Painting is the best way using which you can give a fresh look to your old room. Not only will a quick paint job makes your house more sellable (if that’s what you are planning to do), but it can also help you transform your living room into a more appealing space.
At first glance, painting doesn’t really look that difficult. In fact, people who are getting their home painted for the very first time or at least come face-to-face with the intricacies involved when it comes to this elaborate job, are shocked by the amount of thought you have to put into the process.
Nevertheless, to help you out, we have compiled a list of a few useful tips that you can employ to breathe a new lease of life into your living room.
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Pay careful attention to the color scheme of your living room
A common mistake that people make is selecting a paint color first, which is understandable since this seems like the most natural thing to do. While there’s nothing wrong with it, there is a higher risk that you might end up with a paint color that doesn’t compliment your living room.
Instead, take into account the furniture, decor, upholstery, and so on that, you have already positioned in the room. From the patterned rug, the shade of the sleeper sofa to that large piece of art that you have hanging in the room – everything should form a part of your color palette. Even appliances like your TV, portable air conditioners, et cetera are important. If you already have too much color blocking going on, we’ll suggest you stick to neutral wall paints.
Stick to neutrals
Speaking of neutrals, when it comes to painting, this is your safest bet. Now, we aren’t telling you to avoid bold hues altogether but, the room has to be balanced in order to have a calm aura to it. You have to determine the right combination of bold and neutral shades to get the perfect result.
Having only neutral walls might give barely-there, boring feel to your living room but then again, with every wall painted in bright colors will have too much competition going on.
Go dark to light, vertically
This is basically creating a smooth gradient of complementing colors. You start with darker color values for your floor, medium color values for the walls, and finally, end with lighter color values for your ceiling. Think of your living room as the outside world to help you understand the replication better – the ground is generally darker followed by buildings that are medium-valued and then we have the lighter sky.
Take advantage of the color wheel
The color wheel can be a helpful tool to help you decide the vibe that you want your living room to have. For example, analogous color schemes, colors that are next to one another on the color wheel, will help to create a more relaxed and casual environment; think blues and greens.
We’ll also advise you to go for shades that are next to one another on the color wheel as a living room should have a comforting atmosphere where everyone can relax and catch up.
Choose the right sheen of the paint
As mentioned before, paint can be quite an elaborate substance. When you opt for sheen in paint, it can bring the flaws in focus so, if you are getting a paint job to mask the flaws, go for a more matte finish.
A completely flat or matte finish will have no shine at all that, in turn, makes it perfect for living rooms. In case you have children or pets in your home, you can go for eggshell enamel or flat enamel both of which have just a tiny tinge of shine to the paint formula.
Incorporate the color gray
Grey is one color that is is not only trendy but also versatile enough to work with any kind of interior. In fact, it won’t be wrong to hear this color as the chameleon on the color palette. This color goes well with bold colors like hot pink, orange, or green. At the same time, you can use it with subtle and sophisticated pastels shades like lilac, baby pink or eggshell.
Get some inspiration
Looking outside your home can be the best possible source for inspiration when it comes to deciding color schemes. You can get the laid-back blues of the beach, the relaxing green foliage of forests, and so on to help you get a basic framework for your living room.
Don’t forget to sample the paints before you get an entire wall painted. You can buy testers in a couple of shades to help you determine the right paint.
Understand why undertones are important
Probably, one of the most neglected parts of getting your living room painted is the undertones of your walls. Try using a darker color on a strip to understand what its true color would look like. This will help you avoid situations where you might end up with walls that are too yellow, too blue, or too beige. You can always enlist the help of a sales executive to give you a bit more insight into the concept of undertones.
Follow the rule of three
For your living room, limiting your color palette to a grand total of only three colors is also a strategy that can never go wrong. Think of using colors like sunny yellows with navy blue and grass green to help lend a cheery and peppy feel to your living room.
Of course, you can go for paint shades that you feel would be better and more suitable to your own personal taste and preferences. Select the main color that you would want to include in your living and then find two other complementing hues to complete the look.
Resources – Hey There, Home, The Spruce
