You are lucky you will be able to paint in an apartment. Paint the room several shades lighter than the color of your sofa. Buy a couple of lighter pillows to place on the sofa. What else is in the room? It is hard to advise without seeing the whole area.

There's some built in shelving and a non-working fireplace which I think I will keep white. Also a dark brown coffee table and tv stand. I'm going to look for a light colored armchair (probably patterned) and a rug. Thanks for the advice on the paint. That's the direction I had been thinking.

I like white with navy...add some inexpensive side chairs...and you are good to go.

JudyG - where are those chairs from? Thanks!

whitish grey walls,, Really depends on your style.. If contemporary, you could add bold colors and prints on pillows for couch. Some bright vases and multicolored books on shelves.. Hang curtains, airy and light in color to window. Put up to ceiling.. will make room look larger.. Try to incorporate the things you enjoy.. If a reader, then maybe a nook, just for that.. Computers?-- maybe a desk and chair, set up for that.. Use your best imagination. Im sure it will look great, and be very functional for YOU, as well...

Start with an area rug to inspire you. My hope it that it would have a hint of the navy but could be a beige, gold, or ivory base. The walls could be a lighter version of that rug background (neutral). You will want to bring it pattern with the rug and some pillows and window treatments. You don't want to have everything solid. Good luck! -Erin

Why don't you just slip-cover the couch any way you like? Then you can do ANYTHING!

If it were me, I'd get a cover for the sofa to coordinate with the color I WANT to paint the walls. Minimizing a sofa is not motivation enough for restricting my paint color choices. Painting the walls won't change a thing about the sofa. It's still the 800 pound gorilla in the room. :)

Camel

The sofa looks grayish in the photos. Paint the walls gray to pull it more into that colorway. Opt for black accents whenever you can.

I would chose the paint color LAST. If navy isn't for you, slip cover the sofa. If you are going to work with it, take a cushion with you and buy a chair and an area rug. Next, get some throw pillows and a few accessories that tie them together. Then, you are ready to paint. For clues, look in your closet. Use a color that YOU love. Right now, you are focusing on the walls because the room is empty. Beige is boring and grey can be depressing. My choice would be pure white walls and several bright colors like Navy, White, Pink Green and Orange.

You can do so much with the sofa: add a large throw, an assortment of great pillows, incorporate a spectacular chair and some sort of accent table in between them. Navy is basic enough that you have many options: use varying degrees of blue in pillows, add a "water" looking blue rug, find paintings with blues or go with jewel tones such as red, gold, deep leaf green.

As far as the walls and window coverings, I'd go easy on any idea of dark colors, it'll make it look smaller and dingy. Let's say you decide to go with the jewel tones I suggested, a beautiful warm gold (think lighter not darker) on the walls would bring warmth to the room. I'd get the same color on the window coverings so they blend. If you decide to go with the blues I suggested, then the wall color might be a light blue, brightening the room, these colors would bring a cooler feel to the room, rather than a warm feel, as the jewel tones.

Anna - what is your favorite color? Don

Paint the inside of the bookshelves a contrasting or darker colour just for a fun look!

Navy and white look great together. If you don't want white, look at gray colors. Knitting Needle by Sherwin Williams is a good choice. Then pick your favorite bright color and use it in a few accent pieces. When considering accent pieces, think about a soft gray cashmere sweater and your favorite blue jeans. What jewelry would you wear?

I would get a paint sample of a cream- yellow color. Yellow is a great color because it ties in with all pallets and it brightens the room.

I say don't pain the walls unless they are in poor shape. The white trim and beige walls are versatile. I would get a slipcover for the couch. A lot less time and expense and you can easily change the color scheme of the room.

With navy I would choose a light tone of green for accent color, and pure white for the walls. Maybe add the accent color in the inside of the bookshelves just to give a break of white to your eyes. These three colors are often matched together so it would be easy to find accessories... Here is an example :

Before you choose a paint color, pay attention to the light in the room. I don't know if it's the photos or if the windows open to an alley, but the room looks very dark so be careful that the color you choose opens up the room. The wrong shade can make it feel like a cave.

Having said that, the room has some fun bones to work with from the big windows to those built in bookcases. Be grateful the sofa is a solid color! I once had to work with a plaid couch the landlord loved. Needless to say, I slipcovered.

Wolf gray walls...stay neural but add 'texture' with gray cable pillows, gray faux fur throw...then add honey and gray area rug to pull together (pattern appropriate to your preferred style. Mirror on wall according to style for frame...make sure it's as large as you can afford.

Hi Anna. I have been reading so many suggestions they are confusing me - how 'bout you? If you are open for another thought or two, I would like to also provide some ideas to neutralize the couch color. You say it is navy? Dark blue without much red to make it look like it has purple in the color also - correct? Are there any colors in adjoining rooms? And, what is your favorite color? Thanks. Don

Here are some examples to see colors together. May be helpful. Keep in mind that a throw rug can compliment the room and it can go with you if you ever plan to move. Don

Anna,

For a patterned armchair, what about something like this?

It's a very strong pattern, but has lots of colors to choose pillows for the sofa, nice lines, and a great price! And it's 15% off for the next 5 days! http://www.worldmarket.com/product/holland+park+darby+chair.do?&from=fn

I find choosing wall colors so hard, but once it's done, so worth it. Good luck! Eileen

Selecting a paint color that minimizes the contrast between the walls and the sofa will make it seem less bulky. Blue gray walls with white trim should work well. I like the idea of a brighter accent color inside the bookcases. Add throw pillows in a patterned fabric to co-ordinate with a patterned rug and then select a solid fabric for the chair or pair of chairs.

Hire Xpert Custom Painting LLC and we will give you a one our free color consultation. Call Dan Anderson @ (513)200-0300 www.xpertcustompainting.com

I like the patterns/colors of the chairs people have posted, but why are they all armless? I want a chair with arms!

Love your windows, floors and bookcases. Great foundation for a great room.

Go for French gray walls and add pillows in jade or ivory. This will help you neutralize the sofa without limiting the rest of your furniture choices.

I would paint the walls Maize by Ralph Lauren this is a soft buttery yellow color that makes a room feel bright and sunny without overpowering it with brightness. Yellow and navy blue are a classic color combination so they lend themselves to all kinds of accent options in your rug choice, your throw pillows and blankets, accent chairs, and drapes. good luck

There are some very pretty taupe blues sticking to the grey side. Very manly too.

Purple accent wall.

I agree navy and white look great together; however, the walls DO need something especially to make all of those built-ins and fireplace stand out. I attached a photo (sorry so sloppy) of a gray color ( SW7502 dry dock) to the main walls including the back of the built ins to REALLY make the built-in bookshelves pop. If you REALLY want to get brave, I also put a darker gray color (SW 7505 Manor House) on the ceiling to make the crown molding pop out even more. You could always put the lighter gray on the ceiling and darker on the walls. Or Use this fireplace wall as your focal point and paint this wall in the darker, leaving the ceiling as is and painting the rest of the walls a lighter gray to create some depth. With so much woodwork in the room, I don't think the gray would come off as cold and depressing like some people have mentioned. Include an area rug with navy blue tones, and brighter or warmer color tones to bring in warmth. You could also incorporate pops of color in the room with the décor including more navy to pull it all together on your built-in book shelves or wall art. And don't forget about proper lighting! Good luck! Hope I was of some help!

I just read some comments about painting the inside of the built-in shelves a brighter accent color. GENIUS Idea.

Dark purple would be gorgeous inside those shelves!

Hey, Anna, What is your favorite color? Don

I would have to slipcover the sofa, just for hygiene reasons. I'd buy a slipcover to coordinate with whatever wall color is your favorite.

I'm in agreement with others who said the back wall of the shelves should be an accent color to whatever wall color you choose. Or you could paint the back of the shelving white to make it look like built-ins. Just depends on the look you prefer.

A perfect and inexpensive solution daybydaybyday! Duh. I like the reasoning for the solution as well. As a designer for over 40 years, sometimes the best solution is right in front of your face but you just can't see it. Maybe Anna will like it too. Don

I like navy and white also but think that Philadelphia Cream might also be very pretty.

ask the landlord first. It may not be be OK to paint or she may have restrictions on color or gloss of paint. She might require you to paint it back to white before you leave. Be practical.

Love the shelving and fireplace! I would paint the back areas of the shelving 2-3 shades darker than the color you paint the walls or it would give a lot of interest and contrast to paint the back wall within the shelving the secondary color you are going to use for pillows and accessories. I like the idea of using green with the navy. Nice apartment!