victorian living room - what colours? GREEN OR RED?

8 years ago

I am after help with the living room of my victorian house which is being fully renovated.
the ceilings are wallpapered dark green, with detailed coving and light roses in white. we feel the colour green on the ceiling really adds to the grandeur of the room, our problem is we dont want to stick with green as the theme in the room. we love the idea of a dark red ceiling and possibly using an antique cream on the coving and roses but are worried it may be a little too daring, and more to the point how do we possibly begin to decorate the walls that would compliment such a striking ceiling?!

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Amber Jeavons Ltd

8 years ago

Hello scarlets001,

Lovely room and the green is amazing.. Green/grey velvet chesterfield and dark woods, accents of gold, brass, copper, creams, soft furnishings in creams, charcoals, greens.. Any dark colour on ceilings is going to lower the appearance of height unless the proportions are palatial I would go with a lighter colour... You could have Whitening by Little Greene which is a lovely lovely chalky finish.. Paint above picture rail Whitening too.. Put the dado back in and either have creamy, chalky woodwork similar to how it is, which really stands out.. OR go darker with the woodwork, rose, picture rail, dado, architrave, skirting and door.. like a dark rich ivy green to compliment the walls.. This will obviously give a much darker interior that was also fashionable of the period.

I think everything stands out quite well.. Possibly look at that arch and take it out, as it divided the room.. Consider rich dark coloured curtains to blend with the wall colour... Or for a more modern look wooden Venetians with tapes.. Is there a fireplace? Looks like some door openings have been put in.. What a fantastic project! : ))

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Comments (19)

Jane Bateman
8 years ago
If you have any of your old plaster left, you may find patches of the colours used originally.
Farrow and Ball do some scrummy colours which would look just right!
I've gone for Book Room red in my small living room.
Depending how snuggly you want to make the room, the turquoise colour would be my next choice!
minnie101
8 years ago
You could use a rich cream on the walls. I can't see the architectural details very well (other than the Rose!) but gold was also common so maybe mix gold and cream for the features. I'd treat above the picture rail as the ŵall as the red would lower the ceiling further. Pick up green accents in soft furnishings etc
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scarlets001
Original Author
8 years ago
thank you for your help. I will have to make a decision soon and post the finished room
mrsmcee74
8 years ago
The red would definitely warm up the room and you could have on the walls creams, pale golds, stone, buff, taupe, caramels, I also like greeny greys with red too. Have a look at the Farrow & Ball websites - click on the different reds and there are suggested colour combinations which could inspire you. I had red in the living room in my old house and loved it, it was lovely and cosy in winter. I am a bit conformist though and had it on the walls with antique whites and creams.
User
8 years ago
I'm going to stick my neck here because I experimented with a coloured ceiling once and let's just say, never again. Red too, WOW, that's brave. If you do go ahead, I'd love to see the end result though. Good luck.
User
8 years ago
It is important to make the most of light, as well as making the room feel bigger with lighter shades. I think it would be a mistake to use dark colours over any large surface area, especially the ceiling. You want the light to be reflected from the window. I would not recommend green or red anywhere in a small victorian house.
User
8 years ago
The grandeur works with the ceiling rose and coving itself. You can help it stand out with just the subtlest of shade of colour, for example like a Dulux 'Pebble Shore' or Farrow and Ball's 'Contemporary Neutrals' that bring just a hint of warmth in, see..http://www.farrow-ball.com/contemporary-neutrals/content/fcp-content
scarlets001
Original Author
8 years ago
thanks for the comment.the room is 30ft long by 15ft wide so it is regarded as a large room, would you still advise the same with the given sizes? thanks
User
8 years ago
The size of the window in relation to the room is what needs to be considered. It may be a large room but the light from the window needs to reach right across it. The sense of well being, let alone all the practical considerations, (for e.g. with a lighter room you won't need to turn on the light so often), from making the most of what natural light you have is very important. You could always use the red or green on features like cushions or the picture frames with mirrors to reflect the light.
alyper
8 years ago
In our Victorian house we have used Jurassic Stone for three walls, and Overtly Olive on the fourth, both by Dulux. Ceiling and paintwork crisp white. Very pleased with the results, and means you can put loads of colour into furnishings - even if that is only cushions and paintings. Have had dark walls before - very dark green and red, but they show every mark and dust! Dark colour on ceilings can be very oppressive and suck out light from the room.
Jen Tindall
8 years ago
She has two windows at either end of the room, so I'm guessing she'll be ok for light. Plus with modern energy saving bulbs, you can have as much electric lighting as you need if there are any dark spots. I was at a wedding at Hampden House in Buckinghamshire, and got really obsessed with the ceiling in the dining room. It's Georgian rather than Victorian, but you might find it inspirational Scarlett!
scarlets001
Original Author
8 years ago
now that is amazing jen, I dont think we could ever achieve that result, but it is certainly the same type of wow factor that we would like to create in our room.
Tryphic
8 years ago
As per Jen Tindall's photo, if light is a concern, and you don't want to go with a standard white ceiling, how about a lighter colour to still help pick out the details such as the rose, such as a deep cream, and use the darker colours on the walls, mix with a dark wood floor and you'd have, I think, a very luxurious room.
minnie101
8 years ago
Hi Scarlet, there are lots of chinoiserie style wallpapers around atm that would allow you to achieve that look if it's something you like. You can even create the panelled effect if you use beading to create the panel
User
8 years ago
It's surprisingly hard to find images of red ceilings but although some of them don't have red ceilings, the colour combinations in the rooms include greys, blues, greens, golds and creams and they all seem to work really well. I'm warming to the idea!
PRO
Pat Oliver Interior Design
8 years ago
I'm surprised that none of the previous comments have asked about your furnishings and upholstery. Nor have they inquired about your preferred style of furnishing, contemporary, modern or traditional. What is the overall effect you want to achieve?

What kind of light does the room get through the day? When is the room used most often and by whom? What activities take place in the room on a day to day basis? What does the furniture look like? Once you establish that, only then can you begin to decide on the colour scheme.

Red may be cozy, but, depending on the shade, it can also be stimulating, even raising your heartbeat and body temperature. That's why it's often used in dining rooms and restaurants (to make you eat more). If you want a restful room, think about using a different shade of green or a blue-grey or blue. They will be more relaxing.

The images provided by Jen Tindall use gold and will be warm and uplifting either by day or night. At night, the room will be suffused with a lovely mellow glow, especially if your lighting relies on table lamps with soft shades.

I recommend reading a book by Angela Wright on colour. You'll find lots of useful information to guide you.

It's a lovely room, with wonderful architectural features. My only suggestion is perhaps to add a corbel at each end of the arch if there is space. This will make it look less like a later alteration to what would have most likely been a dividing wall between 2 smaller rooms. Enjoy the process of designing the lounge and don't rush decisions.
Rebecca Wilson
6 years ago
Hi just wondering how you are getting on and what colours you decided on, it's a very tough decision and one that I'm putting off! Any pics?!
scarlets001
Original Author
6 years ago
I will get back to you - but we ended up with a rich burgundy / ox blood red....

victorian living room - what colours? GREEN OR RED?

Amber Jeavons Ltd

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Jane Bateman

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