Many home owners are inclined to take the failsafe choice of painting the whole house white. In fact that was the standard colour for most homes in the pre-1960s and even into the 70s.
White is often chosen because of its association with cleanliness and the feeling of space and light. Hence, it is used in bedrooms, living and dining rooms and the kitchen and wash rooms.
But one can argue that to have all white in a home can make the environment appear incredibly cold and unattractive. So today you see white paint colours come in many subtle variations. Individually, a can of white paint may look plain white. View several shades together and those shades of white can be warm, cool, dull, bright, faded, yellow, pink, green, gray and so on.
But do note that white requires a lot of natural and artificial light to look fresh and clean. Otherwise, it will appear greyish and boring.
So add a little colour into your home as a quick weekend project and consider painting an accent wall. To paint one wall a different shade of the room’s colour, or even a different colour entirely, will add some visual interest to a space. An accent wall can also help to make an awkward room seem less so. Or, if you have a long, narrow room, painting the short wall at the far end can make it seem more pleasant.
To start off, take a look around the room and find a place where your eyes are naturally drawn to when you walk in. This then is your focal point. In the bedroom, the wall with your headboard is a good choice.
For the choice of paint for an accent wall, it is easier to choose a colour of the same hue, but a few shades darker than the other walls. You will find blue isn’t just blue and it usually has gray or green or yellow or red in it. This is a safe way to choose the right shade of gray-blue in a darker tone to complement your light gray-blue. However, if you are bold, you can also choose a different, but complementary colour all together. Speak to an interior designer or even to the paint store owner for guidance.
You may need to apply a primer before you paint, especially if you’re painting a light colour over a dark colour. Primer smooths out the surface to be painted and helps the paint adhere. Paint colours look different depending on the light, so that lovely summer drop blue in the day could turn out to be misty blue at night. Just be sure to experiment on a smaller surface first.
Alternatively, skip the paint and try out a wall covering. You have a wide choice of bright patterns and natural materials that can make your accent wall stand out from the rest of the walls.
Some home owners hang weather-resistant rugs to cover the wall, while others used their children’s paintings to give the additional dash on their accent walls.
– This article first appeared in a lifestyle magazine
