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My daughter and her husband, both grad students have a small townhouse, 1100 sq feet. Main level is very small kitchen, living,dining area.
They have a chocolate brown couch and brown multipattern chair. I will try to attach pics in next couple of days. There is one large window in the LR area, this is the only natural light they get. The previous owner painted the room in a semi-gloss(yuck)dark tan color. I was wondering what colors all you "experts" would recommend for the LR, DR area? Sherwin Williams, Ben Moore, HD, Lowes paint are fine. I have access to all. The room needs to be lightened up, something that would make the room light and inviting. Thank you so much for any suggestions. I always get good advice from this forum.

If the architecture is open plan style, remember that contrast makes a space look smaller. As much as an all white look can be visually spacious, the dark chocolate furniture will wind up looking larger. Your best bet is to look for a color that already exists in the space as a permanent fixture. Tile,countertops,exposed brick, any fixed element can be used as a jumping off point to color.(I have picked up the mortar color from exposed brick using BM Grant Beige to great effect) Washable matte finishes are my preference for walls in smaller spaces.Best of luck to you and your family.

I agree to pull a color from any existing built in element. Their furnishings are dark and neutral and a degree of contrast is essential. You stated that their chair is a multipattern print and I am wondering if any accent color or colors is/are present in that pattern. We all know too that monochromatic spaces appear larger so variations of the same palette should be considered. Painting the walls in wide horizontal bands of hue values from the same chip (in a satin or washable flat) is another way to visually expand their space. Repeating the color in all open public spaces will help also. Viewing chips in the room's natural and artifical conditions is a must. Using shinny surfaces (glass, metallics, ceramics, etc.) and mirrors will further reflect light and in the case of a large mirror or mirror gallery wall, will double space (just note what image is repeated). Keeping furniture in scale and multi purpose will help also. Furniture that offers storage will be a plus. Nesting tables, streamlined furniture, armless chairs, stackable pieces and taking advantage of vertical space should all be addressed.

Assuming that this color is a part of your planned scheme, take a look at BM's Par Four.
http://www.benjaminmoore.com/e.../paint-color/parfour

This message has been edited. Last edited by: arepo,