Guest Blogger: Chelsey Bowen, decorating editor, HGTV.com
After a long and relatively painful search for a new home, my husband and I have finally found our first place. For the most part, we’re happy with the rooms, but they all need to be painted.
The Home Depot was having its regular Memorial Day paint sale, so my husband, being the budget-minded man that he is, decided Monday would be the perfect time to buy paint. This, of course, sent me into a panic attack. What? No testing the paint on the walls, no trying multiple colors! I work for HGTV; I know the rules.
With a good deal of apprehension, I admitted defeat (let’s save a few bucks!), and we sat down to choose our colors. We decided on a warm color palette to grace the walls of our new home, and to be honest, I’m a little fearful of the results.
Kitchen: We’re updating the kitchen with stainless steel appliances and gray/brown quartz countertops, so we choose Sweet Georgia Brown to bring out the flecks of brown in the new countertops.
Living Room: This room will be painted a combination of Clair de Lune and Sweet Georgia Brown, since it opens up to the kitchen.
Dining Room: We decided on Mountain Ridge for the dining room to contrast with the white wainscoting.
Bedroom: I’m dreaming of a gray-blue, white and black palette to create a restful retreat, so I picked up Gray Area for the bedroom.
Home Office: Ashwood is our pick for the home office off the entryway, which is being painted Clair de Lune.
So, what do you think? Are they too dark? Did I make some good choices or have I failed at my first attempt to paint a house?
I must say that you picked some great colors!
iam afraid of such a dark color in the kitchen area///. i would love to see the end results…risky risky///
Hi Chelsey,
I think your color selections are all nice, with the exception of the Clair de Lune. From the sample shown, it doesn't seem to go with the other selections you've made. I think your other color choices will flow nicely together, especially if you have light (shades of white) as your furniture pieces and accents, and if your style leans more towards contemporary.
I'm sure it will turn out lovely. Much success on your new home!
Even though the colors are dark (which I love) I think you will be able to add a few bright accent colors to really make the room pop.
I hope you have lots of windows and light furniture, as well as accent colors…these are quite dark…and bland at first glance! I hope the end result is the look you're going for! Will you post pictures when you're done? Good luck
I like them all but the Clair De Lune, a little too flesh colored for me… I would tend to go lighter in the kitchen but if it's accented with the right colors it wil definately pop.
I do love the bedroom and office colors. Happy Painting!
I think it depends on the lighting and windows. Those are some lovely colors (I'm very curious what the countertops look like) though I'm not totally on the boat with the office color. Looks a little… too office-y to me.
Really nice colors if you have LOTS of windows. If I were you I would paint a wall, or a large portion of a wall with the darker colors and make sure you can live with them. I have been in my new home for a little over a year and am about to re-paint the great room and kitchen/DR for the third & hopefully last time. This time I am trying out the colors first!
I just watched Candice Olsens show tonight. Although the walls were light…the color family was the same as yours. I sat in my living room at 1 am and thought…do I dare do it? RMS has convinced me I need not be afraid of color…but not my hand yet. I still don't stroke it on. I love your colors and hope you will share on RMS so we can see when it is completed. '
p.s. you can try them on my walls if you want.
I agree completely about the clare de lune color swatch. Too pinky beige. Should have been more of a taupy gray. Nice thing about paint — easy to redo… especially since it is entryway and party of living area. Good luck. Please post pictures.
Chelsey, It's nice to see that you are not afraid of color. Love the palette especially the bedroom. I disagree with the comment that the colors seem drab.
No, color testing? You have way more color confidence than I. I would love to see pics once it is done.
I love your choices. They are dark, but with the right accent colors and furniture I think it will be beautiful. I am looking forward to seeing the end result. Please post pictures!!
GOOD LUCK!!!
I think the colors go nicely with each other, but the mountain ridge and sweet georgia brown are pretty dark. I don't know that it's necessary to use so many different colors – maybe you could just use the other three? Or, you could lighten the dark ones up with some white paint mixed in. If your new space is big and open you will be fine with your original plan. Just some thoughts to consider!
I love your ideas and colors. If the kitchen has plenty of light then the brown will look great. My kitchen/family room is painted a little lighter brown and we love it…we use white, brick red and some black as accent colors. I look forward to seeing your pictures.
I like the colors a lot, and the palette is great,though I am wondering if they are too dark (they would be for me..)…Once you get 4 walls reflecting on each other, they get way darker…If you think they are too dark, you could always move one down on each color strip or Ben Moore will cut them for you.. though if that's your color personality, they might be perfect.. hey, it's only paint
Jen R
I love the colors! Please please please post pictures of your bedroom once you get that finished! That is exactly what my husband and I want to do in ours but we are having a hard time finding the right shade of gray/blue.
yo pienso que esos colores estan demasiado sobrios. De todos los
que mas me agradan son clair de lune y el ashwood. Deberian ir
por colores neutrales pero no tan sobrios. Me parecen colores de
personas ya mayores.
I like the colors especially the clair de Lune. I used it with the next shade of gold (don't remember which was darker) in our last house and it was warm and inviting in the living areas. I don't know why it looks brown here, mine was a soft gold. When we sold the house, it sold in the first hour on the market. I have never used greys but I have admired them in other homes. I think the whole effect will be warm and sophisticated.
I tend to go for the brown color palette myself,so I like your choices. I feel to pull these darker colors off you need large rooms and high ceilings with some light coming in as well,especially for the dining room. I too would like to see some pics after completion!
Fab! This is a great way to go neutral without being bland. Love the way the whole spectrum, from chocolate to taupe to warm gray, gives so so many opportunities for color in furniture and accessories. Can't wait to see the pictures here!
I love your brave choices of the new neutrals. I have been thinking fo goin with a warm gray for the main living areas in my home, too. I hope you are thrilled with your results. and yes, please post pictures.
I think the end result will depend on the size of the rooms and the amount of natural light they receive.
I can tell there will be no cows or kitchen witches. I'd guess that you love dramatic, ooohhhh, ahhhhh type of decorating. Do we get to see the completed project?
Best of luck to you!
You never know until the paint's on the walls and you can see it with your lighting. Like you said, you work for HGTV. So you're no fool! I'm sure you'll love it once it's all pulled together. And, hey, it's just paint. It's just a gallon away from being something else if you choose to change it!
beautiful rich colors that will give continuity to your home. I would like to see you pick some of your favorite colors as accents to make your space pop, and also don't forget all important textures.
would love to see pictures of your home when finished. Don't forget to put things in your home that you love. It you see it in a store and just fall in love, got to have it mode than buy it. Chances are it will fit nicely with your decor.
I'M AFRAID OF SUCH DARK COLORS IN A HOME. I FIND THEY CAN CAUSE DEPRESSION. ACCENT WALLS, SMALLER AREAS, ETC. ARE GREAT FOR DARK COLORS, BUT AN ENTIRE ROOM, CAN BE GLOOMY. THESE ARE NICE COLORS, THOUGH, BUT THEY'RE ALL DARK. I KNOW YOU MENTIONED THE WHITE WAINSCOTING WHICH IS GREAT. I JUST KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE AN ALL DARK HOME (USE TO LIVE IN A HOME WITH DARK PANELING) CAN CAUSE DEPRESSION. OPEN IT UP, LIGHTEN UP WITH LIGHT FURNITURE AND FLOORING, LIGHT/WHITE/OFF-WHITE KITCHEN CABINETS AND DOORS/TRIM, AS WELL AS PICTURE FRAMES, MAY BALANCE IT ALL OUT. HOPE YOU POST PICS. DON'T WANT TO DISCOURAGE YOU IN THE LEAST, BUT ENCOURAGE A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT….YOU CAN MAKE IT WORK! : )
i like tan and the brown but the others seem really dark. you would need a light color offset to make it work. don't get me wrong i love dark colors my own family room is dark fern with pecan wainscoting but it is 20 x 18 room. what matters is if you love it who cares who does…..enjoy!
I love the combination of colors and picture these colors in an older home with high ceilings or in a contemporary home and all with clean-lined furnishings. But that's my picture,isn't it? I believe they will be beautiful together. Very nice choices!
Much luck in your new home!
Love the color palette. Nice neutrals to add pops of color. So many wonderful accent colors will work perfect in the palette. I chose my color palette for my whole house at one time as well – because with an open floor plan you cannot stand in any one room in my house and not see at least 2 other rooms.
As for dark – I actually prefer darker wall colors – for the cozy aspect of it and actually think darker colors can make the right room appear much larger. And much success in your new home – and do share the final results!
I love the colors you picked for your new home! My fiance and I just bought our first home and were lost when it came to wall colors. We went with a brown color (a little lighter than the sweet georgia brown) for our living room. I was afraid it would be too dark, but it was perfect! We have had nothing but great compliments on the color. Good Luck!!!
Chelsie, I love the dark colors that you picked for your new home. I think bringing in some light greens into the kitchen would really look good but thats just my opinion. Good luck with the turnout!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think the colors are beautiful. They are muted tones and with your choice of accents will make everything gorgeous. Let us see the end result…
My preference lies in warm oranges, tans and the like, and although these colours wont be my first choice – I think they will look great, but it depends on the size of the rooms, the level of natural light (maybe clean white ceilings), and the furniture and accessories, the stainless steel in the kitchen will hit a home run!
wow I sound like a designer! (all that from watching HGTV!!
Hey Chelsey,
We think that you have FABULOUS taste. Snaps for creative color selection. Call us if you need our help.
Love,
Your Mother-in-law and Sister-in-law.
These dark colors could be disappointing. I don't get this neutral trend. Who wants to live in neutral anyway? Mother Nature gives us beautiful colors , soft or bright by day and darkness at night for rest after a busy day.
With these colors where is the energy, the fun and life? Even if you have white trim and bright accessories it may not be enough. It may work in the bedroom and a study but I would be concerned about other areas. Think twice if you are planning on having children, they need color and fun.
looks like they are all neutrals, if a bit dark in some cases. If your rooms are large with big windows and high ceilings, they should be a great background for high value accent colors, favorite or trendy. I'd say a good choice, depending on room configuration
I love a neutral palette because you can change it up totally just by changing your accent colors. I would say the depth of the colors you've chosen is fine if you have a ton of natural light during the day and your lighting is adequate in the evening. Otherwise, you may find it's a bit drab or cold feeling.
I sort of agree that Clair de Lune might be too pink with the Sweet Georgia Brown (which I love). Perhaps a more brownish tan rather than the rosy undertone would work better? Then again, there's no telling what it actually looks like, because colors look so different from one computer monitor to another.
Oh, and I also think this will work, provided you have plenty of crisp bright white on your trim and ceilings. It will lighten the overall feel of the space and give it a nice clean look.
We painted our kitchen/family room a bright mango color and the adjacent dining room VERY dark green and it looks awesome, especially with the bright white glossy trim. Have fun with this project and definitely post the pics!
~Monica
Even though you have choosen dark colors, they are great colors. I can't wait to see the end results.
I love the first three colors which have a gray base to them, but the second two colors have a pink tint. I used a tan with a hint of pink in it years ago and the pink really becomes noticable and tiresome when it is up on a big wall and is also difficult to decorate around. I would recommend two colors the same darkness as the Sweet Georgia Brown and the Claire de Lune, but with a gray base. My bathroom is similar to Mountain Ridge on the bottom with a lighter grayish tan on top separated by white chair rail. It feels like a spa and I love it! It doesn't feel too dark at all, so have fun!
I can't imagine so many walls painted in such dark, neutral colors! Why no lighter, more cheerful choices in the mix? Even with lots of light, bright accents, and white moldings, I would tire of broad wall expanses in browns and dark grays (which are really what these colors are, romantic paint names notwithstanding). Too much dark, heavy drama for me!
It may work for you if your taste runs heavily towards the contemporary, and if you have light furniture and bright pops of color in the room. I do hope you post some pictures so we can see the results.
I am in the midst of trying to select colors. I have brought some small samples home put them on a wall…walls and am still having a ton of difficulty deciding which colors… To make things more difficult all of our rooms flow into the others and the walls are curved their are no corners…. My husband does not want to paint the house anything that will make it unsellable, and I don't really want to paint my house 10 times. I am tired of white. If anyone has suggestions please send them my way…
OMG! How would you live in such drab colors? Most people are afraid of color, but your HGTV experience would have made me sure that you would embrace the beauty of color. To each his/her own.
Lovely colors.Excellent. I like dark tones- but,going dark should depend upon how much light your house receives, flooring. and amount of millwork.
Kitchen:
1)What color are your kitchen cabinets?Cream cabintets-SGB will look fantastic. If they are maple or darker I would move to CDL.
2)North,South, East or West light? Direction of light will warm or cool the colors and intensity.
Living Room:
Floor color? If it is wood-excellent choice.Even a light carpet works well. You won't regret.I live with a similar color-cashew for 5 years now.**I went with white sofas though to cut the color-waverd with dark leather.Either one cuts the color. Brown-taupe sofas will make for the DRAB you are concerned about-careful with fabric choices.Love the color day and night.Rich ,warm,clean.
Dining Room:
What color is the floor? Lighting fixtures?Furniture? The color appears cool-are you leaning more contemporary? With white wainscotting it sounds nice.I love a rich dark dining room so long as it is not a cool dark-want the dining room warm and inviting-to glow. I have BM Middlebury Brown-DARK!-5 years now-w/o wainscotting and I still love it. Candlelight, chandelier, daylight-never tire of the dark color.
Bedroom:
Sounds lovely with lot's of crisp white linins.
Office:
Like the color but,I don't care for it combined with the CDL. I would rather see a warmer tone in that deep of a color.It appears to be a cool gray. If you have a lot of white millwork it would be o.k. Seems a tad cool.
You clearly have great taste and your concerns are valid with regards to living with dark colors.Here is a fun question to ponder-if you didn't select these colors which ones would be your second choice? My guess is you would not find a second choice that you like as much as these.It takes a lot of confidence to choose these colors.You won't be dissapointed with your first choice.Your second choice you might end up "settling" with safe neutral. Which is o.k. but,which one suits YOU?
I thought the colors presented were for the exterior of the home. Sorry, but I love neutral color, but these are much too dark, unless there are miles of light coming through the windows. I am not a professional designer, but, I beleive you should go w/neutrals and accented lighter, brighter colors, or go with colors and use light and darker colors of those choices. Like I said, I'm not a designer, but I get a lot of compliments on my interior/exterior colors of my home. Whatever you do, you will make it work. I have ALL the confidence in the world of all of the designers from HGTV.
it's only paint–if you don't like it, Home Depot sells other colors I bet.
What??? Terrible colors, too dark and gloomy. Lighten it up! You will get depressed after a while. Don't be afraid of color and make it light and bright and cheerful!
Your color selections do not offer enough contrast in chroma, and the results will be a disturbingly dark version of a monochromatic scheme. While this may be peaceful, my experience suggests otherwise, particularly since you make no mention of trim colors, which should balance with the too dark walls and, not be white. A color scheme of this sort needs to balance with the available day light throughout the house to be a success. Hopefully, you live in a wooded setting, otherwise, I hope your furnishings are entirely white. Good luck, and please let me know if I am mistaken; It's going to be awfully drab.
The only color I would agree with would be the warm beige Claire de Lune. I would have suggested this as the darkest color overall, with shades complimentary, and lighter than this for spaces that segue from each other. Those dark colors are very oppressive for living spaces; they are marketed as being dramatic, but they are not livable for the majority of us. Not only are they not cheerful for the rooms, they will date themselves almost immediately. Remember Colonial blue dining rooms in the 80's, and amber/burnt orange in the 70's? This is the same type of shortsighted design palette at work; way too intense for a pleasant living area.
Hi Chelsey,
I'd lighten the Sweet Georgia Brown to the next shade down called NEW CHESTNUT or even the next one called BURNT ALMOND. The shade you chose is nice but seems too dark for an overall color, especially for a kitchen. It needs more of a red tone with these other dark colors. Clair de Lune may have to then be toned down a bit; a better shade might be light putty. If you stick with the dark brown, you might swap out Clair de Lune to another color altogether, like a light greyish powder blue. How does the dining room tie in with the living room and kitchen? This is a very dark blue and seems to clash with the dark brown. Your scheme is stylish but needs something to spark it up! (Of course I may be totally wrong and your home will be the envy of us all…) Share some pics when it's done!
I used Clair de Lune in my kitchen & family room and I love it.I've gotten great responses with many requests for the color name. In the kitchen/eat-in area I put a light brown glaze to age it & in the small hallway from the garage leading into the kitchen I used the dark brown. Instead of looking dark & gloomy, it is warm and comforting. Its a great backdrop for accent colors, making seasonal changes easy!
We just finished our kitchen using the similar neutral colors: we used the Burnt Almond on the cabinet faces; New Chestnut for the walls; and Breakfast Blend-a shade darker than your Sweet Georgia Brown-and we Absolutely Love It! Our floors are light laminated-countertop sounds similar to yours w/the brown-tan flakes. Go for it!! Our dining room is next and opens up to the kitchen-we plan to carry the same colors throughout-we are using warm reds/olive greens for accent colors.
I love your color choices! Neutral colors offer a chance to pull the punch with colorful accessories.
Your earthy colors will enable you to sit a spell, unwind, and relax after a long day. It offers me inspiration to do my own.