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Decorating living/dining room-any ideas for colour scheme please?

(109 Posts)
loopylou Sun 21-Jun-15 15:40:28

i want to redecorate our through living/dining room, currently magnolia walls and beige flecked carpet. I had intended to buy a new settee and armchairs, carpet, curtains etc. I have seen photos of a pale teal walls /grey carpet that I vaulted like but having difficulties persuading DH who 'can't see anything wrong with what we have'! It's 6 years since we last decorated and I'm bored with it hmm

I hate the dark red settee/armchair (it was secondhand and could be recovered I suppose) and DD says everything's 'beige' hmm

I've looked at magazines galore but wonder if any GNs could suggest colour schemes please? The room is very light with patio doors one end and big windows opposite.

I don't like red/pink or orange.

Thank you in anticipation

Tegan Sun 21-Jun-15 18:57:13

My new carpets are in a colour called 'Beaver'; I'm hoping that it's a colour that lends itself to other colours, being a sort of grey/brown. I was worried about having a very light colour.

loopylou Sun 21-Jun-15 18:53:18

grin Feel free jingl! I'm interested in what other GNs have or plan too.
The more ideas the better!

J52 Sun 21-Jun-15 18:48:04

Grey really depends on the tone of colour. Some are slate, very draining, others are blueish. I'd paint the walls first and then get carpet samples to see how they look. x

jinglbellsfrocks Sun 21-Jun-15 18:46:53

I am sorry I have hijacked your thread a bit loopy.

J52 Sun 21-Jun-15 18:45:01

We have mimosa walls and oyster silk curtains in the b'room. Until recently we had a pale blue carpet, but we couldn't find a match when we went to replace it, so we went for a true turquoise. ( a bit worried about the strength of colour) But it looks really good. x

jinglbellsfrocks Sun 21-Jun-15 18:40:11

jasmine shimmer first one on this page.

loopylou Sun 21-Jun-15 18:38:44

Not pink, DH would have a fit! The room was pale orange when we moved here, I definitely don't want anything on the red spectrum.

Bedroom I'm equally uncertain, it's white (with 6 match pot squares in green/ blue), south facing, cream carpet (I don't like that either but it was cheap)

Has anyone got a grey carpet? Is it a colour that shows every mark/ bit of fluff?

Ana Sun 21-Jun-15 18:32:57

Depends on the shade. Our living room is painted in a sort of pale Thousand Island dressing colour - sounds awful but it's a lovely, subtle and warm hue! (Mixed at Homebase several years ago...hmm)

Elegran Sun 21-Jun-15 18:31:08

It depends on the kind of pink - that and whether you like it. If you do, and it goes with your curtains, carpet and furniture, go for it.

jinglbellsfrocks Sun 21-Jun-15 18:28:03

Right. Is a very pale shade of pink an absolute no-no in a living room?

Katek Sun 21-Jun-15 18:21:13

Dulux emulsion in Nutmeg is a lovely shade -at the greyer end of beige. We've just had our bedroom done in it with a feature wall in a mid shade of mauve. Very restful.

rosesarered Sun 21-Jun-15 18:18:46

A lot of people have magnolia thinking it's an easy colour, but it isn't, it's a cold colour and only works well in a small room that has lots of light.
duck egg, pale teal or willow are nice cool but not cold colours, and you could keep the beige fleck carpet if you wanted, or maybe have it cleaned?

kittylester Sun 21-Jun-15 18:18:35

When we did the dining room, which has the stairs in it so has a really high wall, we used 11 match pots! blush. I don't like reds either so I'm bewildered by the fact that our lounge is all red and so is the ceiling in the dining room confused

loopylou Sun 21-Jun-15 18:06:56

Sounds like he's been talking to my OH merlot grin

merlotgran Sun 21-Jun-15 17:42:04

Dulux Egyptian Cotton is a nice muted shade for walls. My DH is a magnolia lover as well. You'd think after all the houses/rooms I've decorated he'd have learned not to say 'What's wrong with magnolia?'

Even worse....When he hears me describing a paint colour to somebody he butts in with, 'It's a kind of magnolia.' angry

loopylou Sun 21-Jun-15 17:37:04

That's what I'm hoping suzied!

suzied Sun 21-Jun-15 17:34:23

If it's a through lounge you can have at least one feature wall in a stunning colour. Talking of Farrow and Ball they have a lovely colour called French Grey ( I think) it's a greeny bluesy grey not dark I have it in bedroom and it looks great with white ceiling and paintwork. Do get some of the tester pots and try them out in your lounge as they often look quite different in different light. You can get some pattern in with accessories, cushions, curtains etc. My Oh is the same as yours and says there's nothing wrong with magnolia etc, but when he has seen the transformation after redecorating, he has changed his tune. I would aim for something with the wow factor, to impress the DD and the OH.

jinglbellsfrocks Sun 21-Jun-15 17:06:52

Ummm... Think I might be a tiny bit better. Can't eat much yet though.

Soon be better. smile

whitewave Sun 21-Jun-15 17:03:04

hmm

whitewave Sun 21-Jun-15 17:02:35

Are you any better at all? (hmm) Trouble with viruses there doesn't seem anything to touch them apart from R&R.

jinglbellsfrocks Sun 21-Jun-15 17:01:43

This time last year I was so fired up, and did the bedrooms and the bathroom, including bedroom carpets. Just got on with it, easy peasy. Feel quite different about it this year. hmm

jinglbellsfrocks Sun 21-Jun-15 16:58:07

It's still with me whitewave. Thank you for asking. smile (beginning to wonder if it's ever going to go hmm)

whitewave Sun 21-Jun-15 16:54:45

jing hows your virus doing?

loopylou Sun 21-Jun-15 16:53:30

It is a big undertaking jingl
I'm ashamed to say I painted squares of match pots colours on the bedroom wall 4 years ago.....and they're still there, so that needs doing too blush

At least now I'm fired up to do it!

J52 Sun 21-Jun-15 16:51:59

When we decorated our long sitting room, earlier in the year we did it in two halves. It seemed to make the time and effort shorter. It was motivating to look at one half finished. Also was somewhere to move the furniture into! x