Please excuse the clutter and the insane number of clocks….long story. I am working on rehoming some of them. I am looking for a wall color that will work in this little library with the rug, and these green chairs. The adjacent room is painted BM white sand and that seems to work well with the dark wood work. I wouldn’t mind going a bit bolder in this library, but it is a small space, so I am not sure if I should avoid deep, bold colors. I would love some ideas!

This seems to bridge the gap between the colors of the green chair and blue in the rug:

There is not much wall space unless you include the portions above the rail. Are the ceilings very high?

With all that wood, I am drawn to blue. To make the wood glow, I like a very dark blue. I love SW Charcoal Blue. https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/color/color-family/blue-paint-colors/sw2739-charcoal-blue

In a matte finish it literally looks like velvet. Several people have said so. I have it in my own home now. I also have SW Anchors Aweigh and like it but not as much as SW Charcoal Blue, which really gets a reaction.

for the walls and ceiling of the hallway to the garage and bathroom. Leave doors · More Info

Thank you for the responses. I like the idea of the dark blacky, blue. The ceilings are taller, almost 10 ft. Would you suggest painting ceiling the same color as the walls?The ceiling are coved and separated by a wood trim.

Oh boy, that sounds exciting, especially if you have a gorgeous ceiling fixture. That's one of the main reasons I like dark walls and ceilings, to show off the light fixtures I love. I don't know if this will help you, because it's a work in progress. This is intended to be a room with several bookshelves. I used flat SW Charcoal Blue on walls and ceiling. The crown molding is slightly glossier. The photo was taken in the afternoon to show how the color reacts to different light levels. My ceilings are low and I will use floor lamps.

"It's a long story" and one you may not have time to share?

Don't pass out, but I'd paint every inch of everything. Yes the wood word work and the built in all. A deep blue of the rug, need not match exactly. Every inch but the ceiling, with satin finish on all the wood, and matte on the walls.

I'd line up shelving, curate the collection and make a little jewel box of a room. I might add more lighting with a floor lamp, add a more comfortable chair and ottoman to for a reading spot.

Not what you really asked, you may not want to devote that much time to the project but that's where I'd be headed. ......: )

The chairs are green? The leather chair? The photo has it looking bright peacock blue on my phone. Can you put a plant next to it or your Delftware plate or both? You will like how your ocean in your artwork looks with a dark blue background. You just get sucked in to art on a dark background. The same thing happens with window views. It's great! In my home.e I am combining SW Charcoal Blue with SW Rock Bottom. They are very compatible, about the same LRV and both a very dignified, sophisticated low brightness. Here is the same room combining the two. The SW Rock Bottom is painted over anaglypta here. I am using the same color scheme in the center hallway upstairs. The chocolate cork flooring was just installed. The grey inside the future closets is SW Evening Shadow. Light blue greys are stunning with both SW Charcoal Blue and SW Rock Bottom. Without the deep warmth of the chocolate cork flooring or other woods, it might seem too cold though. But you have the wood, and I will encourage your curiosity about a dramatic dark blue.

Oh golly! I just noticed your dried oxblood leather seating in the living room and wood trim all through, and your Tudor windows. Gorgeous! I bet once you try dark blue in your library, you might use it in the living room. My plan for my downstairs living/dining room is SW Charcoal Blue walls with SW Dusty Heather ceiling for a dawn/dusk look. That space also will be filled with dried oxblood leather, bookshelves and antique tables. That's why I shifted from SW Rock Bottom in that space. The rest of the lower level will be SW Rock Bottom. Like the upstairs, my floors will be a chocolate brown but much lighter, a cocoa-powder titanium travertine. I like the mix of warm and cool colors. My warm is chocolate.

I toyed with the idea of painting my bookshelves blue to blend with the walls. It looks beautiful too. My husband LOVES wood, so I chose not to. My designer said there's also the chance the paint could come off with use if the bookshelves are used a lot, pulling books off and on, which we do. I don't know how much I'd worry about that but thought I'd pass it on.

Paint doesn't "come off" properly rimed and painted wood.

Thank you so much for the images and ideas. My initial instinct was to paint the whole space, wood and all. I also want to remove the bookshelves on the wall of the stain glass windows. They are pine, not oak and not origional. The house has been a giant renovation, so I am going with a ”make due” approach with some of these spaces. It is a strange little room, and I am still not 100 percent on what to do with it exactly. My husband suggested making it into a speak easy room. It has a cool little hidden space behind one of the book shelves. I have a smaller version of the chandelier in my dining room (marketplace find) that I was considering for the ceiling fixture. I am attaching some pictures of my kitchen cupboards. They are painted in BM, Mysterious. Maybe this color might work to carry through? I also took a picture of the chair with a plant for better colour perspective. Thanks again for all of the suggestions.

Here is plant with the chair:

Finding the right bluish shade that will work with both the rug and the chair might be challenging.

Maybe pick up on the raspberry shade in rug (which is also in other room) as flow will be a bonus.

Works well with its color.

The feel - moody but not too dark, offsetting the wood.

Suggest removing the trim and paint to the ceiling. Then stand back to help you decide if you want to paint the ceiling.

If interested, lighting and art would be bonuses.

Oooooo.... I LOVE your kitchen cabinet color!!! And I love how dark blue looks with grey and wood, don't you? Go for it! A cohesive color scheme is very important to me. One color scheme for the whole home just makes it feel better put together.

That plant is very helpful. The chair looks blue-green to me. You don't have to match it. I like the chair and your cabinet color in the same room with lots of wood.

Your home is so interesting! I like the idea of a speak-easy too. Especially with a secret compartment!

Maureen, I never considered the raspberry color, but it looks lovely. The ceilings cove, so without the trim break, the ceiling and walls would need to be the same colour. We removed the trim in the dining room to paint. Most of the ceilings are like this on the main floor, so I find myself stuck with keeping the wood trim to provide the distinction of where the wall ends and ceiling begins.

I didn't previously notice the cove ceilings. I really like the idea of dark blue walls and ceilings in the "speak-easy".

Not sure if a distinction is needed. It’s a special room and be sure to bring out its best.

No matter what? That chair should be the boss of not ONE element. It's a chair. Not the room, it's a chair. there are other chairs? Other rooms? Even a bedroom? the green whatever chair is not in charge.

Wonderful room. If you have time, please tell about the clock collection.

Lol….The clock collection: I actually met a wonderful lady whose husband had recently passed. Her husband was an avid antique clock collector and clock repair hobbyist. I was interested in one lovely old Grandfather clock that has stained glass for my second floor landing. The thing is, she really wanted to sell the entire collection as a lot. She estimated she had approxately 30 clocks. In a brief moment of reckless abandonment, I bought the lot. No consultation with my poor husband…who would later make multiple trips in the SUV during a snow storm to bring home said clocks. Anyways, 30 clocks is a lot of clocks, but we realized that her estimate of 30 clocks was closer to 70, as we were packing them up. Needless to say, everyone on my Christmas list this year, got a clock. I am in the process of sorting which ones to keep, and which ones to move along. ( My old house seems almost alive, with the ticking, bonging, and chiming of these things). Until I can rehome many of these old beauties, I remain the crazy clock lady.😩

I'd go with a deep red to match the red in your rug. It will go well with all your dark wood and it won't be overwhelming because you don't have that much wall. We have a deep red library, which works well as there isn't much open wall.

@kl23, I love your dark blue room! And I think that michelle could achieve a similar look in her room. I don't think the wall color needs to match the rug or the chair, it just needs to work with the woodwork, which I would keep as is. Here are some rooms similar to yours for inspiration:

There isn't a lot of wall. How about a red with a pink undertone. This is B.M. Mediterraean Spice.

@mcfaddenmichelle I had some fun with Copilot to generate an inspiration picture for you with BM Mysterious. I thought it turned out pretty cool and wanted to share.

Thank you! it looks gorgeous!

Now I am starting to wonder if I should go with a dark colour in the living room. Disregard, the two big blue chairs, and the disporportdisproportionate painted

buffet under the frame T.V. They will live on the second floor, once I get thise rooms done.

Wow, such a beautiful home!!

I'm not surprised you are considering dark walls for your living room. The woodwork and leather will be complimented by more of the BM Mysterious. If you want to have a different ceiling color, I sure like the light blue-grey in your countertop.

Here is my livingroom with A.I dark blue? Should I stick with the lighter lighter, neutral, or go with something dark, like this?

As I said previously, dark walls and natural stained woodwork looks great!

Look how more visible the views out the window are! Amazing! Dark walls emphasize views, art, light fixtures. I love them. And dark blue makes wood glow!

You have a beautiful home. And I love the wood.

So... I am likely not going to be as exciting as some others here (and I would like to imagine that I am generally pretty exciting). I tried a few colors in your space- (including a shade of yellow/gold; had to, as I am a yellow gold lover, and you have such a classic place). I also tried a deep purple/eggplant, also tried a color similar to the dark green of BM Vintage Vogue, tried some other dark colors/shades- including black! But- when it was all said and done- the color that really captured me, is PPG Chalky Blue- which, to me, is also a bit reminscent of Farrow & Ball ‘Selvedge’. I missed a spot behind one of the chairs. (Good thing I’m not a house painter. :)

Extra good that I am not a house painter- as I think maybe I painted the wrong room! Or- maybe I painted the right room.

I think I would keep the dark to the library if I wanted to go dark. But maybe you would like dark paint everywhere. Some people do. So it depends.

Thank you for all the wonderful ideas and visual renderings. I truly appreciate your experience and creativity!

A smoky dark green, blue or black would look great with the wood. I just painted one room BM Vintage Vogue (dark green) and another room with mahogany paneling/cabinet/trim in BM Black Beauty.

You have a beautiful home. Please post pics after painting!

You can get away with a dark wall colour if you're painting a large room with lots of natural light. But your library room is not that. With the window and door at one end, if you paint it dark you will feel like you're in a hole. And don't get me started on painting the wood, especially the antique wood. I'd go for a duck egg blue or even a mid blue with a touch of green to tie in with the rug and the chair, but no darker.

If you are ever short of natural light, buy more artificial light. I love trees and they make my home dark. I have north windows, and my south windows are under deep patio roofs. No amount of white paint can make up for insufficient light. To add insult to injury, white paint just looks grey and dusty. The only fix to not enough light is more light fixtures. And I'm sick of dusty dingy wall colors. I want rich, sumptuous interior colors, not dust. I want dark backgrounds to show off all the light fixtures, art, views to the yard, and the beautiful grain of the wood furniture in my home. When I turn down the lights in the evening or when I first wake up, I don't want my walls to look blah. I want them to glow in a deep velvety color where the light touches them.

Please show results or progress in all your posts. You have such a lovely and interesting home.