Decorating a whole flat at once: how to choose colours which flow?
Catriona
10 years ago
Background:
We have just bought a flat, which we will be completely redecorating. The only piece of furniture we've bought so far is a dark grey 3-seat sofa, which will be in the living room (and so the colours we ultimately choose in that room need to go with that piece). The living room and master bedroom are north-facing, i.e. a bit gloomy, and the rest of the rooms are south-facing.
Attached images of the sofa, the living room (red accent wall, bay windows), kitchen and a guest bedroom, which is a good representation of the magnolia colour that is currently used in most rooms.
We'd like to decorate the whole flat in fairly light colours, but I would prefer to avoid magnolia/beige. I like colours on the cooler end of the spectrum, whereas my husband prefers warmer tones (he would be happy with beiges).
I have two questions:
- In what ways do we need to decorate north-facing rooms differently to sunnier, south-facing rooms?
- How do we come up with a colour scheme for the whole flat that will be harmonious, with a hall colour that links the north-facing rooms to the south-facing rooms if, indeed, they need different decoration approaches?
I have collected lots of inspiration for individual rooms, but not a great deal of practical advice for approaching the colours of a whole flat at once. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
We have just bought a flat, which we will be completely redecorating. The only piece of furniture we've bought so far is a dark grey 3-seat sofa, which will be in the living room (and so the colours we ultimately choose in that room need to go with that piece). The living room and master bedroom are north-facing, i.e. a bit gloomy, and the rest of the rooms are south-facing.
Attached images of the sofa, the living room (red accent wall, bay windows), kitchen and a guest bedroom, which is a good representation of the magnolia colour that is currently used in most rooms.
We'd like to decorate the whole flat in fairly light colours, but I would prefer to avoid magnolia/beige. I like colours on the cooler end of the spectrum, whereas my husband prefers warmer tones (he would be happy with beiges).
I have two questions:
- In what ways do we need to decorate north-facing rooms differently to sunnier, south-facing rooms?
- How do we come up with a colour scheme for the whole flat that will be harmonious, with a hall colour that links the north-facing rooms to the south-facing rooms if, indeed, they need different decoration approaches?
I have collected lots of inspiration for individual rooms, but not a great deal of practical advice for approaching the colours of a whole flat at once. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
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Comments (16)
yoboseiyo
10 years agoRelated Discussions
How would you decorate this living room?
Comments (21)Hi everyone! He's been living there over 20 years now and completely revamped the room when he first moved in (adding in the fireplace, dado rail, adding the fan design to the ceiling!). It all looked very fresh when it was first done but 20 years is a long time. The ceiling is just standard, the holes you can see are from where he's having spotlights put in. I've searched Egyptian Cotton and agree that this is a lovely warm neutral, thank you for the recommendation I will definitely let him know to check it out. I love the idea of viewing the outside window as a feature wall and incorporating these natural elements into the room, my dads house backs on to woodlands and is surrounded by trees so it's all very green out there....See Morehow to choose colour of LVT flooring
Comments (37)Bonkers… aaaarrrggghhh! We don't know what to say, Tani. Not acceptable but this trade of ours is poor at this sort of thing. Mind you, you do get them FOC. Paint… there's another story. Have to pay £5+ for a weeny sample pot. Delays are flippin' annoying but much better to make sure you are certain about your choice. We don't have a display unit in our showroom (drat!) otherwise we'd suggest you come and have a look whilst sipping on one of our exceptionally decent coffees....See MoreDecorating advice needed for open plan area in new home
Comments (11)Hi, thanks for taking the time to reply. I thought I might use the additional living room space as a play area and could perhaps get a screen if I wanted to hide toys away when not in use and could add an armchair/chaise by fire in dining room. Need to zone but haven't had such q big space to do before so a bit overwhelmed with flooring/colour/furniture choices and things it all together, large rugs definitely on the shopping list. Definitely want to get rid of the dark wood on doors and skirting. We are going to put recessed downlights in kitchen and dining room and either two pendants or more downlights in living room. The current dining room light is centered to fit the previous owners table so we can change this. Think I want pendants over new breakfast bar. I like the idea of painting archway darker colour to define areas, funnily enough just saw that in Ideal Home mag yest. Thanks again!...See MoreDecorating Flat for Son in The British Army
Comments (31)Ohh the picture... yeah a traditionalist for one so young. Seems he like cosy and to be hugged. These days anything goes, mix and match so a modern trad. Re: cool lights you can get varying tonal ranges, so maybe dimmable LED lights, so he has the choice. You can mix, match and even from cool to warm and with warm to cool LEDs. Or placing cooler ones nearer the dark areas and warmer to the light areas. And panels are great, MDF, cut to size and glue them on. And a mantle/shelf below the TV's to get that look in the main living area and the bedrooms. Rail and Dado rails around the room, to cut costs only on the walls you can see. Then you can hang pictures from them. As the wardrobes are wood it will be fine. It all seems like alot but if you have a scap bank in your area you can get paints, wall paper and charity shops sell furniture not forgetting the auction websites. Some charities are on the auction sites too. And I just remembered, soldiers do get discounts in a lot of places, and as there is not a lot of things we get free these days... As the room is dark, Sonia's lighter greys, blue rather than the darker shades, it will appear to be darker anyway as the basement flat is dark, as the colour will change throughout the day. Please post a picture when you have completed. It is sounding so exciting....See MoreCatriona
10 years agoCatriona
10 years ago
PROTotal Solutions Group
10 years agoCatriona
10 years agoHi Keesee and Associates,
Thanks for the very comprehensive reply! You've calmed some of my fears - I do want a cohesive colour scheme but I don't want it to be too matchy-matchy, so good to hear that we can have a bit more variety than just 5 colours between the different rooms without losing cohesiveness.
Good tip, too, on choosing an overall style. This is another way in which my tastes differ from my husband's: I tend towards slightly minimal decor (mix of modern and traditional, design-inspired pieces, sometimes a bit Scandinavian), whereas he prefers things cosy, rustic/country and more towards the traditional end of things - trying to find a happy compromise! And, as you say, a compromise that can be applied to the whole of the flat so that nothing is discordant.
Thanks for the design-seeds.com tip, too - checking it out now.
Re the mouldings in the living room: I love these and wouldn't want to lose the character they bring. Attached an image of a living room which I think combines the traditional and modern very well, and is a good example of the sort of style I like. I fear this grey colour may not work well in our gloomy front room, however!
- PRO
Total Solutions Group
10 years agolast modified: 10 years agoCatriona, I'm glad I could help ease your fears a bit!
I, too, love that mix of modern and traditional aspects, so in my eyes you're off to a great start and a great style. I think you can keep things minimal, while just adding a few cozy touches here and there. In this photo, for instance, the blankets, the rustic floral arrangement, and the pile of pillows really helps to warm up an otherwise minimal space.
I think you and your husband can find a good balance, you'll just need to be intentional about it. As for the gray color, I think you can pull it off. I would just choose a lighter gray shade, and if you're still worried about the room being too dark, accent with lighter colors. With whites and yellows, like your photo above, it's hard to appear gloomy. Also, consider adding more artificial lights if the lighting bothers you. Warm lamp light can still be cozy and brighten a room.
Warmer woods (in furniture) and your wood floors will help lend to that cozy rustic feel as well, without necessarily making you feel like you're in a cabin in the woods.
Rina
10 years agoyoboseiyo
10 years agoCatriona
10 years ago- PRO
Total Solutions Group
10 years ago 
PROHamilton interiors
7 years agoMy advise would be go with something like skimming stone by colourtrend,but in the north facing rooms add accent colours to cushions ,rugs and artwork in bright
strong shades of pink, purple and greens
Grey L couch · More InfoRina
7 years ago
Total Solutions Group