I have my family room and my breakfast area next to each other and they share 1 large wall. We would like to put crown molding around the family room and I guess we can continue it around the breakfast area and kitchen as well. The big problem is how to seperate the 2 rooms with color? We would like to paint the family room a different color then the breakfast area but we have no idea how to do that on 1 solid wall. Any ideas?

IMO, there is no need to paint the walls two different colors, especially if there is no natural architectural "break." It could look very awkward.

For the same smart reason you want to continue the living area's crown molding to the kitchen area, make the walls all one color -- for continuity and flow.

Define the areas through furniture placement and color coordination through accessories. Float furniture away from walls. Add a console table to the back of a sofa placed perpendicular to the wall (and with its back to the kitchen area) to "announce" the living area.

Choose one color as the "star" and two accent colors as supporting players, for ex. sage green for the walls and burgundy and mustard gold accents. Sprinkle these colors in both areas through coordinating mix and match solids, stripes and patterns in pillows, throws, objects, window treatments and area rugs.

Use vertical elements such as free-standing wall screens or tall potted plants to give a subtle sense of separation.

Hope this helps.

I would suggest that if you really want to have the two areas different colors, then you need to create an architectural division between them. Maybe some small (15 to 18" wide) floor to ceiling bookcases on either side of the room will work for you.

Good luck and happy designing.

fasten a 2x4 to the wall where you want the rooms seperated. then sheetrock the 2x4. there is your room break.

what with the SMALL pic ?

I used columns to make an architectual break between my dining area and living area of my great room. I wqould Definately leave both area's of the same color pallet.

quote:

Originally posted by condo-owner:
fasten a 2x4 to the wall where you want the rooms seperated. then sheetrock the 2x4. there is your room break.

what with the SMALL pic ?

My boyfriend did this at his place and it looks great - like it's always been that way.

I saw a neat suggestion one time to paint a geometric line down where you want to divide the 2 rooms...maybe a wavy line or boxy line or a zig zaggy line...something so each color goes a tiny bit into the "other room". Darn, wish I'd saved the PIX 'cause it was pretty neat and a "feature" in itself.

If you're painting the adjoining room a darker version of the first room, could you start maybe a foot before the next room starts and go a foot into the next room and, in this 2 foot section, gradually darken the color of the first room into the 2nd room?

I agree that an architectural break would be needed between the rooms if the wall is going to be painted a different color.

Our dining room and living room share a wall, and we do have an architectural break in between them, along the ceiling. However, we wanted to put our buffet along the wall, in between the two rooms.

So we decided to paint the wall one color. We've divided the rooms by having the back of the couch face the dining room. As someone else pointed out, we've also used accents and accessories to coordinate the two rooms.