Colour scheme for a dark front room? and other questions!

[teenyweenytadpole]

Hi all, looking for inspiration for front room which is currently cream with one pale green wall, the carpet is beige (yes the overall effect is very beige). The room faces north and is quite dark, lots of trees outside. Carpet is in good condition. Current sofa etc is rust coloured but that may be replaced in next year or so, so not too bothered about matching that. Side tables and coffee table are antique teak from Asia, not wanting to replace those so it is basically walls and accessories I have to play with. I am wanting to create a warm/cosy look but at the same time not too dark. Any ideas? Greens maybe? I do like quite a 50's retro sort of look but wonder if that will date quite quickly. Are feature walls very old hat now? Thank you!

I like feature walls! We used to have a small, dark front room and we painted one wall dark green and hung a huge mirror on one wall to reflect light. Could you try that? (Deep red would also work well on one wall, and is a much warmer colour than green.) You could paint three walls a pale shade (the Dulux light-reflecting paint is meant to be good). Also, occasional lighting works well to lighten dark corners. Also, how about bronze accessories? They would reflect light too and make the space seem bigger and lighter.
hth?

I'd be careful with green in a dark room... Think it can look a bit drab. But I like that you mentioned 50s retro... I'd be inclined to go for pale neutrals, with pops of gold-orange, teal/turquoise and a bit of citrine/chartreuse... mix them up in lampshades, cushions and accent pieces. I think your rust sofa will work fine with that until you want to replace it. And the colour of that teak furniture would fit right in.

I'm not a fan of feature walls as in big-patterned wallpaper with cream walls, but I think as a way to introduce colour without overwhelming a room, it can look good. I like plain, painted walls in similar degrees of light/dark (ie: if you took a black and white picture, it'd be hard to distinguish), but one in a washed-out neutral, and the other a really punchy, saturated colour (eg. Pale grey and gold, or beige and coral).

Hi thanks for your comments and ideas - love the idea of pale grey and gold. I will get some paint charts this weekend and have a look, we have just bought a big mirror from John Lewis to go over the fireplace and I am thinking a nice rug and some curtains, plus a couple of new lamps will brighten the room up for the winter until we can afford to redecorate properly next year.

if I were you I would paint the whole room a white or off white yourselves in vinyl silk, it will reflect what light there is and then create colour with the accessories for example art work, cushions, rugs and plants, cheaper than getting someone else in and can change the look quickly when you want to.