I don't have an opinion on the one color vs. variations of one color issue, but I do think that, regardless of what you end up doing, you can help make the townhouse look larger by carrying at least one color in your decorating scheme throughout. For example, let's say you like blue, and you decide on some blue fabric for a piece in your living room. You could cover your dining room chairs in a similar blue, or have a blue tablecloth and/or napkins and/or art with blue in it. Blue towels in the kitchen, or blue in the window treatments, etc. The color need not always be solid; you could have solid blue curtains in one room, and a blue-patterned thing, like a vase or pillows, in another. You also don't have to take it to an extreme, with every piece in every room following the "blue rule"; the idea, as I understand it, is simply to have a bit of continuity throughout a space.

I really think it depends on your personal preference. Using too many colors will certainly make the area looked chopped, but a little variation does add interest if that is what you like.

Which rooms are completely "separate" and could be painted a different color? Without knowing your floorplan its hard to comment.

I would probably do the whole main floor one color except for the bath. I'd probably do wallpaper in the bath.

Thanks for opinions. The only separate room is the powder room...the kitchen has a half wall open to dining room which is completely open to living room. I like the idea of accessories being in the same colour family throughout.

i have my first floor of my condo all one color and i really like it...there are plenty of options to give each room personality with wall art, window treatments, and other accessories....i have a long narrow space and the combination of wood floors throughout and the same wall color (a saturated greige) with bright white baseboards and trim moldings really expand it visually....my layout is very similar to yours, we opened the kitchen into the dining room which is open to the living room and i don't think there is any way i would break those rooms up with different colors...i liked the color so much i did the 2 bedrooms which are on opposite ends of the unit

Until a few weeks ago, my main floor was all one color and I loved it.

desert_soliataire....do you have accessories in your rooms in co-ordinating colours? I was wondering..would I have a valance in kitchen in a corresponding colour with table runner etc in dining area and cushions in living room?? Not all matching but in same colour family? Great that you were able to have floors and walls in same colour. When we moved in the floors were already a light kind of oak coloured laminate so don't want to change that right now. My living room and dining room are BM Carrinton Beige which I like so I think I'll do kitchen in same colour. Any opinion? I really appreciate this site...seem to have lost my knack for making these decisions as I've gotten older.

All flowly areas of my main floor are the same color - a khaki. Currently a half bath and the (somewhat offset) dining room are a green. I have a small inset office behind pocket doors that I may be painting a third color (terra cotta-ish). All three of those colors are found in some form throughout my entire house, except for DD's areas. :)

I have bullnosed corners so that somewhat influenced my decision. If it were easier to transition colors I might have a few more.

Overall, anything that "feels" like a single space, regardless of how many rooms/area it encompasses, flows best with a single color.

(I use the same approach with WTs, etc.)

I have considered this as well as I live in a little house. I think it would visually enlarge the space to have the same color. I have different colors but they are all considered neutrals and they coordinate nicely. It defines each seperate space somewhat and theres very little contrast between the colors because they don't change a lot as far as the values. I like the variety, but I think just one color would work nicely and I have considered doing that if I ever re-do. Theres so much you can do with the fabrics and accessories.

I would keep the same color throughout. If you want to add another color pick the accent color you have used for your accessories as an accent wall in the kitchen and powder room (the whole powder room could be this color if you prefer.

I'm a dullard but I like all one color in the whole house --- shades of white!

I like using lighter and darker variations of one colour. That allows you some leeway to account for the changes in light from room to room, but still gives a feeling of continuity and spaciousness. It's fun to do something completely different in the guest bath so that it becomes a surprise. I like the idea of painting the guest bath in an intense colour that represents your accent colour in other rooms or using a wonderfully patterned wallpaper.