Decorating
9 Creative Paint Effects That Can Remake Your Rooms
See how designers mix and match colours to lend interest to walls, and highlight or disguise architectural features
There are so many ways to play with paint. Here are nine of the most creative ideas from the Houzz archives to add some pizazz to your home with decorative paint effects.
2. Divide an open room
How can you separate the different areas in an open-plan space? With directional wall paint! This simple diagonal line divides a calm and restful blue around the bed from a crisp grey-white that demarcates the wardrobe area.
If you have an open-plan space that you’d like to carve up into zones, try marking out two or three main areas, then paint each one a colour that matches the mood you wish to create in that space, be it restful, energising or playful.
10 Things You Never Thought to Paint but Should
How can you separate the different areas in an open-plan space? With directional wall paint! This simple diagonal line divides a calm and restful blue around the bed from a crisp grey-white that demarcates the wardrobe area.
If you have an open-plan space that you’d like to carve up into zones, try marking out two or three main areas, then paint each one a colour that matches the mood you wish to create in that space, be it restful, energising or playful.
10 Things You Never Thought to Paint but Should
3. Highlight an unusual feature
This window nook is such a lovely shape that it would’ve been a shame to treat it as just another wall by painting the entire room a single shade.
By using colour to draw attention to the shape, it becomes a beautiful feature in its own right. And by confining the wash of blue to the beautifully shaped slice of wall in this alcove, it creates a bright, fun play nook, perfect for a child’s room.
If the rest of the room had been entirely neutral, however, this splash of blue might have been a little jarring. Continuing the lower wall colour into the rest of the room allows the nook to feel like a carefully considered and connected part of the overall design.
This window nook is such a lovely shape that it would’ve been a shame to treat it as just another wall by painting the entire room a single shade.
By using colour to draw attention to the shape, it becomes a beautiful feature in its own right. And by confining the wash of blue to the beautifully shaped slice of wall in this alcove, it creates a bright, fun play nook, perfect for a child’s room.
If the rest of the room had been entirely neutral, however, this splash of blue might have been a little jarring. Continuing the lower wall colour into the rest of the room allows the nook to feel like a carefully considered and connected part of the overall design.
4. Experiment with ombré
If this dark-to-light paint effect gives you flashbacks to the rag-rolling techniques of the 1980s, don’t be scared. Ombré paint effects are a modern update on the textured-paint style. When done right, they can help create a fresh, modern room.
This sunny yellow blends softly into a crisp white to give interest, depth and fun to a plain wall.
If you’re a paint-effect beginner, stick to just two shades. Apply the lighter colour first, then blend the darker shade to create a soft and smooth colour transition. Better still, find a professional decorator in your area to handle it for you.
Trend Alert: Ombre Walls to Dye For
If this dark-to-light paint effect gives you flashbacks to the rag-rolling techniques of the 1980s, don’t be scared. Ombré paint effects are a modern update on the textured-paint style. When done right, they can help create a fresh, modern room.
This sunny yellow blends softly into a crisp white to give interest, depth and fun to a plain wall.
If you’re a paint-effect beginner, stick to just two shades. Apply the lighter colour first, then blend the darker shade to create a soft and smooth colour transition. Better still, find a professional decorator in your area to handle it for you.
Trend Alert: Ombre Walls to Dye For
5. Gild the ceiling
The dark blue and green on the walls of this room read almost as one colour at first glance, but the interplay adds depth and interest upon closer inspection. The standout feature, however, is the gold-painted ceiling. Often overlooked, the ceiling, or ‘fifth wall’, is a great place to experiment with colour, and the warm gold here creates a cocooning effect.
Tip: Another paint trick that can achieve a similar result is to take your chosen wall colour and apply a cohesive wash of it over your cornices and ceiling, doing away with the sharp line break where these horizontal and vertical planes meet.
The dark blue and green on the walls of this room read almost as one colour at first glance, but the interplay adds depth and interest upon closer inspection. The standout feature, however, is the gold-painted ceiling. Often overlooked, the ceiling, or ‘fifth wall’, is a great place to experiment with colour, and the warm gold here creates a cocooning effect.
Tip: Another paint trick that can achieve a similar result is to take your chosen wall colour and apply a cohesive wash of it over your cornices and ceiling, doing away with the sharp line break where these horizontal and vertical planes meet.
6. Unify with a clean line
These homeowners took a line of colour from ground level to halfway up a wall along their landing, and they have fully committed to the look, bringing the half-wall effect right around the door frame and the door itself.
What’s the reason behind this bold move? The house has several types of rooflines – gable, pitched and flat – so the mismatched ceilings presented a challenge when it came to painting the landing. The couple loved this nude plaster hue for the walls, but it would’ve looked quite confusing to use it all the way up the different angles and heights of the ceiling.
By keeping the top section white, they disguised the different ceiling heights to make the space feel more cohesive.
These homeowners took a line of colour from ground level to halfway up a wall along their landing, and they have fully committed to the look, bringing the half-wall effect right around the door frame and the door itself.
What’s the reason behind this bold move? The house has several types of rooflines – gable, pitched and flat – so the mismatched ceilings presented a challenge when it came to painting the landing. The couple loved this nude plaster hue for the walls, but it would’ve looked quite confusing to use it all the way up the different angles and heights of the ceiling.
By keeping the top section white, they disguised the different ceiling heights to make the space feel more cohesive.
7. Create a mural
What do you see when you look at this wall? A sweep of sandy beach? A wash of ocean blue? Just a few lines of colour can result in a fun visual effect and bring life and interest to a flat surface. If you want something that looks like a large-scale piece of art on a shoestring budget, try getting creative with your paint application.
This design could be replicated relatively easily with some planning, a roll of painters tape, a selection of sample-size paint tins and a dollop of patience.
Tip: If in doubt, always ask a professional painter or decorator for help.
What do you see when you look at this wall? A sweep of sandy beach? A wash of ocean blue? Just a few lines of colour can result in a fun visual effect and bring life and interest to a flat surface. If you want something that looks like a large-scale piece of art on a shoestring budget, try getting creative with your paint application.
This design could be replicated relatively easily with some planning, a roll of painters tape, a selection of sample-size paint tins and a dollop of patience.
Tip: If in doubt, always ask a professional painter or decorator for help.
8. Team up power shades
Why have just one feature wall when you can have two? In this dark and dramatic room, a rich purple and a saturated teal-blue cosy-up against each other to create a double-whammy of deep colour. This works well because they are both the same saturation, which means that one shade isn’t lighter or darker than the other – a good rule of thumb when pairing up different colours. Imagine this as a black-and-white photo: these two colours would both read as roughly the same shade of grey.
Dark colours are also a wonderful backdrop for brighter shades and warm metallics. Just see how those yellow accents leap out against the blue and purple, and look at how the warm copper-coloured pendant light glows from the wash of teal-blue behind.
Browse more boldly coloured living rooms
Why have just one feature wall when you can have two? In this dark and dramatic room, a rich purple and a saturated teal-blue cosy-up against each other to create a double-whammy of deep colour. This works well because they are both the same saturation, which means that one shade isn’t lighter or darker than the other – a good rule of thumb when pairing up different colours. Imagine this as a black-and-white photo: these two colours would both read as roughly the same shade of grey.
Dark colours are also a wonderful backdrop for brighter shades and warm metallics. Just see how those yellow accents leap out against the blue and purple, and look at how the warm copper-coloured pendant light glows from the wash of teal-blue behind.
Browse more boldly coloured living rooms
9. Create a headboard
If you take a quick first look at this photo, you might notice the beautiful terracotta-coloured headboard. Have a closer look and you’ll realise that it’s actually just a smart paint trick to mark out a ‘headboard’ on the wall behind the bed.
Carrying the paint effect past the bed also gives the illusion of the headboard panelling running along the lower section of the wall.
To create a similar effect in a bedroom, choose two colors from the same paint family (that is, two warm tones or two cool tones) for a cohesive look. Use the darker colour on the lower portion of the wall.
If you take a quick first look at this photo, you might notice the beautiful terracotta-coloured headboard. Have a closer look and you’ll realise that it’s actually just a smart paint trick to mark out a ‘headboard’ on the wall behind the bed.
Carrying the paint effect past the bed also gives the illusion of the headboard panelling running along the lower section of the wall.
To create a similar effect in a bedroom, choose two colors from the same paint family (that is, two warm tones or two cool tones) for a cohesive look. Use the darker colour on the lower portion of the wall.
Tell us
How have you used paint to add interest to your rooms? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments below, like and share this story, and save your favourite images. Join the conversation.
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Find a painter near you
How have you used paint to add interest to your rooms? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments below, like and share this story, and save your favourite images. Join the conversation.
More
Find a painter near you
This little nursery nook is soothing and restful, yet packed with interest and detail, thanks in part to the desiger’s clever use of paint colours.
Stepping the colours from dark to light gives a cocooning feeling at the lower level that opens up as your eye travels toward the ceiling.
Taking the lowest colour up to the bottom shelf provides a large wash of the main hue behind the cot. Each shelf then acts as a natural point to introduce the next colour.
The strip of bright yellow along the edge of the top shelf also provides a streak of sunshine that continues around the room, adding a slim band of powerful colour to the otherwise restful scheme.