Spanish colonial - help me update my (too dark) bedroom

5 years ago

I have this wonderful primary bedroom with a wall-full of stained cabinetry, a golden accent wall and very dark bedframe and night-stands.

For awhile I loved the golden yellow wall, but now it feels so heavy. The other walls and ceiling are SW Alabaster. The dark beams are staying. The floor is reddish/brown brick, also staying. This room only gets natural light from the french doors (southern exposure).

The yellow chairs and table in front of the fireplace are going away. (to be replaced with....??? help...)

So, how to rejuvenate the space and make it less dark and heavy? I'm thinking about having all the cabinets painted a soft-white (maybe SW Alabaster, but in a satin finish so that wall will just read white) or perhaps whitewashed to allow some of the brown to come through. (Please comment on this). The bedroom -doors and the double doors to the bathroom are authentic old doors that I don't want to mess with.

I'll probably start with Alabaster on that headboard wall, just to remove the gold tone from my thought process. That's a fairly easy wall to repaint. But that wall of dark cabinets is so bossy that it affects any other paint choices (I see in photos how much orange that wood throws). I'd rather get that right without too much experimentation.

I've also considered painting the bedframe and night stands. I've lived with these for 8 years and I'm ready for a change up. I'm in Mexico where having painting done is fairly cheap.

Four pics, from different parts of the room. Colors are pretty accurate and so is the lighting.

And one inspiration photo showing a more restful color scheme (love the blue nightstands, barely visible unless you zoom in). And an orange cat because orange cats are the best.

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Comments (5)

deegw
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I love your room but I can understand wanting to change things up. Definitely paint the yellow wall. I know you want to go light but I would consider a new rug with some bright, fresh colors. Use one of the colors to choose new chairs, bed throw and shams.

The cabinet wall is bossy but I think if you add a couple of big splashes of bright colors to the interior of the room the new colors will balance it out.
carlasollano54 thanked deegw
loobab
5 years ago
I think the yellow wall should be painted the same color as the other walls.

The painting over the fireplace is fine.

The chairs in front of the fireplace seem cramped there,

If you must have seating in that room, place them right against the foot of the bed with an ottoman, a round one would look great.

The painting over the table between the windows misses the mark. It is too short, you need one that is much taller given the height of the ceilings, and you want the width to be 3/4 the width of the table.

If that table is your vanity, you might instead choose a mirror with an attractive frame with an interesting curvilinear shape, and I would suggest housing your accoutrements attractively.

The painting of the woman tucked in the corner between the bed and the window is misplaced there.

Find another piece of art the same size and hang each above a bedside lamp.
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carlasollano54
Original Author
5 years ago
deegw -- I kept looking at that picture of my room from your reply, and coudn't figure out where or when I moved that rug (my photos are from different years and there's been a variety of rugs in there. ) Then I realized you photoshopped it in -- cool trick.

You make a good point, about adding color back in, too. But do you think that just painting the back wall white will be enough to lighten the room? I feel I still have to deal with the dark cabinets in the dark side of the room.

loobab - thanks for the tips about size of painting related to to wall. Yes, it's my utilitarian makeup table and it's grown unwieldy over time. In reality, I hate clutter. I need a vanity with storage and much better lighting, and a curvy mirror sounds perfect. The space there is narrow. Probably one of those little backless chairs that can slide completely below the table when not in use.
Mrs. S
5 years ago
Your room is stunning. Love your inspiration room too.
cat_ky
5 years ago
The room is beautiful (minus the yellow) With the artwork replaced or rearranged, it will look even better. You may want to try different type light bulbs (daylight type), and also add a bit more lighting.