Despite all the time I spend watching HGTV, I don't have much confidence in giving advice, but I will say that with what you're saying, everything should go beautifully together. Also: EGGPLANT SOFA. That sounds gorgeous and perfect for the sassy, classy lady that is your house.
Sounds to me like there's enough vibrant color in the rug, painting, and media stand that I'd be a little hesitant to add something as large and eye-drawing as an eggplant sofa without testing out that volume/size of color in the space with the accents.
A test method I've found useful is stuffing garbage bags with something nicely space-filling (e.g. anything from pillows to just a lot of air and tying them shut), then laying them out in the area and covering them with a sheet or something in the right/approximate color.
I'm hoping the eggplant will, in person, be a gentler rather than a more vibrant purple. I'll know more after I see the swatches or a floor model in that shade.
I've seen the brown sofa in the space, and have pictures, but these people were much into the neutrals.
There will be pics, once I'm in and settled! So a few months yet.
I say, first and foremost, go for that yellow wall! If you're afraid the room is gonna be too dark, you have to consider the psychological aspects of color as well, and there's nothing more cheerful than a none-neon yellow on a wall. Taupe is just gonna be depressing with all those other dark colors and doesn't evoke the same happy/warm psychological response as yellow. My living room is painted yellow and doesn't get a lot of natural light, and changing the walls from white to yellow when I moved in was a HUGE mood boost that I hadn't expected. My parents recently repainted their walls in shades of beige and taupe, and I have nothing good to say about it. It's kinda grim-looking, if you ask me.
If you're worried it'll be too dark once it's all in, you can always choose light-colored accents, like throws and pillows, and even add some extra lights (I adore creatively-shaped lights with paper shades for brightening up a room without glare, especially those 4' paper pillar lights from IKEA) to offset all the darks a little.
I did some browsing through the golds this afternoon and found a shade I REALLY like -- it's more wheaty, but remains definitely yellow rather than beige, and looks like it would really capture the light well. I think that might undercut any potential clash with the sofa while retaining the sunniness.
The kitchen walls are taupe, and staying taupe, but the floor is teal, and once you've gone there with the floor the walls kinda need to settle down.
Would taupe/khaki walls be less overpowering with an eggplant sofa?
Yes. And you WANT an eggplant sofa. Don't give up on what you really have your heart set on. Walls are just paint; if you hate them, you just paint over them.
I'd also wait to buy the accent chair until most everything is in there, and then choose based on what you think you need-- my gut says you'll want to go lighter with the accent chair fabric.
Last but not least: mix woods. A lighter wood can help brighten the room, but you can still have a dark fabric with it.
Well, painting gets exponentially tougher once you've moved in, but I take your point: It's not irrevocable. And yes, I want to wait on the accent chair to figure out how the space flows, the general color scheme, etc.
There's actually going to be very little wood in this room -- the media stand and a couple of end tables that won't much show. But I can work with it!
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Eggplant sofa! We shall see.
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A test method I've found useful is stuffing garbage bags with something nicely space-filling (e.g. anything from pillows to just a lot of air and tying them shut), then laying them out in the area and covering them with a sheet or something in the right/approximate color.
I like the gold walls.
Good luck! Will there be pictures?
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I've seen the brown sofa in the space, and have pictures, but these people were much into the neutrals.
There will be pics, once I'm in and settled! So a few months yet.
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silveraspen: That's a cool idea about the trash bags and the fabric!
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If you're worried it'll be too dark once it's all in, you can always choose light-colored accents, like throws and pillows, and even add some extra lights (I adore creatively-shaped lights with paper shades for brightening up a room without glare, especially those 4' paper pillar lights from IKEA) to offset all the darks a little.
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The kitchen walls are taupe, and staying taupe, but the floor is teal, and once you've gone there with the floor the walls kinda need to settle down.
Good points re: pillows and lights!
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Yes. And you WANT an eggplant sofa. Don't give up on what you really have your heart set on. Walls are just paint; if you hate them, you just paint over them.
I'd also wait to buy the accent chair until most everything is in there, and then choose based on what you think you need-- my gut says you'll want to go lighter with the accent chair fabric.
Last but not least: mix woods. A lighter wood can help brighten the room, but you can still have a dark fabric with it.
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There's actually going to be very little wood in this room -- the media stand and a couple of end tables that won't much show. But I can work with it!
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