Before & After: Choosing Wall Color

This room is one of my very favorite Before & After transformations. It's also a fun room in general. It is off of the foyer of my client's home and intended to be the study. Because they are empty-nesters, the office spaces have moved into other bedrooms to create this music room/library. It's a fun, yet sophisticated space.

Before: 
The room has beautiful built-in shelving and wood frames around the windows. It's hard to find such beautiful detail in architecture these days. The window valances were well chosen for the room and windows. But there were some minor problems with the room, and it wasn't making the WOW statement that it potentially could.

The first problem was the bold red wall color. Now don't get me wrong, I love a bold wall color. But this wasn't the room for it.The red actually competes with the color of the woodwork. Because those two darker elements are competing, your eye actually goes straight to the white ceiling, which seems to glow next to the darker walls and woodwork.
The next problem is the area rug, which nearly blends into the carpet, not really adding any value to the room.
Another problem is the arrangement of the bookcases themselves. See this previous post for tips on how to arrange a bookshelf for maximum impact.

 After:
 The wall and ceiling color were the biggest changes made in the space. We went with a golden tan on the walls, and painted the ceiling the same color, at a 50% intensity (A GREAT tip that I frequently use on ceilings). This color now draws all the attention to the amazing woodwork. The ceiling technique softens the harsh transition from the woodwork to the ceiling. No more glowing ceiling.

Next we brought in an area rug that coordinated with the window treatment colors.It adds more contrast to the floor and creates a focal area and flow around the piano.We added a cozy chair for reading or listening to the piano.
Now it's a more relaxing space to be in, while also making a great first impression to visitors.

I'll have more tips on choosing wall and ceiling paint. Stay tuned!

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com