Decorating and Design - How to coordinate colors for an open floor plan?
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Clothmama
10-18-06, 10:58 PM
We just moved into a new house with an open floor plan: walk in the front door & you can view the formal living & dining rooms with a 2 story foyer & open railing above & the office, go forward & the family room & kitchen is one big room separated by a half wall. We want to paint the kitchen/family room area burgandy or merlot & I am painting my kitchen cabinets a moss green with a mocha glaze. I don't know what to paint the formal living room (my sewing room), the formal dining room (the computer room) or the office so that everything will coordinate. We could paint the whole 1st floor the burgandy color, but I didn't know if that would be too overpowering. Does anyone have any ideas, resource sites, or personal pictures to share? The other issue is what to paint the stairway to transition to upstairs--the upstairs hallway is visable from the front door.
Annette
10-19-06, 09:10 AM
to come up with a total color scheme, get your inspiration from one single object that has a combination of colors you like. it can be a painting, an area rug, a floral throw pillow, a placemat, anything really. then draw your main room colors from that.
i personally wouldn't want my entire main floor painted a deep burgundy color. you, however, might. it's your home. you do what you want. but i would recommend saving strong colors like that for just certain areas, as a punch of color. then use more subtle colors elsewhere, with that strong color pulled in as an accent, to tie it all together.
you can change wall colors at corners. or you can use chair rails and change colors below the rail when it runs into a doorway. for the wall that runs from the first floor up the stairs to the 2nd floor, you need to select a color that will work in both spaces.
i personally wouldn't want my entire main floor painted a deep burgundy color. you, however, might. it's your home. you do what you want. but i would recommend saving strong colors like that for just certain areas, as a punch of color. then use more subtle colors elsewhere, with that strong color pulled in as an accent, to tie it all together.
you can change wall colors at corners. or you can use chair rails and change colors below the rail when it runs into a doorway. for the wall that runs from the first floor up the stairs to the 2nd floor, you need to select a color that will work in both spaces.
mitch17
10-19-06, 09:31 AM
Might be worth a trip to an interior designer. I understand wanting a color like that, but Annette is right that it could be too much throughout the house. Personally, I also wouldn't have red and green together, but it's your house, not mine.
mitch17
10-21-06, 10:11 AM
Just reading my latest copy of Workbench this morning and came across an article about a software program from Pittsburgh Paints that allows you to upload digital pictures of your home and "then change the color of the walls, ceilings, trim and other features with the click of a mouse." $10.99 from Pittsburgh Paints dealers or VoiceofColor.com.