-cool choices

-would you like to stay within quiet, more minimal, restricted pallette, or do you want to introduce more contrast and color?

if it was a song, for example-what song it would be?

-what's the light situation? very bright, or just enough, or usually darker room?

-what wil be the activities? will you have your TV there? family games? will you use it all the time, mostly evenings, weekend mornings?

I can just throw names of colors of course but these will be many..:) Lots of colors will theoretically work. I can see white, and light gray. and blush pink and -emerald and hot pink too:) and blue of course. helps to understand a bit more about your needs, preferences, what do you want your room to be..

Here is the idea for the apple green color pop (will not be using this great chair just see it for color):

I will have a chair in this room that is almost this gray chair's shape but not this color (solid gray):

Based on your responses, a very light gray with white trim would be nice. If the large built-in is going to be a mix of stained walnut and black, I would avoid a dark color on the walls. Incorporate the pops of color in throw pillows, rug, accessories on the built-in, and picture frames. Good luck!

I absolutely love natural cream by Benjamin moore. it goes with everything!

listen, I haven't seen the room yet, but it already sounds like a pretty wonderful room..(or maybe I love the style a lot too..))

-what about silver-ish blue/gray? not too dark..maybe not barely there either..something that hits the middle ground , for a room that get used throughout the day?

although some barely there colors can be quite magical too, in that regard. one needs to sample..

especially if you have great lighting at night time.

so much depends on the space.

lilac based gray might be it also

It seems to shape like quite a sophisticated room..so I'd make sure whatever color I choose it's complex enough. Changes throughout the day as you like to see it changing. Has enough depth in it. Some colors manage even to look like they exude light themselves. I have a silvery green like that. Have no idea why.

Not that you need additional light, from what I read..it's just amazing what some colors will do put in a certain place in a certain light.

I'd try several...and I wouldn't lock myself into a name you know? I wasn't looking for white yet I found my "main room" color under whites..when I already got desperate..:)

and I wouldn't call it white either, so.

Thank you all for the responses!

Sims Builders: Do you have a fav color or two (by name or swatch) so I can see what you are talking about?

Aprilneverends: Do you have a name/swatch for the silvery/lilac/blue gray you are thinking of?

Sapphire: I will look at the cream from BM—thanks!

Another question: Do you think a lightish/silvery blue gray would go with lighter wood (ash) as well as darker wood (walnut)? Would it look as good with a dark chocolate sofa or a black sofa? I'm saying this because I want a charcoal or black sofa but DH wants chocolate brown. Here's some ideas of the different colors (chocolate on top and black on bottom):

-swatch/name-no..I just see it in my head:) One of my friends used recently several colors like that in her home(she has a strong preference for clean, modern lines, and she's a very beautiful blonde, so all these blues grays and lilacs-they're kinda neat background lol)..I can ask her if you want. I've never been to the house yet though(different state)

but lots of people here love blues and grays, I hope you'll get more suggestions

and-I found a post on cool gray colors..veering into blue a bit

https://laurelberninteriors.com/2015/03/08/benjamin-moore-cool-gray-paint-colors/

aaand..since Downton Abbey had a lot of lilacs, and Laurel Bern is into Downtown Abbey..:)

https://laurelberninteriors.com/2016/02/07/60-downton-abbey-colors-like-youve-never-seen/

-oh yes of course will work with both light wood and dark wood. that what pushed me to suggest it in the first place. well that's rarely that you'll see wood that is very particular and has to have certain paint next to it, it's not like it doesn't exist of course, but the less red/orange or grey in it it has, the more versatile it is. In nature so many woods and colors coexist together, it's easier for us to put them together in houses too. I guess.

-it should, yes. I was thinking black since you mentioned charcoal; but chocolate and pale blue is a very common combo, actually. I would go slightly warmer then though. Just a tiny bit.

What pink did you have in mind?

I could go in a few directions with the pink pop. Dramatic:

Or more subtle like a blush:Or more coral/salmony/mid tone pink:

Found this beautiful silvery gray paint:

I think it works great with the charcoal grey or black sofa. I'm not as found of it with the chocolate brown sofa idea. Actually, I'm not favoring a chocolate brown sofa in general....

black furniture is VERY strong and will ground the space but will also command the space. be sure your room can handle all that black. i like the idea of the gray furniture. gray is a wonderful backdrop to whatever else u do, color wise. black, not so much!

to be honest, i don't see black or gray furniture on that floor. the floor is very bright and yellowish, so i would stay in the beige/brown family or light gray. something very dark on that floor is too much contrast, imo....

That's not the actual floor. The actual floor is a bit darker and not as "bright" like that oak sample above (the real floor is bamboo).

Thanks for the comments but I really like that contrast of a lighter wood floor with the darker furniture, though—I think darker furniture and dark floors is too much dark. The contrast takes it into the realm of modern eclectic/mid mod and out of the area of traditional. There also will be a rug or two in the space over the hard wood floors. I'll do tan or camel but beige is not in my vocabulary, lol : )!

Well, I just painted SW Agreeable Gray, a relatively warmer gray; and Sedate Gray, still warmer but a bit more blue/green.

Then there's BM Gray Owl, relatively light true gray, which looks really nice with white trim

I also really like www.KylieMinteriors.com for her color suggestions/explanations. She reviews specific colors by name, providing undertones, and in what light they make work best.

Thank you, no soccermom. I plan to head to SW and the BM store this week and will definitely check these swatches out. And thanks for the link!

Of the three suggested by nosoccermom, I think Agreeable gray would work best. Sedate Gray may read yellow, especially when coupled with a honey wood color. Make sure to get sample sizes of several colors at the store... then paint large wall samples in several parts of the room. All colors will change quite a bit depending on how the light hits them in different locations throughout the room. Keep us updated!

Oh, and if you go with a neutral wall color, I would go with the more dramatic pink accents instead of the subtle ones! And try to go with a charcoal gray sofa instead of a black or chocolate brown.

Thank Sims Luxury Builders! My DH has agreed to let me choose the sofa color so the first choice is charcoal gray. The problem I am having is we want a sectional and it has to be relatively small (about 100 x 70) with a left side chaise. Ideally we want leather upholstery to stand up to our kids. And...... it needs to be "cool" and not a typical oversized ugly sectional. All of these "conditions" is leaving me with not too many choices unless I get it custom made. I can find black sectionals that fit all of this better than dark gray. Dark gray seems to be mostly fabric and not leather. If I can convince DH to go for hard wearing fabric then that may work. I also have found places to make a custom sofa for me with prices comparable to ready made. DH is a bit leery of this though (quality wise).

On another note, our drywall guy has extended his start date twice now. Suppose to start today and now supposed to start Monday. Grrrrrr...

Have you considered IKEA sectionals or sofa/chaise combinations? They are smaller and modular? You could go with a fabric sofa configuration with washable slip covers or replace them every now and then. Or with their leather ones.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/living_room/39130/

DH likes the leather sectional that's more modern (Landskorna?). It only comes in black and not dark gray/charcoal. That is a REALLY difficult color to find in leather.

NOW the drywall is supposed to start on Tuesday..... When this guy gave us the date of 9/7 (given WAYYYYYY back in June) I told my DH, "He won't be here on 9/7; tradespeople never seem to to be able to meet their own schedules." DH totally pooh-poohed me and hustled me to get EVERYTHING out of that room by 9/7. Now we see who's right (and who's a little ticked as well).