Using Paint to Define Spaces in Your Home

When you look through the different rooms in a house, especially one with an open floor plan like Jess and Peter’s, defining each room with different paint colors can create a really interesting and inviting space. Now I’m not suggesting painting one room bright red, then blue, then green – this will create a kaleidoscope look that will appear more dizzying than designer.  However, painting each room a distinct, yet complimentary color to represent each room as you walk through the house will draw the eye to the different features of each room and create an elegant color scheme for the entire area.

 To accomplish this look, be sure to choose colors with the same or similar color depth. What is color depth?  A quick definition is: all the possible ranges of color shades within a single color. For example, when you look at a paint chip, the colors get lighter as you travel up the chip. The way to tell if a color has any “hidden hues,” that could appear when used in your home is to look at the darkest chip. If it looks a little red, the color will have pink tones; if it looks a little blue, the color will have grey tones. This should be taken into consideration when deciding on colors for your room. Don’t forget to consider the color of your furniture which can also pull out the paint’s hidden hues.

When you select three colors for a space, like I did for Peter and Jess, you need to also consider if they are in the same color family – yellow, green and orange for example. In this case, yellow is used in the mixing of all three paint colors. This is what makes a color family. 

Creating an accent wall will draw attention to one particular area or space. This is usually the farthest wall, or the most interior, which can be seen from the farthest distance in the room or house. Why? The color pulls you in, and when you add the same color, or versions of the same color, throughout the room your eye seeks out the color and carries your interest around the room. This technique lets you use less decorating “stuff” in the room and still create an impact.

When standing in Peter and Jessamyn’s living room, the open floor plan lets you see all the way through the kitchen to the back wall of the dining room. The original color in all the rooms of Peter and Jess’s house was a sunny yellow. While they liked the overall color, we selected a beautiful terra cotta color for the kitchen to break it up a bit and to pull from colors in the counter tops.  Additionally, the terra cotta color will also be represented in the chairs that will sit near the living room fireplace, so you will be introduced to the color as soon as you walk into the room. When you look through to the kitchen, your eye will pick up the color again – tying the two rooms together without using the exact same paint colors.

In order to tie all the rooms together, we painted the back dining room wall a soothing green. This color is represented by a beautiful deep green sofa and accent chairs sitting in front of the living room fireplace.  We planned this to draw the eye and the person into an inviting home and living space. 

Your eye naturally seeks the same color, so select a target color for your home and place it in different places, utilizing different techniques, like wall colors, accessories and pieces of art.  This creates interest, atmosphere and creates a beautiful flow for your home!
 

For more design ideas and tips from Laura Redd and other interior designers, visit the Hooker Furniture blog. 

• Laura's blog