Paint colours throughout ground floor?

[MyBuggyIsOutToGetMe]

We’re finishing an extension and need to start thinking about paint colours. I’m getting really stuck and going round in circles - decision overload at this stage! It’s a 1930s semi, and will have a south facing sitting room with a bay, a north facing kitchen with lots of skylights (which will be either in white or Dulux Timeless depending on what’s included in the quote) - and, in between these, a play room which is The Problem Room. It used to be the dining end of a living-dining room, and is on the north facing side of the house. It will open into the kitchen (no doors) and will be separated from the south facing sitting room by glass doors. But no windows.

So what on earth do I paint it in? Both ends of the original were painted yellow, which worked well, but I feel like a change.

I initially thought I’d just do the entire ground floor in Dulux Timeless but that feels a bit boring. I feel like I should pick a colour for the sitting room and then go for a paler version in the playroom/snug. Or the other way round? I do think they at least should be complementary. We’ll be having a grey sofa and probably grey chenille blinds, and otherwise I’m open to suggestions really.

Any ideas for a colour scheme? I really like pinks and greys like Farrow and Ball Peignoir, but not sure I’ll get these past DH….or if Peignoir would be too much for a sitting room. Thoughts?

I feel the pain of 10 thousand choices to be made OP! We are renovating a previously derelict, 1930's property. Tiny extension on the side, stripping everything falling down and re doing almost everything else, so its been nearly 2 yrs to get this far.

We've tried to be sympathetic to the 1930's style where we could. The kitchen is shaker, with an aga, but otherwise might look fairly modern. We are debating getting picture rails replaced, or that wooden paneling half way up the wall- in 1 room.

We had initial white coats done on walls and ceilings. I'm thinking of a warmer, off white/beigy colour for walls, but not as creamy/yellow as say magnolia. I'm not familiar with Dulux timeless, but it looks to be a paler version of magnolia. I'll possibly have a slightly darker feature wall, but in a similar, but darker mink/cappuccino type colour.

In saying the above, we have noticed some hairline cracks in the recent paintwork. Although there is no subsidence previously or now, we have been advised to leave it a year and through 1 winter. Leave the white paint as is and do the final painting in a years time- once we know what colours we want and once any cracks from the extension have settled.

This isn't ideal, and might be just builders telling me this, but I can see the logic also. See what your builders/painters say.

My PIL have a pale, sage colour in their kitchen which changes to a creamy, off white in the adjoining lounge area which looks lovely.

I cant advise specifically, but do check so any hair line cracks, in which case, it might be worth letting it all settle first.

Thank you! Good to know I’m not the only one!

My main dilemma is painting the original house part but that’s a good point about settlement in the kitchen.

I did wonder about feature walls, though the positioning of furniture may make it a bit pointless in our rooms unless we stuck to a chimney breast.

Has anyone used Elephant’s Breath in a north facing room, or Skimming Stone? Or would have suggestions for a warm off-white with maybe pinkish tones?

Anyone else?!

There’s nothing boring about Timeless throughout, with colour picked up via fabrics, furnishings, furniture and plants. I would do the whole lot in Timeless, step away from the grey when choosing blinds (a grey sofa can have colour added with cushions and throws), and then go back to it in a year when you’re dealing with settlement. Paint colour is best chosen last, to support a room rather than set the tone.

But if you’re determined to press on, I think Skimming Stone is too cold for a north facing room. And Peignoir will just come across as gloomy and grey - it really needs sunlight to pick up the pink. Dulux do a great pink that works in darker spaces, and isn’t too overwhelming: try a sample of Dulux Soft Stone. You can paint big swatches onto lining paper and hang them up in different rooms to see how it looks - no point looking at it online, as it will be largely shown in bright rooms that accentuate the pink. It’s actually quite a warm neutral in north facing rooms.

I would not spend too much time on this one. Go for the all the same colour and use other furnishings to introduce the colour and texture which provide interest.

Live with the results for a few years. If inspiration strikes you you can always change it later.

Really good decor evolves rather than happens all at one time.

Thank you - good to get different views. I’m not too concerned about settlement cracks in those rooms as they’re not part of the extension so I’m hoping there won’t be any cracking - is that naive? We’ve not had steels or anything.

Some of it is that I’m really keen to crack on and decorate the north-facing bit when it’s empty and before the furniture comes back from storage, as the main piece of furniture in that room is a massive Kallax unit which more or less has to breathe in as it’s moved into position. I want to get an armchair for that room as, at the moment, it will be a Kallax unit, bookcase, and toys, so not as many opportunities to introduce textures and so on as in a proper sitting room. Though we might manage a rug. I’m itching to see what the light levels are like once the boarding is down and the external doors are in!

@MyAnacondaMight , thanks for the tip on Soft Stone - I’ll see if I can get a sample.

I’m less concerned about the south facing room as I think most colours will look ok in there - good to know Pegnoir works better in a sunnier room. I absolutely plan to introduce colour through cushions and throws. The window is a non-standard size so will have to have blinds made, hence wanting to get something we can live with and make changes through paint and accessories. But I will see if there’s any patterned ones where they will work well with cushion colours and so on.