apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

If you intend to paint the entire room that color, don't give up on it after painting just one wall. The paint will react differently once it reflects onto itself. (I know that makes painting the whole room a BIG "test" but you can't judge the color fully on just one wall.

The only caveat: if you think one wall is already too dark or too much of the color, then go one notch down on the paint chip and paint the whole room the lighter color. It will get you the color you love on the paint swatch. Sounds crazy but I have lived it more than once.

For the record, I too like the color so far.

either stick with climbing lilly and paint all the walls or switch to a stronger color for the one wall you've already painted. i recommend bubble gum pink as found in the rug.

I think the color is great, I think you are unsure of it because of the other conflicting pieces in the room. I would suggest getting a different bedspread (let that rug be your dominating presence, you can always add colorful pillows to unify the space). Also, add some white accent pieces to the vanity to tie in the white wordwork with the brown wood.

Hmm, I really like what you have. Are you thinking maybe more dramatic? I think the Climbing Lily is very soothing and sweet. But yes, maybe try painting at least two walls first and see what you think.

Paint your doors and woodwork the same color as the walls. then replace either the rug or the spread -- they fight! Those changes will punch up what remains. Good luck and let us see whatever you do change!

IMO I think you need a defined color palette... you've got yellow, pink, orange, lilac, several different shades of blue, white, and more going on. Narrow it down and it'll be SO much easier to know what to do with the paint on your walls (and everything else thereafter).

I like the color with the furniture but the rug and the bedspread HAVE to go!!!

I think the current color is o.k. I would change the color of the doors though.

I second the pink suggestion though if you were thinking of heading in another direction.

DO NOT paint your woodwork anything other than white!!!!!

And I love the rug and bedspread together.

I don't think the bedspread and rug fight at all, I think they coordinate. Some of the best home designs have a mixture of patterns that have some unifying elements. In this case, they both share the same geometric shapes, and the same colors are all on the same tonal level.

I would suggest pumping up the yellow a bit more by going a bit richer than the pastel shade it is now. Perhaps go one shade up on the paint chip. It also looks like the yellow of your sheets could be right. so, pick your favorite colors that are in both the rug and bedspread; they can be shades or tints, but the same color, and use those for more accessories and pillows. I love that one geometric pillow on the chair, it also works with shapes of the other two pieces and I like that its colors are a bit richer.

I'll send an example of what I mean if I have the time. Good luck!

I agree that you have too many conflicting colors in this space. Decide which you like better - the rug or the bedspread - and get rid of the other. The one that's left will be the color focal point of the room. All other textiles in the room should only draw on one or two of the colors in the focal piece, no more.

I would paint the bookshelf white, bring in some white accessories for the wood dresser, and some natural wood accessories for the white furniture. Replace the table lamp on your wooden nightstand with a white ceramic lamp, for example, and add a piece of driftwood or wooden boxes to the bookshelf after you paint it white. Tie it all together.

Once the major color conflicts in the room are resolved, the color on the walls will look completely different. At that point, you can better decide whether or not it's just right.

Worse comes to worse, you can always paint your walls a nice, light neutral gray. It's very soothing and it goes with pretty much everything.

Shari,

I think that you most definitely *do* have a colour palette of lovely soft sherbet colours, as found in your bedspread and rug.

It is quite sophisticated to have such a mix of colours, and so it is important that the tone be right. For example, the pillow on the chair however, does not fit as parts of it are too dark and earthy, so I think it should be replaced, probably with a solid.

The wall colour is almost there, but not quite (at least, from how it looks on my monitor) -- I understand what it troubling you about it. It doesn't quite have the glowing lightness of say, the greenish colour of your bedspread. I have a lovely colour to suggest to you that is very similar to yours. It is a full-spectrum paint, and so changes during the course of the day along with the lighting conditions. In our house, it has been gorgeous, and has a delightful almost spring-like glow about it.

It is Donald Kaufman Color DKC-45S:

http://www.coxpaint.com/store/cart.php?target=category&category_id=255

Maybe try a sample pot, and see how you feel about it. I think it would look lovely painted on all the walls -- the white would look particularly fresh with it.

...meant to say, the white of the trim (which I would most definitely keep, along with the white of your upholstered pieces)...

...and was trying to say that you most definitely DO have a *defined* colour palette.... (should learn to check before I post...)

There's just too much going on in this room - and the two separate wall colors isn't helping any.

Frankly, I don't think that yellow or pink are good colors for this room - I'd go with the stronger blue that's on the corner of the bed quilt. I'd leave paint the trim, doors and picture rail white, but do the coved ceiling in the same color as your window coverings (are they khaki or gold - it's hard to tell in the mirror's reflection) I'd also replace the rug with something that isn't so busy - perhaps a plain white shag or sheepskin? a white rug with a navy or taupe border?

I love the rug and quilt combo. I actually like the wall color too, but if it isn't doing it for you I'd suggest a blue.
I love the suggestion above to add more white and wood accents to tie the furniture together.

I agree with what Allsunday recommends.

My example: http://www.flickr.com/photos/70701034@N00/361759588/

In this room, the pillows share the same geometry shape but not all the same color. The circular shapes represented in the wall art connects them and their colors then tie back to the cushions. I don't think anything is fighting in this room. There might be some conflict but it only brings interest.

I totally disagree that you have too much going on. You are repeating colors and shapes, and all your elements are within a pretty well-defined style (cleaned up vintage cottage).

Just don't bring in anything new (color or item or textile) unless it relates in two ways to something you already have going on. But you seem to be doing that well enough on your own already!

Just paint the rest of the walls and enjoy the room.

If the color is still bugging you, match a paint to the largest block of color on your quilt. But the color you have seems to be doing that (on my monitor) already.

Don't listen to the naysayers!!! It's all quite lovely so far. If you posted this as the "After" of Cure, everyone would be oohing and ahhing.

"If you posted this as the "After" of Cure, everyone would be oohing and ahhing."

Um, no we wouldn't...

Lisa -

Almost every single piece in that room, from the wall color, to the art, to the couch, to the accent pieces all contain teal, green, red-orange, or colors that are directly complimentary to teal, green, or red-orange. The colors in the pillows especially pull from the colors in the artwork above the couch.

However, you'll also notice that the largest blocks of color - the wall and the couch, are all one solid color, so as not to clash with the busy artwork and accent pieces. Otherwise, it would be overwhelming. In the dining room, because the wallpaper is so busy, the furniture is all one solid color, and the accent pieces are too.

In the room above, the two largest pieces, the rug and the bedspread, are both very busy. That's why they fight, not because the colors aren't complimentary, but because they're two huge, conflicting patterns in a sea of solid colors.

I quite like the rug. Dont paint the white doors or frames, they provide nice definition, and likely tie in with other doors and frames throughout the house. Try painting the whole room, I think then you will have one consistent color throughout and it will take out one of the many contrasts in the room (Rug to bedspread to walls to the cushion) I'm not crazy about the bedspread, but I really like everything else, it seems like a very soothing and calm bedroom.

Hi Shari!
A strong color would ground the room... the yellow adds a pastel look. Think about matching the dark pink at the foot of the bed. That would ground the room, make it cozy and warm.
Get a paint deck if you can... then choose a hue on the strip that matches... go with a warmer color and make sure it is dark. Then it will recide and your other things will pop.
If you love color, and it sure looks like you do, make it your own with color on the walls!
Hope that helps!
Show us a picture when your done.
and don't freak out in the middle of the painting... it never looks right before your done.

I like the yellow wall, bedspread, and rug together, but other elements in the room aren't doing enough to support the (quite bold and deft) combination, and there's a dead zone in the upper left quandrant of the photo. I'd start with changing the pillow to something fresher, brighter, & less busy, such as:

http://www.velocityartanddesign.com/product.php?productid=19076&cat=575&manufacturerid=&page=1

and by lightening the bookcase, either to match the dresser, or painting it white. Then I'd try moving the hamper out of there, moving the bedside over a little, and reconsider the lamp - maybe something more sculptural to connect with the curve of the chair, such as the Pottery Barn milk glass lamp:

http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p10148/index.cfm?pkey=clgttaftbl

If it then feels like the room is moving in the right direction, stay with the climbing lily color and paint the wall behind the bed.

"A strong color would ground the room"

Um, yes, if you want a strong-colored "grounded" room. I don't see any visual cues in this room that they do.

And I would call neither the bedspread nor the rug "busy."

I do agree the throw pillow on the chair misses the mark though (even though Shari was asking about only the color of her walls...)

And I think Lisa's post makes a great case for MORE pattern, not less (if they want to go in that direction). I think that pic she posted proves her point, and the stuff in that room is WAAAAY more disparate than the bedspread and rug are here. And it still works.

You can TOTALLY mix pattern as long as the scale varies and they share color families... like the rug and the bedspread do here. I actually think what is missing is a pattern that shares the colors but is the "mid level" scale between the spread and the rug. Or some piece (a framed quilt block, for example) that unites the scales and simplicity/complexity of them both.

Thanks, Shari, for indulging us.

Blue is supposed to be soothing and good for sleep. I'd try the turquise color from the bedsrpead if I were you and up for some painting. It looks like you have that color in the rug as well. I'd do all the walls, though, and keep the white trim. But keep in mind that you'd like the color of the bedroom to compliment your skintone - in case you get to do some horizontal dancing ;-D

Pretty elements, but looks like blue might be only color to unite them all.

You have too many colors in two large spaces. I'd narrow them down, paint all the walls one color (your choice. I'd personally go soft orange by benjamin moore, or a warm lavender). Either way, pic a primary color to develope and balance the room out with the obvious other colors in your palette.

I agree with Patrick (the other one). You have great instincts Shari, and the room is almost there. You don't need to paint the bookcase, as the darker brown is in the rub, as is the caramel of the dresser (and night table and hamper). The light not being vintage-y makes is seem less contrived and more natural.

Try a sample pot of my suggested paint colour, remove the throw pillow, and paint out the picture rail, all the way to the ceiling.

And keep your keen eye on opportunities to introduce more complexity with that melange of colour -- perhaps a flowered print in some of those colours for a throw pillow on the chair.

A blue bedroom will put the chill on your "horizontal dancing," btw.

i think a warmer yellow (butterscotch?) would work better. it would contrast beautifully with the white wood work, but the dresser wouldn't look so stark. the rug and bedspread are great. the pillow doesn't really fit in. and how about a headboard of some sort?

I love the color, especially with the art deco dresser/vanity. In fact, I have what I think is the same color on my bedroom walls (Benjamin Moore "Hawthorn Green" or Valspar "Fennel Splash"), a pale baby celery yellow-green-ivory.

I think you should keep the walls this color but replace the rug. The one you have is too busy and the colors are just a tiny bit off for the space. I'd recommend a simple jute one or a geometric kilim in muted colors.

The freshness of the walls demands some complementary pale colors similar what you have on your bed -shades of jade, robin's egg, celadon, with a few pops of bright clear colors, which you can do with accent pillows, throws or tiny pictures on the wall, hooks, etc. I think bright clear pink or coral looks lovely with the celery walls, but so does turquoise and kelly green.

My current bedroom has the celery walls with art deco furniture similar to yours. I've dressed the bed in hues of celadon and robin's egg blue. My accents are magenta and dark kelly green.

May I suggest that you move your rug where some of it is under the bed? It seems to be floating off and not anchored. I know you were asking about the walls . . . but I did notice that right off. The yellow is pretty--but I do think it should be on all the walls.

I think what's bothering you is how matchy the large green area of the comforter is with the wall. It makes it look a little bland. You clearly love a lot of color! :) I would suggest what some others have...go blue. Either blue in your bedspread would work. It would go with both the bedspread and the rug and feature them. Don't change your style. Stick to what you love! I love your vintage art deco dresser by the way. I also don't think that you need to paint any of your furniture. You just have a different style than some of the above posts. Let us know what you decide!

One person's bother is another man's like. I love that the wall color relates to the largest block on the bedspread. And that yellow is the perfect backdrop for that wood color.

Thanks for all the great comments. (Though you kind of have to have thick skin to post here, don't you?) Patrick (the other one): thanks for being my ally and defending my rug and bedspread! I think I will probably go ahead and finish the room in Climbing Lily (which apparently reads on most peoples' monitors as yellow, though it's really a pale green, as Monika1 and Miriam perceived). As much as I love that throw pillow on my chair, I may indeed take Karen's suggestion (love those pillows from Velocity) and substitute a pillow that's not quite so busy. Like the idea of a new bedside lamp, too--it's probably time to chuck that old IKEA one.
Someone suggested I add a headboard; I have been looking for a bed (w/headboard) for AGES and can't find anything I like--any suggestions for something that would work in this room?
Shari

Shan--

I'd consider a white painted headboard or a cream-colored upholstered one. I've also seen great headboards made from paneled doors (on their side) and could be a great tie-in to your closet doors, if you're feeling DIYish.

With the dark wood floor and the colours in the soft furnishings and rug I think it needs a stronger colour in here - something warm and cosy - it looks really cold at the moment - I'm seeing a crushed raspberry pink

The rug and the bedspread go together really well - they pick out the same colours and the two geometric patterns keep a theme - so I wouldn't change either of them - I actually LOVE the rug - where did you get it?

Thanks! Got the rug at Anthropologie, about 3 years ago...

Shari --

for headboards I have 2 ideas for you -- either a wrought-iron headboard, painted turquoise. Yes, I realize that there is no turquoise in your current colour scheme, but it would be a very effective counterpoint, and would be in keeping with the style you have created.

I don't think you are going to find a vintage/antique one in the appropriate size for your bed (beds used to be much smaller), but the sundance catalog has something that would work:

http://www.sundancecatalog.com/jump.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&itemID=4071

the bright turquoise I am referring to is the colour of this chair, although not as bright and perfect and shiny:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/recycling-donating/hazardous-waste-collections-in-la-044462

Another headboard option would be, as P2 suggested, an upholstered one. A simple camelback shape (comfortable, rounded, echoing the shape of your '30's waterfall drawers) upholstered in a slightly darker (slightly more mustard-y) version of RL's Climbing Lilly in suede leather (or velvet), would be gorgeous.

By the way, the reason that I think climbing lilly doesn't work (and your first instinct was correct) is that it has too much of a mustard tone in it -- too much Dijon. It is very similar to DKC-1, which I also tried to use in my home, and eventually painted over. If after you have painted your whole room in climbing lilly, and decide that it doesn't feel right, please take my suggestion and order a sample pot of DKC-45 S (I know my colours -- I went to art school just so that I could play with colour).

For what it is worth, I too love the combo of the bedspread and rug, and think the effect of the whole is lovely and charming. Don't let the critics talk you into using less pattern, or making things simpler -- instead, embrace pattern, complexity and colour. Have a look at the work of Kaffe Fassett -- maybe it will inspire you.

http://www.kaffefassett.com/

He does some pillows for Pine cone Hill that I think would look nice on your chair:

http://www.pineconehill.com/retail_kaffe.html

Hmmm. I like the color less now knowing it is a green!

But still like the bedspread/rug combo! :)

For the headboard, go custom. They're priced the same as ready made (if you're in the medium range, $700). Any upholsterer will do it. You can design the shape, select the fabric. I would develope the color you decide on. I think it would ground the room. Tuft it to get more bang for your buck from the texture.

Or, do it yourself. I had a friend buy a plyboard piece, pad it and used a beautiful mohair. It's amazing. So simple, but so elegant.

You can get several basic upholstered headboards online cheaper than you get one custom made.

I say to paint the walls the lighter blue in the bedspread, leave the doors and trim white, and get a simpler rug, maybe even just plain white. The wood pieces you have have an orange to them, so they'll look nice with the blue. The rug is too much for the space, I think. Also, a simpler throw pillow on the chair, maybe the darker blue in the bedspread, would also help unite things.

I think a Zen approach is always best, choose first how you want to FEEL in that room and then choose the color accordingly. Don't try and match a wall to a bedspread or a rug unless you are absolutely in love with it, those things are easily replaced, but instead choose a color that evokes the feeling you want to have every time you walk into that space.

I think what the color needs in order to stand out is a darker color on the borders of the doors and maybe even on the opposing wall. A Dark Brown would do just fine, if you're wanting to stick with a rich color I would suggest a Dark Purple with Brown undertones. This will help pull everthing together and make your furniture stand out as well :D

I'd like to see walls of a darker value - blue or that mauve-pink on the bedspread. I think it would make the other colors pop. I wouldn't have the colors too saturated though, a little greyed down color is more soothing in the bedroom.
I photo - shopped them in Flickr to give you an idea how they would look.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12212305@N04/?saved=1
Chris