Gray paint does not belong in a Spanish/Mediterranean style house.

I would lighten/freshen up the house before I moved in by having all the walls painted something like SW Alabaster or SW Greek Villa or BM White Dove. You will have to test to see what "white" looks best in your particular lighting/exposure. That will give you a clean slate to take a break and come up with a overall design for the home.

It's really nice - I like the wood floors.

But I do agree about that red wall paint needing to go away - and the other color isn't any better, IMO. The combo reminds me of ketchup and mayo 😄

Also agreeing about not rushing into much yet - take time to get to know the spaces.

I actually just desaturated the walls to keep realistic shading and it turned them gray but... I personally don't mind a dusty gray to make colors pop in a mediterranean house.

Maybe Wabi Sabi it up?

@Paul F gorgeous ideas....

Lots of Spanish/Mediterranean houses were painted gray during the 15 year gray trend. The color really doesn't suit those homes, specially if they have pink-ish Travertine, which leads to an overall pink and blue look to the spaces. Second photo above is a perfect example! The gray is awful too, if there is any red saltillo tile in the house.

My other choice would be a very warm white. I've owned a couple Mediterraneans and that bright white is not an appealing look to me. I need some aged character... that's why I did not get Mykonos with the blinding fresh white paint... along with the heat and cat pee ammonia smell everywhere.

I brought wood floor samples home and the best most surprising of the white oak samples was one with pink and purple look in sunlight. It made the room look fresh. Although people here do whatever they can to kill the pink at all costs, I bought it. To me it's about how it looks in the house, in that light not necessarily what people would 'expect'.

I'd wait. Maybe paint everything a warm white to have a blank slate. I'm not really a fan of nuetrals but that;s where I would start. The kitchen doesn't seem to match the house but I would live with it for a year and see if the layout works. I would think about painting them turquoise with a terracotta tile, but that would be a big expense if the layout doesn't work. Dark stained oak works with Spanish. It is a really lovely house. I'd be excited too.

Thank you all!! Definitely going to paint it a warm white. Do you think even the living room? I kind of like it with the contrast with the beams a different color? What are your thoughts about that?

Layout? You mean if we should remodel the kitchen etc? Thought about taking down the wall to open up the space more but not sure if that’s a great idea?

Do you think we should stain the floors, a darker color or just use a lot of rugs in the meantime

For a warm white, Benjamin Moore makes a nice ' Navajo White' and is creamy.

'Swiss Coffee' a soft bright off-white...we have it in the bedroom. and throughout the house, too but paint makers have their own versions. Our Kelly Moore is no more.

Yes paint the Living Room same white as the foyer, dining room, hallways, etc. White upper and lower in the DR.

I would paint the fireplace surround dark charcoal gray or 'Urbane Bronze' to match the stone. I would stain the beams to match the wood of the front door.

I think the floors will be okay with the white paint everywhere and rugs. I think if the pink of the front door was restained the brown wood ot the sideboared in @Paul F. render it would help set off the floor....or even if you change the floors restain the door.

I like the blue in the bedroom but grayer like 'Contemplation' by Behr is better. And all four walls.

Gorgeous home.

@tracefloyd absolutely love your ideas! We have Swiss coffee 75 percent in our current home (that we are selling). For DR- Do we remove that piece that’s separating the 2 paint colors so that it’s one fluid wall? How would we stain the beams? Is it currently painted ?? I will think about restraining the front door but I didn’t think it was pink? There’s carpet in the master bedroom and tile in the kitchen that’s why I was contemplating changing the flooring but if we didn’t have to that would be better!

How about iron ore color for the fireplace surround??

Iron Ore is a great color but you need to hold the paint chip up to the stone to tell.

I see your door is not pink if I view my screen from a certain angle, sorry 'bout that!

For the beams and corbels they look painted a neutral wood tone. Try brushing a water based semi-transparent Walnut or Mahogany wood stain right over the paint. Two light coats. No one will ever notice it's not wood.

tracefloyd, thanks so much! So you think for fireplace use a paint that will match the stone? And then for the wood beams to match the front door with the stain? For the dining room, it’s painted to contrast the white in the ceiling it has an opening - do you Suggest all white (Swiss coffee) in that space ? And do we get rid of the white trim piece between the red and the cream? Or leave it and paint above and below??

@tracefloyd what are your thoughts on the kitchen??

By matching paint to wood or stone, I mean close enough to enhance the natural material. I don't see why Iron Ore wouldn't work judging by a photo. The grain in the stone will be lighter.

We did Swiss Coffee for all walls, trim, and ceiling. Brown doors, brown stairs, and brown fireplace/built-ins. Gorgeous. You won't believe how open and serene. Monastic is the word.

The kitchen looks great to me.

Here is a concept of my color scheme. This is a "squint your eyes to visualize" render...the colors are NOT paint samples, just approximations

Tracefloyd . This looks amazing! Thanks. Also, for the kitchen you think the silver/chrome backsplash is ok?

For the dining room , what about something like this ? My friends mom painted the ceiling opening part and then diff color next to it? Or do you think that’s too much

What color should we stain the floor? To match the door?? Beams would match the door and floor??

You can personalize the dining space however you like. There are no rules... just good ideas and bad ones. Consider a little whimsy with a bird wallpaper in the ceiling cove. Don't go too generic with the design, have fun.

I think you're in Los Angeles. I could see some of this auction furniture in your new house. Its next week downtown L.A. !

https://bid.billingsauction.com/auctions/billings/latin-art-design-14015/catalog#catalog

Thanks Paul!

@tracefloyd- in the dining room leave the trim piece? And paint upper and lower the same white as the rest of the house

@Quynh Dao

Yes,I would paint the trim piece the same color upper and lower the same white as the rest of the house. I think matching floor wood to the other wood in the house might make a prettier backdrop for other items in your home. I love your idea of a mural on the ceiling. But, if you didn't do a ceiling mural here are some other ideas. I do not think it is too much the image you showed. I love it. I did the same in my dining room.

Burr Ridge Modern · More Info

Modern Rustic Kitchen Remodel · More Info

Firehouse Family House - Dining Room · More Info

Spot on for ideas @Paul F... Love that link

Dreaming about this piece. not for you Quynh for me. lol

You don't say how long you plan to stay but this is not your forever home, why spend big bucks changing out decor? Are you trying to get the house ready for eventual staging? Ask your Realtor if any changes are needed other than paint. Start thinking about it now.

@boxerpal thanks! Did you mean to match the kitchen and carpeted bedroom to the same flooring as rest of the home??

@tracefloyd I’m not sure how long we would stay in the home. It’s great for now but maybe if we make some changes for later it could potentially be a forever home! We aren’t looking to spend a lot on decor. Just slowly making it our own

Forgive me @Quynh Dao... I thought you were putting in new floors. Keep your bedroom carpet it will save you money. The gorgeous floors you currently have will work with the changes you are making. I went back to look at the kitchen and you have a lovely kitchen.

Your home will be a beautiful space to enjoy.

The cherry flooring does seem to be the most out of place element in your home. It looks like engineered flooring. So, that will be hard if not impossible to refinish. Will suggest you replace if you can. Oak would probably be a good choice especially if you can keep away from the really yellow color.

Hi, what are your thoughts for the beam color? I’m the most indecisive. I’m comparing the paint colors to the floor and the door

oohh Which color are you thinking? Is this to paint the fireplace surround? Or paint for just the beams?

Are you still doing Swiss Coffee for the walls.

These beams? I think one of the colors you are thinking might be a little bold.

Paint for the beams! I can’t decide! What do you think? I like the darker colors (3-4 or 6-7th one fm top) but I want it to work with the door and floors.

Any suggestions on colors for the fireplace surround? The painter suggested painting also the frames of the window to match but I think that might be overboard?

He has colors from dunn edwards. I was just thinking plain Swiss coffee. Our current home is Swiss coffee fm Benjamin Moore. But it might not be exactly the same

Rich Mocha for the beams. What a gorgeous color and brings out the brown tones in the door. Goes with the floor too.

With your floors, no contrasting window trim. I would suggest the same paint for all the walls and trim. Flat finish for walls and semi-gloss for trim.

For the fireplace look at black, dark brown, or dark gray depending on how they look next to the stone.

Here is the room in Rich Mocha for the beams, Swiss Coffee, and both Black or Weathered Brown for the fireplace.

Black:

Weathered Brown

I see you are also looking at gray/greige...try Whisper Gray or Latte Froth....a neutral contrast instead of more warm tones in the Swiss Coffee. Paul F.'s concept ^^...good idea. I like his extra bright white for the foyer.

https://dunnedwardsdura.com/collections/grays-greiges

Whisper Gray:

Latte Froth:

Tracefloyd: thanks so much !!! Maybe it’s bc I’m not an expert but it looks like the latte froth and whisper gray look very similar to Swiss coffee. Bright white color for the foyer only?? Is that the dining room or living room or is that the entry way to the home ? I was thinking only 1 color through out but if you think one room should be a different shade? I also contemplated just leaving the surround white (see pic) but I also really love the idea of painting it. Are your thoughts to definitely paint it? Thanks so much! We are doing it next week so I’ll show you the results!!! It if helps. Other areas of the home such as the dining area doesn’t get much light , it’s situated in the middle of the home

I'm trying to convey the color theory of introducing a paint color that is not warm tone. Warm tones have a hint of yellow, so with your floors the rooms would appear red and yellow...two very warm colors and a combo I'm not thrilled with.

The previous owner tried to play up the red and yellow in the Dining Room and it doesn't seem to work.

I think a paint with a cooler undertone would be a relief to the eye and the senses. Like gray or greige. A paint with a cool undertone has a hint of cool gray. Like Paul F.'s.

You can see the difference between the Latte Froth and the Swiss Coffee paint chips side by side in the photo I provided. The Swiss Coffee almost looks yellow in comparison. Maybe it's your screen but Whisper Gray is definitely grayer and darker than the Swiss Coffee according to the D.E. paint chips that I show.

For the fireplace, my renderings show what I would do.

For the dining room I would do what Paul F. proposed...and the foyer looks bright white in his rendering. With a wall mural, I would skip the ceiling mural.

Have you tried the Dunn Edwards Instacolor visualizer?

I did it for you. I painted the ceiling and trim the same color as the walls. The brown represents your beams. These are screenshots from their site.

https://www.dunnedwards.com/colors/instacolor/web/

@tracefloyd hi! Thanks so much for your time. What colors would you suggest for each specific room? Living room, dining, kitchen etc. you’re right the Swiss coffee did look like it was yellow. Would you do all of the walls the same color??? Or a brighter white in the dining? I’m sorry I’m not an expert so I will defer to whatever you think :)

Is this the foyer? It looks gray to me, I don’t see a bright white render fm Paul

I was thinking maybe latte froth in all areas of home and then whisper gray in the dining area??

Some more ideas. What about latte frost and whisper gray for the dining room ? There’s that chair rail piece . Or do you suggest removing it completely. Also what about lime washing that wall?

For the contrast?

My pleasure. To me the room with the jungle mural is the dining room. The foyer or entry room is in the background and looks very white and I think I see the front door.

You should not defer to me because you and your painter are the only ones in the room and can see the actual color on the actual walls.

But I like your idea of Latte Froth for all the areas, but have the dining room Whisper Gray.

Do either of the two tone paint combos in the Dining room. Don't take down the chair rail...it matches the ceiling molding so paint it Latte Froth.

For the front door entry room, I think Latte Froth.

The Latte Froth and Rich Mocha could work nicely with the floors and space. Can't wait to see how it all comes out.

I'm glad someone else chimed in because I'm not a color expert. Just trying to give ideas.

@tracefloyd @boxerpal thanks so much for your help! The chair rail matches the ceiling molding? You mean the open space in the ceiling?? So you like the idea of the two tone combo more than just removing it? The darker color would be on the bottom (whisper gray) and the latte froth would be on top. I thought that if we took off the chair rail and paint the whole wall whisper gray it would be cool bc then we would have the contrast with the white ceiling open area?

Keep all the ceiling and wall molding in the dining room. Have fun with paint...if you hate it repaint it.

How about the carpeted master bedroom? What are your thoughts about replacing it? Should we match it to the existing flooring or do you think we should do a different flooring and color hardwood is expensive so more affordable option would be ideal.

If you can afford to do the same floors throughout your home that is the most ideal.

Hi, question for living area. Any suggestions/links/pics to indoor sconces to use for the space ?? As well as lighting options for the home? Specifically entry way, dining etc

Hi Quynh Dao,

You seem youthful, glamorous, and beautiful. Currently, the space feels more suited to someone with a completely opposite personality and lifestyle. Let's transform it into a reflection of your vibrant style and energy:
I have a few suggestions to refresh your dining room design:

• Remove all cherry furniture and keep the hardwood floors.
• Paint the walls white and the wainscoting light grey, dark blue, or black.
• Add a large brass chandelier for elegance.
• Introduce a light oak oval dining table with upholstered sage green or emerald velvet chairs.
• Avoid using furniture for dish display, as it can look outdated.
• Avoid placing mirrors facing anyone seated at the dining table to maintain good feng shui.
• Place one large, colorful painting on each wall to bring creativity and fun into the space with soothing colors like greens and blues, avoiding yellows and reds.

The dining room is a perfect area to get creative and playful while keeping it calming and inviting. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further assistance.
Here a few elements in these pictures below to take from: