neutral and mauve do not belong in the same sentence.

Landlord is prob ok with painting but I'm just not up for it - I don't mind the colour.

I love the color! It doesn’t look like the room gets a lot of light and anything mauve or lavender works so well in that setting. There are a million ways to go..

William Morris print rug would be fun..

@JudyG Designs, I like the rug and was looking at similar ones. The room in the photo is one I found online because I don't have a photo of the actual house. The living room window faces east.

With that rug, would you suggest an oatmeal couch? Or something bold like teal or emerald green couch? Since the floors are a dark chocolate, would lighter wood tones be ok?

Yellow, orange, red, cream, beige, ivory, gold, green are good with your walls. Look at color wheel and get complimentary, triadic, analogous...etc colors

Try the soft apricot you mentioned. Lovely.

Sofa is from Interiordefine (I recently bought one and am thrilled. You can pick the legs you want...) The rug is from Urban Outfitters.

I think you can make the rooms amazing! I love that color and it’ll go so well with the decor styles you like.

Picture dump coming. I just wanted to show some other colors with mauve/purples/pinks. You probably already have, but if not, do searches for ‘mauve walls decor ideas’, and others like that. So many articles and images come up! I’d love to see when you get moved in, sounds like a charming place. :)

I honestly can't think of a colour that doesn't go well with purple so I'm in the camp that mauve is a neutral. My least favourite colour for pairing with mauve in decor is actually white or clear yellow because it reminds me of Easter decor and can look cutesy or young. The complementary colour of purple is orange so contrasting mauve with soft apricot makes sense. Browns, beiges, ivory and gold look fabulous with mauve, imo, so your natural textiles would work well. Some shades of mauve can also pair well with silver and cool (as opposed to warm) colours like navy and grey. You can go cool or warm with most mauves which is why I think it's a neutral. Get yourself a bunch of paint strip colours and play around to see what makes your heart sing. Usually, it's a matter of playing with the value of a colour.

Here's an article on decorating with mauve with lots of pictures. Also, you might want to check out how Suzanne Kasler works with mauve. (It's a moving slideshow - issue no. 5 on her website. Sharing a couple of screen caps below.)

If the home is a 50s-60s bungalow, do the rooms have panelling as in your example pic?

@Jilly, thanks for the pics! The first and last ones appeal to me. Perhaps the deeper jewel tones can go into the bedrooms. Just don't want each room to have the same colour palette.

@Jinx, love it with the white furniture and in your 4th inspiration photo, the dark blue/green trim is amazing.

@tartanmeup, with you on mauve as a neutral tone. I think neutral always is associated with grays and beiges, but those can bite you when the undertones are anything but neutral.

Leslie, the house is truly some kind of rental. I’d like to own it.

I have visions of a deep purple sofa.....

See how it plays well with mauve

Chesterfield 96" Couch at home in Norway. · More Info

The Firs · More Info

Judy, I’m trying to figure out where I can put that rug you posted! I love it. I do have a birthday coming up, Hmm ..... 😁

Oh, wow. I’m loving this thread.

Am I the only one who wants a mauve house now? See what you started, Lesile? :)

@Jilly, because of you I've been online for too long looking at options today!!! I really loved the stuff I saw on Urban Outfitters, thinking I may go with a rattan bed frame and apricot bedding, maybe a tribal rug. But that first pic you posted really nails it for me - not too matchy matchy and a variety of materials, wood tones and textures. Also the terra cotta/green potted plant colours. The house is for me and daughter, but don't want to go too girly. We have a white bed frame for her room. I think she would like the deeper jewel tones.

I hope you'll share pictures when you're done, Leslie. It's going to be fabulous. Mauve is actually quite versatile, not limiting at all. Purple is my favourite colour so I'm totally on board with a mauve house, Jinx. :) ITA with you, JudyG, about the grays and beiges.

following. Great house. Can't wait to see what you do with it.

That is IMO not a neutral but if a lot of white items are used it could be quite lovely. Bedrooms do not need to"go with" the rest of the house . Are all the rooms that same color? IMO you need to pick a style right now you are all over the map.

How long is your lease? As a former renter and now rental owner, I know that circumstances change. Properties can be put up for sale or leases not continued.

Bear in mind that, in a year or two, you may have to move to a house with red or blue walls.

Sofas are expensive. A white or cream one fits into most color schemes. Stronger colors, like purple, are best kept to less expensive items, like throw pillows, that can be easily changed.

How have I not convinced people purple goes with everything? :) Please, find me a colour that doesn't go with it.

following

The color in that picture looks very much like the BM Inspired I have painted on most of my bedroom, and my furniture is dark wood, so I think I'd love this rental. I have alcove done in BM Kalamata that I love, so I'm with Tara on adding some nice deep purples, though even with my love for purple, I'm not sure I'd be bold enough to get a purple couch, maybe an accent chair. My bedding is "white" (actually ivory, but white would work), and then I have a grey throw (neutral heathered grey) and BM Temptation nightstand (dark grey); I did have to watch my greys; the blued ones clashed like no tomorrow with the warmer purples and browns. I've also got some lighter wood tones, and my floor is medium wood. I also find pale greens look really nice with the purples. Oh, and pinks, too ...