Do you have a room or area in your home that has many angles, ins and outs, ups and downs? Does it open to several rooms has a large stairway that you can see going up to the second floor, a loft and high ceilings? This sounds like a lot of commotion but it really describes many homes that I’ve been in. They are open concept homes but sometimes can be visually confusing.
How do we minimize all these odd spaces or the nooks and crannies as I like to call them? With color.
Sometimes less is more. Here in this room you have gold on the left, green in the back and beige on the right. Should we have different colors in all these room? Yes of course but they really need to flow gently from room to room, especial with these open concept homes.
At this point it’s really safe to say that gray, slate blue, soft white and thankfully green are very prominent hues in the home. That’s fine, these are great colors. I am particularly happy that green is now becoming very popular and asked for as the main color in the home.
Going back to the nooks and crannies. So for the main part of your home, choose colors that relate to each other like I have shown here in the circle graphic. Don’t have any large skips in color such as gold and green – not for this type of home. Keep it flowing and more importantly, soft. No jarring colors.
Now when it comes to rooms with crazy angles such as this one – super easy! Just paint it all one color. Forget the white ceiling and just paint your color over ALL the walls including the ceiling. It will make these angles disappear and give the room a cozy, cohesive look.
Decorating by Donna • Intuitive Color Expert 
Thank you for your article. We are in the process of opening up our kitchen, dining and living room to make an open concept and let more light in. My dilema is that we have light hardwood in the dining room, a colonial blue tile in the kitchen and burber carpet in the living room. We have natural stain on the window casings and door trim and honey oak cabinets in the kitchen. I would really like to do a warm gray all of the walls to tie it all together. I feel like gray would update it from the beige and tan that it is now. But some grays are very sterile looking or wimpy. What are your suggestions?
Gray is touchy when it comes to floors with yellow or pink undertones – I’d have to see pictures of your flooring. Warm grays would be fine next to honey oak so you are limited to that. Send me an email at DecoratingbyDonna@mac.com if you want a Virtual Consult.
Can you tell me what the color you have marked “Office” is. I love this but I’m having a hard time trying to find it, so Brand, color name and code, would make me soooooo very happy!!!
I love your choices and the ideas you have.
I would like your opinion on something… my bedroom and bathroom are being painted in the grey you have shown, my hope it to do the livingroom, kitchen and hallway in the grey blue above.
Everyone has told me what they think, but I trust your response above others. Would painting the ceilings in each room the same as the wall color be a good or bad idea. My trim colour is super white, but I like the look of the ceilings being white, but I feel more drawn to the look of the walls and ceiling being the same color! I’m in a 1 bedroom apartment where you can see every room from pretty much anywhere you stand and I have a great deal of natural light….. so I am begging for your opinion.
Sincerely
Shelley
Shelly – the OFFICE color can be found in just about any paint deck. It would depend on which paint company you are using.
I love painting the ceiling a different color other than white. I often paint the wall and ceilings the same color but would shy away from using that color for the ceiling. I don’t know where you live but unless you get TONS of light, that space may be very dark.
PS – thank you for a lovely comment. Feel free to send me an email for additional help at http://www.DecoratingbyDonna@mac.com
Thank you very much!
I hope it works out – let me know what paint brand you’re using and I can suggest a color or two that is close to it.