# Putting color onto white brick or textured walls (need color suggestions!)



## Eliana (Jan 13, 2012)

Hi,
We have moved into our new home over a year ago.
Until now, we haven't really taken the time to decorate the place.
The previous owners had painted all the walls white for the sale. As much as I just love the light rooms that white walls produce, I just can't stand the yucky grey-brown-ish stained parts of the walls on the places people put their hands most (like around the light switch or around bends or doorways).

So just recently, I decided that I wanted to paint at least some parts of the walls in a different color than white.

I don't want to repaint the whole house. I just want to paint key areas. I'd leave the main, "untouched" walls white, to keep the light bouncing around in the rooms, but the more "treaded" ones have to go!

But color-wise, I'm at a complete loss! I have never decorated a house before. I've always lived in houses that already were decorated to some extent.
I think I want neutral/earthy/pastel colors, not bright or too dark colors.

I want to start small, I'm a bit shy with this.
There are two places where I'd like to put color first:
- The kitchen island/L-shaped counter; it is build with bricks that have been painted white and there are medium toned wooden drawers and cabinets (slightly on the orange side) and the counter top is deep brown cocoa colored tiles. The floor is made of peach/sand colored tiles.

- An alcove in the living room that was meant to be for setting up a TV set and a couch/chairs, but we converted that room into a playroom for our young children. It is in the same room as the kitchen/dining room/living room, on the opposite side of the kitchen. So I'd like to put color to warm the place up a little, without making it baby-ish or childish, since we adults still live in that room and we might want to change the children's playroom to somewhere else in the future.
The walls in this room are brick walls painted white. I was wondering if I could paint the bricks in different shades of a same color (paint the wall an overall color and mix some white or a darker color to it for some of the bricks) so that it resembles the inequality in shade of real brick walls.

The house already has some sort of a color theme:
- all the windows and exterior  doors are painted a dark midnight-like blue.
- the walls are all white and textured, the walls are either brick or textured in some sort of abstract drywall texture, depending on the rooms (like in the picture on this page: http://www.renovateyourworld.com/HowTo_Library/Creating_Textured_Walls-Plaster_Walls-A1585.html)
- the ceiling has medium-toned wood paneling (on the orange-y/brown side of the color wheel); and I don't want to go as far as taking that down and having to redo the ceilings, though it would be a good idea to have white on the ceiling for overall brightness. The inside doors are the same wood color.
- the floor is tiled with peach/sand color tiles.


I wanted to post pictures instead of the description, I know how much easier it can make things, but not knowing how to, I had to write all the description. If anyone can explain how to, I'll reply with the pictures.

I hope this isn't too long a post and scaring people off 
I'd love to hear of peoples suggestions!
Thanks in advance


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## TammyF (Jan 13, 2012)

A good place to look for inspiration on home decorating is pintrest.com its a virtual pin board for all things..... you can look but if you want to "pin" something you will need an account....you will have to send a request and it takes about a week or so to be approved.... I love love love pintrest and its pretty handy when you are surfing the web and find something you like you can "pin" the pic on your board..... much luck.


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## Blondesense (Sep 23, 2008)

These two links may help you with pics.

http://www.diychatroom.com/f98/how-attach-photo-post-20532/

http://www.diychatroom.com/f98/how-resize-photos-post-them-here-110722/


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