apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

How about changing the color of the furniture rather than the walls?

I actually love the current color combination.

i think really bright, light, yellow-green walls would look great with your furniture

Sometimes when i get in a pinch with what colors go together, i just google Color Wheel. Whatever color you're having problems with, the color across from it is usually what will go nicely with it.
That being said, i like the color combo you have now too! maybe add some "sunset" color accents- reds, yellows, orange...

red-orange and white bedding

a nice tan or brown?

I would go with a cream beige - with some vintage and pop framed artwork over it. The beige leans the more "Anthropologie" route.

Warm, not too bright, golden yellow or gentle teal-aqua-turquoise tones; try to match the intensity of the furniture's color; make sure your paint also complements the yellow tones in the flooring.

I like the current color too. Otherwise, what about a light pink or lavender? Or salmon?

Yellows and golds go wonderfully with green, as does rich purple. Which you choose really depends on whether you want to go light and casual or deep and dramatic.

Depends on what you mean by fresh. If you mean pretty and relaxed, and very crisp looking... you've got it. If you mean modern and clean-cut... you've got the wrong furniture.

I really like the current color combination. It's unexpected, but it's the definition of fresh- it's like grass and sky. All you need now are some breezy accessories. Lightweight white curtains, some plants, a big clear glass bedside lamp, art and a rug in very pale neutrals. It might also look less formal if you put the bed on a diagonal.

Whatever you do, please don't paint that awesome furniture. And if you don't want it... get in touch with me! :)

i would go with a more silvery gray

Check out Ralph Lauren's line of metallic wall paints... I used a gorgeous brassy gold for an accent wall in my bedroom and it looks great with my green bed. Bought it at Home Depot.

i love the furniture!

I think a golden beige (still light and airy) wall would complement the furniture well, and almost un-date it. And then you can add flourishes of colours in forms of paintings, bedding, and plants. great windows, perhaps simple gauze curtains to let the light in?

I love the green furniture. Maybe light yellow walls might work.

I love the green furniture too!! The blue and green are beautiful together, but need a little bit of something to make everything come together. I'd go with some grassy greenish-yellow and a few pops of orange. I'd love a room like this!

I agree with the red-orange suggestions. Opposites on the color wheel are always okay.

I agree! The the colors you have currently are very natural looking, wood, grassy green & blue skies... If you really must change the color of the walls, you can rarely ever go wrong with beige. Depends on if you want a warmer feeling room or a cooler feeling room... warmer go with yellow, cooler and "fresh" as you said just leave it. It looks fine.

I couldn't resist!

http://img.skitch.com/20090718-rrh6kesh2ghufyhnhud8wt2hh6.jpg

I like the green myself. I also think your original blue is pretty fresh. I'm a big fan of green/green palettes (as I've commented before on AT). Check out the last image - a nice green/green/beige/brown combo: http://mochihome.com/living-room/a-coordinated-color-palette-update/

Good Luck!

Right now, you have sky blue and cedar green. It's one of the best, most relaxing color combinations around. Keep it, and add some white accents for freshness.

You could, as many have mentioned, paint the walls beige, but it would be much less charming than what you have right in front of you.

P.S. The new issue of House Beautiful has a place with your exact color combo. It's not only pretty, it's chic. You lucked out -- you really don't have to change anything.

My first thought was actually to go with the complimentary color of green-- a bold red. Like in the movie Amelie. *shrugs* Red can be fresh.

I agree with the posters who said the wall color is good with the furniture. What you need is some pattern in there with both colors--the green and the blue to tie it together. Even a blanket on the bed or some curtains.

Howabout a really crisp white? I'd love to see that dark green to be a great accent color, along with some warmer yellows maybe in curtains and pillows?

Pale yellow (but not ivory, a light sunshiny yellow) or a silvery gray would be my choices. Light gray with a touch of blue or lilac in it would be pretty. Crisp white trim with either one.

If you paint that furniture I will never be able to completely forgive you.

i like the blue walls & green furniture too! as mentioned above, beautiful bedding & accessories on & over the bed in red, yellow, orange & white would look finish the look.

I like the blue also, but agree with a lot of others here that another good choice would be yellow, preferably one that skews slightly green.

Maybe the pictures don't show the color clash very well. I would move into that room happily as is in an instant.

I think this is a really hard querstion to answer without knowing anything else about your tastes or belongings, but as it is it seems very "ten thousand leagues under the sea".

I always believe green goes with everything because you see all colour flowers on green plants and they never clash. So maybe a good starting point would be soft flower colours? (Thus ruling out all greys and beiges. I also think pure white might be a bit harsh in this instance).

Please don't even think of painting the furniture!

I'd paint the walls in white and hang 1 wall with wallpaper in the same colours as the furniture.

http://www.cole-and-son.com/collection_detail.asp?CollectionID=13
http://www.cole-and-son.com/collection_detail.asp?CollectionID=11

I agree with those who say a warm, pale yellow. "Glisten Yellow" by Sherwin Williams is nice.

I adore the bed and the bureau but I wonder if the side table is a bit too heavy.
Perhaps you could swap that side table for something cleaner lines? http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/product/detail.do?productGroup=19703&menuCatalog=room&menuSubcategory=191179
That mix will help things to be more "fresh".

Then, fairly simple linens and sheer curtains. This room has the potential to be simply lovely.
duvet: http://www.westelm.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?partNumber=WE-PRODb437&storeId=17001&langId=-1&catalogId=17002&viewSetCode=E&parentId=WE-SH1BEDDUV&retainNav=true&cmsrc=WE-SH1BEDDUV

curtains: http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p5861/index.cfm?pkey=cdrapes

Change the color of the furniture would be my first thought.

Mangabanga mentioned something, a subtle metallic sheen would be amazing.... in a brassy or coppery tone. Otherwise, the color you have now is really nice and goes well with the furniture... Try with making a change with accesories... Maybe rearranging the furniture and making a good composition with some accesories you'll get the trick done...

Green furniture......interesting element to work with.. and definetely not easy... but i see in the pictures they are well kept and the color is nice...

What i'm not a fan of is the floor, if you can stain it darker, great, if not....get some area rugs....

Painting the walls is much easier than the furniture. If you want to make the furniture pop, paint the walls something in the orange family - a rich terracotta? Or, if you want the furniture to blend in more, try a greenish hued grey.

I like the blue-green combo, but would personally go for a more turquoise-aqua-teal blue, as suggested by one of the other commenters here.

Or Salmon.

And red or orange accents.

Don't change a thing! This is one of my favorite color combinations and I use it a lot in my house. Live with it for a while and you will see. What you need is some art and/or accessories to tie it together. Either bring out the two colors or add neutrals, either white or natural. I love these colors with light tan shades, like bamboo and grasscloth. You could replace the blinds, add a nice area rug...the possibilities are endless!

Turquoise or Grey walls

I like it the way it is. The color combination is unexpected and charming. If I were you, I'd add a few accent pieces (pillows, a rug) in red, some art over the headboard and sheer white curtains.

But if you're bent on changing the wall color, I'd stick with light, 'natural' hues, like a buttery yellow or light tea-brown.

White walls...

A dusky lavender would be so pretty! Otherwise, pale yellow.

Perhaps the walls are actually more grey than they appear in the pictures? The colors that I see on my monitor actually look really nice together.

Stick with blue, but brighten up the tone. Maybe a nice sky blue with no grey tones, turquoise or blue-green color.

I think the color combination is absolutely beautiful and very 'fresh' just the way it is. This is such a light, airy, comfortable looking room. Very relaxing and peaceful.

Whatever you decide, could you pretty please share with us?

i think the problem really isn´t the color of the wall, but the color of the floor. its too yellow, and looks a bit cheap compared to the traditional furniture.
maybe painting the floor white or even black.
just in case your landlord doesn´t agree with you, you could buy a new wooden board floor at ikea.

Lamp black walls, white trim, silver and white accessories, and a crazy old persian rug get my vote.

Good call Bretzel and trikitixa, I learn so much from the comments on this site. The problem isn't the wall color but the floor color; it's obvious once someone points it out.

The floor looks like it might be laminate, but if it's hardwood: sanding, staining, and revarnishing is actually a fairly simple weekend project. The room would look perfect with a cherry/mahogony stain.

If that's not an option trikitixa's idea of a large persian rug (with lots of deep maroon) would largely accomplish the same effect.

I like the current colors and think you should play off them with some great fabric in curtains. Amy Butler has some cool prints in color schemes that may work very well. Some options include:

http://www.fabric.com/quilting-fabric-shop-by-designer-amy-butler-designer-cotton-print-fabric-amy-butler-august-fields-collection-amy-butler-august-fields-bright-buds-aqua.aspx

or this, which may look nice with the floor as well:

http://www.fabric.com/quilting-fabric-shop-by-designer-amy-butler-designer-cotton-print-fabric-amy-butler-august-fields-collection-amy-butler-august-fields-dream-poppies-seafoam.aspx

a little more traditional, but fun:

http://www.fabric.com/quilting-fabric-shop-by-designer-amy-butler-designer-cotton-print-fabric-amy-butler-august-fields-collection-amy-butler-august-fields-graceful-vine-moss.aspx

or a little more playful:
http://www.fabric.com/quilting-fabric-shop-by-designer-amy-butler-designer-cotton-print-fabric-amy-butler-august-fields-collection-amy-butler-august-fields-fresh-start-moss.aspx

This is just what I saw from Amy Butler's stuff. There may be other fabric designers out there worth checking out as well.

I like the current colors and think you bring them together with great fabric in curtains. Amy Butler has some cool prints in color schemes that may work very well. Some options include:

http://www.fabric.com/quilting-fabric-shop-by-designer-amy-butler-designer-cotton-print-fabric-amy-butler-august-fields-collection-amy-butler-august-fields-bright-buds-aqua.aspx

or this, which may look nice with the floor as well:

http://www.fabric.com/quilting-fabric-shop-by-designer-amy-butler-designer-cotton-print-fabric-amy-butler-august-fields-collection-amy-butler-august-fields-dream-poppies-seafoam.aspx

a little more traditional, but fun:

http://www.fabric.com/quilting-fabric-shop-by-designer-amy-butler-designer-cotton-print-fabric-amy-butler-august-fields-collection-amy-butler-august-fields-graceful-vine-moss.aspx

or a little more playful:
http://www.fabric.com/quilting-fabric-shop-by-designer-amy-butler-designer-cotton-print-fabric-amy-butler-august-fields-collection-amy-butler-august-fields-fresh-start-moss.aspx

This is just what I saw from Amy Butler's stuff. There may be other fabric designers out there worth checking out as well.

oh nuts. sorry about the double post.

a pale olive or a white with a lot of grey in it.

a paper-bag tan would be nice

Cream - it'll look good against the dark green furniture, the white woodwork and the wooden floor.

Then use small hits of blue, light green, brown and metallic gold (in for example picture frames) to bring it all to life.

What bothers me most about your current setup is not the colors or even the floors (you do need a rug stat to give that heavy furniture a base), but the height of the bed next to your gorgeous low windows. If the bed construction and your back allow, please ditch your box spring and lower your mattress profile. The side table height also interferes with the windowsill line, so I would use it on a different, windowless wall and get a bedside table that rests below the sill. Trite but tried-&-true, you can also do a stack of art books as a table substitute. What a lovely inheritance - please don't ever paint this set!

Bumblebee, those fabrics are great! I have a table a similar shade of green that I want to update but not paint, and the Bright Buds would make a sweet tablecloth.

I was really excited when I moved into my new apartment. The bedroom already had this nice, fresh paint -- seafoam green! It was a little awful, but I just kneeeeew it would work with all my grannie furniture. And it does!

Now the room is mishmash but cohesive: seafoam, light blue, and some nice yellow-greens and golds. It's all grounded with dark brown furniture and picture frames, and it's developing a real birds-on-treelimbs vibe.

So I really like the suggestions the querent has gotten with regard to yellow-greens. I think that could work really nicely. Then again, before I settled on bedding, I was using a cheapie quilt from Urban Outfitters with a red-orange, white, and deep brown graphic print. It looked really good, except it just wasn't the soothing femininity thing I was going for (our living room is also dark brown, red-orange, and white, anyway).

P.S. I meant to say what blandwagon said, basically, if you replace "cream" with "yellow-green... and cream."

I don't think you should change the color of the furniture; it is a beautiful shade of green! What I do think would look really cool and a little modern, is to paint the walls a light to medium gray, maybe with a hint of blue in it, so the furniture stands out without the super stark contrast of white or cream walls. Then as accent colors, use greens, yellows and even the blue of the old walls, with some pop art (as was suggested in another comment). A tiny amt. of black accent thrown in (picture frames, etc) could give it a twist, especially with yellow or persimmon accents.

@ here2help: thanks a lot for your compliments...
maybe you want to show us the new floor some day- i am courious...

WHITE - Your furniture is so unique and a beautiful color at that. Paint your walls white to highlight the floors and the green.