Think i'd lean towards the actual Chimney breast. The fireplace and mirror would look stunning in 'downpipe' . This will leave the room very spacious and airy and the colour would reflect the same type as the sofa opposite x

Hi Claire. The room looks lovely. I would paint both alcoves, I think it will bring the sideboard into the rest of the room, and I think make the fire and ghost chair stand out plus disguise the tv. I think the sofa may get a little lost if you paint that ŵall. Is that a sloped ceiling over the side table?

Actually, I'm just looking at this again, how much longer is the room versus width?

Your living room looks lovely, Claire. I am not sure about the dark grey (personal taste), but if you are really keen on using it, then behind the sofa would be the best choice in your case. The problem with the dark grey is that it would make everything look darker. This wouldn't be a problem during the day because you have big windows, but during the night it might be too much.

Hi Claire. If you consider both rooms as one it is much longer than wider so I probably wouldn't paint the long ŵall personally as it will bring the ŵall in. As the sofa ŵall is hidden by the stairs though I do think you probably could go darker there but not in something as dark as downpipe or I do think your sofa will get lost but maybe get a tester. Alternatively paint the chimney breast a lighter shade of grey or even a shade of green to pick up the tiles or maybe a textured wallpaper. It is lovely as it is though! Maybe try adding the art first or you could also consider a slim coffee table or footstool that you can accessorise?

I think it looks great as it is! You have the perfect mix of light walls and dark accents from the sofa and fireplace. It looks really cosy and balanced, a dark wall may make the space feel a little more enclosed.

I would paint the whole room in a deeper, slightly warmer tone, grey is fine. A feature wall looks a bit dated nowadays and too pale neutrals don't seem to give much definition to furniture or other items in the room. Surprisingly, doing this will not usually make it feel much smaller, only cosier and its a far more modern approach to using paint in 2016.

Another in favour of painting the whole room, though it's lovely as it is.

I personally think Downpipe is a bit too dark for this space; definitely not for the sofa wall anyway. Behind the sideboard would look better imo.

For the whole room: something like Purbeck Stone?

I love the cabinet, colour looks good.

Dear Claire,

Maybe a delicate wallpaper, such us reproduction of an antique map could work?

I've made a quick visual for you to illustrate that.

It would work nicely with the style of your fireplace and some other features in the space.

In my opinion a dark feature wall on the elevation with the chimney breast would divide the space even more (as is it's quite irregular).

I could potentially see the dark wall working behind the sofa if it was serving as a background for a series of framed photographs/ pictures which would brighten it up.Otherwise that corner could become too dark.

Hope that helps. Good luck with y our little project!

Joanna

Hello Claire,

That's a nice choice to have the Stark chair next to the fireplace.. It's translucent which means it's not fighting for attention and gives the fireplace focus.. The low cabinet with the bear on is nicely arranged.. I think mirror too works really well as it's big but white so if offers fantastic texture.. The space feels light and everything feel spacious... I would not want to take that away by the introduction of a dark element here..

The sofa in fact is the darkest feature apart from the fireplace... I wonder if you would not consider introducing some light coloured cushions here and other textures.. There is an obviously feminine tone here and an emphasis on nature with the animals..

It is this I would focus on and not introduce an architectural element. You have styled this room well and so I would introduce a floor lamp for this area and layer some throws and light colour cushions to go with the badger and other animals.. If you wanted to paper the wall behind the sofa.. why not something like this from Barnaby Gates.. It's lovely, it has it's own texture from it's design but it's also light and would work well with the scheme.... : ))

If you are considering going down the dark grey routes, have a look at the paint range by Paint Library or Little Greene Paint Company rather than Farrow and Ball. They both have a much broader range of greys to choose from and you will be able to find a grey with an undertone that works with the rest of your scheme. You can order the colours charts from their websites or from http://www.designerpaint.com/

As you have a brown sofa I would look towards a grey that has some softness from a touch of brown in it. A personal favourite is Paint Library's Monument. It comes out much darker than the colour on their website, but has a softness that I don't think Downpipe does. Also look at Little Greene's French Grey.

Having said all that, I think Dabrovska Design's idea of picking up on the jadey green you have in your room from your cushions is lovely.

As for where to put the colour, I think the composition of your sideboard would benefit from a strong colour behind it. However, your sofa also looks a bit lost on the pale wall. You could solve all of this through a tonal scheme...the very dark behind the sideboard and the rest of the walls in the palest version of the same colour. Again both Paint Library and Little Greene do 'colour scale' which make these choices very easy for you.

You clearly love styling, so I am sure once you pick a couple of new wall colours you will have no trouble tying the whole space together very well.

Lovely and very helpful reply from Lothian. French Grey is a gorgeous colour. I've seen both light and grey which are nice.

Claire if your still struggling then check out www.vipwalls.co.uk we offer customers luxury Traditional and modern feature walls that really create an impact. We would love to help you out.

Bradley