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I have a two-story family room (which I hate) and am dying to paint it something other than the contractor grade off-white that it's been since we bought it. Due to the logistical problems that come with the two story ceiling, it's not practical for us to paint the whole thing so we have decided to put up chair rail moding at crown molding height and paint the area below it. Not my ideal solution, but I have seen it done and it looks okay.

So I will have off-white paint above white chair rail molding, a light beige carpet, blue sofas and medium brown wood furniture. What on earth color would go on the walls??

Another issue to factor in is that my family room opens completely onto my kitchen, which is currently painted off-white and has medium brown cabinets and green countertops. I will eventually be changing the counters over to a beige/brown granite and doing the backsplash in neutrals (greens, browns, beige) so the paint color in the family room (I assume?) should flow into that area as well.

I am severely style deficient so any help in making this decision would be greatly appreciated!

Thank You!

T

Had a few ideas when I read your post and also pulled some pictures. If you can't post photos of the room(s) and the other tones, an answer to a couple of questions might help me.

Is your family room small or large? Does it feel very large, even if small, as a result of the ceiling-height? Do you want the fr to feel more intimate? Or even larger? Height you plan to place the moulding and the ceiling height? What's your design style - contemporary
, traditional, transitional, eclectic, ???

Assuming you at least lean tradition, if you're considering a chair rail. Correct? Anyway - let me know, if you have a chance and I'll get back to you, asap.

Good luck with your project!

If it were ME, I'd hire pros (do check them in depth and gain multi estimates first tho...also, be sure they're insured and bonded as scaffolding will be most likely involved), to prep, prime and paint the walls (quality paint in two coats) to the ceiling in a neutral color in a flat washable paint so any furture nail pops won't be magnified. This will warm the space and offer you great scheme flexibility down the line. An optional addition could be adding picture molding that emphasizes the height.

If you don't opt for the addition of picture molding, you can hang large art objects to draw the eye upward while livening the neutral walls. Some examples are: enlarged photography, framed maps, taspestries, decorative screens, large clock, large wood carving or iron grillwork, a collection of prints, wall sculpture, a decorative rug, etc.. Keep in mind too that tall spaces need some hefty vertical pieces and the seating should be in scale as well.

I would consider using picture rail instead of chair rail.Order some picture rail hooks from www.vandykes.com and actually use the picture rail to hang your art and make it look purposeful.When spaces open up on to other spaces I opt to repeat something that is already there, rather than adding another color or element.This avoids adding visual clutter. In your case I would probably match the lower part of the wall with the carpet color to create a cocoon effect and make all that open space more cozy.