Disagreeement on Color

Dear Melissa:

My wife and I just bought a new contemporary house that we love. However, I love an antique white color on the walls but my wife wants more color. My question is, designer to the rescue, with really tall walls, how would you use color in a really big room??? How do you pick the colors?? How do you separate the rooms?? My wife and I are in conflict. F.G., NH

Dear F. and Mrs. F.:

I don’t do counseling, but what I think I hear you saying (do I sound like Oprah?) is that you’re worried that while a neutral color can be boring, a strong color will overpower a large room. Fear not. As long as the wall color has something to do with the colors of the furnishings, you should be all right. May I suggest a compromise? Try a neutral nonwhite: a gray-green or yellow (which go with everything), or one of the many unidentifiable grays that are so fresh now.

Don’t worry too much about rooms that have doors that close. Those colors are self-contained. Concentrate instead on the rooms open to one another.

The easiest way to find a color scheme you can both agree on is to pull one from a patterned fabric or wallpaper you already have in the room. The textile designer already came up with colors that go well together. Assign a different color from the mix to each room as the predominant color, and then use the other colors for accents. M.A.K.

Picking Colors Can Be Fun

Dear Melissa,

I have a contemporary home not large (almost a cape size) painted white and no real divider except one small wall near the kitchen. I am afraid to paint with a color because of the flow from one room to another. I have cathedral ceilings. I do need some spark added to the rooms. Please advise me. Thank you. Rose

Dear Rose:

This is the most common question I get; a lot of people are stumped by this one. I’m assuming that since you have rooms open to one another, the color schemes are already somehow related to one another. There is probably at least one color common to all the areas. The simplest option is to paint the walls a shade of this common color. If you’re timid, start with a light color – in time you’ll get bolder. Now for something with slightly more impact: try a texture on your walls in this common color. Use either a painted faux finish or a textured wallpaper – the fainthearted can try a strie pattern, a grasscloth or rag finish.

For those of you who are even more adventurous, find a contrasting or complementary color for your walls. A lot of shelter magazines publish issues on color in the spring; or look at patterned fabrics for inspiration. Here are some examples: if your color scheme is blues/greens or pinks/blues, color your walls yellow; if your color scheme is cream/tan/white, color your walls dark brown; if your color scheme is a range of pastels, try aqua or gray walls, etc. Get the idea? Picking colors can be a lot of fun. M.A.K.

Color in an Open Floor Plan

Dear Melissa:
I have a problem with my open floor plan in my contemporary cape that I think is pretty common with a lot of houses built in the '90's.  The family room is about 12 x 15 and it opens into the kitchen, which is about 12 x 18. The entire space has hardwood floors and there is a sunroom off the family room.  You can see the front door from the family room and the sunroom.  My problem is the lack of coziness- it's painted all one color, a light pink, right now to go with the colors I have now.  When redecorating, should I go for two different colors in the kitchen and family room/sun room?  What color(s) would be warm and inviting? Should I use two complementary colors to assist with the delineation of space?  What other recommendations do you have for helping out with the openness?  I'm not too crazy about using screens or plants.  Should we build a small wall to help with the foyer openness?  Thanks.
Diane, Guilford, CT

Dear Diane:

First of all, congrats on the pink – which is one of the up-and-coming premier colors.

That being said, if I’m reading this right, the sunroom is an extension of the family room. I think keeping a similar color scheme in the two spaces would work well (including different shades of the same color). The warmest colors are the reds, oranges and yellows, but I would be careful not to heat up a sunroom with a color that is too warm. For example, think lemon yellow, not chromium yellow; think coral not pumpkin; etc. You could extend the color into the kitchen as well for continuity, but why not use a contrasting color here for interest.

As for dividing up too much openness, a half wall bookcase would be great, so would a lowered ceiling, and obvious seating groups, anchored by area rugs. You can divide a large space with color changes only if there are wall breaks in the right places. Take a look at books on loft design for some inspiration.

M.A.K.