I love what you've done with the kitchen, you're husband is a keeper. As for the living room and dining room, you can go really Craftsman with the tones they used then or you can go lighter and make a more up to date look with your existing furniture. I'm attaching some photos for you to ponder and they will give you great ideas. Take note of what you love about a picture and write it down to get an idea book going and refer to it when making choices.

Here is a link that might be useful: [Craftsman styles[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/craftsman-interior-phbr0lbl-bl~l_37427)

Hey Gold. Since I live in an 1890 Victorian I thought I would chime in . Your home is wonderful!!

I too love sunrise and sunset colors. I like rich and saturated colors. I used two different sources to decide what colors I wanted on my walls.

One great source is Lowes and the color brochures that they have in the Olympic and Valspar paints. I used them to narrow down the groups of colors that I liked. For instance "nature" etc. I found it very helpful. Other paint manufacturers have brochures also but I found these color coordination choices more to my liking..particularly the nature colors, which you have indicated you like also.

The other way I chose all of my colors was to use my art and rugs as the central theme. I see you have rugs in the rooms and as you mention you put them down to preserve the floors. Also I know you love art and have added some new things with the passing of your MIL.

I would sit down with the color brochures and see what theme works with the rugs and the art that you will have in the two rooms DR and LR. Only then can you choose the colors for your walls. I took the art off of the walls and propped it with color samples against the furniture and on the rugs. I would then walk into the rooms at different times of the day and look at the light and the color swatches. It made it so easy to narrow down which direction I wanted to go. I kept noting which things drew my eye and removed the ones that didn't appeal as the days went by. It didn't take long to see what worked for me with what I owned.

I hope this is helpful to you . c

Golddust, your house is lovely! Your kitchen looks great.

I think Trailrunner has a great idea to bring some of those color brochures and sit with them in the space. I think that is a good way to find combinations you might not think of on your own. I know if I sit with the giant BM deck I get overwhelmed pretty quickly.

Beth P

Look for colors that work well with all that lovely stained trim.

Here are some great inspiration pics:

I love the way sage looks with stained wood, but some think that color is overdone/out:

[Traditional Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2107) by Mercer Island Architect knowles ps

[Contemporary Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2103) by New York Architect David Howell Design

[Traditional Hall[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-hallway-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_743~s_2107) by Portland Architect Emerick Architects

I really like this sort of muted mustard color:

[Eclectic Family Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-family-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_720~s_2104) by Cincinnati Architect RWA Architects

Love the look of terra cotta with dark stained trim

[Traditional Laundry Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-laundry-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_753~s_2107) by Alachua Cabinets Busby Cabinets

I should have time later today to do some photoshopping of colors if you would like.

Amazing house, what a deck and views !!! I would go with light colours in your DR, not too yellow. I'm not a good colour advisor so I'm sure you'll get better recs from others.

Love what you've done with the kitchen and bath and what strikes me about them is that you've preserved the aged feel but really freshened it up with clean and more modern colors. I could see the same in the living and dining room space.. a fresh color that works with the trim and your furnishings but that brings more life to the room than some of the traditional craftsman colors. I don't usually go pink or peach but I think an interesting pale and browned pink would be lovely with your fabrics and wood .. I could also see a blue green-- think spruce but much lighter-- or sage that leans towards a frosty blue.

Love the photos kelly shared-- they all have the fresh craftsman look I am envisioning for your house. Also love trail's suggestion to bring in brochures and paint cards to look at them in your home with your things.

I didn't take quite the same approach but when I found a great color for me, I started seeing that it worked well with all my "things". I keep taking small pieces to the house-- artwork or a vase-- things that I love-- and each looks so much better in the new (empty lol!) house than it ever did here. That's what I think you need-- a color that just works with what you have. You have a clear and consistent style your paint color should showcase what you love!

I know how very overwhelming it is to choose a color for your living space but just start narrowing down. Let your belongings do the work-- that's the biggest mistake I made. I let myself be influenced by the lovely photos here and the colors that worked for others. I needed to let the house and my own style, artwork and belongings guide me.

And have fun with it! If you feel overwhelmed-- go for a walk, clear your head and look into those sunrises and sunsets. :)

Hi golddust,

What an amazing house! I think I might remember your bathroom from the bathroom forum?

I love the bold colour you chose for the outside of your home.

I have the same dining room set and because it has many gold/orangey tones in it, I'd lean towards suggestions above to look at a light greeny grey or a cream with a bit of green in it. However, having said that, I went with brown, grey (Farrow and Ball's Dauphin) in our dining/living area because I love a monochromatic look. I wonder if you could do the same thing with a gold?

Here's a few quick mock-ups:

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Thanks, everyone! Kelly, I love the inspiration photos. Sage may well be overdone but I like it. It isn't overdone here. The mock ups scare me. I don't like any of those colors in the pictures but I WAS thinking gold. Dont think that is going to happen...

All the other rooms just came together without effort. Not so with the living room and dining room. And these rooms are seldom used. I need to do something.

Daisy, the house was red when I first met it, decades before I owned it. By the time I bought it, it was peeling grey. I remembered it as the red house all those years, so the second time we painted it, I brought back the red. It seems happier being red.

We've done so much work. My upstairs bathroom turned out great. I need to photograph it. I'm just stuck on the last two rooms yet they will be the easiest rooms we have done.

Funk, we try to honor the house in everything we do. We let the house guide us. The LR and DR are mute!

I know you asked about paint, golddust my friend, but I think an Arts & Crafts style wallpaper would fabulous for the dining room. Just something to think about ...

Here is a link that might be useful: Bradbury & Bradbury wallpapers

Gold, I wasn't too crazy about those colors either. I do like the grey/green color tho.

Never been a fan of wallpaper but that Persian wallpaper is gorgeous!

I love the wallpaper but my rooms are so big, I'd have to settle for a beautiful border and a matching paint color. I've been lost on that website, dee.

I painted my upstairs bathroom BM 'Flora'. Don't have the number but it is a color from their special line (can not remember the name). I really like it but will be bringing 'Mom's rugs downstairs so need to be mindful of the colors in her rugs...

They look too light to me. I think bungalow gold and bungalow blue would like nice, but I am itching to use those colors again so that could be swaying my opinion :)

can we see a close up of the rug?

Meant to say I love that built-in cabinet in the bath!
What does mom's rug look like?

Deedee, the picture you posted is my living room. Here is the rug, hopefully.

Beautiful rug! It looks like you have several colors you could pull from the rug, but my first thought is something in the blue/grey family. It will be interesting to see what others see.

Here's my paint suggestions - at least my suggestions without knowing the full scope of all of your décor. Though I really want you to install that Persian wallpaper since it would never work in my own house. lol!

Here is a link that might be useful: F & B

Trail, good idea!

Deedee, I like the green. Think i may tire of the other color. Very tempted to order some border samples from the company you linked to. I should do that first... Can't use the 20" wide border that I love. Thinking about the five or so inch stuff.

I'm so grateful to everyone. I know I gave you a whole bunch of extra pictures but I wanted you to get an idea of what we have done with the house to date. Kind of gives you a sense of our taste, though our living and dining room is way past due for attention. I appreciate the time and effort you are giving me.

Since my dining room set was posted above, I want to show you 'Mom's' dining set that is in the dining room now. I have a choice to keep it or sell it for the trust.

I'm tempted to keep it but unsure if its because I like it in the room or because I'm sentimental. Please scroll up to dee's picture and look at this one. Which one should I keep?

I think your DR set is more in keeping with the feel that you have in your A&C home. Her DR set is much more formal. I like your set best with your home. But...only you know how attached you feel to her set and also whether you want to take your DR/ LR in a more formal direction.

I have a navy blue room and I note that your carpet has a lot of navy. I also love the pink tone from above that dee posted. I have a rug with navy and that rich rose/pink and I have often wanted to change wall colors to the luscious rose ! Go for it ! c

my Oriental in navy DR :

Trail, that blue is beautiful - though the pink would be perfect in your room too. Especially with your rug

Golddust, so is "mom's" dining room (beautiful, I mean). I went on a mini tangent looking at fabrics to reupholster those chair seats if you choose to keep it. So much fun to spend other peoples money! lol!

I stumbled across this lamp shade today. He took a Cole & Sons wallpaper border and covered the shade. Wouldn't one of those Bradbury and Bradbury borders make a great shade?

Here is a link that might be useful: Morris fabrics

Ugh. Just lost my post along with my patience. Beautiful rug Trail! I have one in those same colors. I like your blue room. I have too much wood to pull that off.

Deedee, if I had the right shades, it would be so fun to cover them in great wallpaper! Currently mine are smaller at the top and larger at the bottom. The print would not translate well.

Thank you gold ! Go with a shade of the rose then...I was sure the blue would be too dark with all the wood..just wanted to show you that a type of rose would look wonderful.

thank you dee !