Need help with choosing paint colors for rooms in my apt.

kinderCK

Thu, Aug 27 2009, 2:45 pm

Any one know about best colors for each room.?. I know there are whole shitas about this.
My living room doesnt' get a lot of sun so is white best?
My bedroom does get a lot of sun.
They are both big rooms

the kitchen I'm leaning towards a light yellow.. that's just what's coming to me right now and my 2nd bedroom will be light pink I'm sure for my dtr.
any suggestions? what about ceilings different color than walls? how can I find out more about this? thx.

Fuchsia

Thu, Aug 27 2009, 2:48 pm

I don't have an apartment to decorate, but when I imy'h will, I like darker colors with contrasting light moldings or furniture.

I'm no expert, but I guess if a room doesn't get much light you would try a lighter color. How about light beige or cream instead of the stark white?

greenfire

Thu, Aug 27 2009, 3:05 pm

go with a linen but not the paint colour - it should look like a light tan linen suit ... this way you have it clean but light and not boring & white ...

as for kitchen I love the yellow ... sort of like a spongecake batter yellow ...

lavender is nicer than pink - but still feminine ... or you can go with 2 walls pink & 2 walls lavender ... put flower accessories around the room ... delicate curtains to match up ...

relaxed

Thu, Aug 27 2009, 3:13 pm

I'm by no means an expert either but here's my 2 cents.

Larger or well sun-lit rooms can usually afford darker colors. That said, rooms (especially kitchens) look much brighter, larger, and inviting when your walls are lighter. When it's more of a country house, you can get away with more adventurous coloring by contrasting with light-colored moldings. Bedrooms can also afford duskier colors. Keep in mind also the type of furniture you have and how the colors contrast with that.

Personally, I find darker colors depressing and make the walls look like they're closing in on you. The only time I appreciated darker colors was where there was plenty of natural light coming in and when it was used artistically and to contrast rather than as an overall color.

2preciousones

Thu, Aug 27 2009, 3:32 pm

from what decorators told me, your house is not a coloring book, keeping it cream colored and white moldings/doors is the most elegant. I however did colors in my bedrooms, pink striped in girls room, blue striped in boys room and soft yellow in guest room. In my bedroom I painted maroon and gold and it came out beautifully!!
ceilings keep white as well as doors and moldings, however closet doors in bedrooms you can paint like the wall color
good luck!

DefyGravity

Thu, Aug 27 2009, 3:58 pm

kinderCK wrote:

I recently painted several rooms in my house (master bedroom, bathroom, office, and den). I did everything but the bathroom the same color - a very soft yellow, with white molding. I love how it looks. I went to Home Depot and bought a few sample sizes of colors within the light yellow group - and you wouldn't believe how different a slight shade of a difference makes! NOTHING looks like it does on the little paint samples, so I definitely think it's a good idea to buy a sample size and paint a square in the room.

My kitchen is also a light yellow (I painted the kitchen a year ago) and I also got a sample size to see if I liked the color.

solo

Thu, Aug 27 2009, 4:40 pm

just finishing up with the painting in my house.
I used all benjamin moore colors cuz thats what the painter sugested
I personally find white very stark and not so pretty. keep the room light by using soft airy colors
do u have a favorite color or furniture ud like to match
I love the color yellow and have it in my dining room and hallway. the yellow I chose is called simply irresistible. its really soft and pretty and would be nice for a bedroom. another yellow I was considering is called greenmount silk also soft but runs slightly into greens.
perhaps for a kitchen ud wanna go with something brighter than those I mentioned.

as for a pink, theres a color called opal that I just love. its not a strong color so u might want some photos to liven up the room but its just has this glowyness that I luv.

ceilings, moldings r traditionally white. do u have high ceilings? if so u can play around with color if not id stick to white for the ceiling (my high ceilinged dining room has no molding so I painted the ceiling one shade lighter that simply irresistible (its right on top on the color chart)
I dont like pure white on the woodwork so I used white dove - which has the tinies hint or beige, atrium white (pink) and oh I just cant remember the name of the other.
oh and for my bedroom I used french manicure which is a (flattering) shade of pinky beige

if ur painter allows ask him to paint a sample of the colors u pick in the room their going before u finalize - they often look different based on the lighting and etc.

can u tell I love painting?

relaxed

Thu, Aug 27 2009, 5:04 pm

[/quote]My kitchen is also a light yellow (I painted the kitchen a year ago) and I also got a sample size to see if I liked the color.[/quote]

So glad that worked for you. When I had my kitchen painted about a year ago too, I so wanted a light yellow for the walls. That was my ideal vision of how a kitchen should look- warm, bright, inviting. But then reality hit in the form of my color-wise painter. And he was right, the yellow just did not go with my kitchen cabinets and furniture. So I went with the atrium white (if I remember correctly) and it worked perfectly. So, ideally it would have been wonderful; practically, it was awful. shock

Just something to keep in mind, OP!

pecan

Thu, Aug 27 2009, 5:12 pm

I like when the colors blend in throughout the apartment. Why don't you choose a basic color and then there are a wide variety of colors within that family?
For example, there are tons of yellows, beiges, whites, peaches, etc.
A boys room could get a darker shade, girls a lighter more feminine tone, etc.

greenfire

Thu, Aug 27 2009, 9:26 pm

2preciousones wrote:

hm for someone who didn't want to have a coloring book you have quite a palette of colours ...

personally I think people should paint the colours they love ... whether it be warm and soft - or bold and daring ... go for it ... but don't forget the right shade of the colour is important as well ...