Paint dilemma?

Question

I am ready to paint my living room and kitchen. But the dilemma is how to divide this room?

Take a look at the pictures on this link. And picture one big room. The living room and kitchen are in the same area. So, should I paint the kitchen and living room area as slightly different colors? WIll that look strange?

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/anm1621/album?.dir=8058&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/anm1621/my_photos


Should I go for one uniform color throughout the room?

Should I go for accent wall for the wall with fireplace?

What should I do?

and yes, any paint color suggestions are welcome. Btw, those curtains are Dark Olive Green.

Please help. Want to start this project over the weekend.

Answer 1

In my opinion, you should paint the room one, neutral but rich tone. I think that you could go with something like a wheat color, or possibly a deep khaki. If you divide the room with color, it will look strange. The kitchen is already delineated by the snack bar. So I think you will be happier with one color, instead of an awkward and seemingly arbitrary visual line of color breaking the two rooms apart.

If you do an accent wall for the fireplace, I'd go with a darker shade of whatever the wall color is. but not a different color, and not a lighter one.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

It's a nice looking area but I'd do it all in the same basic color, and accent each room differently. Since you have no specific division like a wing wall or wrought iron trellis type divider, I doubt that any "break" between two colors would look appropriate,,, Even putting up a piece of deco molding vertically would look odd, and then what color would the molding be?

Certainly I'd go modest if it was my house, but not bland. Something that can work in both rooms. But consider that it is pretty much like a great room, even though part of it is a kitchen.

Still, you can do treatments in each to make them individual, with other color accents. You could even paint a far wall in a different color, and perhaps match it with painting the fireplace in that same color to highlite it?

You could do a two color separation with a chair rail on all walls but the far wall, then find a color that coordinates with the drapes for the bottom, and for the top color use a camel, or even just another, but lighter shade of the bottom color.

The idea in my mind is having a smooth flow, and changing colors by any separation not strictly defined will look a bit odd.

Rev. Steven

Answer 3

Pull a color out of your area rug to accent this area. Looks like you may have a terracotta color in there or a wheat color. I have used both colors in my homes (actually in two of my homes) they look great together and alone. I prefer Lowe's American Tradition Line of paint, try wheatgrass and tawny buff, they both will go with Dark Olive Green curtains. As far as division, I would stop one color at the soffett above the kitchen cabinets and start the new color on the wall where you couch is sitting. Maybe just paint the bar, back splash, and the cabinet soffet an accent color to give the room some division. There is nothing wrong with going with just one color, use your furniture to create divisions. This appears to be more like a hearth area, I would pull your furniture out from the wall a little to give a more defined space.

Answer 4

Color block the wall by the fireplace and then do something in the kitchen the same color to bring it all into one flowing room. Now, go pickout a nice print fabric, or a nice piece of art, a designer pillow, anything that has all of the colors that catch your eye. Look at this object and pull out 3 colors that you like. Use the most neutral one as your wall color, another for trim and the third for accent pieces (pillows, lamps, table cloths, etc). I used an oriental plate to pull my colors of light blue (walls), black accents and red drapes with alot of natural wood tones in the furniture. This is an easy trick!!! I wouldn't break up that room too much. You can arrange the furniture in a different defining different areas or use something like a standing screen. Go to HGTV.com for some ideas.

Answer 5

My builder must have built your home, too. The technique I'm suggesting is called color blocking. Paint the soffit over your kitchen cabinets and the breakfast bar in a bold color, say like the Olive Green in your curtains. Also, use the fireplace/media niche as your focal wall and either tie in the accent color you use in the kitchen or one in the same hue and tone. All the other walls paint uniformly.

In my home, I used a very dark gray on the fireplace/media niche wall and above the cabinets in the kitchen. I painted the breakfast bar a dark mossy green in the same hue and the adjoining walls a uniform greenish grey to tie it all together. Tres chic!

Answer 6

Yes to the one color throughout, and the different accent wall. Nice house, by the way. I think a nice light shade of green(maybe a light olive) with perhaps the accent wall being a close color to your kitchen cabinets. Maybe a goldish color? I couldn't quite tell the color of the cabinets. That would help to further tie the rooms together.

Answer 7

We have the same issue. We went with a color called Mexican sand (kind of tan with a little red) and then a sage color. What we are going to do is put a decorative piece of trim on the wall (floor to ceiling) where the 2 colors meet. That way it breaks it up a little and you don't have to get a perfect line between the colors. At Home Depot and Lowes they have special pieces of trim just for that purpose. Most are just raw wood that you can paint or stain.

Answer 8

That's perfect i have a similar set up at my house what i have is sort of a red in my kitchen and a camel in my living room but where it matters is the doorway i let the red cover the inside of the doorway to really define the two spaces you definitely want the two areas to say something different they should conversate with each other but not look the same that to me is the essence of design!! let me know if i can help in any way!

Answer 9

Ok here goes. Go for two completely different colors. I love the look and outlay of your home, but you're right, two different colors would be best, but not slightly different

Make the two areas separate. As for colors, well it take me soo long just to decide for myself, but I see warm tones of earth shades, (browns, greens, and blues) for the living room and something bold, yet warm in kitchen, maybe an orange, (sunset type) keep the wood! it's gorgeous. good luck

Answer 10

On my project I used molding stained like the kitchen wood on the ceiling. You have a wall edge on the left and a door way on the right side. These are good areas to separate at.