Cool Colors? Warm Colors?

We just bought a new house - Yeah! The problem is with the two story great room that only has a small knee wall separating it from the kitchen. It's beautiful, but so hard to flow with the kitchen. The floors throughout are light pine with cherry veins, the kitchen cabinets are cherry, backsplash is a rust/beige/grey ceramic tile, and the countertops are almost black. I also have stainless appliances. I love it, except I can't come up with an accent color to bring into the family room to balance out the kitchen. Reds seem to clash with the backsplash, unless I use a very dark red, I don't want to paint a huge plain two story wall red, and I am clueless as to another color to use. I need some color on that side of the room. I have an off white sofa and loveseat with black accent pillows, those work well with the countertops, and I thought I'd use black frames for any pictures on the wall. Any advice on another color? Maybe a green? What would be a warm green that would go with these other colors? I am fighting the warm beige and cool stainless to find a balance. I would really appreciate any advice! [FONT=]undefined[/FONT]

 

Pulling a color out of fabric, rug, or, in your case the tile if often done. The deeper or brighter tones can be used as accents or for walls. I love rust tones. Rust works well with black and off-white. You might want to add some additional accent pillows to a fabric that picks up some of your colors including the black in pillows and picture frames. This would allow you to bring some of your color into the livingroom, give the couch (two neutrals) some drama. Pictures, rugs, pottery, and other accessories can add color and drama.

Warm colors are made with red, orange, yellow, or some combination of these. Warm colors tend to make you think of sunshine and warmth. Rust is a warm color. Beige is a neutral color and often used to separate two darker colors like the rust and gray in the backsplash. Off white is a neutral and a member of the beige family. Cool colors are calming, but they can also be cold and impersonal. Blue, green, and neutral white, gray, and silver are cool colors. Black is the ultimate neutral and is really an absence of color. It works well with jewel-toned reds, blues, and greens and makes light colors stand out. Sage and hunter are among popular greens. A rule of thumb is 60% of the room can be the background color (lightest color), 30% in the mid-tone color, and 10% in brightest accent colors.

 

don't worry so much about cool colors & warm colors - it's too confusing to think about it that way for most people. when you think about it, some of the most popular color schemes use BOTH cool & warm colors - burgundy & hunter green, blue & mauve, yellow & blue, navy & burgundy, peach & mint green, etc - which keeps those rooms from looking too cool or too warm.

if you paint your FR green, it will seem very much out of place. there really isn't a green that will "go with" your tile, since your tile is made up of 3 completely different colors. i'd stick with the colors in the tiles. paint the walls in the FR the warm beige color from the tile and that will work well with the wood floors, and will really add warmth to the big open space, which high-ceiling rooms need. then go with a mainly rust colored area rug (something textured, patterned or shag - not flat, smooth plush) in your seating area for a big splash of color, but keep everything else fairly neutral like you've got it - and add interesting, textural accessories, and some patterned throw pillows for the sofa, in addition to the spashes of black.

 

Great advice, and advice I am definitely going to use. I took a large piece of the tile to the paint store and found several deep beige colors that looked great with it. I am going to search for an area rug after I get the wall painted and the furniture in.