Help picking paint for a dark interior.
My house is rather dark. In fact, we're always complaining about how dark. I'm attaching photos, taken at night but with all the lights on. But by the same token, we would like our walls to have a darker color than they do now. The living room is now painted a barely-noticable beige. The kitchen and dining room is a wonderful peapod green color. (Well, I think it's wonderful...you mileage may vary.) The woodwork is all a nasty 70's builder's grade medium oak, with the exception of the casings you can see in my photos and we're ready to paint it all white. (Yep...it's going to be a chore, we're starting in the basement family room for practice.) We picked a trim color that was Dutch Boy paint today called "popcorn", a barely off-white color, with beige undertones, not green or blue. Of course, we can make the upstairs a bit brighter when we get to that if it looks too dark once it's on.
I guess the problem is I was wanting a medium dark tan, but I'm afraid now it will make our house even darker. The windows sit north (on the kitchen/dining room side and south on the living room side, but there are big trees blocking most of that sun. I think painting the trim will start the lightening, but what kind of tan would go well, as the rooms are connected?
Finally, the kitchen photo shows we've begun tiling the backsplash I formerly painted green...We're thinking of painting the cabinets a brownish red? I'm attaching a photo of a table that has a similar color. Our appliances are all almond/bisque, or we'd go white. Any thoughts?
I welcome any ideas (and please forgive the mess!)
I guess the problem is I was wanting a medium dark tan, but I'm afraid now it will make our house even darker. The windows sit north (on the kitchen/dining room side and south on the living room side, but there are big trees blocking most of that sun. I think painting the trim will start the lightening, but what kind of tan would go well, as the rooms are connected?
Finally, the kitchen photo shows we've begun tiling the backsplash I formerly painted green...We're thinking of painting the cabinets a brownish red? I'm attaching a photo of a table that has a similar color. Our appliances are all almond/bisque, or we'd go white. Any thoughts?
I welcome any ideas (and please forgive the mess!)
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I am, however, fairly set on a tan/beige shade on the walls. I really dislike blues. In fact, other than jeans, I don't even own anything blue. I'm not a fan of yellow, mostly because it looks absolutely horrible on me I think, but in any event, my husband would never go for it. Our taste, if we had the right type of house (we don't) or the money to redecorate (ditto) would tend toward old-world furnishings and decor, even medieval. But we have a 1970's split foyer house and our dream home will have to wait. :) So instead it's a matter of making what we've got more attractive. I do like the white woodwork with a darker wall color, but I know I don't want to go too dark.
Originally, when we started painting (the kitchen and dining room) I had an inspiration fabric...all the designer shows say have an inspiration piece after all. It was the fabric I'm attaching. I love this. In case the colors don't really show well, it's a dark chocolate brown, with golden tans, maroons, pinks and dark and leaf green. I chose the green from it for my walls. It's on my dining chairs and the kitchen valance and I have about 10 yard of the stuff left I haven't been able to figure out exactly what to do with. But you can certainly see my medieval influence there. I know our taste isn't everyones and we can't go dark-dark, but we'd thought a tan and we could add touches of the other colors here and there.
I do have a cupboard in my kitchen that is already painted a reddish brown. I don't remember where we got this particular paint, but it was called "cowboy suede" and was probably Lowe's or Wal-Mart. I'll attach a picture. (I was drying herbs...that's what's hanging there.)
I actually have a cabinet with three BIG doors I can practice on that we took out and is just sitting in the garage. So I will be able to figure out how to do this before I do it.
I'm looking at the living room now in daylight. Granted, it's a bit overcast, but this is about as bright as it gets in here...we even have lamps on. Maybe the beige we have on the walls already will look less off-white with true white trim?
[houzz=Hunting Lodge - Oxford, Maryland][houzz=Kitchen 1][houzz=][houzz=Kitchen 2][houzz=Day Residence Interiors][houzz=Red Painted Kitchen][houzz=Kitchens] I really like the green with white or off-white cabinets, but with the tile we've chosen and the almond appliances, I just don't know how it would work.
How do you people get the photos to show up without text in the comment?
I've spent a lot more time on this, and I think I do agree with cream. [houzz=
Now to figure out the rest of the house. I appreciate the suggestions.
Looking at the paint chip now at home, it may well be too beige. I may end up using it as wall color in the basement and buying more pure white for the trim.
That is the only peapod green I can find. Mine is a little less sage and a little more spring leaf - almost like a lighter version of the green Houzz uses on this website for its logo.
If anyone has any more suggestions, I'll happily listen. Thanks again!!!