We have a fairly large floor to ceiling "new-used" brick fireplace, cream-coloured venetians that we can't afford to replace, and a brick/burgundy, yellow, navy & teal plaid chesterfield. We think the right colour would tie the room together. The problem: what colour? The woman at the paint store suggested a deep gold-tan colour, which looks muddy and gloomy. Does anyone have an idea?

Having watched at least a million episodes of HGTV I would recommend that you go with something like a cream color - not too light and not too dark. This would allow the venetians to not look too out of place. But don't use the same color as the venetians though. Make it a couple of shades either way. Also be sure to accessorize with some colorful pictures so that this "neutral" colored wall lets the rest of the room come to life with color. OR you could go with a darker color for that wall - something in the light brown neighborhood. Get some paint swatches and take home so you can see the paint color in the actual room. Trying to select a color in the store can lead to some horrible color mismatches. Best to decide where the actual painted wall will be and go from there.