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Changing Colors

With open floor plans increasingly common in today’s homes, clients often ask me questions about how to change wall colors within a space. Generally, the rule is that you have to continue painting with one color until you reach a corner or a vertical molding. Then you can switch to a contrasting color.

I have seem a creative alternative to this principal in a gorgeously designed condominium: the homeowners had used a checkerboard technique on the wall to switch colors from the living room’s bright aqua to the vivid coral in the adjoining dining room. The transition looked magnificent and it did the trick to ease the progression of color between the two rooms. With a level, a pencil, some blue tape and a narrow brush, you might be able to do this yourself.

This home also emphasizes the transition between the living and dining areas with columns on opposite walls, positioned where the function of the room changes. Your home might not have the architecture, but you could try a variation on this approach. Stencil a faux pilaster (flat column) onto your wall from floor-to-ceiling. Paint the pilaster a stone gray or the same color you’ve used in the room for trim and moldings. That’s a great way to create some distinctive detail in the space.