Designer Secret – Hiding Flaws with Paint!

Color is a powerful decorating tool.  The colors you choose and where you use them can have such a dramatic effect on a room.   Like duh, right?!  I know, so obvious Jessica, but hear me out!!  Beyond having the power to elicit emotions,  using color can highlight things you love, AND it can even disguise thing you don’t.  You can help imperfections fade into the background!  It’s a teensy little trick that designers use all the time.

Now, when you scroll through a magazine you will start to see the thought process behind some color decisions.  This will be a new trick that you can use in your own home!  Which is totally what I’m going to do in my master bathroom refresh!!  Okay, let me show you and then we can convo at the end!

Let’s say, that you’ve got a door in a weird spot?  Consider this…

By painting the walls, trim, door all the same color the door completely fades into the background.  Like magic…

Let’s say, that you’ve got an oddly shaped room.  Yup, color can help you there too!

And that trick works for rooms with low ceilings, too!  When there are no “lines” differentiating the walls and ceiling it all becomes one mass of color!  Your eye doesn’t focus on sloping walls or where the ceiling is – the room appears larger!

Don’t see what I’m talking about?  Check out his room above.  Those ceilings a llloooowww, but it still looks open because they have kept most of the room the same color!  Imagine the same room with the moulding or beams painted out.  Yikes!!

Here’s a peek at the reverse… The higher the color contrast, the more the feature is highlighted.  Um, yes I see you high ceiling and gorgeous windows!

This hallway’s all like, Look at all my pretty details!

Whereas this one is saying, Feel my grandeur!  For such a long hallway, it doesn’t feel long or restrictive, and damn, that floor!

I’m totally not saying that one is better than the other. At. All.  These are just ideas to plant in that pretty little head of yours.

Now there is one bit of trickery that we haven’t gotten into, and it’s the 3/4 painted wall, bringing the ceiling color down onto the walls.  This most certainly gives the impression of a higher ceiling and visual interest for just the cost of paint.  It also hides imperfections where the ceiling and wall meet – if you have wonky seams this trick is for you!!

In my master bath I have tile that I don’t love and a door that stands out a bit more than I’d like.  I can totally paint the whole room the same color as the tile (door too) to make those imperfections not so noticeable.  My hope is to trick the eye into seeing beautiful new mirrors, an updated vanity and lighting, vs the yuck stuff!

A plan is forming… I’m getting excited!

White doors, Blue Paneled Door, Grey Loft, Attic Loft, Teal Bedroom, Beamed Living Room, Grey Ceiling, Grey Hallway, White hallway, Bedroom, Double Blue Room, Black Header Bathroom

Jessica

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