apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Try http://www.colorcombos.com - you can select by color, and if you choose maroon, you'll notice that you can play around a lot with greens - apple green, sage green...those aren't pastel colors per say, but they are lighter colors and will help you to lighten the room.

What I like to do is go to the color combos website and experiment with my own colors. I downloaded a program called Color Cop (GREAT, simple, small program) that lets you pick any color on your computer screen and gives you the six digit color code for it. Then just plop the color code into the color combos website, and play around.

One color that goes great with burgundy is a very light blue, think sky blue or powder blue. But light blues, like creams and whites, will show stains easier if used for a rug and/or couch. Still, the color combo is beautiful.

Some other good colors that go with maroon are cream and camel; you mentioned the two dogs, but if you're smart about what fabric you choose, you could do very well with a camel colored rug.

Good luck!

I find mustard or gold also look great with almost anything.

Worry less about the colors you like and more about lighting.

Even the darkest palette works with a great lighting plan... layers of lighting, halogens, etc.

Pale sunny yellow?

I like very pale blue with deep burgundy.

i agree with the camel or mustard, gold.

you say your favorite chair is burgundy velvet. do you love it because it is burgundy velvet, or because you like the way the chair feels when you sit in it?

would you re-cover, or slipcover the burgundy chair?

if not, how do you like your seasons? does winter awaken you? if so, perhaps mustard carries you through spring and summer, as well as winter. camel is always classic, though.

maybe take a canvas dropcloth, cut it into sections, and paint them colours you're thinking about. let them dry, and put them on the floors and walls.

and then, you have a ceiling--that could be a great way to open up the feeling of light.

My bedroom colors are dark red and light sage green. I think it looks really pretty. I agree that burgundy also looks very nice with pale golds and light blues. Cream and burgundy is gorgeous together, but I know the problem of whites with animals (white couch and black cat! - the white slipcover was the cheapest one at Ikea, and the only color I liked).

As for a rug, what about a lighter-colored Persian rug with burgundy accents? The pattern will hide dog hair, etc, and will bring the burgundy together with other light colors.

BurgAndy?

I have a burgundy couch. I did the sage green thing for awhile, and then I bought a painting with a lot yellows in it. I had it leaning against a wall in the living room while I was deciding what to do with it, and really liked how the yellows went with the burgundy. So I ditched the sage green, hung the painting, got some yellow and cream accent pillows, and really loved how much cheerier my living room became.

This is the original poster - just wanted to say thanks to everyone for your very helpful suggestions!