Paint Dilemma

Add color to my walls and ceiling

March 24, 2011

Charlene from Ayer Keroh, Melaka asks...

I’ve settled into a townhouse and want to add color to my walls and ceilings. When you enter my home, (it is) the living room first with stairs on the right going to top floor. The walls are continuous throughout the bottom floor. You can see right through to the kitchen. So my question is how do I paint the living room one color and add another color to the kitchen if they both share one wall? The same is for the living room and stairs that go up? My ceilings go throughout the living room and kitchen with no break in it. so I guess adding a color to that would be impossible. Hope you can help my painting dilemma.

NECD responds...

Colour should not make your space appear too busy. Consider using richer shade on the far wall in the kitchen as well as for the bulkhead (the area over the cabinets) because that is where your eye looks to upon entering the house. A complimentary colour or lighter tone of the shade used for the kitchen can go in the living room and on the sharing wall. Follow up the stairs with the same colour as in the living room and add a wall collage of pictures or prints. Two wall colours will be sufficient in this small space. Keep it tone on tone in your furnishings with accent pillows for more colour. Painting the ceiling would soften the space. A colour that is a quarter of the strength of the living room colour would co-ordinate nicely.