...I have no idea how I came across this site to begin with, but I love it! so many ideas, and I didn't realize there were actual site or business locators... that will def come in handy if i do my master bedroom first... i kind of wish i had posted that first, as it is SUCH a project, but knowing we're moving this week has had me referring back to the pictures so I can decide what will go where. that was nice of you to think of and pass this on to me. if i saw it in someone else's house (it looks almost masculine?) I would definitely take notice & like it, but not for me. ;o) what is the other person's dilemma? i saw a couple of questions on here in the blogs (very briefly) & I had such strong opinions that I refrained from answering. this is how the condo was set up when we viewed it, they were offering it furnished, I requested that it all be removed. I think that I'll probably just be happier with a blank canvas, even if it means $$ and hassle. ;o) I do love it all, decorating, furnishing, and so on...I just wish that in this particular case the property was MINE because I would start with major renovations and updating....

orangecamera I hear ya, if yellow's not your thing, it's not your thing. Just wanted to point out that below the picture I posted above, there's a link. If you click on that link, it will bring you to an entire ideabook about Olive Green, and you may find some other inspiration there.

Here's the other thread I commented on: http://www.houzz.com/discussions/342840

If your house was mine and I needed to keep the wall color, I'd accessorize with jewel tones of purple and red. I think if you use muted tones, the whole place will just look muddy.

Do you know how to create an ideabook of your own here? Most pictures will have a link "add to ideabook" on them. Also, in the top of every screen, there's a black bar, and all the way to the right is "Your Houzz". On the dropdown, you can "get the bookmarklet". It allows you to add pictures from ANY site to your houzz ideabook. (You'll get a link on your browser bar that says "Add to ideabook".)

Houzz is fantastic, and addicting!

Maria Killam Before you turn yourself into a pretzel buying stuff to work with the green, just paint the whole thing. You will spend the same amount of money trying to work with a colour you don't like. I lived in rentals for years and painted most of them, most definitely if they were an existing colour I couldn't live with. How many weekends do we go away and easily drop $500 or more. DON'T go away for one and paint the place instead. I agree it's bad and the pink beige broadloom is only intensified by the green walls. Paint the walls BM Muslin, or Classic Grey and call it a day. Here's a post from my blog that might help.

http://www.mariakillam.com/2012/02/4-best-colours-to-paint-a-rental.html/
Hope this helps,
Maria

orangecamera The advice to paint instead of buying decor to go with a color you don't like is good. But $500 won't be enough to paint that huge condo. You'll probably spend twice that (or more) just on primer. It's a large space with tall walls and I'm guessing not a do-it-yourself project. Get some professionals in there to give you quotes before you get your heart set on anything.

Don't forget to factor in the cost to repaint when you leave if you choose anything that's not neutral. (Check with the owner first, and make sure *they* agree that your color is neutral...don't want a nasty surprise at the end of your lease)

christi Maria, I like the way you think! To me that makes perfect sense, my husband sees this as "wasteful". He should know by know that the amount of $ it will take to sensibly repaint will save him headaches he would have had from me continuously trying to make something work that I just....don't like. I will look up those paint colors for sure. I only remember the boldest of colors I have used with B. Moore & S. Williams...I wouldn't dare paint the whole house any of those colors. Thank you for saying exactly what I've been thinking all along. That was the nudge I needed to stop second-guessing. Orange, I am all over this house today trying to tie up loose ends, running back and forth to the computer...thank you for the newbie guide. I could lose myself on this site, taking mental notes, admiring things, etc. As far as the jewel tones, I just LOVE jewel tones. I don't know how well red would work with my jewel tones, but if I was going to keep the green, red would compliment it very well, as I saw in random photos of different rooms. Thank you for the 411, I look forward to catching up on the threads & checking out the specific paint colors aforementioned. I LOVE how in some of these photos the designers share what color paint they used. ;o)

orangecamera Glad to help.

What jewel tones do you already have? Rubies are red :)

orangecamera avacody, it WILL all come together. I just went through the same process myself.

Sign up on sherwin-williams.com, they'll send you coupons and notices of sales. I hit it just right and got most of my paint at 40% off.

christi wow, that's a huge savings!! thank you!!! my daughters room will be a breeze to paint, now that my 9 year old has decided he doesnt want the bedroom downstairs i am DEFINITELY painting it, and THAT room will take a great deal of paint, i wish that was the master bedroom. I would take it for myself if it had a bathtub. anyway, i am signing up right now! how did you pick your paint? was it cumbersome for you, or are you one of the "lucky ones" who knows when you see it & don't second guess EVERYthing.... what paint did you pick? the link maria sent me should be very helpful for the neutral (which is most important for my own reasons and also to the owner) the bedrooms are yucky...now that my son threw my game plan off i dont even know what kind of furniture to put in there....maybe i'll try out one of the platform sets I added to my ideabook? i've never tried brown paint...what do you think? are you able to see my ideabook? again, this is the furniture that was in the condo, it is empty, and this is such a great room, the pictures don't do it justice...the paint in this room to me looks not only dated but not even matching...i'm open to anything in this room for paint...earthy & warm? a different deep blue or soothing blue? a quarter for your thoughts... this room is so big, as is the adjoining room in between the bathroom. another odd thing about this penthouse is that there is no .5 bathroom for guests so they would have to use this one...a little obtrusive, lol...

orangecamera My first thought is let your kids have some say in the color choices for their rooms. Find out what color they want. Then you choose 3 or 4 shades of it you can live with, and let them choose from those.

As you might have guessed from my screen name, my favorite color is orange. I have a small house, with an open floor plan. My living/dining room is Sherwin Williams 6660 Honey Blush. My kitchen, which is viewable from there is Sherwin Williams 6658 Welcome White. Both rooms have orange accessories, and cobalt blue for contrast.

Honey Blush and Welcome White are warm colors, and I wanted cooler colors for the bedrooms.

The master bedroom is Sherwin Williams 7016 Mindful Gray, and has all black, white and gray accessories. It's a big bright room, and I really love how it came out. I was worried that it would be depressing, but because it gets a lot of light, and I have solid white curtains it's not depressing at all.

The other bedroom is Sherwin Williams 7727 Koi Pond, with white accessories. Sadly, for now it's acting as my storage room while I get settled (I just moved in a few weeks ago), but soon it will start to look nice. I haven't "decorated" it at all except to put up a white curtain for privacy.

Both bathrooms are Sherwin Williams 7036 Accessible Beige. It's an amazing mix of beige and gray, and works with both. The shower curtain in the master bath is a white and tan leafy pattern, and bright orange towels. The guest bath has a solid white shower curtain, and gray/blue towels.

None of the paint colors look right on my monitor. It's best to get actual paint chips. When you're ready to paint - especially the large rooms - get samples and paint large pieces of white foam core or poster board. Move them around your rooms and look at them at different times of day and in different weather (sunny, overcast...) to see how the colors will really look in YOUR house (not under the store lights).

Yes, I agonized over the colors a lot. I'd used honey blush and welcome white in my last home and agonized before using them there. But I liked them and it was a no-brainer to use them again in my new home. Gray was a bit out of my comfort zone, but I took a chance. It did take me over a week to decide between shades 7016 and 7017 LOL! Koi Pond is a greenish color, and for sentimental reasons was chosen for my guest room - where my mom will sleep when she's staying here. It's "her" color (like orange is mine), and the name has a special meaning to our family.

And even though I agonized over the colors of paint, I like most colors. I've got faceted crystals hanging in my kitchen window. In the afternoon when the light hits them, I get a g'zillion little rainbows all over my kitchen, living room and dining room.

Sherwin Williams has brochures with neutrals that all "go together", to make it easier to choose your colors. In my experience, the salespeople at the Sherwin Williams stores are very helpful and will be glad to help you with choices.

orangecamera Here's a link to a thread about my living room progress so far, if you're interested :) http://www.houzz.com/discussions/335311

orangecamera Take the money that you were prepared to spend on painting your kids' rooms, and add it to their college funds :)

unclejimmyj Wow - Some really interesting comments.
I sway to the "accept the scheme and make other use of the money". Use the existing colour scheme as a distinctive back drop to highlight your special things, and to see them and show from a completely new perspective.
Could be interesting, expand your boundries and discover new options. Maybe.
Put the savings in your "re-colour OUR OWN HOME" fund.

hotdrysunny As much as I do not love that green color, all I could think about when I saw the photo was "Oh jeez, who is the unlucky sucker who gets to climb all the way up there to paint that wall???"

If you DID get permission from your landlord to paint it, you're either going to have to get a pro in to do it (and some of the landlords in the comments say that's all they would accept) or you're going to have to rent scaffolding and/or a really really tall ladder. Either way, your expenses are going to be way more than the paint itself. That green is super dark too, so you're going to use at least two coats of primer, maybe more if your preferred color is very light or a warmer color - that green will definitely bleed through any less-than-perfect primed paint job.
I don't know what the rest of the walls look like, but as an avid DIYer myself, I saw that 20-foot drop (18? 25? I can't tell from the photo) and immediately saw the potential for catastrophe. Maybe that's just my experience. . . :-)

I agree with unclejimmyj and many of the others: save the painting $$ for YOUR home in the future and figure out how to live with this!

JAMEITE Hand-painted Silk Wallpaper Co., LTD White good.

solichin Just add wallpaper walls, more simple!
More info see http://inhomeinterior.com/interior/ceramic-tile-to-wallpaper-decoration-in-modern-interior/

pfrayne Maybe you could attach a ceiling-height wire cable (or a curtain rod) over the largest walls and hang the longest curtains you can afford. It would cover a lot of the green, and kind of give the same impression as fabric wallpaper. That way, you can take the curtains with you when you do get a home of your own.

nancymic I just painted my family room which was dark brown with medium gray-blue. I used Benjamin Moore paint/primer in one, $38 gallon. No primer. Covered in one coat! One gallon did a 16x21 room. It does have a fireplace wall, two large doorways, and a sliding glass door so it's not as much wall as you might think, but still...one coat.
I do agree about the tall wall being a real issue though. Can't you just paint some walls or rooms if they allow it? An equally dark tan might neutralize it...

creeser I agree with Ironwood. Having rental properties ourselves, if a tenant came in and wanted to repaint a neutral color, I'd tell them to go for it! AND buy the paint! Approach them and have a nice neutral color picked out and see what they say. Having the color chip in hand would be better than just saying a 'neutral' as they may have a different interpretation. If you decide to go that route, then I'd choose a color like Sherwin Williams Wool Skein or Accessible Beige. Very neutral.

JAN MOYER Why can't you re-paint? I'd stake a million dollars that a renter prior to YOU chose the GREEN! Don't even ask, just pick a pleasing neutral and go for it.

Lizyliz Keep the upper shades open and the lower ones just slightly (unless open to walkways). That wall looks great but more than one wall or one smaller wall to balance out, would be too much. Do love the purple idea.

FYI - Painting and not even asking is a good way to loose a deposit.

resaparker Gosh. That *is*green! I suppose if I couldn't paint it I would do everything possible to cover that up. I would look for some rather large art work or borrow some from a relative, but since this is a rental I am guessing no holes in the wall either? That wall would make a nice gallery wall if you can hang things on it.

Elise Open those blinds, let the light pour in an hang the largest lightweight art print you can find that you like.

http://www.gallerydirect.com/static/show/canvas-art

chriowmn I would get out the rags, and sponge a lighter moss and sage green, mixed with some beige and whites in it. It will soften the hues and become a base rather than a large focal point, at is easy, not horrible exspensive as you can buy smaller containers of paint and make them spread a long long way/ In fact, you could buy the paint sample sizes and do this, anyway, just a thought, I would mottle it with lighter colors. it truly could be gorgeous and just the nuetral affect you want.

chi910 I own a place in Chicago downtown and it is now being leased as we've moved to the NY area. Here I am leasing so I had the same predicament. I'll be moving into a high rise middle of April. In this case it's all white. I will be painting and having it repainted when I move out. Personalization is everything!

karmeg Hi,
You could try hanging a "row " of fabric covered frames (like a canvas art frame - basic stapled wood frame that you stretch and staple fabric over).
THis could be done quite inexpensively, and since they are very light weight, hanging the, would not damage the wall or be difficult.
Think off something like five " panels " hung side by side, with only a few inches of wall between each. Similarly, there would not be a substantial amount of wall showing on top and bottom.
Since you like neutrals,you could use muslin or burlap (both very inexpensive ).
Alternately, you could buy a print fabric of your choosing and apply the same approach.
You wil not even notice the wall.
Think of Asian inspired decorating ( shoji screens ) and simple, organic pieces that create a sense of serenity, or if you prefer more contemporary, maybe try a geometric lattice or zig- zag type print.
inexpensive mirrors placed the same way, would also deflect from the wall, if your taste runs in that direction.

5blues I would get a few samples ask the owner show them a neutral and something like bleeker beige by benjamin moore as a darker alternative. Maybe they painted it dark not to show dirt and finger prints etc. Tell them you don't want to go buy camo furniture to go with that drab wall. lol All that wall needs is a deer and some other camo items. It's bad. Really bad.
When our house had a flood and we had to move into a rental while they repaired our home it was bad they guy had purple granite with 80's green. All mismatched appliances. It was bad. It was a 2500. month rental also. In a good area of bucks Pa. The owner just had really bad taste.

Chantal Looyen You could try covering 16mm Micro-fibre Density Board with white patterned wallpaper and hang them up (similar to karmeg's comment to cover in fabric). Another idea would be to do a collection of different white picture frames with a mix of white subject matter, black and white or sepia photos, and a few with bright colours (plum, burnt orange) or metallics. These items can go with you to your next home.

stma47 I think you just need to put up some art on the walls or even pictures

Judy M If you were my tenant and painted the walls without my permission, you would not get your security deposit back. And if you signed a one year lease and wanted to renew, I'd say," forget about it".

You want it your way, buy your own house.
I agree the color is awful and maybe the tenant prior to you did it but it is not right to Paint without permission.

I would have no problem with a tenant doing the work IF they could demonstrate their painting skills are competent.
Just my 2 cents.

chi910 Judy M as someone who has a tenant and due to relocation is now leasing in a NY high rise white walls just doesn't feel like home. Of course you ask before you paint and the agreement is that you repaint the color that was there before. I am hiring painters that are recommended by the management office so it should be fine...expensive but fine!

Judy M That is a good tenant! I'd have no problem with that and I might not have you repaint it all back. Any rooms I thought were neutral enough without being white could stay.

What I was referring to was a comment above where someone said, just paint, don't ask landlord!

chi910 Not a good idea to just paint. You of course would lose all of your security, not a good idea at all.

Judy M The ideal time for a tenant to have that discussion about the paint is BEFORE asking to sign a lease.
If the landlord thinks you are the right tenant then they might consider painting it to avoid the possibility of losing a good tenant.
Negotiating after you sign the lease is harder, but not impossible.

Linda Given the geography of that foyer, there's no way I would allow a tenant to paint unless they had relevant experience of ladder work and owned the equipment to do it. Otherwise, I might require that they would pay my crew to do the work, but at a discounted rate.

It's usually cheaper to keep a tenant than to get a new one, but if there are lots of tenants clamoring for rentals, I might consider sprucing up the joint at my cost for a higher monthly rent. I don't know how long the lease is for in this case, but be very, very careful about spending your own money to improve a rental unless you have a renewal agreement - with potential rent increases spelled out - with the landlord.

You don't want to get into a situation where you throw money in and 9 months later the next year's rent has increased by 15% because you made the property more valuable. That game is quite common in commercial leases - someone builds a successful restaurant or bar business based on a long lease and then can't afford to pay the huge rent increase demanded at renewal. When the property has changed from being a vacant storefront to an established business, it is much easier to sell to an investor. Alternatively, lots of people have a family member who has always wanted to run a bar and here's an existing one making tons of money, just take over their lease...

Sara Morton Framed family pictures on the green area or framed caricatures could be used. Use wooden frames or black frames. Could also use different mirror shapes in this area.

Sara Morton Take a roll of striped wallpaper and frame it with the stripe running vertically. Cheap.

christi well I am just now FINALLY ABLE TO read all of these helpful comments and suggestions now that I have my computers up & running. I was hoping that the walls would look better once our things were in here and I had a myriad of my own touches, artwork, etc, but EVERYTHING looks SO BLAND. I should have just taken it furnished as was rather that try to move my stuff in here hoping it would work, but I'm such a germaphobe...
still not decided on the walls, which is a bummer because I don't know where to put ANY of my wall decor. Everything looks drab, mirrors, metals, all of my pictures...oh boy...even my most colorful pictures just look so DULL. Wallpaper I thought was a- more $$ and b- hard to apply (and should the owner not like it when I move out) have removed. Both of my last houses had very high ceilings, so almost all of my wall decor is leaning on the walls right now. Having held up countless colors next to the walls, a "contrast" wall would do little to help. Judy, I have permission to paint the walls "neutral", and if I choose to paint any rooms or walls not neutral, I simply have to have them painted back when I move out. (which is totally understandable to me, I just wish they were "neutral" now...)
Although the blinds (required by the HOA) are nice at night for privacy, even they seem to take on the green tones even though they are off-white. I LOVE having light in here during the day, it takes some of the overall "heaviness" of the room away, but as soon as the sun goes down I'm in the dungeon, lol. Linda, if/when I get these walls painted, I will do as much of them as I can. (I am actually meticulous at painting and don't mind it), but I would definitely hire a painter to do the areas I can't reach, going up the stairs) I've looked at wall adhesive options, murals/tapestries, fabrics... To everyone who suggested I save my $$ for my own [next] home, those are rational thoughts, but I gave it a go...it's been just over a week and I simply can't work with this green, so they have to go. I do find it ironic, though, that they have to be "neutral"...I have seen shades of blues, burgundys, browns, and with the exception of black they all seem more neutral than this color. The owners do not reside here, they are in South Africa & NYC, so I think it is unlikely they would have painted this color??

Elise There are a wide range of neutrals out there. Many whites are tinted to warm up or cool them down. Builder beige may not be the option you choose to pursue. Since you love light, consider tones of butter yellow and warm golds as contrast walls. These tones not only work well as neutrals but definitely warm up the spaces. You can vary the effects by adding texture in the different application techniques from ragging to stripes, etc... These colors are beautifully complemented with creams and grays as well. Best of luck and get that painter in sooner than later!

bclowg Take a second and third look at Maria's blog... she has some really good advice when it comes to "neutrals", which are rarely if ever neutral! Merely vibrant colors with invisibility cloaks on! :) To keep it in the neutral scheme, you can do a darker tint of the same "neutral" color for an accent wall.

Sara Morton Hang a bright rug above stair wall or a nice painting and you will not even notice the colour of the wall. Your focus will be what is hanging on the wall.

JAMEITE Hand-painted Silk Wallpaper Co., LTD hope can help you.

Sara Morton By the time you hang pictures etc. on the wall you forget the green colour and can keep the money you don't spend on paint for your future house.

diyher I agree with Sara and others that say save your time and money since this is a rental you don't plan to be at too long. Things don't have to be perfect if it's not for a more permanent time frame.
You have a lot of nice ideas on this thread that you may be able to use once you buy a house, or who knows, your whole idea of what colors you want to live with could change by then :)
I lived in an apartment once for 2 years before I met my husband, I left the walls the way they were. Same 20 years ago while waiting for this house to be built for a full year. I didn't care nothing matched, it was only a rental.

blindsdirectcanada I would remove the vertical blinds and go with Ripplefold sheers to the ceiling . It traverses like a vertical blind but its more up to date and modern.