Home: new paint job

We have lived in this house for a little over a year now and since moving in we've remodeled a bathroom, repainted just about every room in the house and rebuilt the deck.  A lot of work.  However, the part that leaves me feeling not so great are the main kitchen, family, and general living areas.

This is a split level with a sunken family room, an open kitchen with view to the family room and a really high ceiling in the upstairs hallway/landing.  The walls seem to go from room to room to hallway with little to no distinct division.  When I started painting I figured I could just take the color from one wall and felt like I had to keep going to the next.  I did that and soon after realized that wasn't going to work for me. Visually it was not comforting to have everything in the same shade of green.

I love the green in the dining room but not the hallway and certainly not into the family room and all other walls ...UGH!!!  So I decided to invest a little money had a consultant come tell me what I already knew.  He said to neutralize as many of the walls as possible, build my own division of walls, and most important, paint your ceilings a bright white. Low ceilings make rooms feel smaller than they are.  White flat paint will make the colors richer and the room will feel less small... hmmmm good idea.

I took his advice and decided to start with the ceilings. Oh My Goodness!! this is harder than painting walls. Yikes.  But I do see the difference.  Anyway... here's what I'm working on.  I hope to keep posting as I paint and hope to get any tips you all may have.

This is the right side of the family room view from the kitchen. That wall will be neutral as well.

wall from the kitchen flowing into family room, color: butter yellow/keeping that color

upstairs and downstairs hallway, three of the family room walls and adjacent green wall will all be a neutral color, something called oyster shell from Behr, I think.

downstairs wall with fireplace and windows will be my accent wall, can't figure out what one color I will have in that room... love green but the room lacks natural light so have to be careful what I do there.

a brighter white on the ceiling... I know it almost looks the same as the old, trust me, it's not.

By the way, did I mention I don't like painting ceilings.

OK Off to finish that kitchen ceiling already. Wish me luck and feel free to throw in your two cents on one accent color for the family room.

Terie