just starting

hi guys i am about to start painting the interior of my home and its really quite a daunting thought. i want to go with neatural colours, i like the black, grey white charcole sort of tones but i dont know were to start. i was thinking for one room a light grey on three walls with a dark charcole mabey black feature wall with white windows,door jams, skirting and door then mabey for a nother room i was thinking a darker shade of grey than the previous rooms walls with the white skirting and door ect but also have a 300mm white horizontal stripe running around the middle of the walls to add another feature. im having trouble with decicing what shades of grey ( im pretty keen on this being the main colour so to speak weather ir be dark charcole or nearly white) and blacks to use but also need some ideas as to what colours would go well with it as feature walls or even a vertical stripe here and there , another colour i was toying around with is a blood red colour mabey for a feature wall or a stripe or something somewere with a light grey or dark charcole colour . i like the idea of the rooms flowing from one to another with different shades of greys whites and black but as you can see dont even know were to start , i really need some inspiration ideas for different rooms and some colour ideas like what goes well with these colours as i have said i like the more black white greys combo but havn,t ruled out a bit of colour like the blood red or something like that . i have gone on quite a bit and am sorry for raving on with so many questions but am really exited but also really scared of stuffing this up as its my first home. i want a modern sleek classy look to it so want to make sure i get all the right advice and information before getting started. most of my furniture id going to be either blacks greys or white and plan on splashing different colour around with different accessories and pieces throught the house. thank you for reading my post any help will be greatly apreciated i look forward to reading your replies and chatting to you

Jase:

Well, if it wuz me, I'd gravitate toward the lighter shades of grey. That's because black absorbs light whereas white reflects it. In order to save where you can on your lighting bill, it would be best to use white paint to your advantage. By having lots of white walls and ceilings in your home, you can maximize the amount of natural light that comes in through windows and reflects around in the room, and this postpones the time that you have to turn on the electric lights in your house every evening.

The other advantage in having light coloured walls is at night when there is little to no natural light coming in through windows and the electric lights are off as well. With light coloured walls, and eyes that have had time to adjust, you'll still be able to make your way around a room or between rooms. With black walls, you're as likely as not to walk into a wall.

I can well understand that you want your house to look modern, sleek and classy. But, at the end of the day, what matters is having good reasons behind the decisions you make. (That's because without those good reasons to back up your decisions, those decisions stand a very much better chance of turning out to be "mistakes".)

This can work really well, and the worst that can happen involves buying another bucket of paint. Deciding which of the walls should get which shade is always an issue. Some of the things you already own will help you decide. Sooooo, maybe your art work will steer you. It isn't my usual suggestion, but this is just for you. Decide where you want certain pieces of artwork and select the depth of gray to black by the artwork. Chose the shades of gray by the strip of related color chips that the paint manufacturer ties together. They will have them grouped for you and stay with their "family" grouping as the pigments involved will be compatible. Your accent colors can be just about anything, and red is great. Maybe some platinum/silver. You don't have to do it all at once. I have watched my daughter-in-law make all the right decisions and she did it in phases. Living with a few decisions for a few weeks made the next phase more obvious. So far, she has done 3 homes and I think she only had to re-do one wall. Don't be afraid to decide something is all wrong. Several years ago, I spent a snowbound month with friends in Massachusetts. We stripped wallpaper, built window treatments and painted. My friend chose a yellow for the bathroom and set her husband to the task. He came out several hours later, shaking his head. She went in and stood, turning slowly, and crying. The yellow that she liked on a chip was horrid on the walls. We went back to the paint store and found a buttery gold that she still loves. I digress. Sooooo, if you start with the artwork, it will become more obvious which shades go where. Let your lighting develop with your needs and suit your lifestyle. Low intimate lighting will warm up the atmosphere, be good for reading, and promote conversation. Fabrics chosen will make or break the plan. Whether you develop a warm and inviting haven or a sterile motel look will depend in large part on your fabric choices and the lighting. Good luck, Eva

Its up to you which color that you want but I suggest that choose color that is compatible with your flooring and furniture so that they looks good and also a prefect combination of colors are better.