Help me figure out what color to paint.

[Adaline'sMama]

Okay, so, Im moving my laundry room downstairs to our unfinished basement so that I can use it for a kids room. We live in a small area with a living room kitchen combo, tiny bathroom (shower,no tub), and a laundry room. We plan to use the laundry room to house their stuff, but DD will likely still be co sleeping and the newbie will for sure. I know I have a lot of time to figure this out, but I want DH to paint the room the day before we go on vacation this summer so that it can air out for 8 days without us being here. We plan to use the no VOC paint, which I know isnt perfect but that milkpaint is just not happening. Ive not had great luck with it. We like bold bright colors, but we havent limited it to that. Our bedroom color is blue like this:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img4.coastalliving.com/i/2009/06/blue_white-07-l.jpg%3F400:400&imgrefurl=http://www.coastalliving.com/homes/decorating/coastal-color-blue-white-00400000043839/page15.html&h=400&w=400&sz=25&tbnid=B-KH48AR45CigM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=124&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dpaint%2Bcolors%2Bblue%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=paint+colors+blue&usg=__dc8l2b3Ql6u0oWkUqU0qyMC7tKo=&sa=X&ei=FyzhTbSwJcaBtgeg09WHBw&ved=0CDIQ9QEwBA


So here is what will be in the laundry room after its converted into a kids room:

Montessori floor bed
Wooden toybox/loveseat
light wood 8 ft changing table (its actually a sidebar, but we use it as a changing table and diaper holder)
Dirty diaper pail, dirty clothes pail
Nightstand


Around DD's bed I am going to hang cool fabric from the ceiling. Its the fabric that I used as tablecloths for her first birthday party. Those pieces will be green and blue tulle, purple taffeta, green see through material, and pink glitter satin. Also, Im going t[/URL]o make a decoration that hangs from the middle of the room out of willow and ribbon. Id like it to be glossy paint, because I want to be able to wash the walls. I dont want to make the room look smaller since its already only 6 X 12 (its a long skinny room with two windows.) I dont really need it to be "soothing" for sleep, since they will be sleeping with us more than likely. So, I guess its more of a playroom and a semi bedroom for DD.


My only opinion is yellow. DH votes no. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i.ehow.co.uk/images/a07/a6/dl/paint-walls-yellow-800X800.jpg&imgrefurl=http://zearticles.com/za-what-matches-yellow-walls&usg=__OebOnHcTjdsndZE9kt7UMwSY7UM=&h=400&w=280&sz=39&hl=en&start=92&sig2=AwEXAFv4LKNRjCD-IFlqGQ&zoom=1&tbnid=8VUyoMwOiSyH1M:&tbnh=124&tbnw=87&ei=NivhTe3gBNK3tgeT84GtBw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dpaint%2Bcolors%2Bbright%2Byellow%2Bimages%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3D992%26sa%3DX%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26biw%3D1680%26bih%3D775%26tbm%3Disch%26prmd%3Divns&itbs=1&biw=1680&bih=775


Can someone please tell me how to make these links way way smaller:eyesroll. The link button used to prompt me to type in a word to replace all the html-ness. I feel embarrassed that half of my post is just links to two images.

[littlest birds]

How is the natural light in that room?  Does it feel shady cozy, or airy?  That would make a difference to me.  For a children's room, I would lean toward warm tones, and probably lighter than your bedroom color.  I personally would not use the yellow you linked.  I really like greenish yellow colors, but whenever I have used them on walls or curtains, the effect on the room's light feels unpleasant to me.

If you like cool colors, this is a color I used to have in my living room and liked:  It doesn't look pastel IRL, it's in between pastel and bright.  So light enough not to darken the room but dark enough to be bright.  (My computer displays it less bright than it looked on my walls but I'm assuming that's the display.)  http://www.myperfectcolor.com/en/color/61982_Porter-Paints-6591-2-Bell-Flower  Imagining your fabrics, I think this color would be perfect but I will make more suggestions anyhow:

I just painted a bathroom in a clear medium turquoise similar to this: http://www.myperfectcolor.com/en/color/91357_Cloverdale-Paint-7505-Turquoise-Treat--with two trim colors of bright clear blue (like your bedroom sample) and pale sky blue.  It looks fun!  That might work for you too.  

A friend's daughter once chose her own bedroom colors.  She picked a bright salmon pink color with fuschia pink trim.  We thought it would be weird but it turned out truly great (kind of Hanna Anderson bright fun)

My two younger girls share a room that is a middle tone brownish pink.  A little like this, ours is maybe a little more brownish and a wee bit darker: http://www.myperfectcolor.com/en/color/15321_Australian-Standards-R42-Salmon-Pink  We have loved this color, it looks great with their colorful quilts and etc. and has a warm mellow quality that a lot of pink rooms I've seen definitely do not have.

Have fun!

[thriftyqueen]

I think I would do something in the light aqua range.  That yellow you linked is very vibrant and not very calming for a bedroom.  I love the master bedroom from the younghouselove blog. This is a picture of it.

[ChristyMarie]

I agree with a light turquoise or aqua.  I love how airy those colors look and I'm still trying to find a room to do in my house.  I would take the colors of the fabric and use that to find the right tone then go light.  I might do a sea green ceiling with the aqua walls to make it fun.

Happy painting!