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cheryl_bergman

NEW APARTMENT- brick dilemma! (Bedroom)

14 years ago
Hi all! So I am moving into a brand new beautiful apartment. I am entering a new phase of my life and, as such, I intend to furnish the apartment with all new or new to me furniture which should make decorating a lot easier. I want to start with the bedroom, but the brick is throwing me off.

Attached is a photo of it- I do have the freedom to paint the walls (not the brick) but I am a little stuck on colors. I hate the idea of what I consider to be colors that complement the red brick the best. I don't want a red or a mustard or really anything that can be described as rustic. I am also having trouble finding good reference//inspiration photos. I think I would like to have white furniture.

Attached is a photo also of the comforter that was in my last room and the kind of colors I really like (ignore the bunny). The color on the wall of my last bedroom was grey and had all the colors of the comforter as my accent colors and I loved it but think I should go for something new.

Thanks in advance for your help and ideas- I am going to be going thru this with the entire apartment, so ideas for any room are appreciated! =)

Comments (15)

  • 14 years ago
    In your comforter you had a bit of lime green which is a bit opposite on the color wheel from brick red. Maybe grey and whit bedding with a pop of green shades and one brick red with blacks and green morrocan or Ikat influence. Good luck
    Perhaps black painted antique night stand with a green tray from west elm. Cheers tammie
  • 14 years ago
    We have brick in our house and haven't found any issue using colors. It's very versatile - don't think you need to use red paint on the walls. In fact, I wouldn't recommend it. In our living room, we painted the walls taupe and have a dark blue accent wall. In our bedroom, we painted the walls a beige with some subtle green tones and have a green accent wall. I'm don't think dark paint should be what you use primarily, because the brick is dark already. My suggestion would be a taupe - white furniture would pop against it. Then you can use bold accent colors. Check out Jenna Bush's old rowhouse in Baltimore for an idea of what I mean. http://curbed.com/archives/2011/07/15/jenna-bush-hager-unable-to-sell-settles-on-playing-landlady.php#jenna-bush-baltimore-1
  • 14 years ago
    swiss mocha walls (kinda like it is now!) is a "coffee with cream" look. If you like color, a soft lavendar would look nice with the comforter you love.
  • 14 years ago
    Here's a thought... What would happen if I ignored the brick when it comes to using color in the apartment?
  • 14 years ago
    Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter is the most neutral color I've ever used that still has an almost transluscence about it that takes neutral to "pretty". Don't be fooled by the tiny swatch. It's worth sampling....goes with anything!
  • 14 years ago
    Is this place just for you or will there be a man living with this too ? Is the brick everywhere or just in the bedroom ?? Can you locate the bed opposite the brick wall or is that the only bed wall ? If you can, put two tall bookshelves (dark wood or black ) against the brick at either side, a console or long dresser in between with your TV or a large mirror over it. Treat it like a fireplace wall with built-ins.

    Look for a damask or paisley type print for bed linens (similar to your other linens in style sans the butterflies) with a rich dark plum or eggplant in it. This actually picks up some of the dark tones of that brick.
    Go to the opposite of that plum and look for a soft neutral wall paint color that complements the carpet, leaning toward the red-orange tones. (look at whites and sandy beiges with orange undertones to pull out the palest tones in the brick). Use some light brushed nickel, stainless or other 'silver' toned metal items such as frames, lamps, etc.

    Hint: Lay out color chips, fabrics, samples all together in the room with intended lighting before painting.
  • 14 years ago
    last modified: 14 years ago
    Hi---found you some options that I think could work with the current wall color and look great with the brick---also took into consideration the carpet when making these selections... Invest in a nice light fixture with the money you save from not having to paint. :) Good Luck!

    http://www.allmodern.com/Inhabit-Morning-Glory-Organic-Bedding-Collection-in-Silver-INH1792.html

    http://www.allmodern.com/DENY-Designs-Iveta-Abolina-Floral-1-Duvet-Cover-Collection--NDY3666.html

    http://www.allmodern.com/DENY-Designs-Iveta-Abolina-Little-Dandelion-Duvet-Cover-Collection--NDY3688.html

    http://www.allmodern.com/DENY-Designs-Iveta-Abolina-Sunset-2-Duvet-Cover-Collection--NDY3695.html
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  • 14 years ago
    With the carpet you have, you could go completely neutral: [houzz=
    Lower East Side Project- Bedroom · More Info
    ] or gold [houzz=
    Bedroom - Open living space · More Info
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    Personally, I would go with the pure white!
  • 14 years ago
    I like the wall and I like the bedding; but they do not compliment each other! Cheapest, least painful route; get new bedding and pack away the old !
  • 14 years ago
    I personally love brick and don't think it really matters for picking out a color palette. BUT, Another alternative is to just hang fabric or long drapes all along that wall in any color you like and go from there. If you can't hang a drapery rod to the brick wall, you can hang a drapery rod or a piece of conduit pipe or copper pipe from the ceiling right beside that wall. Then you don't have to worry about the brick color at all if you are having issues with it. You could also make that your headboard wall and do one wide panel of one color from the middle of the rod and do another color on each side of that. Just think of it as a big window that you want to cover. That may spark some ideas. You could even hang roll up shades in a natural bamboo or reed along that wall and cover the bottom of the wall with furniture in spots. Or a combination of the shades in the middle and fabric on each side. Just a thought.
  • 14 years ago
    Thanks so much all!!!

    This room is just for me, thankfully.... I find myself somewhat set on painting after never being able to paint my previous apartments! (Which is really weird because, by trade, I am a scenic painter so I am open to doing some pretty funky things with the wall- it's just hard to settle on what!)

    I believe the bedding does need to go... I was looking at the attached comforter and really like it even though there are no butterflies =) I really like the idea of drapery, but my fear is that it would make the room look smaller and I would be losing some potentially valuable wall space that I could be hanging art on!
  • 14 years ago
    I agree with the suggestions of using a neutral paint...BM swiss coffee and concrete are good. I think you should make that brick wall a focal point. Hang a large ornate mirror or a wild painting.
  • 14 years ago
    Good Grief Cheryl....I apologize. I think I misunderstood the whole problem! YIKES! You just wanted a paint color! my bad. Show us pics when you're done. Would love to see your art!
  • 14 years ago
    I like the BM Swiss Coffee judyg suggested and it looks quite similar to what you already have. Have Fun!