Keep These 3 Things in Mind When Going Bold With Paint

AD It YourselfKeep These 3 Things in Mind When Going Bold With PaintHow to choose fun and expressive paint colors that you won’t regretApril 7, 2022Considering bold paint Limit your choice to one room at first.Considering bold paint? Limit your choice to one room at first.Photo: Sam Frost

Presented by HGTV Home® by Sherwin-Williams

When it comes to going bold with paint, there’s no reason to be daunted. We spoke with a handful of designers who laid out everything you need to know when selecting a loud hue: from determining which colors best pair together, which paint finishes are most ideal, and which tools you’ll want to keep in your arsenal. You’ll feel armed and ready to add some vibrance to your home in no time.

Choosing the right hues

For designer Rosanna Bassford, going bold with paint means “using a bright color, a color that is not ‘safe’ or expected, or taking a color everywhere, such as the walls, ceiling, and trim.” She believes there are no specific rules when it comes to selecting such hues, other than that the color you do choose should “make you feel good every time you see it.” To avoid regret down the line, Bassford advises going slowly. “Limit the color to one room in your home first,” she suggests. “If you have an open floor plan home, look for the architectural features to provide guidance on where to start and stop paint colors.” Bassford particularly enjoys going bold in “rooms like powder baths, dining rooms, home offices, and even closets and bedrooms.” She adds, “Usually these are rooms that are contained and small so bold colors feel exciting, rich and cozy rather than overwhelming.”

When choosing a bold color consider the tones of the surrounding rooms and materials.

When choosing a bold color, consider the tones of the surrounding rooms and materials.

Photo: Sam Frost

DIY and home decor influencer Alisa Bovino makes a point to “think about the color story from one room to another” when settling on paint colors for her family’s home. Specifically, this means considering one room’s design scheme in relation to an adjacent space, she explains. “Most of the rooms in our home that are next to each other are different shades of green, because green is our favorite color and it happened to become the main part of our home’s color story,” Bovino comments.

Designer Malka Helft expresses similar sentiments with regard to bold colors. “There are no rules about how many rooms you can paint this way; however, I always look at a home as a solid unit,” she says. “What colors do you see around you? What colors do you find in your furniture? Do you like blues? Green? Grays? Use those as your jumping-off point and go way darker in one room or more.”

A color story can progress from one space to another with lighter shades and darker shades complementing each other.

A color story can progress from one space to another, with lighter and darker shades complementing each other.

Photo: Erik Lefvander

When it comes to mixing and matching hues, designer Amanda Thompson suggests referring to color theory. “For example, red and green are opposite on the color wheel, so pink walls look fabulous with pops of green in plants or fabrics,” she notes. It can also help to lay out paint chips and take a look at various combinations, designer Julia Newman suggests. “This could mean all the colors are varying hues of the same color,” she comments. “It could mean the colors are complementary or contrast. Or the colors could be tied together by certain elements in each room.”

While starting small by focusing on a singular room is just fine, designer Anne Sage urges homeowners to avoid the accent wall. “I think people worry that too much of a bold color will make a room feel smaller—so they play it safe by doing just one wall,” she explains. “But painting one wall a different color than the other three will break up the flow of the room, which will in turn make the room seem smaller than if you’d just painted all four walls one bold hue.” Plus, she adds, paint is relatively easy to reverse down the line, so there’s no harm in transforming an entire room even just for a bit.

Finding the right finish

For designer Mimi Meacham, the finish one chooses should be dependent on a home’s style. “If it’s a more traditional home, then I love to go high gloss with a statement color choice,” she explains. “If the home is more modern or contemporary, a flat finish in a moody, bold color can also be chic.”

Bassford believes that it’s best to opt for low-sheen finishes. “Bold colors may accentuate any flaws in painting, but lower sheens also help if the paint job is not perfect because they won’t reflect all the imperfections,” she explains. Plus, she adds, “Toning down the sheen level makes the bold color easier to live with and decorate around. It recedes and acts as a rich backdrop to other furnishings in the room.”

Highgloss paint can amplify a vibrant color choice.

High-gloss paint can amplify a vibrant color choice.

Photo: Sam Frost

That said, some still may wish to use a high-gloss paint for a major statement. “It will reflect light, and light catches the eye, drawing your attention there,” Bassford explains.

According to Bovino, “Paint finish really depends on your lifestyle and how you prefer your walls to look.” She enjoys mixing and matching, using an eggshell finish on the wall and semi-gloss on a room’s doors and trim. “My favorite rooms that I’ve painted dark have an eggshell finish, and you can really see the color depth through the slight sheen,” she adds.

What to buy

When it comes to taking on bold paint projects, the right tools will make your life easier.

Here’s what else the pros have inside their toolkits.

A sufficient supply of paint: “Make sure you purchase enough paint to properly coat your entire space so you aren’t having to stop your project part way through to get more paint,” Bassford notes, adding that bold colors often require extra coats.

Encycolorpedia: Bovino swears by this website when selecting paint hues, noting, “It will tell you everything you need to know about a paint color including the LRV, color makeup, and similar matching paint colors from other brands.”

iPhone Compass: Bovino says she’ll never choose a paint color without utilizing this tool. “Paint colors will look completely different depending on which way the room is facing!”

Painter’s tape and edging tools: These are “a must,” Thompson states. “They will make your job easier and help produce a cleaner, finished application.” “[Painter’s] tape is your friend,” echoes Newman. “Use it to tape off the molding, ceiling, wainscotting, electrical outlets, etcetera.”

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Originally posted on: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/going-bold-with-paint