Decor advice please

[misshardbroom]

Can I ask a question about decor on this board, or is there a better place?

Our living room hasn't been touched for years, and we're finally getting round to decorating it.

Only we can't afford a new carpet (this one isn't that old, and still in good nick) so the colour scheme needs to fit around a dark orangey-red coloured carpet.

Also we have this chair so it has to work with these colours too.

But I'm in deep fear of making an expensive mistake with the colour scheme and general decor. The room is quite big but not especially light (East facing) so really needs lightening up. Thinking of painting it a creamy colour with one accent wall papered or painted a different colour. But what?

And what colour / fabric for curtains? I just don't seem to have any intuition for this sort of thing and I really want it to look lovely.

Any help from people with nice homes would be greatly appreciated.

nobody?

Hi Misshardbroom
Sorry cant give you any colour advice but I can suggest using that colour wheel interior designers, etc. have.

It has all the colours and shades in a pie slice. The colours either side of say, your nice chair, will harmonise whereas the colour opposite will create a contrast. I have one cut from a magazine which doesn't really help you for now. Perhaps you could google 'colour wheel for interiors'.

Hopefully someone will be along soon with more detailed advice.

I am a bit rubbish with colours, so won't venture to stuff you up advise you, but the dulux website has a really good function where you can put in colours you already have in the room and it shows paint colours that look good with them. Perhaps give that a look?

both very helpful suggestions, thank you very much!