Decorating Lounge/Front Room/Sitting Room help please

[Clownsarescary]

Hi everybody I wonder if any style moguls out there would give me suggestions for decorating the front room/lounge/sitting room of my house?

Here's a description: North facing so dark, black victorian fireplace (although its a 1930s house ), bright red sofas. It really doesn't get much light. It's cream at the minute (I know, I know) and has beige carpet (I know, I know) .

I was thinking of wallpapering the chimney breast in one of the feature type bold floral wallpapers and then cream (again) paint on the rest of it. Is that very a bit passe or naff even??

Any ideas would be gratefully appreciated. TIA

I would stick with cream with red sofas, both walls and floor. Or another very light and neutral colour. Bring in colour through rugs, pictures, Etc. THe feature chimney breast will make the room darker if you use a dark colour, as will dark curtains. My current living room is like that and a light colour really helps. When I changed the curtains from chocolate brown to a light colour it was amazing how much it lightened the room from just that small area.

Unless the room is really big - then you might get away with it.

What about papering in a mainly neutral floral wallpaper with a bit of red in it. Laura Ashley do ay least one but the red must tone with the red in the sofas.
then paint the walls to exactly match the background of the wallpaper.
cushions on red sofa to match the wallpaper.

Thank you for the posts

Akandra its a fairly large room so I may get away with the wallpaper.

7to25 that's the exact sort of thing I would have thought about the wallpaper, creams with a red to pick up the sofas and then cream walls.

But.... I've been looking at magazines tonight and I'm wondering whether to go a willowy green on the walls, and something else, not wallpaper on the chimney breast???? Willowy green accessories around of course.

My house is all pretty beige at the minute, see I fell for the blank canvas look as I was going to put it on the market but I can't stand the blandness any longer. (I have ventured on a teal wall in the kitchen, mind, so I can be pretty adventerous ).

I think a rich dark colour could work really well in your room, though you would need to channel the cosy rather than neutral look, but IMO this works better in a dark room than painting it in light colours.
I have used a plummy brown colour with red sofas before and it looked great.
The colour I used is discontinued but it was a bit like a cross between Farrow & Ball Brinjal and London Clay.

Go dark. I would forget about naff old cream and take the opprtunity to make an atmospheric and cosy sitting room. Be bold, farrow and ball Pelt is another lovely deep colour and I like Pannacotta's suggestion of brinjal/clay combo. Or gorgeous wallpaper (on all walls not the old feature thingy).

It's never going to be a bright room by the sounds of things so I'd go dark and moody. How bright is the red sofa? - it's got to sing against your wall colour, so hopefully it looks great still. Think about cushions and throws to bring it together and styling with lamps and table/mantle-scapes

Wallpaper Hula by Barbara Hulanicki. This is the sort of green that goes with bright red.

Thanks everybody for your posts, I love all the ideas

I'm no further on at the minute other than I went and got a willowy green matchpot and hated it .

I think either go dark (agree with pelt/brinjal) or go for a pale neutral with less yellow in it - more of a stone or putty colour.

Little green Pale, mid, normal French gray is a beautiful putty colour if you go that route.
Willowy green no.

Hmm, not a fan of feature wallpaper myself.

If you have bright red sofas, I'd steer clear of cream personally. White or stone/bone type colours would be cleaner and more modern.

I'd paint most of the walls something like Birch White or Boulder or Slate I by Sanderson - these are good pale stone type colours.

(I find Little Greene's French Greys come out quite bluey but that could just be my house...)

Then I would paint the alcoves either side of the fireplace (not the chimneybreast itself) in a much deeper colour. I like the Pelt/Brinjal suggestions above (though I'd probably be a bit less brave and go for a dark grey like Charleston Grey or Downpipe, or grey/brown like Elephants Breath).

Alternatively, I happen to think that duck egg blue colours go very well with bright red. So you could paint the alcoves that sort of colour - something like F&B Light Blue or Dix Blue. but it's a braver look!

oh and put a big mirror above the fireplace to get more light in.

Charleston grey or downpipe sounds pretty brave to me minipie, if I had high ceilings - alas no - I would have a go with Charleston I think. I would put lots of books in the alcove library like and feel awfully Bloomsbury.

For gods sake don't bother with farrow & ball paint. It is the most watery crap you ever saw and will need several coats just to cover evenly. And it will cost you a packet for the privilege. Laura Ashley is just as bad. My decorator says he won't touch the stuff and nor will any decent tradesman he knows. He swears by Dulux or Crown for quality and if you have to have one of those naice f&b colours dahling get Crown or Dulux to mix it up for you at one of their desks in any hardware store.

Rant over. Hope that helps in some small way!

not that brave Agnes as I'm only suggesting it for the alcoves! like the idea of books too.

I think turquoise is an excellent contrast to red. Sounds odd, but really works. If it was just one wall, it wouldn't be too overpowering?

Ah-I see minipie suggests similar.

Minipie and Montmartre I've been toying with turquoise too as I love it I would just need to make sure to get the tone right. Would you leave the chimney breast white/cream and do the alcoves in turquoise?

There is a large mirror above the fire

Oh and thanks again everyone, this is really helpful.

Yes I would do that Clowns

If you want some examples of turquoise/duck egg blue with red, you could look at Cath Kidston and other 1950s style fabrics. For example this one. Really good combination I think.

I'm really liking the turquoise and red theme. Thanks again Minipie.