Paint colours for a full house refurb. Help please!

[ireallyhavenoidea]

Hi

Just that really. We have always lived in rented houses, so walls either all white or all magnolia. I have always had a secret desire to have a house with some colour in it ... But not too much, think duck egg blue or hints of colours.

So, we have just bought a 4 bed house which needs all rooms painting and new flooring. Now I am overwhelmed. I have the opportunity to make it really nice (while someone else paints, I never have before!) but how do you choose? I have read that you need colours from the same palette if you can see a room from another room. Is that right? Can I mix a white kitchen with a cream type living room (separate rooms but you can see one from the other).

Advice PLEASE ...

(Haven't started with flooring yet! )

Thanks in advance. P.s. I have been to Homebase and have hundreds of colour books. It's not helping so thought I would enlist the wisdom of you lot!

[VerityClinch]

Oh, no advice really except I am in exactly the same position! Our downstairs has six rooms and five of them can all be seen from the others. It's doing my head in.

[poohbearrules]

I too could have written your post! We've just bought a four bed house and its all magnolia. The most boring decor ever! Definitely going to put some colour in. Main bedroom is going to be purple and mushroom sort of colour. Brought curtains from previous house which were expensive and I really like, so doing colour scheme round those. New Kitchen cupboards are gloss cream, thinking of maybe having a burgundy accent wall. Taking wood floor up upstairs and carpeting, but putting dark wood floor in downstairs.

Not too comcerned with making It match and flow, did that in the last house, this time just want lots of colour! Personally think you should do what you like, with colours you like and not Worry too much, as long as you like it that's all that matters.

[FishfingersAreOK]

I had this and even more difficult have never lived in the house as refurbished it from completion - we moved into a static in the garden. I couldn't face the cream/natural calico throughout we had last time...but hate picking colours and my brain just kept getting all messy even thinking about it. Then I decided on Trade White throughout. Not pure brilliant white - just bog standard white. I can then go round once we have moved in adding colour through blinds, curtains, cushions, rugs.

I chose white to avoid making a decision in many ways (though since I remembered several times I had mentioned to DH I would love a white house one day). Even so I have to say it looks utterly stunning even unfinished. We have smoked oak floors throughout and it is clean, crisp and light. I utterly love it. Colour can be added in many ways.

[MarshaBrady]

I went to F&B in Battersea and they were great. So we showed them the hall that's in Chappell Green and mapped out all the rooms and what they should be as you walk through them.

The manager was brilliant, advised on main colour, ceiling and woodwork.

I didn't take shots of the rooms but people do. We didn't even bother with sample pots in the end because doing strips of colour on a wall didn't help at all. I wanted to know the walk through. Anyway we love it, it works. Can you go to an F&B shop?

[pud1]

I am rubbish with colours myself so can't really help with your question but if I can offer a recomendation.

I have just repainted and used dulux endurance paint and I am very pleased with it. I have 2 Dds under 5 and a dog and my Walls were filthy. I painted about 3 months ago and I have wiped chocolate, soup, mud and all monor of crap off the Walls and it still looks newly painted.

[monsterchild]

I have painted a few houses. There are different philosophies on look. If you stay in three color family you'll have a larger look.a similar colors tend to flow more. Contrasting our really different colors will break up a space or doorways but provide more interest. In one house you could see pale orange walls to a green hallway to a light blue bath. I thought it was great.
If you like color remember that threes light walls with a darker forth wall will create depth in that room.
I like colors but many people prefer furniture and art or accessories to create the color.

Light colors open up a space darker colors trend to shrink it.

[TomDaleysTrunks]

Oh god watching with interest.

Moving in 2 weeks into a house with a pink lounge, lilac and lime green dining room and purple kitchen / breakfast room. Don't get me started on the bedrooms.

No idea what to do or where to start!

[monsterchild]

Sorry for typos!
If my post was to confusing feel free to pm me. I am by no means a professional decorator, I just like color!

[SoldierKatnissEverdeen]

And there was me, thinking of doing white throughout to save the grief of getting perfect edges at ceilings, skirting, and doorways. I thought it was such a clever idea but now worried about it being bland.

[monsterchild]

White throughout is always ok especially if you have colorful furniture or like a very clean look.
And it does save those edging headaches!

[FishfingersAreOK]

Soldier - I think different people like different things. The thought of lots of colour on the walls really freaks me out- I totally get that that is what some people like and I can see that it looks lovely. I am sure my house would look lovely with the right colours on the walls. But it is just not for me. We have white everywhere apart from the 2 north facing bedrooms (the children's rooms and they have white furniture). I can now put any colour I like in with curtains accessories etc.. But this is my taste and even without the colour I think it looks amazing. Dull old white looks amazing.

But not everyone would like it - or maybe to be more accurate - they may like it but they would not chose it. My sis for example will hate it. My parents are very much colour on the walls people - they will be kind and not say anything rude.

You will hear it time and again here - go with what you like. (Trying to prepare self for the barbed comments from DSis - but hey)

[JollyJack]

Our house was new 3 years ago and we are working on painting it at.the moment.

The under stairs cupboard is dulux roasted red.
Living room is grey - darker on one wall.
Hall will be dulux Jungle Fever when finished.
Our bedroom will be dulux sweet caramel.
Downstairs toilet has an orange floor, a blue blind and will be painted blue.
Bathroom will be painted same grey as living room as we have spare and it will match the grey flooring.

Dh and I take a very long time to choose colours. But they are usually right when.we finally decide.

[SoldierKatnissEverdeen]

Ah thank you monster and fish fingers, white it is then! I love a clean look and love the idea of adding colour with pretty things.

Op sorry for hijacking your thread and not being of any use to you at all.

[ireallyhavenoidea]

Thanks all. I am really happy you responded - and especially glad I am not alone!

Ok, Will decide on flooring first - good advice 'Rosie. Just wait for my next thread on flooring!

I really love all white but everything I have seen on pinterest and in mags all have wood flooring and I am currently trying to persuade dh. We used to live in Germany and our flat was all white with tiled flooring (with underfloor heating) and he didn't like it. REALLY wish I could just live in it for a while and 'get the feel' of the place ... (We really can't before anyone asks, it was a repo and trashed!)

[FishfingersAreOK]

I used this image (or similar - from their print brochure) as my reassurance/inspiration...warm wood floor, white walls, colour.

www.kahrs.com/en-GB

[GreenEggsAndNichts]

so... if we need to redecorate an entire house, we should do the carpeting first? Then worry about paint?

I must sound like an idiot but I've never done this before. And I could have written the OP!

[kickassangel]

If you want loads of pics to look at and give you ideas, I recently found the Houzz app.

Or go for flooring, white and then use curtains etc. it is relatively easy to change the color of a wall or a room.

Recently there was a lot of love on here for grey.

[monsterchild]

Green, you can start with anything.if you have a favorite couch or picture or just a fave color start there. There isn't a right way to decorate.

[halfnhalf]

I think it's a choice between going for white/off-white, which usually looks good. We use Dulux Timeless a lot, but in some rooms it can feel a bit cold.

OR just go for a colour you like. It might not work, but I've found that you won't know (unless it's really awful) until you've lived with it for a while. Conversely, if it's right, it looks great and improves a room more than just using white. FYIY we've got a living room with the stairs going up out of it and I painted the end wall in Dulux Roasted Red, the rest in Crown Toasted Almond (which looks like a dreary beige when you start, but is very nice) and Natural Calico up the stairs and it looks great.

Don't forget that when you want to paint over deep colours, next time you decorate, it may take several coats to cover.

[halfnhalf]

Also I've never bothered to think about how the colours blend between rooms and it's worked out fine. Just enjoy, I love decorating. It's not like buying what turns out to be a crap expensive sofa (like I've done). If it's wrong, just buy more paint and do it again.

[GreenEggsAndNichts]

Rosie okay, just am completely clueless so don't want to go in there doing one thing then asking advice and finding out I shouldn't have done it the way I did. or whatever. :)

Thanks monster! As above, I'm just clueless about decorating. I've never owned a house.

[WineGoggles]

What I've done in the past is found a duvet and curtain set that I love and worked around that. Or found a rug I loved and did the same. Paint can be matched to anything and carpets come in numerous colours too so I've been OK doing it that way. I've heard the general rule is start with the most expensive or hardest to match item and work from that, but with the choice these days I don't think it's so important.