# complimentary colors??



## megreg (Jul 16, 2008)

Hello there, I desperately need advice!!
We are turning a room into my baby boy's new bedroom....however the carpet (which I cannot afford to replace currently) is the color of a light purple. AHH! 
What color could I paint the wall to make the carpet appear less purple? I welcome all comments & suggestions! :yes:


----------



## Beth777 (Jul 3, 2008)

*That's a challenge!*

Do you have an idea of a decorating plan/theme that you want to work towards, or of an ultimate color scheme you'd like to achieve? Colors that you really love or hate? Bold or soft colors?

Maybe you could begin by looking at fabrics...curtains, bedding, to see if there's anything you really like that wouldn't clash with the carpeting, and go from there to choose a wall color that would look nice with the selected fabric design.

I think purple can be softened by blues, greens, teal, soft golds, natural beiges, etc., in the room.

My older son chose a dark teal for his dorm room decor. He didn't get to paint the walls. The bed coverings and window treatment that he chose had some purple accents in the design. It had a geometric, masculine design...no flowers...and it went well with a soft "goldtone" for accents and hamper. He ended up with a rich, soothing atmosphere. Teal clothes hangers, teal towels, and some artwork that brought it together.

I've seen some very nice purple/blue schemes as well that look richly masculine, in the absence of flowers!

I hope your baby boy will love having his own room, with many future happy memories there! Purple is inspiring, a color of royalty. Maybe your little guy will be a creative genius, to achieve great things in his life! Be sure to play some Mozart for him!


----------



## Yoyizit (Jul 11, 2008)

*You mean. . .?*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complementary_color


----------



## Allison1888 (Mar 16, 2008)

*paint colors*

I also like the blue or light sage/green family for this -- or try a neutral, such as ivory or cream in the same tone family. You may just decide to ignore the carpeting -- I did that once with a bright yellow bathroom floor we couldn't afford to replace. Good luck!


----------



## zayabibu (Jul 19, 2008)

A yellow or orange or even leaning toward green will emphasize the purple. It's hard to give concrete color choices without knowing what degree of purple, the undertones, the brightness level etc. However, to minimize the purple, I'd go with grays and navy. Staying on the same side of the color wheel will keep the purple from "popping" which will help downplay it.

Now that being said, if you want to embrace the purple carpet in a boys room... it would be the perfect base for a Dr. Suess room theme. I'm thinking along the lines of the Lorax, with a few Truffula Trees painted on the wall. 

We have a brown carpet in our nursery that we can't replace, so I've embraced it as a "forest floor"...


----------



## shapeshifter (Jan 10, 2007)

We had a similar challenge although I don't know if the same solution would work for you. We replaced carpeting that had a neutral beige tone in the sample. However, once on the floor, it really took on a pinky taupe color. When we painted the walls a pale, buttery gold, it took all the pink out of the carpet and made it more nuetral instantly.

Another thought might be to place a neutral room-sized rug on top of the carpet. It would make the floor extra soft for baby.


----------



## agrace (Jul 22, 2008)

*Neutral walls*

I've learned the hard way to keep the walls a light cream or sand color and use the fabric for color, especially if you have a purple carpet. Always bring the color home including bedding to see the color in the actual room.
No one believes my basement carpet is dark purple, sage and light sand check. The walls are a chocolate brown. I brought home 3 samples of the same carpet with different colors---guess which one was the winner. Unless I take a left over piece outside to prove it people can't believe it.
PS. Always been able to sell my homes even in a down market and not lose $$. ON house #12


----------



## RemodelMan (Oct 7, 2007)

Darker toned green like moss, will work well with the carpet you have.


----------



## home decorations (Sep 25, 2008)

agrace said:


> I've learned the hard way to keep the walls a light cream or sand color and use the fabric for color, especially if you have a purple carpet. Always bring the color home including bedding to see the color in the actual room.
> No one believes my basement carpet is dark purple, sage and light sand check. The walls are a chocolate brown. I brought home 3 samples of the same carpet with different colors---guess which one was the winner. Unless I take a left over piece outside to prove it people can't believe it.
> PS. Always been able to sell my homes even in a down market and not lose $$. ON house #12


I agree that neutral colors for the walls will look better with the purple carpet. You can just then tie down the colors through your accessories.


----------



## Allison1888 (Mar 16, 2008)

I think a light sage would work well


----------

