apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I always suggest this but a muted teal blue would look awesome in here. It would give it a pop, and in my opinion it would make some of the more traditional items in the room feel a bit more ironic rather than just traditional. Perhaps even paint the doors another color, like white against the teal, or a different shade of teal.

I agree with going for a bold wall -- picking up the blue would be great.

A soft blue gray or a yellow would look beautiful and complement your furniture/art.

I know it isn't the question you are asking, but another inexpensive way to make a major impact on this room would be replacing the ceiling fan with a new light fixture. I would go for something fairly streamlined, maybe a barrel shade or simple chandelier? Sorry for the unsolicited advice, I can't help myself!

i instantly thought of a golden yellow.

Is trim an option? I think it would be beautiful to install a chair rail and add either beadboard or simply paint the top and bottom different shades, like a light blue on top and darker on bottom (sort of like the sofa but more muted), or light gold on top and darker on bottom. Have fun!

Love the room and the taupe, but it does seem a little too safe - maybe make those closets a lighter taupe or add white or a lighter taupe to the recessed areas. How about switching the rug for something with a little blue and taupe? I can't really see a wall area here where you could introduce another color element without it looking contrived.

it looks very much like the before, to me.
for that, i would not have done all the work

I'm not usually the greatest at choosing paint colors, but for some reason navy blue immediately came to mind - maybe not for the whole room, but one wall?

Stormy blue-grey. Take a look at the Farrow and Ball colors.

I always prefer a white ceiling, so I would return to that. Plus, it will keep the baseboard from popping out so much; as it is now, it's the only white in that sea of taupe.

An accent wall could be a good thing; or if you don't want to re-do the walls, perhaps a larger graphic piece of art or some fabulous textile. Right now, it's lacking that 40% accent color, so it looks institutional. Chocolate brown can give pop to taupe, or dusky blue. We have Benjamin Moore's Serenata, AF-535 in our kitchen, and it's a lovely mild blue that avoids the whole pool-paint glow of some blues.

I would do one or two shades deeper and grayer than the sofa. Also, if the present trim color appears too muddy against the new color chosen, I would also change the trim color.

I think a nice blue that compliments the blue couch, accessories, and the blue in the painting of the woman on an accent wall...either wall with the chests/sideboards.

I would paint the doors white and paint the walls a light yellow.

We have our ceiling painted a lovely color by Ellen Kennon called Gustavian Grey and the walls are Buttercream. We have a lot of the same elements going on as you do - blue velvet sofa, antique feeling wood pieces, some muted grass greens. It really works.

I love all your things and the general direction of the room, but I just feel like that taupe is making it feel a bit muddy.

I also agree with the person who said to lose the ceiling fan if you can. We have a lot of them, but nowhere in our formal spaces.

I would pull the wonderful orange accent color out of the embroidered chair for the walls. It would make the blues stand out, rather than fading into the background.

I would suggest against an accent wall, unless it happens to be in that alcove area. Accent walls in an otherwise square room never look good.

I would also suggest against adding a chair rail. Chair rails are for.... chairs! You don't have any chairs against walls so that's just extra trim for nothing.

I always say NO to neutrals. It's your own house! Have fun with it.

I like the changes you have made so far.

Have you tried switching the chairs? From the photos it looks like that might feel more balanced.

I think the color you have will be fine if you bring some black (picture frames, accessories) into the rest of the room. Also the closet doors look awkward. Perhaps painting them a shade or two lighter would be an improvement.

I can't tell the difference.

Blue, blue, blue, blue, blue....

Wallpaper, or painted stripes. I think the room could use pattern.

Your modern meets antique sensibilities, and overall choice of colors would work well with Behr's Victorian Splendor group. I especially think Tate Olive or Amazon Moss would look lovely with your furniture and art work.


http://www.behr.com/behrx/inspiration/historical_2.jsp

I agree with the call for blue walls. Definitely. Seeing another AT post today, what about also painting those frames above the desk all one color? I think with your white trim, new blue walls, crisp white frames would really pop. I also think you could make those closet doors look exciting painting them white then using painters tape to add some blue accents. I think all of these things would help your furniture stand out and your rug not fade away so much.

And if I'm really going all out with ideas: have you considered adding crown moulding to make the walls less blah? You know, because we alllll have all the time and money in the world!! :)

Anyhow- good luck! I hope you'll show us your results!

The taupe doesn't offer much contrast against your furnishings -- maybe it looks different in person, but from the photos, the furnishings appear kind of washed out because they blend into the background. The current color is just too light. Maybe you could go darker with an olive-tinged taupe/brown or a level or 2 darker than the current wall color. If you repaint the closet doors white to match the trim, that would allow your new chair to stand out and emphasize whatever new wall color you choose.

The neutral hue makes the furnishing look colorless, and the pale value makes the furnishings look dark. What you need is to do the opposite:

Pick a hue that's the color-compliment to the gold-orange tones in the furniture; that would be blue or blue-green. Pick a value that's more midtone, to make the furniture appear lighter in comparison. Keep the saturation mild, so that the subtle colors in the fabrics and wood have a chance to pop out.

A smokey blue-gray will do wonders, and if you don't let it get too blue-green it will let the green undertone in the sofa and vase pop out.

Oh, and paint the closet doors the same as the trim color, not the wall color!

Is it the exact same color? Or did I miss a picture?

The walls are too deep in the tan family, causes the room to look extremely dark..Lighten it up with a pale yellow and do all the trim in white. Your window treatments should be wider than your window and place them from ceiling to floor in a silver/blue silk like fabric "no tie backs" this will go great along with your awsome couch. Now your frame collage should be in the same tones in black or white or silver and all matts should be in white. replace pillows or coverings in a deep gold/white/blue tones and to pop throw in a red. look for a chandelier to replace the fan i found one at a yard sale for 5 bucks painted it black is a wow factor...good luck!

I cannot believe how many times this one room has been on AT.

Not blue, not grey. Get some warmth in this room. My choice would be an orange, but muted a bit. Or a yellow or gold.