Color does everything for us. It can utterly transform a space – from big to small, from dull to shocking. Without buying new fixtures and spending untold hundred or thousands on professional renovators, you can transform your home with just color. Here are some tips on where to start.
Paint an Accent Wall
The best part about this is that you don’t even necessarily need to repaint every wall of your home. An accent wall is when you paint a wall in a complementary color or pattern to the rest of the home (this is why you should use a color palette and not just a monochrome design). Painting an accent wall will often draw the eye, so do it sparingly, and to walls that are centered and ready to have the eye drawn. A good example would be the wall behind the headboard of a master bedroom. Beyond the colors, you can also consider complementary patterns or textures for an accent wall.
Paint Cabinets
Why cabinets? The great thing about cabinets is that they are present in the majority of rooms in the house – the kitchen for sure, and most likely also the bathrooms, the bedrooms, and anywhere else that needs added storage. By painting cabinets, you automatically add an accent to the entire house. You can consider either getting new cabinets entirely or using paint to redo your older ones; paint can make older kitchen cabinets look new again, after all. That depends on the material of the cabinets themselves, as well as the condition that they’re in. Look at several different color options from your palette for the cabinets, comparing how they sit under the lighting in a given room, before choosing.
Outside Versus Inside
The exterior and interior of your homes are going to react very differently to different kinds of colors. Generally speaking, the outside of your house can handle stronger colors. Don’t make it too over-the-top or gaudy! But you also can use darker blues and red that would not be advisable to use inside. Lighter colors tend to make the interior space feel greater whereas darker ones can make it feel entrapping. The harsh light of the outdoor sun versus the controlled combination of natural and artificial light on the inside will create two very different effects.
If you are looking to transform your home, paint is just about your greatest tool. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to succeed. If you plan carefully, mapping out where and how the new color is going to be applied and explored, you can have a lot more control over that transformation.
Check out this article on how to increase your home’s energy efficiency without a major remodel!