Living Room flooring/walls advice

9 years ago

Hi, can anyone please give some advice on colours for flooring and walls? I'd like to put down some wood flooring, but not sure whether to get dark like the tables or somewhere inbetween tables and chairs.

I'm also thinking to paper the lower half of the wall (some shade of brown?), paint the top half (off-white/cream?) and then mount the TV/AV equipment on the wall to create a bit more space.
I don't get a lot of natural light in the room unfortunately, so that is a factor too.

Featured Answer

Paolo Gaggero

9 years ago

hi Manny

i run a vintage lighting and interior design business..let me try and help..

looking at your layout you have maximised your space with the current layout however your main issue is lack of lighting and fact that you have used similar colour tone throughout which essentially camouflages all your furniture into one big colour pallet in a very dark room with poor lighting.

Solution:

1) you need to break the colour pattern and create light zones essentially to let your couch table and furniture chairs stand out. choice of flooring needs to create sense of space and light. Avoid cream wall paint go white greys ...avoid cream.

2) flooring : remove carpet and replace with wide plank engineerd wood or a good quality laminate suitable for heavy traffic given that your living room dinning room gives access to entrance and access to stairs. Professionally i would go for an enginneered wood. Colour try a light grey oak wood finish go with wide planks. For a carpet in the middle of the room i would go for a geometric pattern white carpet with bold geometric patterns to open up the space.

2) lighting this is very important to fix your lack of lights and dark appearence. create zones and define them. Above the dinning table add a pendant directly above the table with a low drop. the main living rooom light needs changed the spot lights you have is not suitable for livingrooms ..the light needs to be an upper ...or down pointing given your low modern ceiling I would remove your spots and install led ceiling spots 4-6.

at the corners of the couch i would add a reading table light at one end and a tall floor lamp at tge other.

3) painting and decorating. .lose the dado rail the makes your wall height seem smaller removing the dado rail will open up the room ...paint over tge cream...i would go for a matt brilliant white to different shades of white..you can also consider making the main wall a feature wall crown paints have feature wall paints with great colour range Alternatively you can use wallpaper but make sure you go for light colours that will not minimise the sense of space...

4) final stage is dressing - add a big rectangular mirror above your couch , a throw and cushions to your couch...seagrass matts on the dinning table with a glass bowl as central piece..

5) tv - yes this would look great wall mounted and save you space..consider adding led back strips to the tv ...

if you have a passion say travel or cars..planes you can express this through in adding some pictures or ornaments that are important to you and define your hobbies or passions.. for example tge world map print picture is also available as a feature wall wall paper which you could use as a main feature wall..

hope this has helped...remember dont be affraid to use colour add light and always aim to create zones as this will make the room seem bigger than it is!

peace
Paolo
Retro&Dansk

Comments (17)

Manny
Original Author
9 years ago
Forgot to add...I've changed the windows since the original photos were taken, and they're also dark brown. I'll almost certainly be replacing the curtains with blinds too
gold895
9 years ago
Please don't make my mistake by going with a dark floor. My floor shows every mark, especially if you have a pet. I have oak colour laminate in all the bedrooms and I love it. It hardly shows any marks at all.
Manny thanked gold895
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minnie101
9 years ago
Dark floors can make a room look bigger but something like a walnut rather than a black. However I do agree with gold895. Maybe try an oak but get planks rather than strips as it makes the room look bigger. I'd go for something like clay pale from little Greene on the walls. If you go for a warm brown below the dado it will bring the walls in. You could also try a large mirror on the wall where you're covering the hatches as it will help with the light
Manny thanked minnie101
Naomi Harbottle
9 years ago
Despite agreeing with the other comments about dark floors, I think if you got a wooden floor that was similar to the window frame, I think that would look nice. Now that you have the window change, decorating your room based on the windows is probably important as they stand out a lot more now!
Manny thanked Naomi Harbottle
gold895
9 years ago
Yes Naomi, I agree with matching the floor with the window frame but ........ I still don't like my dark floor!!
Manny thanked gold895
Naomi Harbottle
9 years ago
See, I have quite a dark wood in my living room and I love it! I guess it's just individual preference. All flooring gets dirty, regardless of whether you can see the marks or not. At least you know you have a lovely clean floor!
Manny thanked Naomi Harbottle
PRO
True Colours Interiors
9 years ago
I agree with Naomi, a dark floor shows every mark and scratch. If you have animals or children they will scratch. I too would opt for a mid oak, wide plank floor.
Manny thanked True Colours Interiors
PRO
True Colours Interiors
9 years ago
Sorry that should have said I agree with Gold895
Manny thanked True Colours Interiors
Manny
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thanks everyone for your feedback so far, it's really appreciated. Some good points raised, although I should add that I live on my own and don't have any kids or pets...does this change your opinion somewhat or do you still advise against going dark?

Also, minnie and TCI if possible can you give me an example of the type of oak you're thinking of?

Lastly, a large mirror on the wall sounds like a good idea. It's a very thin wall though, so not sure how big I'll be able to have one without it being dangerous.
minnie101
9 years ago
although I think I prefer dark it does scratch with or without kids or pets. You can get felt pads for furniture but think about shoes etc. Unless you Hoover every or every other day it will show dust. I've attached a pic from valefurnishers. You basically want something that is at least 3 inches wide. You can go for solid oak or engineered. Benefit to engineered flooring being that it doesn't expand or contract anywhere near as much as 100% wood with changes in temperature. I would assume solid oak has far greater longevity though and depending on the thickness can be sanded down x number of times if needed. DIY isn't my thing but you can get fixings for plasterboard walls that carry fairly heavy weights, I'd pop into a store and ask. If you opt for a cheapish mirror it isn't likely to be that heavy either!
Manny thanked minnie101
Manny
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks minnie, I think I'll source some dark and oak samples then make a decision. Am I correct in assuming dark looks better but oak would make the room appear brighter?

Also, you advise against going with brown below the dado rail...what do you suggest instead? Having the wall just one colour?
minnie101
9 years ago
Whether it looks better is down to preference I suppose! As the room doesn't have fantastic light it will make it look darker. If you went for dark floors and light walls though it could make it look bigger. Any reflective surfaces add to the light. Brown can be a warm colour so it definitely advances the walls. When we bought our old house the lounge was yellow and painting it a pale blue made an amazing difference if you do want brown then try and choose a cool shade but I think the walls in one colour will help in terms of making it feel bigger with the right colour.
Manny thanked minnie101
Sama Ana
9 years ago
light floor make the room look biger ... and its easy for cleaning ... yiu can go with baige wood .. parket ...for example... good luck
Manny thanked Sama Ana
Sharon Boughedda
9 years ago
I wouldn't go too dark as you don't get much natural light. Make sure you have lots if lights to give the room ambiance ! Good luck !
Manny thanked Sharon Boughedda
Manny
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago

So I thought I'd share my progress....

- I spent absolutely AGES sanding the staircase. I'll return to them once everything else is done, but my thinking is to stain the treads and newel posts, and paint the risers white

- I went for Dulux White Cotton on the walls, which really does seem to have brightened the place up (not sure if it shows in the photos)
- I absolutely LOVE my floor. Took me about 3 days to do it all (including 2 landings upstairs), and I can't stop looking at it every chance I get :) All that's left now is to run some cables under the new skirting boards and fix those to the wall. Oh, and the door thresholds too.

- Found a decent-sized mirror for £5 at a car-boot sale. Will paint later after I've decorated, but I'm still on the lookout for something a bit bigger

- Going to make a start on decorating this week - the fun bit! I've also booked an electrician to change this awful lighting for spotlights
iolosdad
8 years ago
would love to see the finished room