Most interior designers will say, as a general rule of design, that you should never paint your entire home one singular color. That isn't to say that you can't use the same color palette throughout your entire home.
A brighter tone will expand the space, and a darker one will bring it in. "There is a 60-30-10 color rule when it comes to design: 60% of the room (including its painted surfaces and décor) represents your dominant color choice; 30% is applied to a secondary color; 10% is for the accent color.
A good rule of thumb is to paint the accent wall the same color as the other walls, but 2 shades darker. If you don't feel comfortable going wild with color choice and placement, this route tends to be foolproof. You don't have to do this. A light accent wall in a darker room can work, but it's riskier.
We recommend sticking to one accent wall per room.
You can use one color as a unifying theme throughout the rooms, while giving each room its own personality with color accents. View the adjoining spaces together, not as separate entities, when you're planning out your design.
This decorating rule suggests that you should cover your room with 60% of a dominant color, 30% of a secondary color, and 10% of an accent shade. It is all about maintaining the perfect balance of tones. Pick colors that mingle well with each other to create a subtle combo.
Gray, beige, white, earth tones and other neutrals dominate our bestseller list when it comes to our most popular interior paint colors.
Speaking of accent walls, these will continue to be a top interior design trend for 2023. While many of us automatically think of using paint to create an accent wall, there are countless other options to make a wall a visually interesting focal point.
If not done right, it would only chop up your space, and feel randomly placed, instead of actually being the highlight of the room. While an accent wall is indeed fun, not every room needs one – because it might make your room feel divided and not cohesive.
It gives you the benefit of bold color without overwhelming your space, adds on-trend graphic edge, and can even be easier than painting the whole wall from top to bottom if you have high ceilings. This paint trend doesn't seem to be fading anytime soon, and I think that's a good thing.
If you were to pick more than one, then it wouldn't have the same effect and you may as well paint the entire room. Because only one wall gets to be the accent wall, you must choose wisely. Your eye will naturally be drawn to certain walls over others depending on the lighting and furniture arrangement of the room.
Beware that paint holds the power to merely elongate a room, rather than make it feel bigger overall. 'Using a lighter shade on the end wall, furthest away from you as you enter the space, alongside darker walls either side create a sense of depth and work to elongate the room' says Ruth.
It's a classic decor rule that helps create a color palette for a space. It states that 60% of the room should be a dominant color, 30% should be the secondary color or texture and the last 10% should be an accent.
In general, you should always paint an entire section at a time, to avoid inconsistent paint coats. Don't worry about getting a ton of paint on every stroke or painting in a hurry.
To achieve a two-tone paint effect you need some kind of border or dividing line between the two wall sections. If you don't have molding or another permanent feature that does this naturally, you can create a clean, distinct line by masking the wall with painter's tape.
You can play with paint placement in order to lengthen or shorten a room. Paint the ceiling and far wall an accent color in order to elongate the space. Conversely, painting just the far wall an accent color can appear to shorten the space.
The wall you choose to highlight should ideally be the space to which your eye is first drawn when you enter the room. Walls with fireplaces or existing design features – like mantelpieces – also work well. Avoid walls with doors or windows if you can, as they'll tend to detract from the effect you're trying to create.
A living room accent wall (painted a different color from the rest) is a great feature to have because it creates a clear focal point. This, we'd argue, is one of the fundamental aspects of a calm and welcoming space, because it creates a sense of balance.
Now that gray has fallen out of favor, you may be wondering what color is replacing gray. Of all the neutrals, gray is the one that always held the most gravitas with designers and decorators, however, gray is slowly being replaced by beige.
Beige is a popular color at the moment, as homeowners ditch the cold and often stark tones of grey for something that brings more warmth and life to a room.
' asks Leatrice Eiseman, director of the Eiseman Center for Color Information & Training and executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. 'Generally, the warm tones of yellow, and orange, warm lavenders and blues, such as periwinkle and warm red or warm pink are associated with happiness. '
Greiges make a great whole-house paint color choice because they tend to go with everything and appeal to everyone!
Blank Canvas by Behr
Not every 2023 color of the year aims to make a statement. Blank Canvas, Behr's pick, is a creamy shade of white that goes with practically everything. The warm neutral stands out from the icy modern hues popular in the past.