Help re decorating lounge

[silver28]

hi I'd be grateful for for some advice. We're redecorating our lounge but can't justify replacing the carpet or sofas as they're still in good condition. The trouble is they restrict the colour schemes I can go for, so having trouble choosing.

The carpet is grey (mid/dark grey I'd say) and the sofas are tan leather (I know, how common ). the woodwork is off white and we have dark wood fireplace and chest of drawers (again, not my first choice as prefer mid oak but can't afford to replace). The room is fairly large and has a big window but is north facing so tends to be cool and quite dark.

The Walls are currently dark blue/green which doesn't look that bad at night with fire lit etc but since having DS we've been using the room much more in the day time, and I hate it for being so dark and dingy.

Finally persuaded DH to help me redecorate and need to decide on what colour to go for. Had thought of v pale grey (as needs to go with carpet) but an worried that it'll look too cold. I really can't think what else to go for though, given the grey/tan leather constraints. I'd be v grateful for any advice from anyone with more taste than me!

Thanks in advance (going to bed now but will be back on in the morning).

P.s. Sorry for the bloody essay!

Could you recover your sofa? Otherwise I think I would go for cream (Natural Hessian for example) and have some bold feature pieces. Grey and grey and more grey does not sound that cosy to me.

Thanks for suggestion. Had considered cream as it's obviously a warmer colour than grey, but wasn't sure whether it'd go with a grey carpet. Can't cover the sofas - we like the practicality of leather with small children and DH wouldn't let anyway as they were expensive!

Ideally I'd change the carpet and go for a natural colour that would allow me to use warmer tones in the room (like cream) but just can't justify that as it's only four years old and wasn't cheap.

Mmm, just realised it sounds like I'm bragging about what we've spent on that last post! Absolutely not meant to - when I say things were expensive I mean they were to us, prob not in the grand scheme of things!

I too think a natural colour on the walls. Hessian,cream etc.
Then you could always brighten the room with colourful accessories.
Next at home is often a good place to have a look around for inspiration.

How about a warm mid-grey (something like F&B Elephant's Breath) but make sure you have some really warm brick/burnt orange accents in cushions, pictures, rug etc. Can you paint the woodwork and ceiling, something like Wimborne White which is pale but has warmth. If you can get a good contrast with ceiling/woodwork and walls, and some strong accents, it looks more crisp. For a north facing room I wouldn't go for cream, it could look washed out and boring.