New apartment: Need "color" and lamp advice

[b1os]

So, I finally found an apartment last week.. it's not too big nor anything special, but at least I found one and it's also quite cheap for the location. I have figured out how I want to furnish it -- this may not be the best plan in terms of "open space" but I need to fit quite some stuff in there so I need a few shelfs/bookcases. What I need to figure out is the colors. The tiles are in a medium-dark grey. The apartment is seperated in bathroom, kitchen, "living room". There's no door from living room -> kitchen (no window in the kitchen, unfortunately). In front of the living room's window is a radiator. I've made a rough sketch using an online furnishing tool, the proportions are pretty good (the colors aren't, see below). I'll likely get a smaller wardrobe and maybe a bigger bookcase in return (and maybe move the shelf in between the apartment's door and the entry to the kitchen next to the bed -- is that a bad idea in terms of feng shui like I can't see the door directly anymore when I'm in bed?). I guess the general idea is obvious though. The room is roughly 4m x 4m.

The color of the tiles (no better picture available, sorry):

I have to get quite a lot of stuff so I'll have to work with IKEA budget-wise for the shelfs and wardrobe. Namely, Pax for the wardrobe and Billy or Besta for the shelfs (not sure yet). Both the wardrobe and shelfs will have closed, wooden doors. And Odda for the bed (I'm still sad that a 140x200 bed doesn't fit in there). I think the wall color is too white, so I'd like to get another tone. But which? I'm looking for a very light tone (maybe some sort of off-white?).
I thought about getting the wardrobe, shelf and bed in white. Will this look bad (too much white) in some way with an off-white wall?
The table, I want to get a used one (no IKEA) in a dark wood (or whatever's available for a good value). Same goes for the desk. And for the rug that will go under the table -- any suggestions on color/material for that?
The room is in the basement and therefore it's not very bright, I figure in darker winter days it can get pretty .. dark in there. I was thinking about getting a bigger passive "daylight" lamp system. Unfortunately, I don't have a clue about it, nor do my parents. Do such lamps exist on a budget?

Oh, and what's the concensus about IKEA's mattresses? I was thinking about the Sultan Elsfjord or so (funny thing is that a 90x200 one is 299€ in Germany and 179€ in the NL )

In short:
- Wall color?
- Will mostly white furniture look bad?
- Rug for under the table -- color, material?
- Are there affordable passive daylight lamps that can lighten a 16m² room without a problem (maybe with an integrated dimmer)?

Sorry for the wall of text. If anything's still not clear, ask. Any help is much appreciated.

 

[UnnamedPlayer]

I'll throw this one out there:

Don't paint the ceiling white!

Paint it the same colour as two of your walls, leave the other two walls four a feature colour.

Paint the cornice, assuming the room has one, the same colour as the wall.
It will lift the height of the room and make the space seem larger.

 

[b1os]

Really? If I remember correctly (a similar thread), it was suggested to paint the four walls in the same color and leave the ceiling white? And I'm not looking for any "popping" color, I just don't want a too cold white in my room and I'm not sure which hue would look best.

 

[UnnamedPlayer]

Really? If I remember correctly (a similar thread), it was suggested to paint the four walls in the same color and leave the ceiling white? And I'm not looking for any "popping" color, I just don't want a too cold white in my room and I'm not sure which hue would look best.

What thread that was, and whoever said it is an idiot.

painting the ceiling a wall colour (not white) will make it different to every other room you have ever been in, and different = good.
Doing the room the way you suggested would make it feel like a prison cell, four walls all the same, ceiling clearly identifiable and almost glowing and standing out as if to say "I am the top of the room, this is the lid on your jar"

painting the cornices is a no brainer for the height advantage I mentioned in my first post.

Try picking one colour, a real colour, not "Rocky Mountain Oyster Lightning (Grey)", but a true colour like "Green" and then using two variations in that colour family to do the walls and ceiling.

 

[b1os]

No need to call names. Thank you for you idea, but I'm really looking for an off-white on the walls and white on the ceiling for a couple stated reasons.

Looking forward to more suggestions, also concerning my other questions.

 

[E TF]

Yes I'd avoid feature walls or popping colour in a room like that. Unnamed player is right though - you should never (ok rarely) paint anything pure white, let alone a ceiling. If you want it to look like white, find the very palest shade of grey and paint it that - it will read as white to the naked eye but avoid the "glowing" effect. Painting all four walls, the woodwork and the ceiling the same colour can be really subtle but effective - very calming. Most people won't even notice you've done it.

 

[b1os]

Ok, so I should paint the ceiling, too. Could you give me a suggestion for the shade of off-white that would work well with the grey tiles?

 

[UnnamedPlayer]

Ok, so I should paint the ceiling, too. Could you give me a suggestion for the shade of off-white that would work well with the grey tiles?

forget the tiles, they are grey, they will go with every colour, just don't get the same colour as the tiles themselves.

go with whatever colour you like.

Me, I like green and orange:

Feature:
http://www.taubmans.com.au/public/colour/explore-your-options.aspx?wallColour=Leap Frog
http://color-swatches.com/taubmans/rapid-fire/swatch.html

Ceiling and wall:
http://www.taubmans.com.au/public/colour/explore-your-options.aspx?wallColour=White Lava

WOuld have to see how dark the tiles are but you want the floor(tiles) darker than the ceiling and walls

 

[E TF]



Ok, so I should paint the ceiling, too. Could you give me a suggestion for the shade of off-white that would work well with the grey tiles?

Hey well you don't have to, I mean it depends how much effort and money you want to put into it...

forget the tiles, they are grey, they will go with every colour, just don't get the same colour as the tiles themselves.

go with whatever colour you like.

This is just not true. There are a million different types of grey and it's impossible to tell what yours is like from that photo. Some have blue tones, some have green tones, some have beige tones; some are warm, some are cold. And regardless of tone, your tiles look quite saturated and if you went for an equally saturated colour it would look odd I think - a contrast in saturation is called for here, but not in tone. You said there isn't much natural light, so I think you want to keep the walls as light as possible. I recommend you get some paint swatch sheets from a local paint supplier, take them back to your apartment, hold them up against your tiles and pick the palest possible version of the same sort of grey that your tiles are in, and go with that for all your walls, ceilings, cornices etc.

 

[mordecai]

The advice in this thread is awful and that green room Unnamed Player linked to is the worst thing I have seen this side of the MC forum. You can not have too much white in a room. Just do the trim in a slightly different white/finish
Sucks about the tiles. They are awful. Paint them white?

 

[b1os]



The advice in this thread is awful and that green room Unnamed Player linked to is the worst thing I have seen this side of the MC forum. You can not have too much white in a room. Just do the trim in a slightly different white/finish
Sucks about the tiles. They are awful. Paint them white?

I'm no fan of the tiles either nor of them in general, but I have to live with it for the time being (studying). The problem about the white furniture (that's what you mean with trim?) is that most of the non-white IKEA stuff looks even worse. I could probably live with the birch color though -- it's still light and maybe livens up the room a little. Thanks for your advice. Would you agree with painting all four walls and the ceiling in an off-white?

 

[Svenn]

Furniture clutters the space and clouds the mind; buy everything in one single color, down to the silverware and speakers, and just get a few rugs and pillows to sit/sleep on. The Japanese have it right; you'll save tons of $ and your apartment will seem bigger. I chose shades of neon green.

 

[E TF]

You could get book shelves or wall mounted units of some sort on the walls above your desk, and maybe also above your bed. Perhaps that would give you enough shelf space to get rid of one of the bookcases, and thus free up some floor space and make the room feel bigger. Stick with the white or birch stuff from ikea - you're right about their coloured stuff. Try to keep it clean though - it'll show up scuffs and so on.

I think by "trim" Mordecai means things like skirting boards, doors, architraves, and possibly cornices, rather than furniture. It is usual to paint woodwork in a different colour from your walls, and indeed wood should be painted in eggshell rather than emulsion; it's harder wearing, wipeable, with about 20% sheen. But looks like your woodwork is varnished or stained rather than painted - it would be a bit of a job to paint it all now (you'd have to sand it all down, prime it, undercoat, two or three top coats, sanding in between). If you do paint it, I'd suggest that you do them the same colour as your walls, along with the ceiling - it's a little unusual but subtly so (like I say, most people won't even notice it) - but it can help create a calming, spacious feeling. It removes another level of complexity from the room, and it's one less colour that you have to pick and try to coordinate with the others. But hey it's just a suggestion, it could look great done in other ways too. I'm not a professional or anything.

Pure white is quite intense - a white wall will "glow", making your room feel smaller. Anything slightly off white will make the walls sink back, as it were. The obvious shade of off white for you to pick is to take your cue from the tiles.

 

[mordecai]

There are whites that aren't "off white." I think we used Benjamin Moore moonlight white (flat) on our walls and ceiling and simply white (satin) on the trim http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/oc-125

 

[UnnamedPlayer]

The advice in this thread is awful and that green room Unnamed Player linked to is the worst thing I have seen this side of the MC forum. You can not have too much white in a room. Just do the trim in a slightly different white/finish
Sucks about the tiles. They are awful. Paint them white?

That green is beautiful!

It is true you can never have too much white in a room: