The power of paint – trick the eye and change the shape of your room

No, paint can’t change the actual dimensions of a room, but using the right shade in the right way can trick the eye and make a room seem bigger, taller, cozier, shorter or longer. Depending on what you hope to achieve, paint can be the magic touch you’re looking for to upgrade your space.

Let’s walk through a few common visual tricks to help you make the most of your rooms.

1. Pick your size and shape

The tried and true method to make a room feel larger is to paint it a light shade. You might think white is white, but there are so many shades and tones of this hue, make sure you choose one that’s right for the light your room gets. A warm white versus a cool white can completely change the feel of the space, so do get a bunch of colour swatches and watch how the light plays off the colours.

Another trick to visually expand a room is to paint one wall a darker hue and the remaining walls lighter. This will make the room appear longer. To get the opposite effect and narrow a room, one wall should be a lighter tone than the others.

2. Make it cozy

Choosing a dark colour scheme can create a sense of comfort. If a quiet escape is what you’re after, embracing dark colours can add drama and sophistication to any room. Just remember, dark paints show all the dust, so be prepared for a bit of extra cleaning.

3. Play with height

It’s not too often we hear a room’s ceilings are too high, but it can happen, especially in older homes. To compress the space vertically, choose a darker paint and a lighter one for the walls. To really make this concept pop, you could paint the top portion of the walls the same colour as the ceiling, this will visually lower the ceiling even more. The opposite is also true, a light paint on the ceiling will make it look taller.

4. Colour drenching

A room that is longer than it is wide is a good candidate for what is called colour drenching. Using the same colour throughout, from floor to ceiling, will blur the natural lines where the ceiling and the walls meet. Painting all the features of a room the same colour – walls, ceiling, trim and doors – camouflages architectural features. Where choosing different shades accentuates angles and room details, colour drenching hides it all creating a continuous flow of colour. This modern method of hiding the architectural details of a room isn’t for the faint of heart. It can work magic in the right space, but if you want a more traditional look, keep the trim, doors and ceiling in a contrasting colour.

We hope we’ve given some inspirational advice on how to change the look of your room with the power of paint. One more tip before we go: get online and get inspired. There are so many room-speration posts and blogs out there, the possibilities are almost endless. If you find you’re still stumped, give us a call. We are painting experts after all and have seen what works in even the most challenging of spaces.