[jmac35]

I'm in the home stretch of my theatre build. Today I'm making the final decisions on paints. Browns are the theme. First, the good news. I have carte blanche from my better half to go as dark as I want. The bad news is I'm beginning to second guess my all-dark room.


The room is 12x24 and will feature a 130" AT screen hanging on a false wall. The screen wall will be GOM black material.



The carpet has been chosen and is a rich brown. The walls are darker brown (Sherwin Williams Turkish coffee). Some of you might be familiar with this color if you saw Big's Beam and Pole build for NYgiantsfan. The ceiling is going to be Sherwin Williams Darkroom which is black but not the darkest of blacks and has a touch of grey and/or brown in it.


So far, so dark. Here's where I need your help. I am a little worried that the room won't look good with the lights on because of all the dark domination. So, I'm trying to decide if I should lighten up the rear wall and go with some color other than black for the 7" baseboards?


My thought for the rear wall is something in the grey/brown family but light as an accent wall. I would hang two 24x48 black acoustic panels on it and two black paintings so it would still have some darkness to it.

Question 1: Is this a good idea?


Next are the baseboards. I was going to paint them the same black as ceiling. Now, it is 7" thick so it's quite substantial.

Question 2: Should I bail on this and go with a lighter color? Perhaps the accent wall color?


Lastly, what about doors and trim around doors? I'm thinking same brown as walls for doors (3 of them) and black trim.

Question 3: Do doors the color of walls look bad? And what about door trim?


My gut feeling is yes to accent wall and keeping baseboards black, and yes to doors same as walls, but I am looking for advice. Also, worth noting is that I have two rows of seating (both black) and no wall sconces, just pot lights in ceiling and pot lights in soffits.


Hopefully I've given enough info to imagine the room. If so, please weigh in!

 

[BIGmouthinDC]

Paint is cheap, go with your gut if it doesn't look good change it. Either that or contact Martha Stewart.

 

[dhendriksen]

Go strain grade. We did, and love it.

Sent from my Droid MAXX via Tapatalk.

 

[darklord700]



Quote:
The room is 12x24 and will feature a 130" AT screen hanging on a false wall.

Your screen will span your entire wall. So it is important to minimize reflection as you don't want it to light up the adjacent walls that are very closed by. I think your original color scheme will work (black back wall and dark brown side walls).


But since your screen will dominate your back wall with only a few inches of space on each side, I don't think it matters if you lighten up your back wall at all so I"ll go with black for the back wall for sure. Also, make sure you paint the ceiling black or some dark color too.

 

[BIGmouthinDC]



Quote:
Originally Posted by darklord700  /t/1517434/color-decisions-todays-the-day/0_40#post_24347233



But since your screen will dominate your back wall with only a few inches of space on each side, I don't think it matters if you lighten up your back wall at all so I"ll go with black for the back wall for sure. Also, make sure you paint the ceiling black or some dark color too.

back is at the rear of the theater.

 

[jautor]



Quote:
Originally Posted by jmac35  /t/1517434/color-decisions-todays-the-day#post_24346737


So far, so dark. Here's where I need your help. I am a little worried that the room won't look good with the lights on because of all the dark domination. So, I'm trying to decide if I should lighten up the rear wall and go with some color other than black for the 7" baseboards?

It will look fine. You may need to throw more light into the room than you'd expect, but the deep colors make the room very warm and rich...


(see my theater for browns in a monochromatic color scheme)


You might look at ceiling colors in the deepest shade within the same color family as your wall color. Or just make sure that black color is more brown than grey...

Quote:
My thought for the rear wall is something in the grey/brown family but light as an accent wall. I would hang two 24x48 black acoustic panels on it and two black paintings so it would still have some darkness to it.

Question 1: Is this a good idea?

Big is right, paint is cheap. But I wouldn't 'accent' the rear wall. Keep it the same as the sides. Your screen wall is already a different color (blank and white), so IMO a different color on the back wall means you've got three different colors going on...

Quote:
Next are the baseboards. I was going to paint them the same black as ceiling. Now, it is 7" thick so it's quite substantial.

Question 2: Should I bail on this and go with a lighter color? Perhaps the accent wall color?


Lastly, what about doors and trim around doors? I'm thinking same brown as walls for doors (3 of them) and black trim.

Question 3: Do doors the color of walls look bad? And what about door trim?

I wouldn't use black on the baseboard, do a shade lighter or darker than the walls, and use the same color on the other trim. Make the door the same color as the trim.



Jeff

 

[jmac35]

Thanks for all the opinions. I made my choices as the painter and contractor stood beside me with a gun to my head

Going to keep the trim and baseboards similar to wall brown (not black). Went ahead with rear accent wall for now, because painter said if we don't like it, it can easily be painted over with the dark brown from rest of walls. (Although Jautor has nearly convinced me to forego the accent wall.)


One more question to throw out there... Should I paint the bottom of the soffits the same as wall (brown) or the same as ceiling (blacker)? I am doing the inside of the soffits the same black as ceiling but I think the bottom should be brown like walls. Seems like it would give the ceiling a recessed black look. FYI their is no soffit across front wall so it will be black in front of screen.


I will post pics in a couple weeks of finished product.

 

[jautor]



Quote:
Originally Posted by jmac35  /t/1517434/color-decisions-todays-the-day#post_24347787


Went ahead with rear accent wall for now, because painter said if we don't like it, it can easily be painted over with the dark brown from rest of walls. (Although Jautor has nearly convinced me to forego the accent wall.)

I've had the same conversation with painters!

They just want to get to work.

Quote:
One more question to throw out there... Should I paint the bottom of the soffits the same as wall (brown) or the same as ceiling (blacker)? I am doing the inside of the soffits the same black as ceiling but I think the bottom should be brown like walls. Seems like it would give the ceiling a recessed black look.

Yep, exactly.

Quote:
I will post pics in a couple weeks of finished product.

I hope you'll post in-progress pics tonight, though - you can't ask color and paint questions without showing us the immediate results. It's in the forum rules.

 

[jmac35]



Quote:
Originally Posted by jautor  /t/1517434/color-decisions-todays-the-day#post_24348143


I hope you'll post in-progress pics tonight, though - you can't ask color and paint questions without showing us the immediate results. It's in the forum rules.

I had a late night at work but just went down to snap a few pics with my iPad. Last thing I'd want to do would be breach forum rules.

As you can see I had a change of heart and went with all white everything!


Here is the back of the room where the bar and rack will be.



As you can see I've gone with four doors in the middle of the room. A nice touch.



Here is bar and riser pic taken from the AV closet. Bar top will be black quartz.




Riser, bar, rack taken from front of room.



Stage and front wall taken from adjoining room.



Painters back at 8am. Updates to follow tomorrow when pics hopefully will be easier without doors in middle.

 

[doublewing11]



Quote:
Originally Posted by dhendriksen  /t/1517434/color-decisions-todays-the-day#post_24346947


Go strain grade. We did, and love it.

Sent from my Droid MAXX via Tapatalk.

+1


Nothing better than natural wood! I stained wood in two different colors........scared the heck out of me, but the misses has good taste!