Help with Paint in a 2-story foyer with an open floor plan (mirror, curtains)

[enza]

Hi,

I purchased my house a year ago, and when we first moved in I went with SW biscuit, very light but I afraid because of the openness of my floor plan, so I went with it, a year later and tons of moldings later, I'm in search of a color that would bring the wood moldings out along with flowing right in my other rooms. The family room along with the formal living and dining room is all visible. I don't want to go to dark, but I nice color that looks good with bronze, deep golds and reds.
I don't have a carpet runner on my steps yet, but will be going with darker browns and reds there, and lighter on the walls. I want to stay in lighter browns, taupes, golds...no yellow. Any help would be great!

[TheWayISeeThings]

Beautiful home. Here are some ideas: Fiery Sunset

Do you mind showing a photo of some of your furniture in the living room -- if that is what you are sticking with. Your style can impact the choice of color as well. The home itself is traditional colonial? I'm assuming your style is fairly traditional as well.

[Hopes]

We need to see pictures of your family room furniture, curtains and rugs.

Whatever you paint the hall, you're going to have to paint the family room because they share the same wall on the second staircase.

[enza]

My family room is fairly tradition, I will post some photos tomorrow. Thank you very much!

[Hopes]

Great! We need to see the colors of you furniture and such so we can advise on a paint color that will go well with the family room.

[K'ledgeBldr]

That place must see some really wild parties(?)

hint: disco mirror ball.

[gigimac]

On that same page TheWayISeeThings gave you, click on "Naturally Neutral," and have a look down the first column where it says "Bare Essence." But in general I'm thinking of an ivory, only of course darker than what's up on most of your walls now.

[Avalon08]

You're also kind of locked-in to something that will not clash with the deep gold that's on your LR and (DR?) walls. They're the first thing you see peripherally if you're coming into the foyer and looking at the staircase. So if you choose a mid-tone brown, go with a warm color and not too much gray like taupe.

I had a house with a LR/DR that opened up into a two-story FR, so I had to go with the same color throughout, like you. I did a soft (what I thought was) medium taupe called Cafe Latte or something like that. The problem is, it didn't have enough contrast with the carpet or the white woodwork, so it just looked like beige on the walls....hardly like I had any color on there. In the house I'm in now, I picked a color in the middle of the five-color sample. I was REALLY afraid it would be too dark (everything looks too dark when you paint a swatch on a white wall) and my instinct was telling me to go safe and pick the lighter color above, but I'm TOTALLY happy with the result. It really makes my white woodwork pop.

BTW, your home is GORGEOUS!!! Look forward to your furniture pics.

[ac00]

Avalon08 what was the color that you used? I was thinking Shaker Beige.