New house... charcoal galore *HELP*

[CharcoalDisdain]

Hey guys!
This might be better in Home Decoration so I'm happy for mumsnet team to move it if needs be? I wasn't sure.

DP and I have just put an offer on a house & it's been accepted, we're heading in to finalise everything soon etc etc.

I love the house, it's in a great area and it's perfect for DD... however... it's charcoal DAFT. There's just white and grey and black everywhere and it's making me feel cold already. I hate it. All the furniture is gone from the house so it's just the walls and carpet I need to fight with.

I was hoping you could all give me some valuable advice on how to make things a little less charcoal/grey/white awful and a little more warm/cosy/creamy. The carpet would be a massive cost to replace so I'm thinking more how can I work the walls around a bunch of grey carpets?

link to house redacted by MNHQ as identifying

It is pretty sameish throughout but not terrible. If you paint the walls and use different curtains, I think it would be perfectly fine!

Oh and also congrats on having your offer accepted!

Could I get away with painting the walls an off-white maybe? My current living room is cream and burnt orange - I'm not sure burn orange will work. I'm thinking maybe just off white everything? I don't know, I'm clueless!!

Thank you Kismett

It’s hard to tell the true color from the pics, grey can be cool or warm. Off-white could work, but I wouldn’t do anything too yellowy-white around a very cool grey. The kitchen floor looks a bit warmer so it might work in there. Maybe a really pale green could warm up some of the spaces?

I’d pick up a few samples of paint, paint a few sheets of A4, and then tape them up. Move them around on different walls and look at them at different times of day. You might be surprised at what you like.

Also, don’t underestimate the effect of accessories! The right curtains, rugs, pillows, throws, all can make a huge difference. I think the way it’s staged for the pics makes it look less cozy and you’ll feel better once your things are in.

Thanks so much Kismett, I'm definitely going to get some samples and get up sheets of A4!

There's a gorgeous golden yellow that works really well with grey. Like the colour in this link if the link works.
Go for golden, buttery creams and yellow grassy nbeutrals not cool ones. They'll work well. Also sugared-almond and macaroon style pastel colours will work with the grey carpet too. It's a pretty house.

OK - so you've just published your address to the whole world, do you maybe want to ask HQ to delete the link?

Aside from that - are curtains/blinds included? If not, then you can put up your own. If they are, then you could do some floor-length voiles/silks in softer/brighter colours to break up the current curtains.

Yes, you can paint the walls pretty easily. You can also put in some soft furnishings. All the lines are straight & square atm, so you need some curves.
What's your furniture like? Some wood would help as it's much warmer & softer, generally.

The back garden looks like the most work. If you want a load of gravel to stare at that's fine, but I'd want to dig al that gravel out (hard work!) and grass over it, with some bushes & plants around the edges.

MinaPaws I looove that yellow colour. I could definitely work that into the living room! Also loving the idea of pastel colours - could save that for the kitchen?

KickAssAngel This is a pretty much new account based off an old one, I've been posting on mumsnet for years but nothing under this username/email so not much anyone can do really :)

Curtains/blinds/white good are included yes! All my current furniture is wood, a nice oak. I have a brown sofa too but thinking that might not look great with the carpet?

I actually love the garden - I really hate grass and the maintenance it brings

glad you're happy with the garden - I was thinking it would be a bitch of a job!

The good thing about grey is that id goes with almost anything, so you could put down some rugs/cushions/throws etc and it will look fine.

A friend of mine has a very grey house but I never notice because of the colourful accessories. She has an amethyst coloured throw over the sofa that looks gorgeous against the grey.

oh I don't think that's too bad at all...once the grey curtains are out and you have your own stuff in it'll be fine

They have totally run with the grey and purple though haven't they?

I think it's fine.

I'd view it as a bit of a blank canvas as it were.

I'd certainly prefer what you have than a house that was a riot of colour with red carpets for example.

I appreciate what you mean about it looking a bit "cold" but I honestly think that's easily fixed with paint and soft furnishings.

Grey is very neutral so you've got a very wide choice of complementary colours to choose from.

By the time you've added colourful curtains, rugs, towels and bedding it won't look so grey and cold. Then take your time to pick out which walls to paint or paper.

I agree with PP and I do think the effect will be less harsh without the furniture. Oak furniture would immediately soften the look. It's a really great blank canvas!

I'd look at putting pops of different colours throughout with paint and or wallpaper. Grey goes so well with so many colours. I love pale grey, mustard & yellow. I have a grey painted living room but it has pops of yellow, pink, orange and teal based off of the rug. I think a bright teal or something like Drawing Room Blue would look great on the kitchen walls. Our kitchen extension will have a fairly warm grey on the walls, a navy island (& the back wall painted to match) a teal sofa and will be accessorized with the teal, navy, purple & copper. Here's a couple of pics:

Greens, lilac, purple, yellow, berry colours and blues all work with grey. I’d start with the most used rooms and replace the carpet if you hate it, rather than working with it.

The only bit I'd change as a priority is the textured wallpaper in the living room, the rest will look fine once you've got your own things in there. I would put up a lot of pictures to break up the walls and, as others have suggested, rugs, cushions, throws. The advantage of grey is that it does go well with many other colours - particularly strong ones - so don't worry about it too much as your own furniture etc will make a big difference.

Thanks so much for all your help guys! I'll come back and update when we're all moved in and things are looking a bit better!

I've seen a lot greyer!
In the photos, I notice the accent colours, not the grey.
It's not my style but it's a nicely presented house.

Grey is a good foil to a lot of colours, it can make bright colours look more sophisticated. Even retina searing neons can look stylish contrasted with grey or charcoal.
Avoid black with greys if you want to soften the look. I think the black curtains and accessories look harsh in the photos but someone upthread suggested oak which totally changes the effect of grey
The dove grey carpets will go with a lot of colours and are a lot easier to maintain than cream.

Ooo, perfect blank canvas!

Get your arse on Pintrest. You could do anything..!

We’ve got duck egg and purple colours to go with the grey - next do lovely curtains and cushions in these colours and it’s a tartan/check effect.
Looks lovely.
Get some roman blinds up and nice accessories and you’ll soon feel more homely

It is a blank canvass, I think you'll be fine :) the grey carpets will be great for covering dirt and loads of colours go with it. Move in and get a load of those free colour strips from a paint shop, that way you can narrow down volumes that you like before forking out for the actual paint samples. Have fun!

Volumes?! I meant to type colours!

It's mainly white. I wouldn't worry. Throw in some colourful accessories, stick some throws over your sofa. Sorted.

Honestly, I don't think you will need to do much. It looks cold and sterile because there are no belongings there. If you have coloured towels and some shampoo bottles, the bathroom will look different immediately, as will the kitchen when you have things on the work surface and table.

Some pot plants, your own cushions and sofas, your own pictures, and the grey will disappear.

I like soft purple with grey. My kitchen was very austere- dark grey doors, pale grey floor and work surface, stainless steel everywhere. I've got purple kettle toaster and tea towels, and pastel purple walls, and it really warms up the grey.