Email  Print

10 Great Tips for Painted Interiors

10 Great Tips for Painted Interiors
By Mary Courtney

1 - A very important first step. Is to properly prepare your walls and woodwork.  Paint is the finish coat that will reflect the work done in preparation.  Sand, patch, sand again, apply a “primer” coat, and then you are ready to add that gorgeous layer of color.

2 - Create vistas in your home.  The room you are in has to look good but what lies beyond needs to relate to it.  There has to be a thread of color that connects everything, a “bridge” color.  Once you have selected a group of colors carry this scheme throughout.  Use some of these colors in each area.  Stand in your living room, look towards the rest of the house as you walk through, do the rooms relate to each other?  Each room may have a different dominant wall color but will contain parts of the color scheme.

3 - Think of your walls as a background canvas. Walls can be restrained and aimed at setting off your furnishings or designed to make a bold statement using color or pattern.  Walls can also be a fashion statement because they are easily adaptable and changeable.

4 - A statement color on one wall can be changed with the seasons and become a personal expression.

5 - Paint offers the best value for the money spent and the quickest way to change a room.  It is much easier to match paint to fabrics, as paint can be customized.  So, no matter how old your fabric may be, a computer can blend the perfect color to match.  All paint stores now offer this service.  In home furnishings there is a definite cycle of colors used.  For example, the deep brown from five years ago may now be more of a reddish brown.  This is all determined years in advance by color specialists, the same ones who choose women’s and men’s fashion colors and colors of new cars.  This year’s “go to” color is tangerine.  

6 - Painting the interiors of cabinets and shelving units is an easy way to bring an accent color into a room and it also sets off whatever is stored there.  Perhaps you have a collection of Italian pottery or maybe some blue and white porcelain, a background color will enhance your pieces showing them at their best.

7 - You can update your kitchen cabinets by painting the upper cabinets a different shade or color from the lower ones and, if you have an island, do make that more distinctive by painting the base a strong color that complements the rest of the room.  And while you are at it, change some of the upper cabinet door inserts with obscure glass, metal mesh or other interesting materials, such as custom designed etched or stained glass, reflecting your interests.

8 - Paint your bathroom a deep color.  This offers a counterpoint to the countertops, mirrors, and fixtures.  And by also painting the ceiling you will create a sense of restfulness and calm.  A small “powder room” with accents of Asian artifacts would be exquisite painted in a glossy cinnabar color, or, in a contemporary styled bath, a deep pewter color would look stunning.

9 - If you have a separate dining room this is an area where you can be totally dramatic.  Dining rooms are most often used in the evenings so be bold and go dark and deep with your color on the walls.  You can create an intimate setting where conversation and lingering is encouraged, aided by the soft glow of low lighting, the shine of silver and crystal.  What magic.

10 - When choosing paint, there are several different finishes from which you can select.  “Eggshell” is a lovely soft finish that always looks good.   In the design world there are currently many ideas using glossy or shimmering finishes.  These often are shown on ceilings but are also used in a small room such as a library or den where much of the furnishings are of soft fabrics and carpet.  This can be very beautiful but the caution is that the wall or ceiling surface absolutely must be very smooth and free of flaws.  

Be bold and adventurous in 2012, color your world with paint!

Mary Courtney has been practicing Interior Design professionally for thirty five years.  Mary’s work takes her all over the country and she currently is based out of Sonoma.  Mary may be contacted by phone at 707-721-6175, or courtneydesigns@cox.net www.marycourtneydesigns.com