Need decorating help - Paint colours

CantWait wrote: Ok so I really want to paint the living room, which is connnected to the hallway both upstairs and downstairs, it's also just off the kitchen with is a shade of sagey green sorta.

Our furniture in the living room is cherry wood, we're always going to stain the fireplace to match.

I was thinking a bright/light blue, this would open the room up, and brown colour scheme, but don't know what to paint the hallways to match, and I don't think I really want to go blue in there also as it would be to much.

Then I was thinking an evergreen colour but don't know what to paint the hallways to offset that.

Any suggestions, or any other colour choices. I'd like to maybe get this done before Christmas.

J-rod replied: if you want to "open up" the room...then you need lighter colors...darker colors shrink on you....i used a "robins egg" color in our family room and it looks great....looked horrible wet..but once dried i loved it.


edit - just realized ive never posted after pics of my house. lol


pick your living room color then base the hallways off that..something to compliment it but not dominate the hallway.

cameragirl21 replied: It's certainly none of my business but I can tell you for sure that blue is not going to match the cherry wood.
Cherry wood, assuming you have the classic cherry color is a warm color and blue is a cool color. Of course I have mixed those before but when working with cherry wood, you want to stick to warm colors because the point of cherry is that it gives off a warm, homey feel to it. Personally, I'd go with a cream color but it seems you prefer pastels.

mom2my2cuties replied: We also have cherry wood in the living room - well actually throught the house Except in Andrea's room.


Our living room is this really pretty sort of really light sagey earthy color that I just love.


ETA - Our bedroom is a Taupe Color - Our Sunroom are two beautiful shades of yellow - The Master is a (I kid you not) poo poo brown - Mikee's room is taupe as is the game room.

Our kitchen is acutally done in light wood - the cabinets and our walls are this REALLY ugly orange color (like the one used on the cars with a little more red in it)

CantWait replied:
That's what I'm having trouble with. If I go with the lighter blue in the living room that I wanted, I have no idea what to do the hallways and stairway in...

CantWait replied:
definetly NOT pastels. But I do like colour.

CantWait replied: BTW this is what it looks like now.....

mom2my2cuties replied: Add some orange and you would be oh so close to the color of my kitchen.

mom2my2cuties replied: Something you could do if you are good in photoshop...take a picture a piece of the furniture and play with the wall color in photoshop until you find something you are going to really like.

CantWait replied:
I suck at stuff like that lol.

J-rod replied: take a good CLEAN pic of your room with alot of wall showing....and maybe a good bit of light (less shadows) and ill mess around with some colors for you.

mom2my2cuties replied: I am not that good at photoshop either

Hmm - let me see -

Sherwin Williams

CantWait replied:
This is fun, but I suck at it lol.

mom2my2cuties replied: =) I was thinking more you could print and hold them up next to your furniture to see what looks the best

holley79 replied: Seems like you have gotten a lot of ideas. Since my house is a two story I have low ceilings and always felt like the I was going to hit my head in the living room. I used a Belgium Lace (a like white with a hint of beige) and an Oriental Ivory (a white color with a hint of green) it really opened up the room.

Can't wait to see what you do with the room. defianatly post before and after pictures.

coasterqueen replied:
I agree.

But who am I because I have not one creative bone in my body.

coasterqueen replied: Oooh I think a creme or a taupe color would look really nice.

CantWait replied:
That last picture is probably the best I can come up with. That is the main wall we need painted other then the fireplace, and then the other colour off the living room (the peach) which needs to be changed to match.

Christie replied:
This post caught my eye because I love to decorate! I am going to school to be an interior decorator. I am a HGTVaholic I painted my living room a light blue color a few months ago and I love it. I am going to do the hallway in a light tan color though because it is a small hallway and it needs a really light color. My furniture is a dark espresso color.

I also don't think blue would look good with cherry wood furniture. Cherry obviously has red tones in it (hence the name cherry wood. lol) so would you really want to do your living room in red and blue? Think what colors would look good with red. I definitely think that an evergreen color would be pretty because red and green are complementary colors. I also think any warm brown color would be gorgeous. As for the hallway, once you decide what color you want to paint the living room, you could just do the hallway in a lighter shade to open it up but it would still match.

kimberley replied: i'd say an earthy muted green in the living room and a mocha in the same family for the hall. keep it all earth tones tho.

good luck with your decision!

kimberley replied: oh and wanted to add i would go with curtains and sheers as opposed to the blinds. it will brighten it up but still give you privacy at night.

Christie replied:

I completely agree, it will also soften up the room

jem0622 replied: I don't know if this was already mentioned, so forgive me. Go to behr.com and you can pick coordinating colors and even see them on virtual walls. It has been a tremendous help to us b/c we are decorating challenged! LOL.

Christie replied:


Yeah, the Behr thing is really cool, but just be careful because in my experience the colors on the computer screen look slightly different than they do in real life but it will still give you a good idea of what the colors look like together.

CantWait replied:
Oh definetly. Those blinds were there when we moved in, as the colour. I have just been wating on what colour to paint before I take the blinds and the wooden vallence down.

I think I'm going with the evergreen now.....so what colour would best suit it.

CantWait replied:
Thank you.

Christie replied:



What color would be best for the curtains?

CantWait replied:
Nope, if you look at the pictures in the post. I want to paint the darker green where the dark peach/orange is, so now I need another colour where the light peach is. This colour would cover part of the living room, the hallway, and all the way down the stairs....

CantWait replied: Just wanted to say thanks for everyone for their suggestions also. This room is really being a headache for me like you wouldnt' believe. I'd leave it, but I HATE the colours in it right now.....

None of the other rooms were this bad.

Christie replied:
Oh, IMO, I would go with a lighter shade of the Evergreen color or some shade of brown. Someone suggested Mocha which I think would be pretty also. I would definitely go to behr.com, Click on "explore color" and then click "start color smart". Pick a color that looks similar to the Evergreen color that you want and then you will have the option for them to suggest colors that coordinate with that color. I would see if you like any of the colors that they suggest.