Dark paint inspiration
We have a house that only has white painted walls. Partly because of the style of house but mostly because my partner thinks coloured paint makes rooms look smaller (?!?!)
We bought a painting we first saw lit on a dark wall, brought it home and, against the white wall, it has lost some of its magic.
i would like to paint the wall the painting is hung on Farrow and Ball Vardo to pick up on one of the colours in the painting and to make it appear to recede into the green hedge that runs parallel to the room as there are 4 floor to ceiling windows on that wall. The rest of the walls and ceiling will be white and there is a wide patio door on the adjacent wall.
To try to persuade my partner, I'm hoping to find some photos where a dark paint has been used walls beside uncurtained windows against a garden backdrop. Does anybody have photos they could share please?
Comments (43)
Juliet Docherty
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoVardo is lovely, but it is very bright. Inchyra Blue is similar but slightly less saturated. Inchyra Blue looks good with lots of other colours, Skimming Stone particularly as a neutral on other walls looks less harsh than white. I have Inchyra Blue on my TV wall to make it disappear!
Gillian L thanked Juliet DochertyRelated Discussions
Inspiration needed for Victorian Lounge - paint colours
Comments (11)Hello Melissa, Oooh Lovely! Lucky you! For colours I'd suggest chalky matt for walls. Either keeping it light with stone and light greys... OR going to darks......For the ceiling Whitening by Little Greene works beautifully... Then pick out all the wood work - This can either be light or it can be dark and contrasting to compliment the wall colours.. Do the section between picture rail and cornice the same as the ceiling and then do a flat eggshell on the woodwork.. I actually mix my own paint to get a flat chalky finish here too on all my woodwork. I have not done the floor like this as it has quite a lot of traffic..and I have moved things round.. Hope you have floorboards underneath.. Would you consider painting these too?... Works beautifully actually and also darker colours to compliment the walls... You could also paint the doors a really fabulous chalky charcoal and add some brassy and glass handles.. Is there a fireplace? Would be lovely to get a look at that too... Then consider some fantastic modern furnishings... A few ideas below... : ))...See MoreLooking for bedroom inspiration, colonial bed painted cream...
Comments (2)That is a really lovely bed! and love Danielles idea of dark walls, keeping everything very natural colours. If you're wanting a refresh for your bedroom a quick way is to just switch up your sheets... you could have soft natural linens that would compliment your bed and when you fancy a change pop some colour on the bed?...See MorePainting over an already dark paint, with an even darker paint....
Comments (0)I'm painting over our Valspar deep teal shade with a Valspar custom mix taken from a Hague Blue sample, which is a lot darker. Question: do I just slap the new paint straight on the wall as-is? Or for the final colour to look 'right' would anyone recommend doing a rough coat of Matt white as a base before hand? Here you can see the test patch of the new paint over the current colour. I'm concerned that the undercoat of teal could give the final colour a slightly different hue. But with the new paint being a lot darker would it be that affected? Thanks!...See MoreCan I paint these dark Melamine wardrobes? would the paint chip?
Comments (11)As said before, you will need a bonding primer. Two I know of are zinsser bullseye 123 primer and Owatrol ESP (easy surface primer). Both of these (and there might be other brands as well) can be used without sanding the surface first but remember to sugar soap them first to remove residues. Haven't used the zinsser but heard a lot of good things about it. ESP is expensive but goes a long way, basically it creates a film which etches into the surface beneath it. Two or three top coats of chosen paint finish, job done. I've used ESP on veneer and it does bond really well but can't speak for it's longevity, paint chipping, knocks etc. might be as well to use a multi purpose primer after the bonding primer and then the top coats. Use a foam gloss roller for a nice even finish. This sounds a bit confusing so steps are: 1. Sugar soap surface 2. Wipe off sugar soap 3. Bonding primer, follow instructions 4. Multi use primer or top coat 5. 2-3 layers of top coat. Alternatively you could you use Annie Sloan chalk paint which also doesn't require sanding first and use a clear wax or lacquer to finish....See More
Molie
3 years agoWe are considering Vardo but suspect it'll be too bright. We have also looked at Craig and Rose Bowery Blue and French Turquoise (latter is a bit meh but probably a safer option :))
Little Greene Canton and Marine Blue might also warrant tester pots!
Gillian L thanked MolieMolie
3 years ago
Gillian L
3 years agofifi589
3 years agoGillian L
3 years agoyvonnegw
3 years agothis is my room with downpipe and ammonite. it's a north facing room and works really well. We painted the wall when we got the sofa as didn't don't look as good against the white walls.. there are french doors to left.
Gillian L thanked yvonnegwGillian L
3 years ago
Glug Lug
3 years agoGillian L
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E D
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Jules Mc
3 years agoGillian L
3 years agoJuliet Docherty
3 years agoE D
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Anthony (Beano)
3 years agoGillian L
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KK1000
3 years agoGillian L
3 years agoI’m afraid I don’t agree KK1000. We have other works by the same artist with a much narrower frame and a white mount in the room (and unframed in other rooms). We saw it presented boldly and I think we are doing it a disservice currently.
Gillian L
3 years ago
PROPaintforme
3 years ago
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Jennie Barton
3 years agoGillian L
3 years agoJacqueline Mack
3 years agoJennie Barton
3 years agovehughes
3 years agoHere is a photo of our perfectly fine but plain room and a couple after that I hope help you convince your husband that dark colours don’t shrink a room, photo with our art too.
katewilson22
3 years agoIt’s only the front garden through the window so not all THAT leafy, but hopefully it gives an idea. Our walls are a very very dark green and I do tend to have lamps on during the day to make it feel cosy as the room doesn’t get the sun until late afternoon. I love it and it hasn’t made the room feel small, though there’s no denying that it’s darker than when it was pale yellow. Personally I like it, it’s a friendly dimness rather than a dingy darkness.
Sudhakar Patel
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoMonique
3 years agoHi,
We had the same dilemma as you. We wanted to frame the garden and add a touch of colour instead of all white walls. The large artwork was picked up in a charity shop, and we loved the colours. We opted for the blue within the picture with white walls which frames the garden and we call it our moving picture because the garden changes all the time. At Christmas the tree goes in front of the window which creates a stunnig back drop especially with navy blue baubles. My husband said no at first, until it was it done and then he loved it. We agreed its only paint and if he really didn't like it we'd change it. We're 2 years on now and still love it.
PROAbsolute Project Management
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoHere are some images of Vardo next to a window with a mini garden. The property is very different from yours so might not do the job in terms of convincing him... but it is a good example of combining light and rich colours to keep it from being overwhelming.
The key here is that if you combine a bolder colour with a neutral, make sure the neutral has a compatible undertone to it - i.e. a light grey with a hint of pink will usually sit uncomfortably next to a teal wall. Shown here is Strong White as a neutral.
Also - on the 'colour makes a room smaller' issue - we've written briefly about why that isn't always true in this post on decorating with white (see the white lies paragraph); https://absoluteprojectmanagement.com/50-shades-of-white/
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