Birch or Medium Brown?

[TheAnswer]

Like the first or the last one, but more like the latter as opposed to the former.

Then I think you'll want a warmer brighter blue. Maybe something like this (where the yellow in the middle is standing in for the birch):



note: the sandy grey with small amounts of bright green on the other side is another option, don't use the whole five colors.

 

[iKwick7]

I thought men just bought whatever no matter what the color (besides bright colors) and wasn't too worried if it matched anything.

Not all of us. Unless, of course, I am not a "real man."

Hmmmm. I better go grill a steak, drink a beer, and watch some sports asap! Actually, it is about time for some dinner and baseball is on in an hour.... gotta go!

First off depends what you mean by chocolate:

More like a cool dark chocolate, cocoa powder, milk chocolate, candybar, or hersey's syrup?

(Note: This is gonna be kinda dangerous, because our monitors are probably calibrated differently).

I definitely like that dark brown (the one all the way on the right), and the one in the middle to while I'm at it.

 

[RedTomato]

I prefer beech - I love that golden colour. Birch is sometimes too white for me.

All our stuff at home is a mix of beech, pine or birch. (pine bookcases, birch chairs, birch tables, birch stools, beech kitchen, beech sofa frame)

We try to have real wood and no laminate or veener or plastic wood-coloured stickers or MDF or chipboard.

The only fake wood is my desk which is an ikea beech (veener) desktop as a real 3x5 foot wide slab of beech is too expensive.

Carpet is cream, warmed up very slightly so it's warm cream colour, not cold cream. (it's a nightmare with kids and babysitter but we wanted to treat ourselves to a one off.)

Walls are organic white paint, which looks slightly like chalk white, but again slightly warmer. (normal white paint is flat and dead by comparison)

White linen curtains, with ikea beech slatted blinds.

Accent colour is bright red, (red sofa, red bedspread, red cushions, red kettle, red cabinets, red pram). It bounces off the carpet and walls, and makes all that white seem warmer.

Looks fab and I love it - everyone says it's so peaceful here.

 

[NickD]

Hmm. Let me go into Kuler and play around with colors a bit more then and look at that red too.

 

[psycoswimmer]

Well, reading this thread has given me some ideas.

I've had roughly the same bedroom since 3rd grade, with a couple of sheet changes. (bed spread, curtains, etc.). I've also had the same bed-frame since I was 3. It is nice though. My mom just brought up the subject of changing some of the stuff in my room. It would kind of be like a graduation present.

Just reading around here on MR, and this thread, the IKEA stuff looks very nice. I'd like to incorporate that clean style into my room.

Just thought everybody would like to know. If it really gets going soon I may make a thread. After this change, it'll probably be the same until I move out.

 

[TheAnswer]

Hmm. Let me go into Kuler and play around with colors a bit more then and look at that red too.

If you pick just the right chocolate color, there will be a whole nice range of spicy reds and oranges you can play with. Chili powder, Paprika, etc. If you pair it up just right you can even add a really light sky blue into that mix.

 

[jeffzoom91]

Totally random, but I'm re-doing my room, and can't chose which IKEA finish to use for the wood: birch or medium brown.

In your opinion, which would look best with my iMac, and what accent colors would you use with each?

NickD

... like i said, totally random ...

When I got my galant, as well as the cabinet things that go with it, and a dresser, i choose Black. You would think it would look bad, and so did I, until I went and saw them. I was going to order birch finished online, until we figured out it was more expensive to ship to my house than to drive there. So I drove from Jacksonville, Florida to Atlanta, Georgia and looked. Got all black. Not only is the "secks" but a if someone walked in the room, and there was a naked woman in it, they would ignore her and drool over the desk setup. If that doesn't work, put the naked woman near the desk, so it looks like it.

Make sure you get the cable management thing that goes under it. It really is useful.

 

[Blue Velvet]

Wood? I think you should use... the larch.

 

[NickD]

Grrr. I'm frustrated. No IKEA out here in Colorado, and when I checked up shipping prices, I was quoted $215 to ship a Mikael out here.

NickD

 

[TheAnswer]

Grrr. I'm frustrated. No IKEA out here in Colorado, and when I checked up shipping prices, I was quoted $215 to ship a Mikael out here.

NickD

That sucks...I figured they'd at least one in the Denver area.

Well...aside from the design, the low cost is one of the best parts. Those shipping prices cancel that out. For $215 you could get a higher quality desk from somewhere else.

 

[twistedlegato]

LOL...between that thread and the other Post your IKEA stuff thread, I'm getting the idea that half my posts may be in IKEA related threads.



Either Lowes or Home Depot will have tons of color options. Just remember, with pastels and warm colors especially, that the colors will look darker/more vibrant in the room because the walls will play off each other. The smaller the room the more this is a factor.

Remember to primer, and don't tighten your wallet too much for the paint. You don't need the high end stuff, but don't get the low end either. Get the medium octane paint.

My room is not that big.

Also just in your opinion, what is a nice colour that goes with birch?

ALSO the damn MALM bed (twinsized) is sold out online and in almost every single freaking store in the US

 

[TheAnswer]

Also just in your opinion, what is a nice colour that goes with birch?

Well...there are a lot of variables, colors of linens, your favorite color, etc. If you are going light/pastels, then stay away from the purple thru yellow part of the spectrum...so earthy greens or sky blues are probably safest.

There is of course the option of keeping most of the walls white or at least a light shade and adding a darker color in on just one wall or in some sort of pattern on the walls (like thin stripes or something).

That adobe kuler site I linked above is a great starter point for ideas. The next step would be hauling out to Lowes or Home Depot and just pick out hoards of sample chips.

 

[Abstract]

Also just in your opinion, what is a nice colour that goes with birch?

Everything.

 

[Ish]

HereNot to hijake your thread but does anyone know good paint brands and what color would go well with birch items form IKEA? The color should be pastel.

I use natural paints everywhere, and I'd definitely use them in the room where I sleep. The best known one I use is Ecotec. It covers well. Don't know how widely it's available but I'm sure if you searched 'natural paints' you'd come up with something similar available locally.

 

[NickD]

Well, I'm trying to find a way to get a hold of some IKEA stuff, but it's not going well.

Maybe I'll find someone who lives out by an IKEA and pay them extra to buy me the product and ship it to me . . .

 

[TheAnswer]

Well, I'm trying to find a way to get a hold of some IKEA stuff, but it's not going well.

Maybe I'll find someone who lives out by an IKEA and pay them extra to buy me the product and ship it to me . . .

Maybe you could ask to go to either Draper, UT or Tempe, AZ for your family's summer vacation? Those are the two closest stores to you. Short of that, I'd look to see what your local Target has in terms of furniture. The ones around here have some cool stuff sometimes and the price/quality is roughly the same as IKEA. If you want to go a little higher end, Crate and Barrel has some good stuff.

 

[NickD]

I've already checked Target. We won't be able to do a summer vacation this year, because we paid for my grandparents to come out from Australia in place of one.

I guess maybe I'll call up some friends or relatives and ask if I can pay shipping costs, item costs, and a little extra for them to ship me some IKEA stuff at a more reasonable price.

 

[true777]

I think birch and all the light colors are sort of over right now. Look in any architectural or interior design magazine and you'll notice that most everything is in very neutral to ash tone medium browns such as walnut.

I myself am pretty tired of the ever-present light birch wood -- precisely because *everyone* has been buying cheap IKEA birch stuff for years. Then it was the black-brown Wenge (or Wenge knockoffs) for a few years, but walnut is pretty much where it's at right now. It looks a lot more contemporary and refined.

I think walnut furniture would serve you longer than birch -- it won't yellow, has a nice neutral color that won't scream the year you bought it, and is hot right now. Plus it is the color of Alessandra Ambrosia's hair if you need another argument

 

[NickD]

Maybe. I've already got some walnut furniture so I'll think about that, but I do so love the birch.

 

[RedTomato]

Go for what you like, what suits you and your working methods/lifestyle and ignore what 'fashion' says.

 

[NickD]

OK. I've got one pretty good idea now (birch, chocolate brown, blue, grey), so I want some more ideas of color themes, this time using a darker more walnut/mahogany like wood. If I were to use a darker wood, what wall color would you use, and what accent colors would you use?

Also, any more ideas with birch furniture? Shout em out!

 

[floriflee]

I do like that chocolately black-brown finish.

Me, too. However, it does show dust a lot more easily than the lighter colors. We have a coffee table in that color, and, while I love the way it looks, I have to make sure it gets dusted regularly.