Hello AT friends,
I could use a few suggestions. I finally (finally) found an affordable alternative to my dream sofa (Niels Bendtsen's Neo), but I deluded myself into thinking the sofa's color was mushroom-y instead of the pale pistachio it is. Although you wouldn't be able to tell from my piss-poor camera phone pictures, I actually love color--just in smaller, more easily changed accessories...
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When I moved in my walls were a mango color. Pleasant enough, but not for me. Subsequently, I painted the walls a warm gray, something I thought would be a nice foil to the darker wood pieces I seem to gravitate towards.
My question: the gray isn't really working for me right now, and I want a fresher, more graphic look. What color would you guys recommend that would make my darker pieces *pop*?
Thanks!
Nikki
Dear Nikki,
When you mentioned the pale pistachio sofa, we thought of Marilyn & Peter's Home Studio Harmony (last fall's color contest winners). They went light and bright with their wall colors, and while most of their objects aren't "dark," they have wood-y pieces and bright elements that really do pop against the white walls. Similarly, a white backdrop always allows accents, objects, and lines to seem more "graphic," which you are looking for.
If white is too simple for your tastes, how about a very, very light gray (as opposed to your darker choice). Or, we love the idea of this Sweet Pear color to make your darker woods and lines pop (maybe even just go for a wall or two, not the whole room).
Anyone else??
Except for some wood and the darker tone in the art, your pieces don't look dark -- how about a deep espresso brown on the walls?
Or if that's too bold, is there a color on your upholstery you can pick up ... from what I can divine in your photo, maybe things would play against a cool aquamarine.
view holland's profile
I think the white idea might work well (although it is hard to tell with that photo!). It would certainly make the graphic piece above the couch pop, and any dark pieces you have as well.
Care to share where you found the affordable Neo-esque couch?
view jennifer in sf's profile
Hi guys,
Thanks for the feedback.
Holland: I like the idea of espresso colored walls, but I think it would be too much considering the number of furniture items/accessories I have in various shades of chocolate brown (i.e. entry table, art, the Expedit bookshelf, etc.)that aren't shown in the photo. The fact that the baseboards and window frames are of the orange-y oak variety doesn't help much either ;)
Heather and Jennifer: The more I've looked at the room, the more I thought a simple white would work well too considering my need to rearrange/reaccessorize every few months. I remember seeing a thread a while back on ATNY about reader's favorite white paints, so I'll look for it again.
Jennifer: I purchased the sofa and club chair from a vintage store in Ohio. Apparently, it had been sitting in the original owner's den for several years, and was rarely used. I believe the manufacturer is a UK-based company called DeCoro.
Cheers!
vidamind76
view analogirl's profile
I'm thinking a few choice pieces of tropical pink and royal blue. You want pop against the darker wood and pistachio, and that will do it.
view krister's profile
Are you sure your sofa is vintage? Decoro is a line of fabric and leather upholstery made in China? just curious.
view montreal modern's profile
Ah, vintage stores in the Midwest, how I miss you. Here it probably would have been about as much as a new couch!
view jennifer in sf's profile
MM,
Sorry for the confusion: the store describes itself as MCM, but like most people in the business, he scores a lot of finds from estate sales--which is where he snagged the sofa chair. Thanks for the clarification about DeCoro; it took a few Google searches to find anything about the company in the US, but once I did most links were to UK businesses.
J in SF,
Actually, at $1100, both pieces were significantly less than most mid-range sofas I've seen over the years.
What's funny is when I went to the first DWR warehouse sale in Cincinatti a few years ago, that exact amount would've gotten me the three-seater Neo I really wanted.
Unfortunately, I was about $900 shy....
view analogirl's profile