Is it the look of the floor, the feel of the floor under your feet or both that you do not like?

It always looks dirty to me, even though I know it is not. I think it's the color highs and lows.

Can you bring some warmth & cushioning in with some area rugs - you could purchase some large & very high end persian carpets and still be way ahead cost wise from pulling up the travertine & installing hardwood floors. Also travertine generally runs more expensive than hardwoods. Are you in a climate where the cold is an issue? For my .02 I would put replacing that beautiful travertine as a last resort. Hire an interior designer first to see if he or she can solve the problem in a less drastic (and expensive!) way.

Hard to say on the black doors without seeing how it would change things.

Good call on the wall color simplify52. I agree. Also stark white trim is way too harsh for that beautiful travertine. A cream, or any color that would complement the floor color would be important for the trim - especially sitting right next to it. Maybe all you need is different wall & trim color.

I like your floors, but I agree with the above comments that your wall and trim colors are fighting with the floor. Alsoagree that area rugs will bring color + warmth + texture. Persian carpets / rugs were suggested, this is one of many ways to go, I think you might want rugs that are more contempory in feel, but that is a matter of taste.
Also I don't see black doors working in your design palette.
PyramidDG.com

I was thinking the paint was wrong too. A designer picked the colors, she said trust me...so I did, and my gut still said it's not right. It's not easy finding a designer.

Your walls look grey to me and I am not a fan of grey and beige at all. Depending on your climate I would paint the walls a cream or a deeper beige and use area rugs to add warmth and cushioning as Jackie P suggested. I would not paint the timber black either, it will only add to the cold look. If you feel the timber is in need of some rejuvenation, try rubbing oil into the grain with steel wool, it will remove any built up grime that is not obvious and give your timber a lovely glow.

I think your floors are beautiful, although it may not be what you would have chosen. I also think the paint color does not help the floors, and brings your focus to the floors rather than the rest of the room. I know your designer chose your wall color, and perhaps she had an idea in mind that did not translate in your home. Two things would help your floors. One is to get rugs to cover areas such as a living room area rug, or a dining/ hallway rug. I would not cover all of the floors just some areas to break it up and add some color into your space. In terms of colors., I think you have a great place to start with, and it would be helpful if you had a color theme to use as your guide in buying additional elements for your home to take away from the floor. I created an app that is designed to help both designers and homeowners choose their colors. The app, called Color911 (Color911.com) is color help at your fingertips. It has several features. You can create your own palette of colors, or use the pre-made color themes so that you can visualize the colors together. Use any number of colors from any theme. I attached a color theme (a screen shot from the app) that you might like, there are many many color themes to choose from this is just one example. Once you find a theme you want to work with, you can use this as a guide for choosing anything .. wall color.. rug color...accent color... pillows...whatever you want. I hope you like this theme.. its only one among many in Color911. I hope it inspires you!

Amy - what a co-incidence, you posted that palette on another thread and it has been in my mind since as it is a gorgeous combination of colours, especially for a cooler climate. Those deeper beiges and even the rust/orange shades were just what I had in mind for the walls - depending of course what other colours are in the rooms.

I have many themes in the Color911 app (Color911.com) but there are definitely some that are so versatile. I have been working in the color business for many years and I truly believe if people have the right colors to use as a guide, the decorating process can be so much more fun!

Is the backsplash travertine also? I think some of the choices may have been rushed. Trying to be more mellow on these discussions. I take it that your did not get your dream kitchen. I would leave the floor, paint the cabinets and wall to get what you want.

Amy, I will look at your website. I've attached an additional picture, showing my living area. Would your color theme stay the same?

Everything is very muted, which I don't dislike but I think a creamy caramel on the walls and some blue and orange accessories (not too much) would make a huge difference to your room.

I wasn't a fan of travertine floors until i went in a beautiful mansion in Auburn Alabama, it was filled with travertine... now i love them. i have painted all my door black and absolutely love them. the only thing i would change in your house is the grey paint on the walls. Sherwin Williams has a beautiful paint called restrained gold that i have painted several homes with this color. you will never tire of it. it looks as if your kitchen walls may be a chocolate color maybe like Sherwin Williams Kaffee... not sure but the grey will come accross cold with the other warm colors you have. Tricorn Black is what i have painted my doors, use the lowest sheen available.

My colors are actually not gray, they are more in the green tones. SWW 6157, 6158, 6160

I think the travertine is beautiful. Actually it is a very warm looking stone if paired with the proper colors. I know it's tricky because I had the same experience with my bathroom. Once the wall color was fine it changed the look.

We used Bleeker beige by BM. It does look like it has a green undertone but not as extreme as your walls. The color can look different depending on the light. I have found it to work in every room and is a neutral for ME. Maybe not for you. I wonder if that's what happened in your room. Maybe the designer has used this color with good results but this time it didn't work?

I would suggest large sample boards of a couple colors you think would be good and move them around as the light changes.

I also like the alder wood and maybe it would be good to wait and change the wall and trim and then reassess?

I do have a couple of brick colored chairs, and the couches are a chocolate brown.

Your chairs and couches are great colours - note that brick colour is similar to the shades in Amy's chart.

here is a faux finish paint - it may not be for you if the variation in shades of travertine bother you. But see how they look together, perhaps if the whole thing were of a uniform variability the floor may stand out less. Also a picture more traditional paint application in solid shades with a travertine floor.

There are many themes to choose from each one is different. Your living room colors are a but more subdued. I know I have themes that are quieter but actually what is great about the color themes in the Color911 app, (Color911.com) is that you can choose any number of colors within a theme. So if you choose not to use some of the brighter colors, the more subtle colors within the theme I posted seem pretty close. You can also create your own palettes and adjust any of the colors. There are over 70 themes to choose from.. my guess is that there will be at least one that will inspire you!

What sort of look are you going for, and what is your budget? You could certainly pull up the travertine and put in hard wood, but I personally think that is cost-prohibitive. What sort of look are you trying to achieve? The current look seems traditional/Tuscan, but if you wanted something different, it would help to know that, in order to guide responses in that direction.

It looks to me as if the decorator picked the wall color to go with the beautiful granite over your fireplace, but didn't take into consideration the other colors in your furnishings. The paint looks like it is too grey a green, making it a cool green instead of a yellower-based green, which would make it a warm color. I agree that the trim color is too stark against the wall color and the tile. Something in Navaho white might make a difference.

I think the wall color is fine with it. Travertine is a lot harder than concrete and 1/2 the price of hardwood in my area. I love the look of it but my wife and I in our 20s had to wear flip flops on it it was so hard. Its warm in the summer and ice cold the winter. Never again!

I have travertine in my kitchen, living room, dining room, hallways and laundry room and I bless the builder every day. It is the perfect choice for flooring. It doesn't bother me when the dog comes in with muddy paws, or my husband cleans fish in the sink in the laundry room. I used large area rugs where needed and it looks elegant in my very formal home. My walls are a warm creamy Farrow & Ball color called Tallow, the woodwork is the semi-gloss version. The color goes beautifully with travertine. I live in Idaho and do not find these floors too cold in the winter, but it is delightfully cool in the summer. If you warm up your wall and woodwork colors, you may fall in love with your floors!

On thing you might consider is to light up your ceiling. Below are several variations of colour and how they impact the look of your floor and cabinets. No suggesting these are colours you should choose. This exercise is to show you how changing the colour can create a completely different look.

2 more

2 more

2 more

People pay a lot of money for floors like yours. Keep them!!!! I wouldn't go with a dark wall color go with lighter colors and try and stay away from the brown families in paint. Try one of these colors in the kitchen SW 0063 Blue Sky, SW 6752 Larchmere by Sherwin Williams. Your kitchen is way too dark. If you paint the ceiling go a white or a pale shade of your wall color. With the ceiling the same shade as the walls it makes it look like a cave. Don't be afraid of brighter bolder colors. Hope this helps

Black high gloss doors look great in light colored rooms be careful you don't want so many dark colors that it closes in your home.

As others have said, I think the travertine is to die for! Keep it, and work with the wall colors. I'd go with lighter walls than others have suggested. Maybe a less contrasting rug ( i.e. not black )in the living area so that it blends better, but still adds accent colors.

Please don't paint those beautiful cabinets!

If your decoratoe picked out the colors for the paint and said, "trust me," then call your decorator and have her come back and re-paint at her cost. Tell her that the colors don't jjive with your personality and you are getting depressed--I would be depressed with all those dark colors!

Yep, yep! I think all of you are right on track. The floors are lovely and the wall color is wrong. Rugs would be good and perhaps changing the backsplash to some colorful patterned mosaic tiles? Not sure what your lighting is like, could be just the photo but it looks REALLY dark! Some cans or track lighting may help you.

I might be wrong but I dont think she was talking about painting the cabinets black. I think she's referring to her room entry doors

I would paint the trim a slightly lighter if not same color as the walls, with a bit more shine (satin?). This way your eye easily travels around and catches on your nicer items (collectables).

VERY OLD POST

A good post and still a very relevant post to some of us with new travertine floors looking for inspiration and ideas for wall colour and rugs

I have the same travertine. I hate it!! It doesn't just look dirty it's a huge pain to clean really well. It sucks up the dirt and grime like crazy. It has to be sealed often to keep its luster. It's really hard on the feet too.

I love my travertine floors. I have them in my kitchen and surrounding rooms have hardwood flooring. I must admit, it's difficult to find a wall color that compliments travertine... It's all in what you like. Which color did you finally choose, kathiang? I'm currently looking to repaint my kitchen walls..

It appears no one has addressed to your basic question - tearing up the travertine. We have a very dated beige tile throughout our condo. It's laid on top of concrete slab. I'm wondering if that's the case in your house. I'm about to demo the tile and expect it to be an major task. The job will take a mini jack hammer, a lot of noise, dust and sweat to get the tile chipped off the slab. If your travertine is throughout the whole square footage of your lower level you too will have an incredible job ahead of you or pay a contractor north of $10,000 to tear up and the another 10K to replace if not more. Try getting some bids to see if decorating around the travertine is worth it to you. I know how you feel when you have a surface you don't enjoy.

kathiang used key words, "cost effective? pulling up the travertine would be costly, and in my opinion tragic. travertine is beautiful and each tile is like a work of art. Her cabinets are beautiful too. I truly think it's her wall color that could use a change.

guys, this post is from three years ago. I'm guessing the poster found some solution in the intervening time...

Hi kathiang, You have a lovely home, including the Travertine floors and cabinets.

There are two Houzz articles I think you should read that might be of some help. One is on selecting colors that are in sync with your truest self, and the other is on working with beige tones. I think the issue for you is a combination of these two articles, in that you aren't feeling passion for the colors in play in your environment and yet beige/earth tones can be dramatic if done well.

At a glance at the advice being given, all are on the right path, and I think changing one wall color may be all you need. The photos don't show the flow of the entire room so it's hard to say which wall would do the trick and/or if only needed in the kitchen. You might consider Red, Orange, or a deep Plum/Eggplant, as it sounds to me like there is a bit of boldness, spark, and passion missing from the room for your taste. Check out these two articles hopefully they will get you thinking creatively about what you truly want and how to build on what your have. Enjoy!

How to Choose Color You Really Want

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Rethinking Beige

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Floors are very nice. Its your cluttered and tacky decor. Ex The all white dishes are not adding any pizazz.

Christian Decor, can you speak in a more kindly conversation fashion. It may not be your intention, but your shortened email style comes across rather brash and harsh. Just some feedback that I hope is helpful to all to be aware of when posting.

Thank you for all of the comments. They were very helpful.
I actually did repaint, changed the rugs, and had epoxy applied on my grout lines. I never have worry about dingy/dirty grout again! That alone was worth every penny.
My white China is still here, I've never had them called tacky before. I'll have to take another look.
It's to dark to attach a photo tonight, but I will soon.
Thanks again!

Hi

I have a travertine floor exactly like yours and as a colour consutant i can see that the person in your home that makes the colour decisions has themselves warm colouring ( i.e. Quite possibly within a range of warm auburn hair colour) Why is this important ? This is because you would naturally be drawn to a warm palette of colours . These colours as they are now however are not bringing out the best in your floor which seems pale and uninteresting in contrast to the heavier tone in your kitchen.

I suggest with the least expense to work with lighter shades of warm beige and creams using a traditional paint company. Then accent in blinds and a few stunning pieces that you fall in love with and want to show off. Then you would love the space you are in your eye would pick up on the things you love as the wall colour would now complement the versatile and beautiful floor you own

Kind regards

Sarah Jones

Vale of Glamorgan

S. Wales