What colors would you paint this living room space?

You could do a search on Houzz for beamed ceilings for inspiration

http://www.houzz.com/photos/living-room/query/with-beamed-ceiling/nqrw/p/8

Browse Behr.com or any paint companies web sites for color inspirations. Once you decide on colors that appeal to you I would paint the largest wall a dark accent wall and the balance a shade ligher. Personally I would not paint the fireplace and I would focus on the wall color and paint that first before you think about painting the wood beams.

I would grab paint swatches in shades of 2/ or 3 colors to see which I liked . I would not paint the stone but I would paint the gold insert black & have a mantle built on the fireplace. I would start there first and then move on to the paint color (s) for the room. I would use a swatch and use the colors off that: 1 for ceiling, 1 for walls & 1 for accent wall and beams. Have fun with creating your new room and please post after pictures.

white, white, white. Everything in some form of a white color. Especially the ceiling and beams. It is too heavy and weighs down the room. All trim white and even the fireplace! I think you will surprised what it will do to your room, especially with such a light colored floor. If you can in the future put in a darker floor or dark rug, it should anchor it even more. You will then see that the attention is outside the windows.

If you keep the dark baseboards in the room, I would paint the ceiling white but either paint or stain the beams a brown to match the woodwork. I would paint the walls a taupe color. If you are going to change the word work to white like it is in the hallway, than I would paint the ceiling and the beams white. I would paint the walls a brown color. With your white wood work and ceiling, the brown would really make that room pop. I would add a little splashes of brown to the fireplace if you paint the walls taupe. If you paint the walls a brown, then I would paint the fireplace white. This would make it pop. It will give your room some color but not too over bearing. It would also give it a warm and inviting look. I would use a mix of pillows on the couch combining the colors which you choose to use and a few with prints. I would also choose a color to use as an accent for the room, too. For an example, a few accent pieces of the terracotta color and one or 2 pillows on the couch to make everything go together. I switch out a few pillows for each season just to change it up a little. I store the pillows. I don't buy new all of the time. I would dress up your windows with a printed valance with your colors if you paint the walls a taupe color. If you paint them brown, I would do some white vertical blinds and you could also do a printed valance if you wanted, too. I hope this helps.

I would paint/stain the Beams out in a darker shade (for dimension), white in between, then the rest off the room white. You have a couple of large dark pieces of very nice furniture in there, to make that whole thing "pop".

Let us know what you came up with please

What a beautiful room! I would paint the room an off-white, the beams and baseboards a rich mahogany and between the beams I would paint a pale sky blue. I played with a copy of your photo on the free program paint.net and I really liked the sky blue between the beams. :)

I love the view out the beautiful windows! I would suggest the following: keep the beams and trim light so not distract from the natural surroundings outdoors. I would leave the brick of the fireplace alone as well, or give it a wash of something neutral, perhaps a taupe. I know the trend right now is to go dark with woodwork, and if it was a room that had little outdoor interest, I would agree, but I think it would become too closed in because the ceiling would seem lower than it is. Perhaps painting the ceiling between the beams a lighter hue of whatever you do with the fireplace.

For the walls, I would stick with a neutral palate, but the wall opposite the fireplace, to me, begs to be a natural shade of green, Deep enough to know that it is there, but not so dark that it becomes the focal point of the room.

Good luck with your beautiful new home!

Yellow or light green

either walnut stain which would make it cozy or white, i am talking about the ceiling, whit is bright and clean looking!.

I agree with keeping the beams and ceiling light but I'd go with a warm, off-white for the beams with the lightest shade of blue for the ceiling, something that will compliment the teal color on the opposite wall from the fireplace. All trim and any other walls in the same off white as the beams. Should be a standout room! Post pic's of the finished room when you're done, whatever you decide.

I see your artwork is framed in dark wood, and the window trim is dark,too. I would stay in the neutral family and to make the room "country" and cozy, I would paint the ceiling an almost white with a tit one step towards coral. Then I would stain the beams with a dark walnut stain. A dark, rough, mantel would really set off the fireplace. I would paint the large wall opposite the fireplace one tint darker than the ceiling towards coral. This color is very flattering to all skin tones. I would add accent pillows a dark forest green, with coral/terra-cotta trims and accents. A really large sheepskin rug in an opposite color from the floor Brown carpet/white rug, or vice versa. Recessed lights between the beams would provide light without undoing the feeling. If you eave the fireplace surround bright brass, carry that through with lamps and candesticks on the mantel. A nice antique mirror over the mantel, or your flat-screen TV. Best of luck in your new home.

I would whitewash the fireplace, paint the beams and ceiling white. Then the walls a soft grey. around the windows with a darker shade of grey, making that my accent wall.

It depends, do you like warm or cool colors. Either way start with the beams,right now a grey/brown color would look old as if they are wood and have aways been there. I know you want to update but would ages,plus it would look great with your trim work and windows. Then if you like cool colors go with a grey with ceiling a light shade off same color, if you like warm Ness then go with a light hue of a brown, then a beige on ceiling. The room is so large and you have so much light coming in that I don't think either color would make it dark. The gery would make it larger feeling and the brown slightly smaller due to the color but it's so large that you can make it work. Personally I think you should go with you're favorite color on wall,life's to short to pick something plain that is boring. That room is large go with your favorite color. You'll be seeing it everyday company leaves after a couple of hours. Treat the beams like real wood. Like a Tudor home. Then go for the color that will make you smile everyday. That way you are expressing yourself. Good luck.

I have always been told that if you paint the ceiling dark that you won't look at it But the focus area of the room. It's so true. I painted my fireplace wall and ceiling charcoal and left the brick original. Then I painted the other walls a lighter gray tone. I still live the colors after 2 years. I went with charcoal a medium gray and on one wall plum.

Your room is beautiful now. You just want to make it your own, which is understandable. My personal opinion is: don't paint the fireplace unless it will not clean up. The rest is personal preference. I do agree with looking at Houzz for ideas.

Would love to see carmel and molasses beautiful earth tones

I would paint/stain the beams & woodwork to match your window frames. The ceiling white or off-white. The walls either a warm white or light gray. Keep the rug & fireplace as is. Put in a chunky, long wood mantle stained the beam color. It would be neutral enough to accent with any color in pillows, decor pieces, pictures, etc. And would be easy to decornate for any holidly, season. HoPerfect this helps.

Select colors from the brick. Greys would be nice. Stay neutral. Paint the ceiling a light shade and on the same color strip, the beams two to three shades darker. Paint the trim around the windows the same as the beams to tie them together. The walls should accent the brick by matching colors found in the brick. Color can always be added to the room with accessories, paintings, pillows, plants, etc. I've been doing color consultation and painting for years. Get paint samples in the paint dept and paint pieces of poster board and place them throughout the room. Light changes throughout the day and so will your color samples. Best wishes.

I would stain the beams darker and then paint the ceiling white, for starters. I like the idea of taking a wall color form the bricks or using a color that compliments the bricks like a cheery apricot.

I agree with Sonya. Paint the beams and woodwork to match the trim around the windows. Add a mantle, the same color as the beams and woodwork above the fireplace. I would go with a white or very light gray ceiling but then do a light sage green on the walls. Maybe even make one wall a few shades of a darker sage green. I think it would blend well with the furniture you have in the room.

Keep the stone fireplace as is...Add a beautiful, large, wooden mantle over the fireplace. Paint the door surround black. As for ceiling, stain is the way to go, but color?

If you go with a white all over I would not paint the stone fireplace... If you choose to do a soft gray you may want to white wash the stone... Maybe paint the wall around the fireplace with a pop of color or use shiplap to accent that wall... Maybe stained a similar color as the wood trim on the Windows...

Dark rich color , Beams stain dark oak, ceiling white,

A light color brown to match fire place colors around window. Darker shades of brown or tan on opposite walls.

I would pick up the grays and tans in the fireplace in a medium tone on the walls and ceiling and a few shades darker on the beams. Then I would put a nice rug in the center of the room in colors that would complement the grays/tans. Maybe in the blue family. Match the pillows curtains to the blue in the rug.

Even in the picture the eye is drawn to the ceiling because it is darker and so busy! If you stain or paint the beams a dark color, it would look/feel like a cage because there are so many of them. I would go all soft white or even light greys on both ceilings and walls to draw the eye down to where most of your personal touches will be. Don't be afraid to lighten the fireplace, too, and consider a nice mantle. These neutrals would be the great background for any pops of color you choose and changing accessories/color pops wouldn't mean a complete redesign later.

Thank you everyone for your posts and help! We are going to use these ideas and experiment. I will post pictures once we are complete. Wish us luck!

Would do a stain on the beams the color of the windows, in between beams a lighter color, maybe cream, a german white schemer on the fireplace and go from there.

i'm not sure on paint colors but there just seems to be too many beams. can you remove, say, every other one? the ceiling just looks so heavy and busy.

The ceiling does seem heavy and makes the ceiling seem low, as well as closed off. So, that being said, if you don't want the hassle of trying to remove the beams or staining to match the other wood tones in the room or even get a more modern feel, you will definitely want to paint the ceiling and the beams the same color with semi gloss finish in a white or eggshell color. My reason for this suggestion is, the semi gloss will be easier to wipe down/dust and will reflect lighting in the room for a warmer feel. Also, the white or eggshell will lift your ceiling up making the ceiling seem higher and the room larger without feeling crowded. As for the walls and trim, I'd suggest a light or medium grey for the walls and white on the trim, moldings, baseboards and doors. The fireplace could be left as is, just add a mantel in white to match your trim or you can go right over the brick with tile, like a grey marble or even a subway of your choice .

Paint the ceiling white. Then paint the beams a faux wood or wrap the beams with reclaimed wood. Add a heavy reclaimed wood mantle with a large painting on top or something to make the fireplace the focal point it should be. Do not paint the natural stone. Add a darker earthy toned area rug to ground the floor and make the floor heavy...right now your room is really top heavy. Get rid of the traditional furniture, but keep the leather chair. Add rustic or lodge type comfortable furniture in an earthy tone. Bring in some more earth tones with throw pillows. Your large windows and natural stone fireplace lend itself to earth tones in varying shades of gray and taupe. paint the wall behind the couch with one of your darker accent colors...but not too dark.

Whatever you choose to do, please come back to Hometalk with lots of pictures. I LOVE THIS ROOM. Wish it were mine!

Love the room. Darken the beams and pick a light sage green. Add rug and pop on pillows.

I would use a Taupe grey in a warm med tone on walls, light cream on ceiling, a wood or laminate floor in a darker stressed gray, then use the new orange tones in curtains in a 60s style print , choose a wall to add a bold print wall paper for a focal point of interest., and blend a large area rug to compliment the wall paper an curtains, slash some colorful pillows to add more interest....have fun. You have a Midcentury home that is beautiful!

Pull colors from a picture or accent furniture. Myself, All soft warm colors with complimentary focal point

Leave ALL the natural colors (beams, top of fireplace, etc.). Paint between beams, door/window trims, and fireplace a light, chalk cream. Distress fireplace. Paint all walls, under windows and heat registers a blue/gray. Paint all end tables a distressed chalk black. Install a natural colored mantle to match beams. BALANCE the decorations on the mantle but with one cream-colored scheme. Get new pillows, throws to match blue/cream/natural scheme. Replace brown chair with a darker blue chair or cover with a dark blue chair cover. Paint fireplace insert black and get black fire utensils. Add blue/cream/natural nautical pictures above fireplace and sofa. What a great project!

Just a personal observation. If you bought the house because it was just what you were looking for, why do you want to change it already? I'd suggest waiting a while until the right color(s) come to you. I will admit the other suggestions are good, but just sayin'.

I do want you to know that I am a complete failure at decorating.

Beautiful room. I think that if it were mine, I might paint the ceiling an off white and stain the beams the color of the glass door frame. I would then stain the wood around the fireplace a very dark brown or black and it would pop! I would keep the walls soft, maybe the same off white as the ceiling. I have a friend that used this color scheme in her mountain home and it is stunning!

That ceiling is dreary looking. Paint it and the beams white.

I agree, start slow, paint the beams white, bring in more red accessories for pops of color for now, down the road I would take out the carpet and replace with wood or tile and have accent rugs, then paint the walls to coordinate, this will bring the room together. Good luck, not often do we have the opportunity to " redo a large room ". Have fun and enjoy as you go along.

What I did. Bought poster boards at a dollar store. Went to craft store acrylic paint dept. Chose a few colors I liked, about 99 cents each. Painted "one" board & taped to wall. Lived with it for about a week. Moved it around a few times, beside the window, the lamp, right behind the sofa and beside a picture. Repeat with other colors. Takes time but better than painting a whole room and not liking it. Have done this several times over the years. I sure do not like "do-overs!"

I would stain the beams and around the fireplace a dark color to match the window frame. Add a beam for a mantle The same color. Paint between ceiling beams white of it looks odd as is. Add a dark patterned rug to floor to break up all the light colors.

Ditto the comment by Karentokarse except instead of blue, substitute a deep evergreen (bluish-green) to echo the green in the trees seen through the windows. I would leave the beams natural until you've lived with them a while, but I agree that staining them dark would make them too heavy and bring the ceiling down, which you don't want. Using furniture as rustic as you choose might also be nice, but you could slipcover what you have for now if the budget is an issue. Not sure about black end tables, but you might get one from the thrift store and try it if you don't want to paint the ones you have. The carpet appears to be gray, so I'm not sure it could be worked into this color scheme, but it seems in that part of the country carpet would be an asset especially in the winter. A brightly colored rug over neutral carpet would be nice, repeating the rug colors in pillows, paintings and throws. YES, use the posterboards to try out colors. I too have used this method of trying out paint samples and it is wonderful. And, yes, please post "after" pictures. Good luck!

I would lighten the ceiling with a warm white and reduce the contrast of the beams by painting them the same color or one only a few shades darker. You have beautiful windows, which are wonderful in warm weather, but during cold winters, can make a room feel colder than it is. A warm appearing room will feel more comfortable when the view out the windows is white. I would go with one of the warmer neutrals from your fireplace stone on your walls. The room is large enough to support a shade that is darker than a white without feeling closed in, as long as the ceiling is light and doesn't feel pressed down by the beams. I would not choose a cool grey, blue, or green because it would feel visually cold during winter when you most want to enjoy the fireplace. Your woodwork could be the same warm white as your ceiling. I like the suggestion of adding a mantel to give more definition to the fireplace and to give you more decorating options.

We have a large living room with a light ceiling and several windows and have chosen a warm neutral in an attempt to avoid a cavernous feeling during frigid winters and to keep an airy feeling during very warm summers. We spend our summers outside and our cold weather cooped up indoors, so winter is primarily what I decorate around.

The natural wood ceiling goes so well with the outside, so why not paint a wall that light green to complement the natural look. Bringing nature inside is so calming.

I would Paint the beams a dark gray. The ceiling between beams, a bright white. Paint the walls a light gray. This would tie in to yor light gray floors and the gray in your fireplace. It will be stunning.

Also, the wood around the doors and molding on the floor should match the beams.

Love the beams but the color is to light. I would stain or paint them the darkest color of the brick in your fireplace. i would do the same with the block above the fireplace bringing it up and making it look less boxed in. The color of the ceiling a beige / grey color from the fireplace and the walls a darker color of that.

fyi-you can take a pit ute of the fireplace colors you like to the paint store to help you get it right.

I would use a warm gray on walls and a gloss white on beams. Pull furniture away from walls creating cozy seating in front of fireplace. Cowhide area rug. Paint oval table. Some curtains next yo windows. Your room is lovely. Have fun!

What a great space. So many options. You could put dark stain on beams or paint the whole ceiling in a neutal or paint great colour between beams. Depends what features you want to highlight. Modern look neutral. Warmer ecletic dark stain. I would consider doing an accent wall... to give the room some depth.... dark purple dark grey wallpaper and keep other walls neutral.

Dark beams, white in-between beams, stain or paint the other wood to match. Add a very soft window treatment (long rod and lovely curtains). Bring in some deep greens, and deep reds and soften the furniture with throws and pillows.

As an educated surface coating/color/design specialist Contractor. I always recommend to my clients first that the walls are not the focal point of the room. They are the backdrop in the background to show off everything else in that room. The biggest mistake is to try to make everything the focal point. The fire place should be the focal point so nothing is the same color as that. The more things that are the same color as that will camouflage & hide the fireplace. With that big huge window wall, the room will need to have a color chosen from outside the window, match a green, a flower color, etc. Now a color is just the color, 1 color can range from off white to off black. Choose a color from the foliage, lighten it or darken it. Any true Paint Store (not Box Store) can do that; they are color specialists. That will make the windows disappear & the room feel like an open patio. Toasty warm in the winter, comfy cool in the summer. The beams are overpowering. White ceilings will pull those beams down on your head. White ceilings are actually a product of laziness, when it comes to spec. building & money management; as opposed to manipulating the architecture to maximize positive optical illusion. The spaces between the beams need to be the same paint as the walls (eggshell, not flat, not semigloss). In interior decorating the "Rule of Thumb" is ceilings same color of the walls or darker. If the ceiling is lower than normal it needs to be darker to make it feel much higher than it actually is. It sounds ridiculous, that is the power of optical illusion. That is how we use paint to manipulate optical illusion toward the positive. The dead white is too stark & cold making the beams big, hard, & ominous. Same color on the ceilings soften/cozy a room, make the room feel much larger than it is, exaggerates the 3 dimension of every thing in the room even woodwork, picture frames, & especially that texture of the entire fireplace. It make the room brighter, the brain isn't trying to get light from the white ceiling, which it can't. I have done some pretty dark rooms with no windows, and once I got rid of the white ceiling the client actually removed lighting from the room. That is how insidious a negative optical illusion the dead white ceiling creates. Now the wall at the windows need to be a different tone, a tad lighter or darker & continue down the hall to where that hall wall ends, unless there is another big window section down there, then continue the color down that entire side of the house. And yes you can because that wall does not belong to that room. That wall is a hall wall. It may not have a wall on the other side of the hall, but it belongs to the hall NOT belong to the living room. Oh what a GREAT room for someone like me to work my magic (not my comment - that is what my clients request - please come & work your magic on my horrible room). All room are wonderful, they just may need a little "optical illusion tweaking"; & it's just paint.

Oh and neutral is not beige. Most of your beige's are not neural; neutral means plays well with others. Colors that will chamomile/change to accommodate any color scheme you throw at it. Tertiary colors from nature; not primary, not secondary, tertiary colors found in nature are all neutral/plays well with others colors. Easiest found in the Early American, Colonial, etc. color charts at the paint store. Because that is how they made pigment, grinding plants & bugs (yup).

wow! What a great wealth of information you are! Thanks for sharing, you've given me food for thought for when we renovate our master suite!

Paint the wall surrounding fireplace darker

Textured neutral wallpaper on couch wall

Beam options

Nice colour.....

I would pull one of colors from the fireplace brick2. Possibly light gray for the walls and darker gray similar to the color around your windows with very light gray in between the beams.

light gray with something more dramatic on the wall with fireplace

The paint suggestions would depend on the "look" you want to create. Personally, I would leave the ceiling and beams as is for now and add a light color that you like to give the room some personality.....maybe light green or light blue since your floor is relatively neutral too.