Using Paint Stripes to Make Your Living Room Seem Larger

I have written a series of articles giving guidance on improving the most important space that you occupy: your home! I have given instruction on recovering chairs and stools and redesigning old, out-of-style furniture. Now I want to cover something entirely different. Most people (especially husbands) groan when they consider painting a room. Unfortunately, too many homeowners overlook the colors and paints used in the rooms of their houses. They stick with unexciting neutral tones or just plain white. Your home can be a whole lot more interesting.

Do not be afraid of color, but do not be hasty either. It can take weeks or even months to decide on the right color palette for your room. The best tool for making this important decision is to have something to give you motivation. Either have in your mind an idea of the end product or else find a piece of furniture or a picture or a simple knick-knack which embodies what you want the style of the room to be. Now take your color ideas from this item of inspiration. It may be that you perceive multiple shades of color from this inspiration item. Do not limit yourself to simply one color. If they coordinate well, it is possible to incorporate two or even three colors into your room's design.

It is not just the colors you use but how you use them. You can create depth perception and illusions in your room by the way you apply the paint. This is especially true if you decide to use more than one color. One of the most commonly used techniques is two-toned, vertical stripes which adds height to a room. This is effective if you have two hues of the same basic color (such as two hues of green as you see in the photos). Start by painting all the walls the darker color first.

It will be easier for the dark color to cover up what is underneath. Once you have finished allow the walls to dry for at least twenty-four hours. Before applying your lighter hue stripes, decide on how far you want to take the design. Do you want to apply the stripes to all the walls or just one wall (or just two walls)? Do you want the distance between the stripes to be uniform or varied?

What about the width of the stripes themselves? All of these factors will be determined by the end result you are going for. It would be helpful to sketch out your ideas on paper with color pencils. Even if the colors used in your sketch are not exact, it will help you to visualize the results of these different techniques. In any case, vertical stripes will add the illusion of height and greater depth to the room.

After you have determined the size and amount of stripes you want to use, mark off the stripe sections with painter's tape. This will allow you to paint within the sections with the stripe color, then when you peel off the tape you have nice straight lines.

If your stripes will be done on a wall with a window make sure that you line up the stripes on the top and bottom of the window so that it gives the look of continuity. After you have applied the paint you do not have to let the paint completely dry before removing the tape but be sure it is not too wet. Here's a tip: it is a good idea to have a razor knife handy in case you need to separate the tape from newly painted wall.

Once you have successfully incorporated stripes into a room for the first time I hope you will be encouraged to try other uses of colors and patterns when painting other rooms in your home. I hope this little tutorial has helped you to be able to approach color, design, and painting in a way that is entirely new. Good luck!