Extreme home makeover
For those of you who have not been to my house in Chattanooga... let me tell you that the carpet is tragic! For some reason, the previous owners (a local Baptist church) decided that it was a good idea to put blue carpets all over the house! One room actually has super-red-carpet, so I guess it's not all blue! It's special...
I am now tasked with the job of trying to redo this unfortunate mess. Here's a picture of my living room with the super-blue-carpet:
I'm thinking about taking the carpet off and restoring the hardwood floors (heart pine). Assuming I do that, what color walls do you think I should go for in this room? It's so big, I don't know what color to choose. It feels like any one color would overwhelm the whole room. Should I do something different, or stick with something tame?
Weigh in with your thoughts or creative ideas for helping the "Papal Living Room" (as a friend of mine calls it) turn into a liveable living room! Thanks!
I am now tasked with the job of trying to redo this unfortunate mess. Here's a picture of my living room with the super-blue-carpet:
I'm thinking about taking the carpet off and restoring the hardwood floors (heart pine). Assuming I do that, what color walls do you think I should go for in this room? It's so big, I don't know what color to choose. It feels like any one color would overwhelm the whole room. Should I do something different, or stick with something tame?
Weigh in with your thoughts or creative ideas for helping the "Papal Living Room" (as a friend of mine calls it) turn into a liveable living room! Thanks!
posted by em at 3/20/2006 09:57:00 PM
20 Comments:
YES!!! It looks like the alter at an anglican church!!!!
If you go with the safe neutrals you can add some colour without overhelming yourself... all those stone/rock/dancing on the moon (or whateva else they call them) colours always seem to work. Personally if it was my house, I'd do them maroon, nice with wooden floors I think, AND then u need huge french doors that lead out onto the biggest deck in Chattanooga, for evenings full of fun.
Wow, this looks like a great space to work with. My advice would be to invite Kayb over and ask her. She is the cleverest decorator I've ever met. She has a keen sense of color and space.
By the way, that rule that dark colors make a room look small is FALSE. This myth has caused millions of American homes to be bland, bland, bland because folks are scared of colors. I am sure that whoever painted this room entirely white just wanted it to seem bigger.
It all depends on the floor color. Natural or Stain? I can photoshop it for you later.
I'm thinking you should go fratty and make it dark with a "golden tee" in the corner and a poster of Pamela A and a neon "Lite" sign over the fire.
OR
You could go with the hunting club look. Same as above, except replace the "Lite" sign with a boars head.
I agree with the Sarahs, you should embrace color. Do not be afraid! As it is, this room looks a bit cold and sterile; you probably want something inviting and welcoming, something warm. If you go with the pine floors (I assume that is a natural color?) then I think warm colors would be great - think the the house at Cabot Cove. It really called you in. Anyway, what are your plans for the built-ins? They provide some opportunity to break up the color of the room (don't leave them white!). Just my thoughts - I'm sure it'll look great whatever you decide!
...also I would swap out that ceiling fan. ...for a disco ball.
First, Emery Sarah is right, there is much potential. However, I am wondering if there is not a psycho-analyzation that is at work in the background here. We have a big house with rooms mostly full of blue carpet and only one full of red. Do you suppose that the church was suppressing a tendency towards Democrats; yet, not wanting to rule Republicans totally out of the picture?
Okay, scratch that. I would not go too light on the hardwood floors. Even though pine can look marvelous with just a varnish on it, functionally you are going to have a floor that is impossible to maintain (i.e., you are going to live in this house and not just use it as a museum).
Two suggestions for the walls. First, a lighter accent of the color of the floor would be nice. Perhaps a beige or tan. Second, I do like the idea of a bold red or navy with white moulding. It would have kind of a bold look.
Emery's house is so HUGE! (Large enough for several cartwheels, in fact). I love this room, but especially the white bookshelves. I think they would look great against a darker background...a nice "pop" of white.
Then again, I tend to go more conservative when choosing a total wall color (I say this as if I've owned a few homes, haha!). I agree with Will, that you should pick a warm neutral, say a rich beige or perhaps something ruddier...a faint terra cotta? Ultimately you should decide how you want the room to feel...warm and cozy or cool and airy?
You should post a picture of the cool opposing "stage"!
Keep the bookshelves, doors, and trim white and paint all of the walls a very, very light and fresh minty olive color. If you want, I can give you the exact color and brand that I'm talking about. You could EVEN see a sample of it here in Houston Monday through Thursday. My landlord uses it (though not in my place :( ) and it is so charming, fresh, and easy on the eyes. You should also keep a bowl of popcorn in the room... only if it has a bit of hot wings dipping sauce next to it, though. And maybe a Justin would do well as decoration in that room. He could be your ever-flip-flopping-balance-beaming-24/7 entertainer. Who would need anything else, really?
Oh, and DEFINITELY what Robert said, too.
HMMMMMmmmmmm...... the wall color is really going to depend on how the floors turn out, what your purposes are for this room, and how this room ties into the rest of the house. There are so many variations of neutral shades, you need to make sure the undertones work.
General advice would be to warm up the walls with a darker neutral, replace the fireplace tile with something prettier (maybe a mosaic or just a bunch of 1x1 little tiles-- if you want funky character; or a granite/marble tile for a classier look). Get rid of the brass to the extent you can (maybe paint it with black rustoleum product), upgrade the ceiling fan to something more modern, and replace those swag curtains with panels and a nice rod-- maybe red panels if you go with a neutral on the walls.
If you want bright color, you may be able to get a bold pop by painting just one wall, but don't take away from the focal point of the room (I assume the fireplace). For funky, put a large, bold colored piece of art/print above the mantle with a few brightly colored objects arranged on the mantle; For classic, maybe a traditional print with a candle arrangement.
The frat den with Golden Tee sounds really fun to me though!! :-)
What difference does it make? Jesus is coming soon (in a few months) to rapture us all.
But I would replace the fan before I would fool with distressing it. If it is a builders grade fan it probably rattles like a Mexican space shuttle. I got my Hunter for like $90 and it was worth it just for the damper plate.
Based on the way your roomies keep the kitchen, you might want to go a little more rustic.
Hey Nomad, Pamela A is easy on the eyes just like Olive mint. ;)
Robert...I'm not really sure how I feel about the "Mexican space shuttle" comment, but is that a picture from Disney's Wilderness Lodge?
If you are going to redo the floors and they are pine, and the house is older than say 20 years, you're going to probably have to sand the laquer down. Back in the 70's in the south, they used a "shellack" on pine. That being said, it usually begins to turn very yellow when it ages. You can choose to sand it, revarnish it, and then reseal it. That's what I would do. I listen to those "home improvement" shows on the radio from time to time, and of course, have a photographic memory, which is why I remember this.
As far as the wall color, I'd go with something fairly neutral, especially if you are going to have hardwood floors. I like something in a beige, brick red (a little bolder.. of course), or an offwhite. That's of course just my opinion.
"deconstruct it," and be "open to the other," "to something new to come." A word from Derrida. Or just go with dark colors. I like the maroon idea, maybe top half with a white bottom. I look forward to being able to see it someday.
I've posted some suggestions.
Sez: when are you going to come over so we can enjoy endless evenings of fun?!?!!??!
Sarah: Upon second thought (by your suggestion), I am leaning more and more towards a darker color... the room is already massive as it is!
Robert: I am an enemy of light-colored floors, so it would probably be a walnut-ish color. (perhaps not as dark brown as brown). Disco ball it is! Oh, THANKS SO MUCH for putting together the mock-ups of the living room. Those are hilarious!
Veronica: You are right about color makin a space inviting. As for the built-ins... I used to hate them, but as they are getting filled-up, I am begining to like them more and more. I think I'll probably leave them there.
Will: I am appreciative for your psychotic analysis... I mean, psycho-analysis of the situation... Somehow, I wouldn't be amazed if you weren't that far from the truth.
Sarah V - I will probably lean towards a warmer/dark color. I really like Terra Cotta, though it is near-impossible to get a nice color that doesn't look too pink,orange, or whatever. I'll post the stage, as well! :-)
Nomad: Your ideas are PERFECT! How would I make it without your crucial input? hehe
Jennifer: You are totally right about a nice picture and doing something with the fireplace tiles. I'm hoping my roommate will paint a picture for the mantle, but I have no idea what to do on the fireplace. Kayb (the sculptor) might have to help me with that, too!
Jough: I thought that was a tragic idea until I envisioned it with Robert's skill!
Willio: This house is 95 years old... trust me, it's probably got some scary junk going on underneath that carpet! hehe! I will most-likely just have it totally sanded and re-stained/sealed.
Jason: Thanks for the wise words from Derrida... ;-) Beautiful! Hopefully, you are able to come see the finished product!
Robert: Again, your suggestions are beautiful! Thanks!
Hey Emerson....Awesome room....lots of potential....I definitely agree hard wood floors would look great. As far as the color of the walls....I'd say go with yellow or beige hues.
Heath
Martha Stewart "Homespun"--it's the perfect neutral.
Wouldn't you prefer a picture of Jennifer Garner in the corner (or over the fireplace) instead of Pam Anderson?
Hey Em, love the HUGE photos of you lol. They're perfect!! I'd go with something nice and warm for the walls - maybe do 2 walls in a coordinating colour....there's so many different colour combinations you could go for...you have great taste!!...hey..the world's your oyster..HAVE FUN!!!
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