What's the best paint color on my wall?

October 15, 2013 6:02 PM

I'm horrible at color matching and I envy the HGTV shows that color board everything so you can see what it looks like ahead of time. I've just finished decorating my living room with a couch and I think the walls are too bare. Should I do an accent wall or some wall pattern?

Here are some photos of the room.

The last of the 3 photos is how it looks right now with the new rug. Any suggestions on wall color?

posted by pikaboy202 to Home & Garden (14 answers total)

You need some brightly-colored art, is all. It'll pop on those walls. Also, some big, bright pillows or throws would help.
posted by xingcat at 6:04 PM on October 15, 2013

The wall color looks great in my opinion.

I also think a large piece of colorful artwork will do the trick.
posted by Fairchild at 6:08 PM on October 15, 2013

I agree with art (could even be a wall hanging like a flat weave rug or tapestry) and I would also suggest some kind of screen or room divider to delineate the dining and den areas.
posted by payoto at 6:15 PM on October 15, 2013

Proper drapes. Change out the patterned pillows for something solid so the eye can relax between the floor, the couch, and whatever drapes you go with.

I think maybe lose the tartan/plaid blanket.

Upon Edit - I like the plaid! It's the pattern in the dining chairs, pillows, and rug that's overwhelming the eye.

Take the drapes, pillows, rugs and chairs. Match them 2 and 2 - drapes and rugs match, pillows and chairs match - like that.
posted by jbenben at 6:21 PM on October 15, 2013

I would pick one of the colours from those dining chairs, and go a few shades paler. Maybe one of the greens?
posted by lollusc at 6:30 PM on October 15, 2013

I'd get some solid red throw pillows. Same red as in that union jack pillow should be fine, I'd think.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 7:20 PM on October 15, 2013

Also you need some wall art. Your eye is dragged down right now with all the furniture, rugs, etc. and you need something to balance that out.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 7:24 PM on October 15, 2013

Yeah, you need something to draw the eye up, otherwise it feels like you live in a cave. Hanging plants by the windows might be a quick fix.
posted by duvatney at 8:30 PM on October 15, 2013

Don't get a bunch of small pieces for above the sofa. Get one really big piece to balance out the many smaller bits in the room. A cheap option is to get a big piece of fabric, some canvas stretchers from an art store and make a giant frame. If you can't get big enough pieces for a single frame, you could do three big rectangles and hang them closely together to make a triptych effect.

The advantage of the fabric canvas is that it's a cheap way to get a giant piece of art (Spoonflower has awesome fabric designs if you don't have something local - you could frame that plaid blanket!) and it's also very lightweight so if the piece falls off the wall somehow while you're on the couch, no-one gets hurt.
posted by viggorlijah at 8:30 PM on October 15, 2013 [3 favorites]

Yep. Big art piece on the sofa wall and drapes around the window and you're golden.
posted by cecic at 9:28 PM on October 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I would agree that you need some wall art, but don't be afraid to have actual color on your walls.

Sherwin Williams has a color visualizer you can use with your photos to test some color palettes. Just upload your photos and play with it.

Mrs. Fleebnork and I have painted every room in all 3 homes we have owned. Sherwin Williams paint is the good stuff. It covers better and typically we can paint a room in two coats. The one time we bought cheap Behr branded Home Depot paint, it took 4 coats.

Here are a few photos of our rooms for inspiration. 1 2 3 4
posted by Fleebnork at 5:13 AM on October 16, 2013 [1 favorite]

Baby Jesus invented art just for this purpose.
posted by JJ86 at 6:07 AM on October 16, 2013 [1 favorite]

Nth the great color -- just need to slap some art up there.
posted by ravioli at 4:47 PM on October 16, 2013

I just want to chime in and mention that I have also painted every room (and hallway) in my house, where every wall was previously Navajo White. Some rooms I have even painted twice (nothing wrong with the paint, I just wanted a new color).

I used Behr Premium Plus paint exclusively and have had excellent results. Even the "Powdered Brick" in the dining room only required two coats. At $35 a gallon, it's not "cheap" paint, even compared to Sherwin Williams. Especially since Home Despot is a half mile away and no other paint store is.

I know some people swear by Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams, and look down on Behr, but in my experience, Behr paint doesn't deserve the bad rap it often gets.

That said, I like your wall color. I think what you need is just one large piece of art hung above the sofa. Your room (other than the dining chair fabric) is all neutrals so you can go in many directions there. Just make sure it has a nice pop of red in it, and pick up that color in new sofa throw pillows.
posted by caryatid at 6:49 PM on October 16, 2013