Decorating Ideas
Light up a living roomThe dark blue walls in this living space are brought to life by the eye-catching painting on the chimney breast. It’s almost like a light in the room with its golden intensity, and it brings out the richness in the surrounding hues. The other colours in the painting subtly link to the walls, fireplace and burgundy chair, making it feel part of the scheme as a whole.
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Reframe your picturesBlack-and-white framed photos are an interior guru’s staple, but why not go a step further and not only colour-coordinate the frames, but the mounts, too? If that’s not enough, you could also coordinate both of those with your room’s colour scheme. This trick works best when photos are closely grouped to show off your eye for detail.As an alternative, you could try frames that sandwich artworks and photos between two pieces of glass, allowing the wall colour to show through around them.
It can mix and matchIn this generously sized entryway, the majority of the woodwork sticks with convention. But choosing to paint the built-in cupboard doors to blend with the wall means they melt into it, helping this hallway to feel more spacious as the back wall, being almost uniformly dark, appears to recede.It’s a smart trick if you want a room to feel bigger, and could work well on bedroom wardrobes or fitted cupboards too.
It can let the details shineThe default approach to decorating – white ceilings, window frames and skirting boards, whatever colour your walls – gives a room a crisp and classic frame. It would work perfectly here, with these salvage antique basins, but instead, by swerving the more obvious approach, the room becomes all about the basins, as they don’t have a band of white paint competing with them.If you’ve invested in a large vintage piece, consider tailoring your paintwork to show it off. Considering a darker palette for your wash space? Browse these stylish grey bathrooms for ideas
It can boost a contemporary twistVictorian homes that respect their period details but don’t wallow in the past are endlessly popular on Houzz. And this paint technique works perfectly with that approach, as seen in this bold and colourful living room.Interestingly, one-colour walls and woodwork actually have traditional roots, it’s just that white woodwork has since become the norm. What gives the historic one-colour idea contemporary fizz is the clean finish it gives to a room – fewer lines breaking up a space make for a more streamlined look. Here, there is still plenty of white woodwork. Merging those luscious blue walls (the colour is Peacock by Flamant) with the skirtings draws attention to the elegant ceiling while visually stretching the height of the room – just picture the shortening effect if this space had white at its bottom and top. Inspired by this colourful Victorian home? See more of it painted wood work, boosting contemporary look and feel
It can be all overThis snug farmhouse kitchen has lots of traditional elements – the ceramic sink, that hearty table, the cabinetry. But the all-green paintwork gives it an unusual edge. This kitchen goes way beyond just blending the walls and skirtings, with everything from the door frames to the cabinets painted the same shade. By not highlighting particular features or lines in white or another colour, the room becomes seamless and almost womblike – giving it a really cosy feel.
Painted skirtingboards. Notice how the skirtingboards in this room are the same brilliant emerald as the walls. Painting baseboards in a colour instead of leaving them white or wood makes a more modern and seamless statement. If you prefer a more classic look, leave the baseboards untouched.8 Reasons to Blend Your Woodwork Paint With Your Walls
Faux backsplash. This bathroom creates a similar look to the previous space but without any tile on the walls at all. Painting the walls to just a few inches above a vanity unit or a laundry sink creates the effect of a backsplash but without the tilework. Be sure to use a washable finish in a quality paint that will endure a few splashes.Decorating: Which Type of Paint Should I Use for Which Job?
Continuous lines. This fun but sophisticated bathroom uses a block of charcoal-grey paint to continue the lines of the tile across the room. This gives the room a cohesive look that feels high end while saving money (compared with continuing the tile around the whole space).
Faux headboard. Don’t have a headboard? Let a rectangle of paint define the bed. Match it to a side table, and top it with a shelf to enhance the effect. Even without anything else colourful in the room, the space will feel lively enough to inspire you in the morning.
Tall spaces and staircases. In very high spaces, especially stairwells, a half wall helps to ground the area without filling it floor to ceiling with an overwhelming amount of colour. This dark wall follows the lines of the staircase, defining the area while still allowing the high ceiling to seem far away.Notice how the lower edge of the grey diagonal area aligns to an element of the window (the bottom of the middle panes) for a little extra architectural crispness.
If you want your paint effect to feel extra youthful and fresh, try painting from corner to corner in a room or using the accent hue in an even smaller dose to dress just one partial corner. You can also use this effect on multiple walls to add small splashes of several colours to an eclectic scheme.
Dynamic diagonals. For whatever reason, our brains perceive diagonal lines as being more dynamic and energetic than horizontal and vertical lines. This makes diagonal lines feel more fun and playful.
14 Essential Things to Consider When Painting a Room
When painting a half wall, you can paint to halfway up the wall or to any height you wish. Stopping the paint a bit above the eye line will let the colour stand out more, while stopping it below will leave more of the white or neutral hue to create a more open and airy effect.
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