Colour advice

[lou]

Ages since I have posted but as renovation is now, finally, well underway I am trying to decide on what colours to use in quite a large beamed farmhouse room with only 4 smallish windows. The room faces south and will be lime rendered and plastered so I'm planning on using limewash. I am considering using deep, warm, earth colours but have made many mistakes doing this with 'normal' paints over the years and am reluctant to try again and have the laborious job of re-painting with a lighter colour again. I've searched through books and magazines but can't seem to find many examples of cottage-style properties where the ubiquitous cream/white doesn't prevail.

Does anyone have any book suggestions, or any advice or experience they can share please?

 

[Penners]

I don't profess any expertise in this area, but I'd be wary of using deep colours in a room with small windows. It could end up a bit gloomy.

But the one piece of advice that I can confidently give is this: the best colours to use are the ones that you like.

 

[MatthewC]

Hi Lou

We had the same sort of question recently. Our solution was to buy quite a few sample pots and try them. You have to do at least two coats with the sample - the first can be misleading and when the second dries, it looks so much better! Also, we found that limewash does cover previous coats quite well, so I wouldn't worry too much over doing a decent-sized patch.

We ended up with some yellows and greens. The yellows reflect light quite well.

If you're near Oxfordshire I can offer you a few free samples (PM me) and even some larger quantities as it covered better than expected and we have lots left. My blog in May has some more details of what we found.

Matthew
http://houseintheenchantedforest.blogspot.com/

 

[lou]

Thanks both. I agree that choosing colours that I like should be the priority but these seem to change on a weekly basis currently.

Matthew - thanks, will pm you. I too am thinking deep ochres and, maybe, greens though this seems a bit risky to me. Any pics to share by any chance?

 

[JoceAndChris]

Deep ochres might not work in a sitting room without a lot of natural daylight, and with dark beams. What colour are the beams? The furniture? the curtains? The room leading into it, or off it? Colours can't be judged in isolation, you might love it on the sample card but putting it on all four walls changes it completely. Then again, the effect in summer and winter will be different - so you might create a room you love during the dark months but don't like all that much in the summer. I think my red dining room might fall into that category when it's complete but that won't matter as we eat outside a lot in summer.

But you need to think about the usage of the room - if it's a hallway, that you're passing through, you can afford to be bolder than in a sitting room.

I'm planning to use this colour in the sitting room here http://www.farrow-ball.com/fowler-pink/colours//fcp-product/100039, inspired by this sort of effect:
http://emilyevanseerdmans.blogspot.com/2009/01/fowler-pink-kelmarsh-hall-conundrum.html

But it might not work. I painted two rooms in the last year and had to change the colour immediately - you just don't know if you'll like it until it's there I'm afraid.

Looking at the "Finest Buxton Limewash" sample cards, by Womersley's, I'd be off-put by the darkness of shades like "Sang de Boeuf", a brick colour, and also dubious about the strength of "CopperAss"- very similar to the Print Room Yellow I used in my hallway.

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu87/joceneedham/BackwallofPrintroom.jpg

I think I'd be drawn to "Ochre", a warm cream - and add richer colours with the soft furnishings. But it's a boring choice, I admit.

 

[Penners]

Deep ochres might not work in a sitting room without a lot of natural daylight, and with dark beams. What colour are the beams? The furniture? the curtains? The room leading into it, or off it? Colours can't be judged in isolation, you might love it on the sample card but putting it on all four walls changes it completely. Then again, the effect in summer and winter will be different - so you might create a room you love during the dark months but don't like all that much in the summer. I think my red dining room might fall into that category when it's complete but that won't matter as we eat outside a lot in summer.

But you need to think about the usage of the room - if it's a hallway, that you're passing through, you can afford to be bolder than in a sitting room.

Blimey! No wonder I'm crap at this colour thing! I got confused soon after the word "deep".

 

[JoceAndChris]

Never mind Mr P. Men must indulge female obsession with colours, listen atttentively to the various dilemmas and make sympathetic noises, and be ready at a whim to paint over our mistakes.

 

[Penners]

You just wrote my biography, Joce.

 

[lou]

Thanks very much to you all for responses. Have an elderly parent alert that has taken me away but will try and get back to forum next week to respond.

 

[Feltwell]

Blimey! No wonder I'm crap at this colour thing! I got confused soon after the word "deep".

Colours seem to be something many of us men don't really "do" - with the honourable exception of those with artistic tendencies & ability such as Nigel. I'm constantly amazed by how a colour or especially a wallpaper that I see on a chart or in a shop, that I look at and think "yuck!", looks great once it is in position. I just haven't got the artistic imagination to picture it in it's final surroundings. I guess it's the downside of being able at a lot of the more construction based, practical jobs.

Mrs F tends to narrow colour choice down to a few options, and then it's a mutal agreement on the final one. It means she gets what she wants by default, and I don't have too much choice to baffle me, which suits me just fine!! If I wasn't married then I can imagine my house being very magnolia.

Contrary to popular opinion, many of us men do really value the female touch to the home - except maybe cushions piled on the bed that you have to chuck off in order to get into bed, that's just annoying! :wink:

 

[MdB]

Contrary to popular opinion, many of us men do really value the female touch to the home - except maybe cushions piled on the bed that you have to chuck off in order to get into bed, that's just annoying! :wink:

Fully agree with both statements!

 

[robgil]

I dont think colour is too much of an issue in a nicely beamed room, the old timbers should be a nice focus rather than colour, it's the ever popular white for me.

 

[Feltwell]

I agree Rob, but for those of us in non-beamed "new builds" all white would be too sterile.

 

[Penners]

cushions piled on the bed that you have to chuck off in order to get into bed, that's just annoying!

Grrrrrr - don't get me started...... :evil:

 

[Keithj]

Pesky scatter cushions ... know what you mean. I scattered 'em, and they haven't come back (yet, anyway).

White for ceilings, shades of magnolia for walls, black for beams where they were already black, brown for doors (so they look like wood). I'm a simple soul.

 

[Penners]

Hmmm... Keith, are you married?

 

[LadyArowana]

Contrary to popular opinion, many of us men do really value the female touch to the home - except maybe cushions piled on the bed that you have to chuck off in order to get into bed, that's just annoying! :wink:

Fully agree with both statements!

Your household staff must be very lax, the maid should be turning down the covers and moving the cushions and decorative throw well before bedtime :lol:

 

[Feltwell]

Lax? LAX?

They never even bother to turn up.

You quite literally just can't get the staff, don't you know.

 

[Keithj]

Hmmm... Keith, are you married?

Certainly am. Very much so. Been so for 44 years. Almost got the hang of it.

 

[LadyArowana]

Hmmm... Keith, are you married?

Certainly am. Very much so. Been so for 44 years. Almost got the hang of it.

I think we need to have Mrs Keithj's opinion :lol: ............