Expert: Jennifer Taylor Wojcik - 11/7/2009

Question
please help.  Living room and dining room are open seperated by only by white built ins.  living room couch and chairs are black leather and dining room is black with white seat cushions and gold accents.  Rugs are grey.  We rent so we do not have much choice in rugs.  We are going to start painting but dont know what colors to use.  was thinking about lion mane in dining room and a regal red in living room but are worried that it will be to much.  

Answer
Hi Maria,

What color to paint is my number one question from those who write in!  Since you are renting and have little division between dining room and living room I would recommend that you coordinate your colors more closely.  You might consider two shades of grey - using the darker shade in the dining area and one or two shades lighter in the living room.  Another option is to use your "Lion Mane" in one room and a couple of shades darker in the adjoining room.  

Red is a very strong color, and while I personally love it, I think it's too too much for a living room.  If you decide you want to use the red, use it as an accent color on one wall only.

Hope this helps you.
Regards,
Jenny