Dear AT,
After years of white apartment walls, I'm in my own first house and feeling bold with color -- though I freely admit I don't know what I'm doing.
So far, I've bravely painted 3 of 4 dining room walls orange (BM Antelope Canyon) and I'm now trying to settle on a shade for the 4th wall (which has a large archway to the living room cut through it).
I'd initially assumed the 4th wall would match the other 3 walls, but I got inspired by the giant murals in the main entrance of the American Museum of Natural history and am now thinking about purple.
Brave, or crazy?...
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I thought I'd replace the ceiling fan with a barrel pendant in matching purple, bring in a few saffron/amber accessories, maybe a little red/vermillion/fuschia like in the murals.

I really love the fabric...not sure what to do with it in the room, but would love to make it a presence without covering the windows or too much of the wood around them.

Any suggestions?
Thanks! Leslie
Comments (14)
I don't think that's crazy at all! Paint color is really a personal preference and now that you have your own place I say go for it. When I see those samples you provided I think you should do it! The only thing is, I don't think the brown dining room set will match that color palette.
Neither brave nor crazy - it's awesome! We have an orange living room and the two doors and the radiator are painted an eggplanty purple. It's a nice accent and grounds the orange-ness.
If the fabric is sturdy enough you could re-cover the chairs with it. Alternatively, you could make a table runner and place mats or take a section of it and frame it as art.
I say run with the idea like an awesome little bunny.
maybe paint the 4th wall orange, and do purple with the accessories? Purple rug, etc? The colours look great in the mural, but a purple accent wall might look abrupt. What if you painted the edge of the archway purple?
The problem with this room is that the floors, trim and wood furnitire are all pretty much in the "Orange" range of tones - so the entire place looks kinda flat.
I'd repaint all the walls in your Eggplant color - I think it would look great.
Do it! Do it! It sounds absolutely gorgeous. Especially if you sprinkle those accent colours around to tie it all together visually. Cover those dining room chairs with the fabric you love. (it's a pretty easy upholstery project.)
I think it's a great idea, just the way you articulated it. Don't have a problem with the furniture color, or think anything looks flat. Thinking back to my crayola days, I would call the color in the mural and the fabric "red violet" rather than purple, and I'd be sure to stay on the red side of purple, not cross over to the blue side, which is what I'd call eggplant.
I think the purple would look great then, as Maryja suggested, cover the chairs in the fabric if possible. Either way, the current fabric has to go. I agree that the table is maybe the wrong wood tone for the orange but I'm sure some fabric on the chairs and a runner will help that.
oo oo! Not sure if someone has suggested it already but you should totally recover your dining room chair cushions in that awesome fabric.
I agree with the persian rug vs the pottery barn rug.
I don't think you are crazy I owuld just make sure to utilize purple in multiple accents to get a trilt pulled together look.
And I agree with most of the above and use the fabric to cover the chairs.
Yes, love the idea of the purple. Have been a fan of that for years. Here are a couple of images to view:
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2006/10/08/law_offices_make_a_motion_to_dismiss_stiff_stodgy_decor/
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/pac_ctnt_988/text/0,,hgtv_22056_35811,00.html
http://www.bluepearlguestcottage.com/photos/canopy_bed.jpg
This shade would be about right:
http://static.flickr.com/24/67350316_84e363898e.jpg
And I really want to see more picture when you are done!
Oh, I'd probably replace or swap the picture you have hanging on the wall. If you could get something that does look like the Museum image, that would be totally cool!
I think the orange and purple are a beautiful combination in that room, and the mural is an awesome source of inspiration. Regarding the 4th wall, how do the colors relate to the room you see through the archway? I would probably stick with the orange, and use the purple as a strong accent color, as you described. The fabric is gorgeous too. I love the idea of framing it or using it for a runner on the table.
The table could use a rug, since it is close in color to the floor, but you won't see a rug very well and it could get food stains, so I wouldn't invest too much in that. Instead, I would put some money toward a nice pendant lamp or fun chandelier -- maybe on a dimmer switch for entertaining.
One final suggestion would be to add a narrow credenza or hang a shelf or something along one of the big walls. It's nice to have a surface away from the table to put dishes from the previous or next course, or just display objects. I hate to say buy more furniture, but something is missing there. Good luck!
Don't know about the purple, because the colours in your inspiration mural are actually quite different than the ones in your room -- the orange cloak in the painting seems a much more vivid orange, and the balance of colours is not the same.
Actually, your room is very tone-on-tone -- the floor and furniture are the same colour, the trim is just a bit darker, and the walls just a few degrees lighter... Definitely, you need contrast.
I googled the Mahal rug, and came up with this, which would look great, and provide at least a little contrast:
http://www.jozan.net/Rugofday/2005/10/mahal-rug-103-x-145.asp
Your dining chairs would be the easiest element to change in the composition -- I would replace them with Donghia's Anziano Chair, which is a bentwood and (black) metal. They would introduce some much needed black (I'd get them in the ebonized) as well as some lyricism and curves:
http://www.product.donghia.com/go.cfm/E480A0A5-F705-60E3-B0580E5A29697AA7?navid=C767A638-3048-7098-AF7A333CA0C00940
(here's a deal on them: http://www.goantiques.com/detail,donghia-anziano-stacking,398293.html )
Staying inspired by your mural, I'd top the table with Martha Sturdy's M950, or one of her large patters, in Shimmer Blue (or maybe in Honey) and fill with white flowers as often as possible:
http://www.marthasturdy.com/accessories/resin_containers.html
http://www.marthasturdy.com/colours.html
If there is room on the long wall, a white floating credenza would look great
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/shelving-storage/floating-credenzas-043573
As for the fourth wall colour? Go with that gorgeous bright reddish-orange in the mural cloak (I read it as an almost pre-Raphaelite hue) to give your room the jolt it needs!
Eggplant would be great! What did you end up doing?