Paint colour advice please!

[owlets]

Hi there.
We have just bought a 2 bedroom maisonette which is in good condition (it's been completely done up in the last two years). It's really lovely, but I think I'm going to paint it to make it 'mine'. I need some advice though!
it's on the lower and upper ground floors of a large victorian townhouse terrace. There is a wideish hallway on the lower ground floor, with 2 bedrooms off one side and a staircase at the far end. Cream carpet and a reddish striped stair carpet. Upstairs is one big room, that gets a huge amount of natural light. The small kitchen is at one end and a lounge at the other end. It's got mid coloured wood floors throughout. It's painted cream at the kitchen end and pale blue at the lounge end. The kitchen is cream units, dark wood tops and bits of chrome.
So... I want to maximise the effect of walking up to this really light room, without making the downstairs too dark. I was thinking painting everything upstairs White, or do you think that will look odd with cream kitchen units? Would it be better to stick to cream? Then, for the downstairs, I thought I could maybe get away with something quite traditional, or paint it either bright yellow (something that has never appealed to me before!) or a mid grey. Are they awful ideas too?
I'm normally quite confident in my decorating, but this ia the first place I've had that hasn't needed complete renovation so I think I'm nervous about having to work around what's already here.
What looks are in now? What's looking passé and what should always be avoided?
Thanks!

The first thing I would say is take your time. Don't rush into making it different just because you want it finished, iyswim. Take some time to live with it as it is, and don't try and paint everything in one go.

Yellow walls are totally not appealing imo, but then I haven't seen this place so maybe they would suit it - sorry, can't imagine yellow suiting anywhere though but mid grey sounds absolutely lovely especially with the age of the property, red stair carpet etc. You could do the hall in pale-mid grey and the bedrooms in warmer colours. Remember it is summer and during the winter you might get far less light, you don't want it to be gloomy then.

I wouldn't paint everything white upstairs, maybe an off white - I have pale walnut in my living room (high ceilings, Victorian/Edwardian) and it's like a warm creamy grey. It's only that colour because it was reduced somewhere and seemed 'right', and it looks great.

Wait for a bit of serendipity rather than rushing at it all in one go. It usually works best that way. Good luck, and enjoy - sounds beautiful.

If you choose yellow, make sure it's a golden/eggy colour rather than a green toned acid yellow.

Thanks.
A rich egg yellow is what I had in mind, but i'm ready to believe all yellow is a bad idea! I've never ever liked yellow rooms (infact when we were looking at properties my first thought on seeing anything yellow was that it needed to be painted over asap). It's taken me by suprise that I'm even considering yellow here.
I think I will probably have to wait and see how I feel after a few months. Grey is probably more sensible though! I can't imagine what art could go on the wall of a yellow room, but most of what I already own would look lovely with grey.
Does pure White always look really stark? I've used off White before (other than one kitchen), but the knock through room in this maisonette is so much more modern feeling than anywhere else I've lived in before I thought pure white might look better. I am willing to admit I'm wrong here too though!
Thanks again.

I second the no to yellow! Just seems really 1980s/early 90s to me. Grey sounds great , particularly with the red carpet, as long as there's plenty of light on your lower floor. It sounds like a lovely place.

After shameful experiments with coloured walls in previous houses I've actually painted the last three of mine plain white, which I think looks great with original cornicing, fireplaces, windows and high ceilings etc. I had a brief flirtation with some of the softer F and B off-whites and stone colours but always found myself thinking plain pure brilliant white would be better...! I'm probably in a minority but I don't think it looks stark - I always find it really uplifting. You can add colour, soften the look etc with cushions, rugs and artwork, which is much less effort than repainting! Also v quick and easy to touch up, unlike other colours which sometimes tend to 'cure' to a different shade.

At the moment my kitchen units are F and B all white, which is quite creamy, but the walls are dulux white and it looks fine, so I wouldn't worry.

Yellow can trigger headaches migraine & nausea, so bare that in mind if you have anyone susceptible living with you & you want to go for a bright yellow

I like to see colour in a place too, but keep it pale, & add accessories, accent walls etc to lift with stronger colours, I also like to mix wall paper prints/colours

My 1 & only important bit of advice would be to take your time, chose colours that flow together - shades of the same etc & most important of all MAKE "STORY BOARDS" FOR EACH ROOM - collect scraps & cuttings, pics of furniture & lay them out on a large bit of card or paper to get a feel for what works together BEFORE committing yourself to buy/paint

My kitchen units are also all white, but we have a retro 50s shade of pale green on the walls, retro pink accessories & I 've used a monochrome 50s pin up print in the alcoves of 1 wall - couldn't get the wall paper I liked, so used vinyl fabric held up with PVA instead & it works brilliantly, much more washable & opens up a load more possibilities for decor - in1 pale walls, or t colour in adjoining rooms,

we have the same green shade following through to our living room, but there its picked up with leopard print & monochrome tartan, black leather & rosewood, & pop art type prints etc-

we've continued the flow from our Kitchen into our yard, by painting the walls the same pastel pink as kitchen accessories, & tiling the floor with the same slate tiles - this is by way of explaining what I mean by using colours etc that flow together

hope that helps - it can feel a bit overwhelming when you suddenly have a whole house to do & thats even for me as a designer, but its great fun, but the story board is the key - good luck & enjoy :)

in1 pale walls, or t colour in adjoining rooms excuse that bit of gobbldy gook I dragged bits around by error - new mouse pad & still getting used to it, has a mind of its own

I have painted our whole house bar one room pure white. I have always had various variations on this with f and ball etc over th years but this is so much more modern looking 'also a victorian house. It looks great with art and mirrors etc and fireplaces. We have painted the living room in a colour though as it has a different feel but the rest of the living space is white