What color to paint interior of a rental home with brown carpeting?

Question

The landlord says that any paint we use has to be a shade of white.. ie: Pale colors. The color up already is a weird clay color.. rather gross actually. We have a brown shaded carpet..splotches of darker browns and cremes...
My fiance prefers blues, I like neutrals and then a splash of color..such as cherry red, or burnt orange. We have a bedroom, living room, and a "reading" room to paint. All are fairly small.. bedroom and "reading" room are 10 X 10 feet..and the living room is 9 x 17 feet, with a weird corner. Our furniture basically matches the flooring.

Okay. Bedroom has a western window, and a window directly into the stairwell (durrr)...Fiance likes blackout conditions to sleep in, so color has to be light. I was thinking for an almost retro 70's feel with a pale blue wall paint, with the brown furniture we have, plus chocolate and creme bedcoverings.. and maroon pillows.Fabric up on the walls to match will also help deaden sound.
My 'reading' room, also my sun room...I'm a little more iffy on. I don't like yellows in abundance, but I could deal with a lighter yellow. I can sleep in 70's, but living in it just might be too difficult.
The living area is a problem. It's rather narrow, and long. I'd like to "square" it with the paint a little, without making it too dark.
I've got lots of creme wall papers too. One's stripes in golds and browns, the other's got stripes with maroon. I've also got the obligatory "Ivy Leaf" border paper.

Room orientation: The house is not directly pointed at the directions. The "North" bedroom is more NW with one window directly into a dark stairwell. (I guess it used to have windows too, but not anymore). The "Reading" room is more true W than S, with a beautiful view of the next door neibor's house to the S and a view of the back alley to the W. No tall buildings, though, so it gets some light. The living room has a window S by SW, and a window to the E..sort-of. The living room opens directly into the kitchen via an archway, and a opening that has a breakfast bar. I've so far chosen a very pale teal for the bedroom. With the other furniture and fabrics it gives it a very 70's feel. The bathroom is going to be a dove grey, since there is no carpet in there.Living room may be a peach creme.The reading room is all me, and I'm having a hard time deciding. I want more light in there. Which means true white, or yellow?

Answer 1

I understand. Here are just a few suggestions. I used to do this stuff years ago, and this might give you some ideas of how to approach decorating that you might not have thought about before.

You can go to any major paint store and get sample of various shades of off-whites and creams. Take a few and see how they fit in with your decor and furniture. (Don't rely on the names of the paints or shades--different manufacturers have different names for exactly the same shade of paint ! )

Then, consider your lighting. To get the exact shade of paint that is right, you should look at the paint samples in the room you intend to paint, and with natural sunlight from windows at various times of the morning, day and afternoon. Are you in a room with northern, southern,eastern or western exposure? It matters with the number and location of windows, drapes or blinds, and whether they are colored or neutral shades. Get a reading lamp or a light with a white lightbulb (incandescent) that will not add a hue to the artificial light (such as neon , etc.). If you are going to decorate and then use indirect light, such as stand lights with lampshades, these will add their own changes to the shades on the wall paint.

Psychologists say that some shades and hues can actually affect mood and cause eye strain or fatigue. Find something bright that you can live with. Not a reflective oil-base paint that is too glossy, or a semi-gloss, except on wooden moldings or in brightly lit areas, such as kitchens, baths, etc. A flat white or off-white can be slightly changed with the lightest addition of another color that enhances the decor.

There are lots of books about decorating that you can check out at your local public library. Browse through a few to get just a few ideas of how to improve the lighting and add to the enjoyment of your home.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Definitely stay in the neutral colors. And in your sun room, if it is facing south, you won't want to put a yellow in there as yellow is a warm color and your room will always feel too hot. As a rule, in a south facing room, use cool colors and in a north facing room, use warm colors. As for the east, you can use a lighter, warmer color as the sun is only in there in the am and in the west facing rooms, use a cool color.

Here is a site you may want to check out. It allows you to change colors, choose colors and all before you buy any paint and perhaps get something you don't like.... Trust me... it works.

http://www.sico.ca/en/Extras.asp

Keep in mind that for true color harmony in a room, you need to use 3 colors: 1 dominant (the walls) 1 medium (the trim and the molding) and 1 accent (the decorative objects).

No matter what, choose something that makes you happy.... and don't worry about the brown carpeting, as it is a neutral color and can be matched with ANY color of paint.

Now.... go on... get going. And enjoy your new place!

Answer 3

Well since the Land lord didn't paint and its a clay color don't worry about it! What ever color you paint it,it might be better and all Landlords say white. I would pic a color from the furniture other than brown get a honey or wheat. now splash the accent colors to the curtains pillows rug and wall art and then to other small pieces to your place. Like blue curtains maybe on the couch like the pillows the red and orange if your furniture is basically brown get a chair cover. to cover one chair to match one of the colors Don't be afraid get some ideas from the home shows or go online. Remeber the wall wasn't white in the begining he just wants you to do the work for him So do it for yourselves.

Answer 4

Good for you for painting. We have to live in these places. I would stick with earth tones. Try a hint of green. I'm thinking an olive shade. It will try to make friends with that nasty brown rug. If you could get away with it, you should paint those walls fiesta orange, but you know the Landlord would never allow it. Don't try an orange tint to that white...it will only look pinky and quite unwholesome once it went up. You want a calming pallette in close quarters. Stick with the green. I'd also recommend some proper window covers. If its a rental I'm sure it has those hideous blinds on the windows. They won't keep out the noise of your doubtlessly inconsiderate neighbors. Trust me. They all are.

Answer 5

I would have to see a pic of the carpet to get a better idea but some grays go with browns... It all just depends, the best thing to do (and I speak from experience) is to pick your comforter / bedding first and then paint the wall a color to match, we painted first and had a very hard time trying to find a set we liked. In fact we are going to be repainting soon because of the mistake - so pick your bedding and then go from there.

Answer 6

I would say cream too, or plain white. A very good way to add color to your space without adding color to your walls, is to have colorful accesories. Have a colored bedspread, rug, throw pillows, vases, etc. But cream will go with the brown and with a lot of other colors, too. Blue and orange are complementary colors (since he likes blues and you like burnt orange). Try picking one of these as your main color and then doing the other as an accent. It sounds funky, but it can look really good when done right, try
www.hgtv.com
for more ideas

Answer 7

creams or blues ,really looks great with brown burnt orange is a better accent with brown than red. you might consider making folding screens of plywood and hinges and covering them with bright fabric and family photos for an accent that isnt on the wall itself. you could also do large paintings with splashes of brilliant color on large canvases. buy canvas or even muslin and staple over a wooden frame, tightly, then spray with a base color as a sealer, and begin to splash with bright colored acrylic paints that you can get in the crafts section of walmart, or lay shapes over the basecolor, like large leaves, or any cut out shape, and spray any color you like so that you get positive and negatives, you could do 3 or 4 colors, i saw some paintings like that at an art show i was in, it was lots of leaves layed on and painted over with yellow, and orange then shades of brown and olive green, they did them in different layers, some parts of some leaves were covered up by the next layer and so on. looking like the sun shining on a forest floor littered with leaves. he was getting 400 bucks each for 24 by 30 paintings and there was really nothing to it. anyone could do it. remember drapes and so on will add color too that you wont have to cover up when you leave. you can also alter the colors by the lamp shades, if you get colored glass shades on various lamps it will change the character of the room totally. draped fabrics on chairs and such will add a bit of life . i know you are thinking about the walls but i would try to please the owner with the walls and do as much with color as you can with fabrics and decor. enjoy.

Answer 8

Hi ,
why dont u go with horizontal lines ? u can choose same color in 3 different shades the darker one is first 3 feet of wall(from floor) , second other 3ft , and third lighter one is upper 3 ft of wall .u can use the last one on roof too , using this technique on the roof room looks bigger .

Answer 9

Well I"m sorry to say you should respect your Landlord"s
wishes. When you move out it has to be changed back to
neurtal colors for the next tenant. If you want a splash of color
try wallpaper borders, easily gone yet able to make your statement,express yourself so to say! Should"t be to much problem for the landlord. Here today gone tommorow! Get the
drift??

Answer 10

What about a nice cream or beige colour walls. Cream could be spruced up with your boyfriends blue accessories and the cherry colours you like would go too. Its all in the accessories and co-ordinates that make the room. Personal affects make it a home
Hope that helps