Everyone dreads painting. Probably one of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make is what color to use. Then you will wonder if it would work to paint some rooms a different color. You might want an accent wall or maybe faux finishes. Should the ceiling be the same color? What about the baseboards and doors and jambs? These are opportunities to be daring and creative. Your home could be transformed without having to buy anything new.
Choose a key color—your rooms can have a different energy simply by the choices you make when selecting color. Think about the feeling you would like in each room and coordinate the color with the feeling it gives you. And, never paint a room without first testing it in a few places or use a color you have only seen on a small 1-inch piece of paper.
When adding a second color, pick a dominant hue you can repeat in accessories or already have in your accessories. For example, an accent wall can be the keynote and be picked up again somewhere else in the room with an object on a table or in a fabric. You can hang a picture on one color wall that picks up the color from the other wall. This reinforces both colors and gives you the opportunity to introduce a third color for accent or relief.
Painters love to paint ceilings white no matter what the color of the walls which is a pet peeve of mine. I believe that will only make your eye go to the ceiling.
Color consultant Jill Pilaroscia encourages people to view the ceiling as a fifth wall. “If you use a color on your ceiling, you can make a room feel taller, more intimate or more interesting,” she says. When you paint the ceiling the same color as the walls be sure to reduce or lighten the color by about one-half.
The most fun I have with clients when painting is when I suggest painting an accent wall a dark color. They always worry the wall will close in the room, but when you place furniture or a picture in front of the dark wall, it will recede, making the space appear bigger, dramatic and more interesting.
Paint will express you and your furnishing in a special way. It can be cozy, dramatic, or soothing. It will always make a statement. No matter what color you choose, the walls and rooms don’t care (or won’t react to) what color paint you use, you will! Remember, rooms have no feelings, you do!