Just about every place I’ve ever lived has had light, neutral colors on walls and ceilings. I’d like to do something different in a spare bedroom that’s going to be kind of a den.
I watch HGTV, and those folks have wonderful results with bold, darker colors. Hunter green, burgundy, deep browns and reds. But those rooms are usually huge, with lots of windows, skylights, etc.
My pitiful little space is about 12 by 15, with just two windows, on the north, and dark oak flooring.
Have any of you brave souls gone over to the dark side? Did it warm things up, or is it depressing?
(I’d also like a red kitchen, but can’t quite figure out how to pull that one off.)
My best friends bedroom is probably 12 by 15 with one window and she painted the room a dark hunter green. She has strange african decor all over her room, and some interesting black and white abstract african-like pictures on the walls. I’d never been in such a bold room. I LOVE IT!!! She pulled it off wonderfully. I just think with the right decor, the walls can be any color
Never criticize a person until you walk a mile in their shoes… this way when you do criticize them you’ll be a mile away… oh… and you’ll have free shoes. :o)
My Mom painted her dining room kind of a dark red - not maroon. It’s naturally a lighter room, being on the SE corner of the house with 3 windows, but the white trim and white curtains (think billowy gauze a la “The Great Gatsby”) really lighten it up. She also put a red, Persian-type rug over the dark oak floor.
Yippee! Decorating stuff! I’m not formally educated, but I LOVE decorating, and reading decorating magazines/books, and HGTV…hell, I go “house-hunting” on weekends just so I can see how other people have decorated their places.
That’s not a terribly small space…but yes, small enough that the thought of painting it a dark color can be kind of intimidating. The great thing about paint is that if you hate it, you spend another fifteen bucks and try again.
Do you know what kind of furniture you’re going to have in there? Any pieces of art? Window treatments? I could make some suggestions if I knew what you were working with as far as what’s actually going to be in the room (colors, styles, patterns, etc.)
Tell me about your kitchen, too. How’s it set up, how’s the light, what are your cabinets and appliances like, etc.
Most importantly, what styles do you like? For example, your kitchen: are you wanting a deep red with say, black appliances and granite counter tops? Or are you more into like gingham cafe curtains and daisies in mason jars? Or both? (I’m a “both” kinda girl, myself.)
Art work? Three small black & white prints with a horror theme (vampires, haunted house, nightmares). They aren’t matted and framed yet.
Furnishings are three bookcases, an antique radio, and a recliner that needs a throw to hide the stuffing that’s coming out.
If I’m going to keep the books in there, then I’d like the room to reflect my love of horror and fantasy without having it look like Mark Petrie’s room in Salem’s Lot. (No plastic replicas of the Frankenstein monster, but I might break down and get the Preacher action figure set.)
Although I am young, and people regard all of my opinions as pre-pubescent, I have an idea or two. If you choose to paint your spare room a dark color, add some life to it with a few plants and maybe a fish tank. I also find that if you add a sidetable near your sofa, that a small vase of dried flowers or a few candles arranged appropriately will help. If you have a problem with the room being too dark, use curtains that are a shade or two lighter than the walls, and add a lamp or two. If you get a plain white lampshade, you can always paint a simple design on it.
In their house, the main level is decorated in an Old Mexico motif.
It’s hard to explain, but will do my best to explain it.
In their kitchen (the main level is pretty open) she painted one wall a terracotta color. That wall is is on the west.
If you look to the north, the family room, she has painted this wall a coral (but warmer) a different color than the terra cotta wall, but same family. Looks great with the fireplace.
Anyhow, in one of the spare bedrooms, now her oldest child’s room, around 12 x 13 she painted it Malox green…my brother coined it the Malox room. It’s a springy green, that green that has been very hip in the last two years.
The nice thing about paint is, if it looks horrible, you can always redo it. You can do that with wall paper too, but that’s a labor filled process.
So go for it, be bold. If you don’t like it, you can always start over
One of my friends had the same problem–she was tired of the neutral white walls. In her apartment, one of the living room walls continued into the kitchen, with sort of an open space instead of a narrow doorway (does that make any sense?) Anyway, she wanted to make the living room darker but not the kitchen, and the shared wall was the reason she didn’t want to paint the living room walls (it would look so stark at the division).
She got a burgundy, forest green, and navy patterned rug for the living room and painted the ceiling forest green. She left the walls white, and got some artwork with dark wood frames and green and navy mats. It might sound strange, but it looks really nice. You get the effect of a darker room, especially at night, but the contrast between the living room and the kitchen isn’t as extreme as it might be if she’d painted the walls.
Obviously this won’t work if you’ve got one of those bumpy ceilings, but just a thought.
Those who do not learn from history are condemned to fail the class. --A WallyM7 creation
In my one great experiment with dark paint I painted a very small basement bedroom a colour called “California Poppy”, kind of an orangey-yellow. Oddly enough the room actually looks brighter with dark walls than with white walls. It’s also warmer and more inviting.
I’m a political prisoner trapped in a windowless cage
Cuz I stopped the slaughter of turnips by killing five men in a rage.
Well, this has helped a lot. I sort of suspected that Dopers’ independent thinking would extend to decorating ideas.
Appreciate everyone’s suggestions – and welcome to Suo Na – a first post on my OP. Sorta feel obligated to introduce you to mom and all that. Welcome to the Dope!
