Browse Forums Interior Decorating Lounge 1 Aug 25, 2011 9:08 am I am planning on starting renovations on a townhouse before I move in, and I am feeling very overwhelmed about where to start in terms of choosing an internal colour scheme. I'm not good with colours....clueless. The place is small, and I want to keep it light and cosy/inviting, and probably use the same colour on the walls throughout. Maybe a Dulux white? Also want to keep it as neutral as possible (and accessorise with colour) as I will be selling it in 5 yrs time to move on, so have to think about resale value. Could somebody please help me.... Dining/Living area: The floors are cypress pine which I will have re-polished. Which Dulux White would you recommend for the walls, skirtings and doors? I dont want it to stark white, and also not a creamy/yellow white, as I think cypress pine has enough yellow/orange to it. Furniture- I would love a white lounge but fear it getting dirty. What colours would you suggest for lounge and dining table and entertaintment unit? I think anything wooden might give it a heavy look as it is a small room? Should I keep it simple and go for a black lounge and white polyurethane dining table, or glass dining table? Kitchen: Will be getting a new kitchen. My only requirement is that I want a gloss white polyurethane kitchen, and granite benchtops. I have no clue about what colour granite, splashback (maybe white to keep it simple) and what colour tiles for the floor. What colour tiles would "blend" with the adjacent floorboards in the living room? Bathroom: Im thinking of a white vanity. (?To match the cupboards in the kitchen). I want tiles to the ceiling.... should the tiles match the tiles that are in the kitchen? What colour? The bathroom is TINY and doesnt get much light. It is at the end of the hallway, so the pine floorboards lead up to it. As you can see I have no clue and am in desperate need of suggestions! anything to get me started! thanx Re: Clueless...new place need colour scheme advice pls! 3Aug 25, 2011 3:01 pm These are the few pics I have...sorry they're not very clear. Pic of lounge/dining room, view from walking into the place. [img=http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/1636/011jm.th.jpg] Pic looking back at entrance to property/living room. (Forgot to turn flash on). [img=http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/4818/096v.th.jpg] These are the floorboards I uncovered under the carpet. Looks like they have never been polished?? [img=http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/5905/039prc.th.jpg] [img=http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/8306/038lu.th.jpg] Looking into tiny bathroom [img=http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/8672/157vf.th.jpg] Re: Clueless...new place need colour scheme advice pls! 4Aug 25, 2011 3:18 pm I wouldn't worry about matching bathroom with kitchen. I would change the lights and curtains. Polish the floors and see how they finish up. Then you can decide colours for the wall.... just keep it light since the spaces are small. Same with your furniture, but that's personal taste. Re: Clueless...new place need colour scheme advice pls! 5Aug 25, 2011 4:17 pm Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Uploaded with ImageShack.us Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Uploaded with ImageShack.us Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Uploaded with ImageShack.us Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Uploaded with ImageShack.us embed this image, then copy and paste the 'forum' link into your post Re: Clueless...new place need colour scheme advice pls! 6Aug 25, 2011 7:30 pm I would keep it all very simple, this will appeal to everyone and also make the rooms appear larger. A good white you could use is Dulux Lexicon is not a crisp white but white enough to work with any other whites you use. Remember the timber floor will throw onto the whitish walls. I’d go with all gloss white tiles throughout, again making the space seem bigger and brighter. By doing everything very neutral you now can add a splash of colour with your granite bench top. Granite colours Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ http://www.wk.com.au/WK-Natural-Stone/P ... fault.aspx All furniture should be light as well, try and stay away from dark colours. Internal and External Building and Colour Consultant Online - Worldwide http://www.denovoconcepts.com Re: Clueless...new place need colour scheme advice pls! 7Aug 25, 2011 7:39 pm The floorboards look lovely. A good feature to make something of. Antique white USA by Dulux is very popular as an interior white. I would keep the Bathroom in the whites also with good lighting. Downlights in the ceiling and nice window treatments would make a huge difference. If you want a white couch, find a way to make it work, get a leather one. Sometimes making that wishlist work does make some of the other decisions easier. After that its accent colours ,dining suite decisions and art work for the walls. Its all part of that decorating journey Re: Clueless...new place need colour scheme advice pls! 8Aug 25, 2011 9:03 pm Hey guys, thanks for the feedback! Michelle, I thought Lexicon was a stark cold white? (maybe ive confused it with another colour i saw). It might be ok for the living /dining,but wondering about the 2 bedrooms at the back that get very little light at all, whether i should do a warmer white in there? Do people do different whites in different parts of their house (especially a small house), or does it look silly? With gloss white tiles, did you mean for the kitchen and bathroom floors? Are these easy to keep clean? I was thinking of using them for the bathroom walls only...but not sure what would go on the floor? Also, what size gloss white tiles would you use on the walls of a small bathroom? Thanks for the link to the granite colours. Im now not sure I really like these colours compared to what you can get with caesarstone. The reason i was opting for granite was that I thought it would be more durable than caesarstone. If I do go for a granite benchtop, what sort of splashback would i get- white? Kiwichick- I wasn't sure what to do about lighting, as I really like the look of some of the modern pendants. But the ceiling isnt very high,and I think a pendant might take too much space. So maybe downlights might be better as you suggested. I also plan on getting some canvases for the walls too. One step at a time.... it's just so overwhelming when you buy your first place and want to change everything,but dont know where to start. Re: Clueless...new place need colour scheme advice pls! 9Aug 26, 2011 9:57 am In a new mag I got, the interior designer used Dulux Ecru throuhout on the walls. soft white on the ceilings and scotia. The same colour scheme throughout would also create a wholeness. She had sisal carpets , wooden floorboards, as well. Lovely soft greens and blues were her colour accents, but you could use anything you liked. The Ecru is a lovely warm hue that would go with anything Re: Clueless...new place need colour scheme advice pls! 11Aug 26, 2011 6:41 pm Designers have been using Ecru for as long as I’ve been in businesses…19 years. It has a yellow base to it. Ecru Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Internal and External Building and Colour Consultant Online - Worldwide http://www.denovoconcepts.com Re: Clueless...new place need colour scheme advice pls! 12Aug 26, 2011 6:54 pm I‘ve just been through all my Dulux White swatches just about all them have a yellow base to them. The only other one you could use is Dulux Natural White. No…. not white tiles for the floors, sorry I didn’t realise you were retiling the wet area floors as well. White wall tiles, the size is up to you but 300x600 are very popular. What you have to remember is the size of your new home, by keeping everything light it’s making spaces seem brighter and larger. So I would go white splashbacks as well. Granite is no stronger than the man made stones; all of them need to be treated with some sort of care. Internal and External Building and Colour Consultant Online - Worldwide http://www.denovoconcepts.com Re: Clueless...new place need colour scheme advice pls! 13Aug 26, 2011 7:07 pm Sorry….I forgot to mention my Dulux Winnow, it’s a warm white. I put it right through my small house. I painted all the walls semi gloss to bounce light. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Internal and External Building and Colour Consultant Online - Worldwide http://www.denovoconcepts.com Re: Clueless...new place need colour scheme advice pls! 14Aug 26, 2011 8:30 pm my new build thread- Ben Trager https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=89826 my switch build thread (2011) https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=36569 Re: Clueless...new place need colour scheme advice pls! 15Aug 27, 2011 5:32 pm zeds Hey guys, thanks for the feedback! Michelle, I thought Lexicon was a stark cold white? (maybe ive confused it with another colour i saw). It might be ok for the living /dining,but wondering about the 2 bedrooms at the back that get very little light at all, whether i should do a warmer white in there? Do people do different whites in different parts of their house (especially a small house), or does it look silly? Lexicon does have a cool undertone. To be honest, I don't know that I'd go white in your place. I like something like ecru or a half of dulux beige royal - or half linseed. This can result in a more finished & sophisticated look if you use the right styling. If the place is really dark & you think white is the go, have a look at Dulux berkshire white. It does have a yellow undertone, but this often results in brightening the room. You'll find that when your floors are polished they'll be more of a honey colour. I have found berkshire white to be a good complement to pine floors. zeds With gloss white tiles, did you mean for the kitchen and bathroom floors? Are these easy to keep clean? I was thinking of using them for the bathroom walls only...but not sure what would go on the floor? Also, what size gloss white tiles would you use on the walls of a small bathroom? I would use a light beige or stone look on the floors. If you go with 300 x 600 wall tiles, use the same size floor tiles for consistency. zeds for the link to the granite colours. Im now not sure I really like these colours compared to what you can get with caesarstone. The reason i was opting for granite was that I thought it would be more durable than caesarstone. If I do go for a granite benchtop, what sort of splashback would i get- white? Re: Clueless...new place need colour scheme advice pls! 17Aug 27, 2011 9:20 pm Thankyou for the advice!!! This place is awesome. I have a starting point now. Going shopping this week for tiles etc so I'll have a look at all the colours recommended here. Re: Clueless...new place need colour scheme advice pls! 18Aug 27, 2011 9:33 pm xquisite, If I use a light beige or stone look on the floors, should I use the same tiles on the walls, or should I go for the white gloss look on the walls? Keeping in mind its a small bathroom. Which look would be better? Also, the toilet is in a separate room- a WC. I have been told that tiling this room to the ceiling is overkill. Im thinking of keeping it simple as it currently is- painted walls and tiles on the floor and tiled skirting. What do you think of this? Re: Clueless...new place need colour scheme advice pls! 19Aug 29, 2011 12:47 pm zeds xquisite, If I use a light beige or stone look on the floors, should I use the same tiles on the walls, or should I go for the white gloss look on the walls? Keeping in mind its a small bathroom. Which look would be better? You could go for either, as a lot depends on the vanity etc that you'll be fitting. If you find a nice light stone coloured porcelain they often have wall tiles & floor tiles that go together (glossy on the walls). I'm thinking something like limestone. Doing the whole room in this looks fab against the white sanitary ware... Then again, white always looks clean & fresh so this may be safer if the room is very small and dark. zeds Also, the toilet is in a separate room- a WC. I have been told that tiling this room to the ceiling is overkill. Im thinking of keeping it simple as it currently is- painted walls and tiles on the floor and tiled skirting. What do you think of this? Sounds good. Just use the same floor tile as the bathroom. I'm renovating - building a small extension at the back of the late Edwardian house. This is the first stage. Second stage of the renovation will be to replace roof on… 0 1122 XCEM Alpha flooring seems to relatively new and I could not found any reviews. Have you or someone you know have used it and would recommend over other subfloor options?… 2 7674 |