Paint has the power to transform the look and feel of a space. Colors play a significant role in changing our perception of interior spaces. The conventional house painting in Danville wisdom dictates that lighter colors can make a small space appear bigger and brighter.
One of the most prominent trends in today’s home living is the “small living” trend. An increasing number of homeowners choose to live simply by downsizing their spaces through these so-called “tiny homes.” People are making the most out of their tiny homes by maximizing every inch of space they have. Although the driving factor behind this trend is mostly financial, homeowners don’t have to sacrifice style while living in small spaces.
Practicality aside, small spaces have appeal despite the tendency to feel cramped. If you’re going to change the look of your small room, it’s a far easier thing to do than dealing with a bigger space. Repainting a small room takes a short period, a few gallons of paint and tools, and minimal effort.
A small room also allows you to choose any color and decor you like, despite the conventional house painting wisdom mentioned earlier. You can definitely use bolder colors for small rooms. Even with a small space, you can manage to make it look cozy without feeling claustrophobic. Consider the following small room painting ideas:
- Go with the classic rule of thumb in interior painting – choose light colors. Such colors are more reflective, giving your small space a bright, open, and airy feel. White remains popular because it is the most effective at reflecting light, taking advantage of your room’s natural light. You can choose from all shades of white – chalk white, snow white, ivory, seashell, bone white, cream, beige, eggshell, alabaster, and many more. But if you don’t like white, you can go for other colorful options such as pastel yellow, sage, sky blue, lavender, light gray, and greige (a combination of gray and beige). Lighter colors are easy on the eye; they enable your eye to travel continuously around the room.
- This might sound counter-intuitive, but don’t be afraid to try dark or vivid colors. You may choose bold and rich colors such as bright or deep red and various shades of orange (such as tangerine, mandarin, or persimmon) for your small spaces. Try balancing your small space’s overall look and feel by installing low artificial lighting. If the space has crown molding, baseboards, or trim, paint them white. Decorate your room with brighter objects to make the wall color pop.
- Paint a focal wall. An accent wall is usually painted with a color that’s darker than the rest of the walls in a room. While not everyone is a fan of accent walls, they can work even in small rooms. If you’re trying to open up a space, paint one wall with a darker color. This can make that wall appear as if it’s receding or diminishing, tricking the eye into thinking that the space is bigger.
- If your small space is intended for a particular function, such as a home office, library, reading room, or study room, choose light, mute, or pastel colors. This will make the space feel big, bright, and “flowing” and may facilitate and improve your reading and writing skills.
- Choose a sharp color palette instead of dull colors. Sharp colors can make any small space look larger. Sharp colors aren’t limited only to wall paint but also to other elements such as accent pieces, decor, and furniture. Just make sure to leave space between those sharp hues.
- For small spaces that don’t have sufficient natural light, choose bright, cheery yellows. Those sunny hues can brighten and warm a dark and dingy space. Among the best yellow shades for cramped and low-light spaces are true yellow, bright yellow, sunflower yellow, banana yellow, golden honey yellow, lemon, aureolin, and chartreuse. Any of these shades of yellow will look fantastic, especially during dark or rainy days and winter days.
- Have you thought about the ceiling? The so-called “fifth wall” is often neglected when it comes to painting and decorating. If your ceiling looks a little dingy, paint it white or light color. Doing so will make your room appear higher and larger than it is, aside from giving it an airy feel. This makes a small and cramped space seem bigger and more welcoming. Another suggestion is to paint your ceiling with the same color as your walls to achieve an open and flowing look.
- Paint accents in the unlikeliest parts of your home, such as a bookshelf nook, windowsill, or radiator. It will add more design interest to your space. For example, apply ebony on door and window frames to add an elegant touch to your room. Paint darker and richer colors on any small architectural details to make them stand out.
- For painting kitchen cabinets in apartments and “tiny homes,” a splash of bold color is a good idea. For example, paint your kitchen cabinets and exhaust range hoods with cherry red to give your otherwise light-colored kitchen a “spicy” and retro look.
- As you did to your small kitchen, choose to paint your bathroom or powder room with bold colors as well. While a bright white or pastel color will make your bathroom appear larger, you may want to consider bold colors such as rich chocolate brown, royal purple, or charcoal. These colors contrast your bathroom or powder room dramatically, especially when balanced with lighter elements such as your toilet and bathtub.
- Paint your crown molding, baseboards, and trim with the same color as the walls. It can give your space an open and airy feel.
Non-paint tips for small living spaces:
- Free your space from clutter. Clutter is distracting and makes your space seem smaller. Clearing the clutter from your floor, table, couches, windowsill, and other surfaces will make a big difference to the look of your space.
- Hanging a large mirror in your tiny room is essential to check out your hairdo or outfit and creates the illusion of additional light and space.
- Choose furniture with visible legs. Leaving a space under your furniture will make it “float.” It will also help open up a space, allow more light into the room, and promote better airflow so that your small room will not feel stuffy.
- Let natural light in. Remove heavy curtains, drapes, or blinds that can otherwise prevent natural light from entering the room.
- But if you still like curtains, opt for sheer curtains that can still permit natural light into your space. You may also want to hang ceiling-to-floor curtains to make your room look higher instantly.
By following house painting in Danville ideas and other non-paint tips and tricks for your small space, you will be surprised to see a big difference! While white will always be a practical and classic choice for small rooms, don’t be afraid to use a little color. Carefully chosen colors can help open up a space and make it even more inviting. If you need help choosing colors, call us at 925-294-8062.
