What Colour Paint for Lounge?

[TonbridgeTammy]

If you've redecorated recently what colour did you paint your lounge?

Just had a bit of a refurb and want to decorate lounge. Oak wood floor, dark grey radiator, skirting is wood that will be painted to same colour as walls, big patio doors leading to outside so lots of light. Will be selling within a couple of years so don't want to do anything too crazy so steering clear of heavily printed wallpaper. Just want to paint really BUT! the usual white/cream is SOOOOO boring though I do see the appeal of adding colour with furnishings.. I do like the current trend for dark blue but it's just not right for this room. Do I go for boring old white (or off white/cream) or colour?

What have you done with yours? Pics would be great.

Ours is off white but one wall is a really deep grey (but navy can look fantastic)

So it doesn't commit to much (other walls are quite plain) but still has impact.

I love off white! And it will suit your plans to move.

i've got oak floors, grey sofa and a soft blush colour on the walls with turquoise accessories. It just seems a bit more interesting that white/cream without being dark/bold which I think looks lovely but is probably harder to sell.

I also have another room with oak floors and some dark grey in it - its has overtly olive on the walls and that also looks good.

I like white too but it is 'boring'.

I think part of the problem is that I see all these AMAZING refurbs on instagram with their moody colours and/or swathes of zany wallpaper that have real wow factor.

We're constantly told that neutral is best when looking to sell so that people can put their own mark on it but I'm beginning to think is this right? People want to be sold a 'lifestyle' rather than a house don't they?

when I was house hunting I really did just look and think 'how easy will these walls be to paint'

People come with stuff that they need to fit in the space they are buying. So I think selling the lifestyle thing could narrow down the market a bit if the lifestyle isn't one they are going for.

but that said - I don't think it takes that long to paint a living room. So I'd paint it how I wanted it and then in a couple of years when it came to sell re paint it if it was putting people off. There were so many things I did in my last house because we were going to sell in a couple of years, by which point it needed repainting anyway as it had got grubby.

I think it depends.

BIL's partner is brilliant at interior design and has always gone for bold schemes. They never have a problem selling (at a big markup!) because it's very, very well done and every detail is perfect. They tend to use a range of fairly well-established classic middle class brands, which act as a kind of shorthand for a certain kind of quality, even to the point of being a bit of a cliche - Farrow and Ball, that Mark Hearld wallpaper, Orla Kielty etc. etc. etc. They also tend to have period houses with large rooms and high ceilings where dark colours work much better than in, say, the small kind of new builds, where dark colours can feel really quite claustrophobic.

However, it is high risk because the whole look costs a load of money - everything needs to be top notch, and you can't just get away with shoving up some £20 a roll rip-off of a classy paper from B&Q and hoping no-one notices. So if you're not investing a load of cash because you want to move, deep colours can be hard to pull off.

Good points both grass and whiskey probably will need a paint refresh after a couple of years and probably don't want to spend a huge amount on decoration, would rather spend the cash on a really nice striking sofa/rug etc that I can take with me.

So, I think go for pale and interesting though might investigate the blush palette suggested up thread.

Craig and Rose,Moonstone Grey. I think available at B and Q......but look at their website. Fantastic colour,and goes with everything. Very good quality paint,and very easy to touch up marks and scrapes.I have used it in 4 different properties,much admired.

is that matt or gloss?

I think I prefer matte but was persuaded to go with gloss in DD's bedroom as it doesn't get much light and it does look nice, not shiny.

We have 4 walls off white and one dusky lavender. The lavender shade is beautiful as it changes with the light from outside. It adds warmth without being too much and it's not too dark. I love it. And it's not grey, which seems to be everywhere right now

defintely matt.

don't use gloss on walls, it shows every bump and imperfection.

Ours are stone which is modern beige!
But our sofa is red and there is a huge multicoloured hanging on the wall.

Are you Trump Gunty ? Pentagon etc

Do love the idea of a dusky lavendar.

Please provide me with other sound reasons as to why I should go matte and not gloss - husband loves gloss

one of the reasons for using gloss is that it is easier to clean/wipe down.

there is some truth in this. If you buy ordinary matt, it can be harder to wipe finger marks off etc.
But if you get hardwearing matt, then it is pretty scrubbable. In our hallway we have cream heavy duty/durable matt, and I can scrub it down.
Looks MUCH more elegant.

which brands of matte are hard wearing?

they are advertised as hard wearing, so Homebase/B&Q do ranges which they label as for hall and stairs, or hard wearing areas.
Dulux does one called Durable and so on.

Mine was finished on Friday!

And is (drum roll)...... Egyptian Cotton.

Which is the ubiquitous Grey. But I am rubbish at colours and wanted something very neutral so I can add accessories as that will be easy for me and I love purples and teals (what I call Jewel colours) and they go well with a dull grey backdrop. I have to say, I am very pleased with it.

Strong white, which is a very light stony grey colour. Its lovely and warm unlike some greys.

I got it colour matched at my local trade yard as Farrow and Ball paint is so expensive. I love it and get many comments.

Lovely light room with Oak Flooring, new dark grey log burner.

@partyfops did you just take a swatch in for the colour match (is it called a swatch even if it's not fabric)?

I did, I got a F&B tester pot and painted a few coats on some white card and then got it colour matched. Perfect match.

Not a great light for it .....

Tres chic!