The start of a new year comes with endless possibilities. This is a time when you can cast away bad habits and improve your life in profound ways. Your home environment has a major impact on your mood, your energy level and other important factors. Dark colors in the home are dramatic, but they also can be depressing. Now is the perfect time to give your home a transformation by lightening and brightening dark, gloomy spaces with brighter hues. These are some of the many ways that you can improve the ambiance in your home.
1. Brighten the Walls
Dark colors on your walls can make a room seem smaller. Because they do not reflect light as much as brighter, lighter colors do, hues like red, orange, dark green and dark blue can make the entire space seem dismal. This holds true for darker neutral tones as well, such as brown and gray.
Repainting your walls is a major undertaking, and you can easily get the cheerful, brilliant results that you want to see in your home by hiring an interior house painter in Lenexa or Lawrence KS. Pure white walls can give your room a washed-out look, so consider lighter shades of yellow, green or blue. Lighter neutral tones may also work well in your space. These colors reflect light and give the impression that the walls are receding.
When selecting the paint color for your walls as well as for your trim, pay attention to the sheen or finish. Eggshell or satin finishes are preferred for walls because they subtly reflect light. This enhances the benefit of the lighter colors that your painting contractor will apply to your walls. You can magnify the impact by painting all of the trim, such as baseboards, doors and door trim, with a white gloss paint.
2. Lighten the Ceiling Color
The ceiling is easy to overlook, but its color and sheen can have a dramatic impact on the ambiance in a room. Because darker colors give the impression that the wall is closing in on you, a dark ceiling can make a room feel stuffy and small. When you hire a home painter to lighten the color of your ceiling with a brighter or lighter shade, you can create an airy feeling in the space. This lighter color with an eggshell or satin finish will also reflect both natural and artificial light beautifully. Your interior house painter can assist with color selection so that you enjoy the results you desire.
3. Choose Accent Colors Carefully
In some rooms, it may make sense to only use lighter, brighter colors in the decorative scheme. However, darker colors that are used minimally can make a bold statement without impacting the overall positive feel of the space. Dark colors can be used minimally as accents. This may be through the use of darker throws, pillows or small wall décor. If you prefer to have a dramatic color on the walls, limit the use of your preferred color to an accent wall.
It can be difficult to make crisp, clean lines between different colors on the walls, ceiling and trim. These lines will stand out and will impact the overall aesthetic appeal of your space. If you are uncertain about your skills in this area, it makes sense to hire a painting contractor in Lawrence or Lenexa KS to do the work for you.
4. Update Your Flooring
The flooring color and material in your home can likewise impact aesthetics. For the biggest impact, you can combine your home painting project with a floor overhaul. The most affordable way to brighten dark flooring is to invest in a light-colored area rug. If your flooring is outdated and funds allow, consider replacing dark tile or carpet with a brighter alternative.
If you want to change the look of your flooring in another way, you may be able to refinish or paint the material. For example, you can refinish wood flooring with a lighter shade of stain. Some floor types may even be painted and sealed for a cost-effective transformation.
5. Tile the Walls
Another excellent way to brighten spaces is to maximize the use of natural or artificial light in your space through wall tiles. Reflective subway tiles are a great option for the kitchen backsplash because of their high-sheen finish. You can choose a lighter color of tile for maximum effect. In addition to using subway tile for the kitchen backsplash, you can incorporate it in your bathrooms as a tub surround. Be aware that these tiles generally should not be used on floors. They can become very slippery when they are wet.
Looking for More Ideas?
Even with light-colored walls, floors and ceilings, some rooms may still not be as bright, airy and welcoming as you prefer. One reason for this is because of minimal natural light in the space. If the windows in a room are very small and replacing them with larger windows is not feasible, you do have a few options. For example, you can replace dark, heavy drapes with lighter curtains or sheers to allow more natural light to filter into the room.
You can also make strategic use of mirrors. Mirrors reflect light while also creating the illusion of depth in a small space. For maximum results, place them directly opposite windows or other light sources. Mirrors can be placed over your fireplace mantel, above a side table, in a long and enclosed hallway and in any other dark areas of the home.
There is no better time than now to get started. Contact Absolute Painting to request an interior house painter quote for one or more areas of your home. As true painting experts, we can consult with you about paint color selection, paint finish and more so that you can maximize the benefits of your upcoming project. Call us today to learn more about our services as a first step.