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Latest wall paint design


45 Creative Wall Paint Ideas and Designs — RenoGuide

Marj Licos

Marj Licos

Splashing on a fresh coat of paint is the fastest, easiest and cheapest way to refresh your home interiors. Aside from just painting the walls, you can also use them as the room’s accent or décor. With a little artistry and a lot of imagination, your walls can be highlights of the room or the house! Here are some easy DIY wall paint ideas and designs that will instantly transform the wall from humdrum to fabulous. Check these out and get ready for some painting!

1.       Random Rectangles

Cool, modern, eye-catching. This easy-to-create wall paint feature will complement your modern home interiors and don’t need creative or artistic skills to complete. Just pick your favourite colour palette and paint away random rectangles in different shades.

2.       Nordic Blues

Blue-grey shades are typical of the cool, modern and minimalist interiors of Scandinavian designs. Use several shades of Nordic blues to cover blocks of your wall. Use painter’s tape to achieve clean straight lines.

3.       Honeycomb

Perk up a plain white wall with several shades of honeycomb. The randomly placed hexagons create a fun and funky vibe to the room. Use colours that complement the room’s interiors and use – brighter shades for kid’s bedroom, more toned-down for the living room or dining area.

4.       Turquoise Ombre

Bring in the bright and cool of the ocean with this turquoise ombre wall paint. Match the colourful wall with sea-themed accents, glass and gold. The light-toned wood flooring works to soften the glare.

5.       Gingham Style

Painting squares can’t be that hard! This gingham-inspired wall feature gives the room an idyllic charm and rustic vibe. The key to a successful gingham wall feature is in carefully studying the shades, planning the painting and keeping the lines straight.

6.       Grey Diagonals

This is one of the easiest wall paint ideas and designs for an accent wall. Upgrade a blank wall into this sleek and attractive wall accent. Painting a plain grey wall with diagonal lines of different thickness and shades creates a trendy and upbeat vibe. Perfect for modern minimalist homes.

7.       Elegant Lines

The headboard wall is the ideal accent wall of a bedroom. This modern bedroom highlighted the wall with a dark shade of peacock green amongst a predominantly white interior. Black thin lines are added to create a modern chic look.

8.       Orange Burst

Easily dress up a narrow blank wall with this orange burst paint feature. Take your favourite colour, then create several shades of it by gradually adding white paint. An easy and fun way to add a pop of colour to an otherwise gloomy corner.

9.       Vertical Divide

Sleek, modern and creative. Easily upgrade your interiors with this three-tone vertical divide paintwork. The grey shades complement the modern minimalist room, while the perky yellow serves as the accent colour. Add yellow décor pieces to pick up the colour theme.

10.   3D Boxes

Add fun to your room with some 3D wall effect. This three-tone 3D box design is easy to accomplish. Draft the lines and mark the colours so you won’t get confused. Using painter’s tape will hasten the process and ensure straight lines.

11.   Circle Ombre

This circle ombre paintwork is perfect for when you just need a fun feature to dress up a blank wall. Draw a huge circle on the wall and divide into several vertical segments. Starting with the original paint colour, paint the middle part. Dilute the paint with white and work your way painting the outer segments. Remove the painters’ tape dividing the sections.

12.   Charming Check

Fun, charming, unique. This blue-themed check wall feature complements the coastal home interiors. But you can make your own check design and put in on your wall! Pick your favourite colour and create three more complementary shades to complete your check design.

13.   Colourful Geometrics

This bright and colourful geometric design works for homes and is best for rooms where you need a lot of positive energy flowing, like the living room or the family room. Its bright colours are captivating, while the diagonal strokes give the design a dynamic look.

14.   Flower Accent

Brighten up a forgettable corner of your home with this charming and fascinating wall flower accent. You can go as bright as you want by using red or orange shades, or as cool as this yellow on grey rose accent.

15.   Random Lines

Eliminate blank and boring walls easily with some ingenuity and a free weekend to work on your wall. This enthralling two-tone paint wall accent is fun, modern and original. Its random lines and colour blocking aspect effectively delivers drama and character to the room.

16.   Pastel Triangles

Fun, cheerful and bright! One of the most festive wall paint ideas and designs. Pastel triangles on the wall will make you think of confetti, party and excitement. Ideal wall feature for children’s bedroom, the playroom, the family room or even the kitchen!

17.   Blended Grey

When you want a plain grey wall, but you also want it to be exciting and unique! This blended grey wall is surely captivating and extraordinary. To achieve the cloud-like effect, use two tones of grey. Paint the lower part of the wall with the darker tone and the top with the lighter one. Use both colours in the middle part, using quick bold strokes to get the blended effect.

18.   Cross-stitched Accent

Unique, nostalgic and beautiful. This wall feature will take a lot of painstaking and detailed work to get right. But with the right attention to details and a lot of patience, it is possible. A great surprise or gift of labour for someone who’s into cross-stitching.

19.   Paint Drips

You’ll never have to worry about the drips, the overpainting and the mess with this design. Drips are encouraged and the messy result delivers a beautiful and arresting wall feature. For smaller rooms, you can do one layer of paint applied on the top of the wall, right next to the ceiling and dripped randomly.

20.   Vertical Stripes

Stripes are classic, neat and a staple in almost any design. Adding some black vertical stripes to a plain white wall will instantly transform it into this chic and elegant wall accent. From a forgettable foyer to a stylish one.

21.   Sunset Ombre

Capture the magic of sunset with this incredible sunset ombre wall design. Warm, bright, mesmerising. The key to achieving the seamless ombre wall is the careful blending of colours. Start with sky blue from the top, follow with blush, then with warm honey orange, and end with salmon at the bottom. Blend colours between shades.

22.

   Blue Mountains

Relaxing, cool and fascinating. Adding a tranquil wall décor such as this blue mountain feature evokes peace and quiet into a room. Best for bedrooms, bath or the music room. Using several shades of blue-green paint, draw and paint the dips and peaks of your mountains. You can even recreate a favoured mountain range!

23.   Dividing Diamonds

Adding pizzazz to a plain wall is easy and fun! Instead of abruptly cutting off from one colour to another, transition by adding these dividing diamonds. This wall transitioned from blue to white, and to divide the two blocks of colour, several shades of blue and white diamonds were added in between. Fun, attractive and charming!

24.   Prints and Patterns

Sleek, light and neutral. This is the perfect wall accent for the modern minimalist home. Using painters’ tape, divide the wall into triangles. Working with each triangle, randomly paint them with either grey or white, or create different patterns like stripes, fish tales, slants, starts, circles, and whatever you fancy!

25.   Connecting Dots

Give your plain white wall a fun upgrade with this dots and lines design. Easy to create but might take you some time to complete. This is easier with a sharpie. Just create random dots a few inches from each, then draw lines to connect the dots.

26.   Watercolour Effect

Arresting, creative, unforgettable! Pick some of your favourite colours to use for this colourful wall accent. Diluting acrylic paint with water will give you this fascinating watercolour effect. Keep the rest of the room muted so as not to overwhelm the overall design.

27.   Rainbow Wall

Everyone loves rainbows! Adding a cheery rainbow to your home will instantly uplift its mood and ambience. This accent wall highlights a basic rainbow arch on white. The colours more than provide the vividness that the all-white room needs.

28.   Bright Colour Blocks

Brighten up a gloomy corner or decorate a blank wall with some blocks of bright colour paint. This plain white section of the house is turned bright and interesting by just adding blocks of red, orange and yellow. Not artistic skills required, just keep your lines straight with the help of painters’ tape.

29.   Grunge Watercolour

Don’t be afraid to play with your walls and colours! This grunge watercolour wall speaks of an edgy, free and creative personality. To create the look, use acrylic paint, pick your favourite colour and dilute with water to achieve the fading effect. No rules for this design, just have fun.

30.   Origami Accent

Minimalist, colourful, fun. This bright and eye-catching origami wall accent is all you need to perk up a room! Its sleek lines and minimalist design are perfect for the modern minimalist home – just the right amount of colour and fun but without the clutter and fuss.

31.   Graded Ombre

Want to do the ombre wall but can’t achieve the seamless blend? Try this graded ombre – the easier and simpler version of the delightful wall paint trick. Instead of going for the seamless, you’ll have to do the transition in segments. Just add colour or dilute the paint as you go from one panel to the next.

32.   Dripping Mountains

Striking, colourful, inventive. This streamlined version of the mountains mural is brighter yet more subtle. Using several pastel shades of acrylic, dilute the paint with water to achieve the right drippy consistency. Fill large syringes and carefully work your way making mountain ranges across the wall.

33.   Rainbow Splatter

This is another fun project to upgrade a blank wall into something colourful and exciting. Very minimal artistic skills required! Just pick out the colour theme you want; it could be several shades of one colour, a three-colour combi or this explosive rainbow collection.

34.   Pastel Geometrics

Charming, understated, elegant. This colourful wall of muted pastel geometrics is easy to create. Using painters’ tape, map the wall out with random shapes, then fill each one with a different pastel colour. Mix some neutral shades with the pretty pastels to get the classy elegant look.

35.   Into the Woods

With the right technique, painting a forest on your wall isn’t as hard as you would imagine. This green forest wall accent is easy to create. Start from the top background paint, then work your way down making tree silhouettes and adding more of the dark green paint as you go.

36.   Red Grunge Fade

Edgy, fascinating, extraordinary. This rust-red grunge paint wall accent brings in an edgy and vivacious character to the room. The awesome way to disrupt the perfect orderliness of the modern minimalist interiors. After painting a section of the wall, press a wet rug to the newly painted section to create the grungy effect.

37.   Hand Drawn Herringbone

Funky and creative, minimalist and attractive. Add a fun and trendy vibe to the room by creating this easy-to-do hand drawn herringbone wall accent. You’ll need a lot of patience working your way across the wall, but the work is simple enough. This is the only time you’re allowed to draw on the wall!

38.   Colourful Fish Scales

This fish scales wall paint feature will not only dress up your wall, but it will also bring fun and excitement to the room. Adding some party colours in fun shapes will instantly transform a humdrum wall into this colourful and gorgeous feature. Best for children’s bedroom, the nursery, the family room or even for outdoor hubs.

39.   Unfinished Half

This may look like you’ve run out of paint, but it is actually a fun and quirky wall paint feature. This unique wall accent is a great conversation starter and is one of the easiest to accomplish. The streamlined elegant look underlines the fun and creative whimsy of the wall feature.

40.   Elegant Minimalist

Some of the best wall paint ideas and designs actually use a sharpie. This elegant and classy wall accent is very easy to achieve! The first step is to paint the wall with a dark shade of colour. Once the paint has dried, use a gold sharpie pen to create the thin elegant lines. Done!

41.

   Patterned Pastels

Funky, bright, exciting! Eliminate boring walls with some fun pastel prints and patterns. Design patterns and options are endless, just use your imagination! This colourful concoction of dots, shapes and patterns results to an electrifying fun wall.

42.   Floral Doodle

Express yourself and showcase your art on your wall! This amazing floral doodle wall feature is elegant and astounding as it is in black and white. You can also opt for the more attention-grabbing finish by adding in colours.

43.   Vertical Lines

Subtle, elegant, modern. Adding random vertical lines to your plain wall will instantly give it a more modern and exciting look. The white vertical slants on grey background wall accent give this bedroom a contemporary yet stylish finish.

44.   Painted Wood Planks

Love wood planks on your walls but would also like some colour? This painted wood planks wall gives a fascinating, fabulous and unique look to the bedroom. The bright colours instantly uplift the bedroom from mundane to stunning. Highlight the wall feature with some spotlights.

45.   Random Curves

In the minimalist trend of neutral colours and straight lines, this accent wall of curves and pastels is a standout. The circles and curves soften the look, while light pastels complement the modern minimalist styling.

Tagged: diy wall paint, diy interior design

18 of the world's most creative paint ideas from designers |

(Image credit: Shiraz Jamali Architects)

I like to think of paint as the great equalizer when it comes to decorating our homes. Yes, while it's true that all paint isn't the same quality, a lot of budget-friendly paint brands are just as great to use as the more premium offerings, and when it comes down to it, it's down to the choices and creativity of the person applying it as to how it can elevate the space.  

It's unsurprising, then, that many of my favorite interior-designed spaces use paint in innovative and interesting ways - after all, these are the ideas that every home can take inspiration from. 

It's also so easy to tailor a good paint idea to your own tastes. The designers of these 18 creative spaces may have chosen a specific color for their schemes, but each can be easily changed to match your own home decor. 

Deputy Editor (digital)

Hugh is an experienced homes writer and editor. He has written hundreds of articles for various helping readers make the best home design choices, and spends her days interviewing interiors industry experts to bring the latest ideas to her readers. For this piece he spoke to the world's interior designers who use color in the most dynamic ways so as to be able to compile a selection of incredible and fresh looks.

18 paint ideas for a creative finish to your walls

If you think of creatively using paint, you might go straight to bold, colorful designs. Yet, the best uses of paint understand that there's beauty in the understated, as well as the exciting. 

With that in mind, these 18 schemes span from colorful modern looks to designs where paint color ideas creates a soothing space, ensuring you've got the best of both worlds to choose from. 

Where to shop for paint online

Farrow and Ball

The beloved paint brand can be shopped direct from the Farrow and Ball website. Look out for a range of new colors, just launched, for new inspiration for your home 

Lick Paint

Lick is a relatively new upstart in the world of paint, but has a range of beautiful colors and collaborations with top names in the world of design, including previously with Livingetc. 

Backdrop

We love the color curation of Backdrop for a fun, modern take on decorating. They recently launched an official Barbie color palette, which is feeding into our love of the Barbiecore aesthetic. 

1. Make a bold move with your trim 

(Image credit: Richard Chivers. Design: Astrain Scheldt Architects)

When you want to do something bold, your first thought may be to pick a vibrant shade for the walls, but you can make just as much of an impact by using paint ideas to highlight smaller details. 

'We work with a lot of color and pattern and have learned over the years that people live happily with patterns when the eye has space to rest in the room,' says Studio Munroe 's Emilie Munroe. When combining a lot of different colors in a space, a more neutral wall can provide relief and help the whole palette hang together better, as in this kitchen-diner design where the wall and door trim is painted in a soft, dusky red. 

'Working with clients that had such a bold vision made this home a joy to design,' Irene Astrain, co-founder of Astrain Scheldt Architects tells us. 'This color palette is such a success because it hangs together throughout the other rooms in the house, too.' 

(Image credit: Mister Tripper. Art: Florence Bamberger)

Wall murals can feel like a lot, and when it comes to paint murals vs wallpapers, there's also a lot of work that needs to go into making sure the proportions work well with your space. However, in the best examples, wall murals become a part of the fabric of your space. 

'Frescoes are where art becomes architectural,' artist Florence Bamberger tells us, 'where interiors become truly artistic, graphic and unique.' 

This mural is inspired by the surroundings and the native terracotta of the Provence region, where the home is located. 'When the fresco is directly inspired by a personal story, or by the story of a house, it makes a lot of sense and seems to have been there always,' Florence says. 

3. Don't forget the ceiling

(Image credit: Thomas Kuoh. Design: Studio Munroe)

The new accent wall, painted ceiling ideas have become a hugely popular trend recently. Whether you're opting for something bold, or something that creates a calming effect for your space, painting with plain white overhead is taking a backseat to a more colorful approach. 

'We wanted this bedroom to feel serene and calm, like a warm spring day,' says interior designer Emilie Munroe, founder of Studio Munroe, of this relaxing bedroom scheme. 'Because the background color of the wallpaper is aqua blue, using white on the ceiling would have actually felt high-contrast and jarring.  By matching the aqua on the ceiling, the room now feels cozy and grounded.' 

4. Go bold with the color blocking trend 

(Image credit: Yadnyesh Joshi. Design: Zero9)

The modern trend for color blocking focuses around painting abstract shapes on your walls, ceilings and more, creating simple, yet bold murals in bold color palettes. 

In some instances, they're more effective than others, and in this design by Mumbai-based interior design and architecture firm Zero9 , this creative space has been designed in conjunction with the placement of furniture to highlight certain aspects and zone the room with color.  

'The living room is a visual treat right from the entrance door with its pop of colors and an experimental color blocking which uses the walls and floor as the canvas for this artistic expression,' explains designer Prashan Chauhan. 'The furniture complements the visuals with its sharp contrasts in form and color.'

5. Combine paint and paneling

(Image credit: Shiraz Jamali Architects)

Paint and wall paneling have always made easy partners. Paneling makes for an obvious feature wall, for example, while wainscoting lends itself to creating rooms that can be split through the middle with color. 

However, there are also designers who look to disrupt this easy-going relationship by introducing elements of color blocking walls outside of the natural end-points of paneling. Paneling, in many ways, feels so structured that this disruptive use of paint brings a freedom to it, while also giving more traditional paneling styles a sense of freshness. 

6.

Set your sights on color drenching

(Image credit: Robert Gracia. Design: Lala Reimagined)

Color drenching refers to a relatively new paint trend where you paint the ceiling and walls the same color. You can also, even, include the trim, doors, crown moldings and more in your one-color scheme, painting the entire space in a single shade. 

The effect? Not only does it create a pared-back canvas to decorate, lending a modern look even to spaces featuring more traditional architectural details, but it also plays with the dimensions of the rooms by blurring the lines between the ceiling and the walls. 

'These days with all the chaos in the world, creating a cocoon in one's personal space is more important than ever,' adds interior designer Lia McNairy of LALA Reimagined . 'This is why we love to paint the ceiling, walls, crown molding and baseboards all in one color to give us a sense of security and make one feel like we are living in a jewel box. Small rooms are perfect for experimenting with a bold color and especially a powder room to get your feet wet without having to make a huge commitment elsewhere in the house!'

Whether you keep the scheme entirely tonal or add an accent that really pops against this one-color backdrop, it's a modern way to approach decorating your space right now.  

7. Take color drenching to the next level

(Image credit: Eve Wilson. Design: Chelsea Hing)

There isn't just one way to do color drenching. For some, it's about making the walls and ceilings the same color, while some will opt to make kitchen cabinets match the wall color, for example. The most exciting and design forward of these spaces do it all, however. 

'Wrapping a room in full color, even the floors – can create a true element of surprise,' interior designer Chelsea Hing tells us. In her soft pink home office design, the walls, millwork, trim, ceiling and even the carpet and textiles are all almost entirely the same color. It makes what could feel like a pretty pedestrian set-up feel exciting and design-forward. 

8. Transform with two tone walls

(Image credit: Soho House Amsterdam)

Two-tone walls with the introduction of a dado rail that runs between the colors is one of the most on-trend ways to transform a room. A dado is an architectural molding often found in most Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian houses where period features have been preserved or restored. They are used in modern interiors to provide a break between the lower portion and upper portion of a wall and a fun opportunity to use a variety of wall-coverings or colors within the same room.

'For the chic hallways in Soho House Amsterdam we painted the lower half of the walls a creamy coffee color and used a light neutral on top then added a smart black dado line and black door frames to create a strong visual connection,' explains Sevverine Lamonglia, Lead Designer at Soho House. 'Two-tone walls can transform a space, it adds depth and detail to a wall. It is also easy to do and a cost-effective way of adding character.'

9. Match your skirting with the wallpaper

(Image credit: The Bear Inn)

A really easy way to update your bedroom colors (or colors in ay room really) that doesn't require a complete overhaul and most likely an afternoon of relaxing DIY is by painting skirting that is often kept simple in a bright hue.

'Skirtings and cornices don’t have to be an off-white and eggshell and gloss don’t have to be left just for the woodwork,' says interior designer Octavia Dickinson. 'While decorating a bedroom at The Bear Inn, Hodnet, I picked out colors in the wallpaper and painted the skirtings in a bright glossy blue which instantly modernizes the room and frames the wallpaper.'

10. Color contrast adjoining rooms

(Image credit: Natalie Tredgett)

Choosing contrasting colors in adjacent rooms and considering how room colors look when viewed from one to another is a clever way to create a flow of hues throughout the space.  This lovely jade green bedroom has a view through to a candy pink hallway – part of a series of colorful rooms designed by Natalie Tredgett.

'When deciding what colors to use in two adjoining rooms consider the conversation between the spaces,' says Natalie. 'Our eye is drawn to warmer colors, so lead with a pink, coral, or terracotta to naturally draw someone in that direction. Then create layers and complexity by making the next room a cooler color like green, teal, or blue.'

11. Layer a symphony of whites

(Image credit: Tutti Meme)

Is going all white really a color update when it is is one of the most common color choices when decorating an interior? Far from ordinary and safe this lovely white kitchen belonging to designer Caroline Feiffer layers a symphony of whites in an array of finishes and features highlights of glossy white marble and burnished silver details from kitchen accessories and exposed pipes.

'I love a gallery approach to designing in general, using a white space and for objects to be able to stand out without any noise.' says Caroline Feiffer founder of studio Tutti Meme. 'I therefore naturally turn to whites and especially warmer whites as these give a sense of sunlight flushing in. The color in this kitchen from our old Copenhagen townhouse apartment, features a brighter matte white on the walls, the beams a more glossy and a bit warmer hue, and for the kitchen a warm white from farrow and ball called Pointing No. 2003, a warm and delicate white.'

12. Make door frames pop

(Image credit: Farrow and Ball)

There's nothing like a lick of glossy bold color to energize and instantly modernize a traditional space. This generously proportioned Victorian home features paperwhite walls with door trims picked out in brilliant blue gloss.

'Pick out door frames in contrasting hues to introduce some excitement.' says Joa Studholme Colour Curator at Farrow and Ball. 'School House White is pared back, timeless, and familiar on walls but has a subtle sophistication that makes it the perfect foil for stronger hues like the lively tones of Stone Blue, used here on the frame of the door.'

13. Take color to the window frames

(Image credit: Thomas Kuoh. Design: Studio Munroe)

Your window frames are the perfect canvas to experiment with paint too. For a feature, you could use an accent color to decorate your windows, or to make your woodwork act more cohesively, try painting it to match other elements in your space, as in this living room paint idea by Studio Munroe. 

'Here, we used the same color paint on both the trim and ceiling, so the floral wallpaper was the star of the room with the lovely architectural woodwork details clearly taking the backseat,' explains interior designer Emilie Munroe. 'If we had highlighted the casework in a separate paint color, the room would risk feeling overwhelming or chaotic with each element vying for the front stage. ' 

14. Embrace the trend for glossy finishes 

(Image credit: Fettle)

Inspiration for paint ideas are everywhere and borrowing from your favorite restaurants and design-led haunts is an exciting way to bring a little bit of that social buzz home. As this new restaurant Isola in St. Christopher’s Place by interior architects Fettle proves, gloss is back and is looking like a huge interior design trend for 2022.

'The color palette for Isola restaurant was inspired by Grand Sicilian Manorhouses,' says Andy Goodwin, founder of Fettle. 'We utilized pale yellow polished plaster with a high gloss finish and applied it with a brush to ensure that the strokes create movement and texture. Using high gloss paint finishes helps to ensure the available natural light bounces around the room.'

15. Get creative with decorative shapes

(Image credit: 2LG)

How fabulous is this kitchen diner designed by 2LG Studio ? There's so much inspiration we could take from this space but lets just focus on the paint idea that frames the door. It's fun, playful, and adds a whimsical touch – and yet it feels very chic and grown-up.

Recreating this look is super simple too, all it takes is a pot of paint (you could use a sample pot even), a small paintbrush, a pencil, and some patience. You could get technical with tape, but with a design like this, we'd say your fine to freehand it. Just lightly draw your design with a pencil and then start painting. 

16. Give old floor boards a new lease of life

(Image credit: Farrow and Ball)

Painted floorboards are a classic look, and you can create so many looks to suit your style from super simple whitewashed boards to checkerboard flooring or stripes as can be seen here. 

‘Painting the floor with an accent color brings a huge amount of drama to a space,’ says chalk paint expert Annie Sloan . ‘Keep the rest of the room neutral with soft nude browns such as taupes or fawns to focus attention on the floor. Or go for white walls – but be sure to choose a warm-toned or neutral white rather than one with blue undertones as this could make the space feel stark. ’

17. Use paint to revive old furniture

(Image credit: Future)

Upcycle tired furniture with bold accent shades to breathe new life into old pieces. Bright yellows, bold blues, vibrant reds, and rich emerald greens are great for invigorating furniture. They’ll complement the popular navy blue and grey neutrals that we’re seeing in many homes. Here, odd chairs are united with a hit of blue. 

Check out our guide on how to paint furniture – it's a super quick job that can be achieved in a couple of hours. 

18. Go paintless and embrace a raw plaster finish

(Image credit: Holloway Li)

Raw plaster walls have a beautiful texture and inject a subtle, earthy wash of color to your home. They provide a wonderful canvas for brighter colors to shine too, from pastels to bold neons like in this light-filled bathroom by interior designers Holloway Li. 

'Don’t use any paint at all and retain the raw plaster look,' advises Alex Holloway, founder of Holloway Li Interior Architects.  'We found a sealer called PROTECTiT100 that binds the raw plaster so it doesn’t leave a dusty deposit and means the space captures the raw feeling and is a lot easy to repair and patch over time, without having to repaint the whole room each time.'  

What paint ideas can I create with tape?

Decorator's tape is a useful tool for getting the best finish when it comes to how to paint a room, but it can also be used to create interesting paint effects on your walls and more. 

Tape can be used to mask out areas for a color blocked scheme, for example, while you could even use tape to create stripes or a grid-like design too. 

Many people have found tape useful for angular, geometric wall designs, though these have fallen somewhat out of fashion for more organic shapes, which would need to be painted freehand. 

Hugh is the Deputy Editor of Livingetc.com. From working on a number of home, design and property publications and websites, including Grand Designs, ICON and specialist kitchen and bathroom magazines, Hugh has developed a passion for modern architecture, impactful interiors and green homes. Whether moonlighting as an interior decorator for private clients or renovating the Victorian terrace in Essex where he lives (DIYing as much of the work as possible), you’ll find that Hugh has an overarching fondness for luxurious minimalism, abstract shapes and all things beige. He’s just finished a kitchen and garden renovation, and has eyes set on a bathroom makeover for 2022.  

80+ selected photos and contemporary examples of finishes

Pros and cons of painted walls

At first glance, this is the easiest type of wall decoration, the market offers a wide range of interior paints that are odorless and dry quickly. There are some things to consider when painting walls.

Advantages:

Disadvantages:

The photo shows a gray bedroom with a brick wall and smooth plastered walls, red decor is a bright accent of the interior.

Paints

Alkyd paints

Emulsion paints

Economical in application, other types of paints can be used over them, they do not have an unpleasant odor.

Textured paint

Looks unusual compared to ordinary painted walls, suitable for interior decoration and creating a unique interior. It happens on a mineral, silicone, acrylic basis.

Apply with a sponge, dipping, if the area to be painted is small, with a textured hard roller with teeth, an adhesive comb, a metal spatula. The relief is created by filler particles.

Combination with other materials

In the interior, 2-3 types of wall decoration are often used in order to diversify the design.

Wallpaper and painting

Combined in the case of finishing the ceiling with wallpaper and the walls with paint, creating an accent on the painted wall, combinations bottom - paint, top - wallpaper. There are also special wallpapers for painting, which can be repainted several times.

Wall mural and painting

Used in the kitchen, corridor and toilet. The walls are exposed to moisture, so photo wallpapers are used for decoration.

In the photo, the interior of the bedroom with photo wallpapers and neutral walls, the podium serves as a closet.

Plastering and painting

Plastering can be painted on top of the bark beetle to give relief to the walls, or combined with painted adjacent walls in the interior of the toilet, kitchen and hallway.

Wood and painting

A wooden wall made of beams or laminate is combined with a plain wall painting in the interior of an attic, living room, country house.

Stone and paint

Suitable for a fireplace wall in a living room, country style kitchen or chalet, where the backsplash is made of cut stone, and the rest of the walls are painted in a solid or transitional color. Brick and painting are suitable for decorating a Provence or loft style kitchen.

Brick and painting

Brick can be white or red, and the paint is the same as the brick, or different in color.

The photo shows an eco-kitchen with olive walls and a brick wall.

3d panels and painting

3d panels are suitable for simple but unusual interior design. Plain walls with volumetric panels are suitable for a discreet and stylish design, while two-tone painted walls with color panels look good in a nursery or in an abstract interior.

Design options

Plain walls are chosen for discreet interiors, such walls serve as a neutral canvas for expressing style in furniture and accessories.

Painting in two different colors

Painting walls in two different colors is a smart way to visually enlarge a room, to change the perception of the geometry of asymmetrical walls, or simply to emphasize one wall. One wall can be painted with two different colors.

Painting in different colors (more than two)

Painting with several colors in one range or a combination of contrasting colors will become an independent decor in the interior. It can be stripes, vertical or horizontal separation of walls, painting all 4 walls in different colors. Within the same room, it is better to make one color the main one, and leave the remaining 2-3 colors as auxiliary.

In the photo, one of the walls is painted with uneven geometric stripes in three colors using masking tape.

Stencils

You can design your own with stencils and templates by cutting them out of paper and attaching them to the wall. You can also draw borders for the design using masking tape glued to the dried base color.

Stripe design

Paint stripes elongate or expand walls, changing the perception of a room depending on the location, color and frequency of the stripes.

Patterns and ornaments

Suitable for a nursery, you can draw a house, a fence, trees, ethnic ornaments, monograms on the walls of the child's bedroom interior.

Streaks

May be organized or chaotic, created with a brush on wet wall paint.

Cracks or craquelure effect

Created using acrylic paint and craquelure varnish, the more varnish, the deeper the cracks. The roller during application must be held vertically so that the cracks are uniform.

In the photo, the accent wall of the bedroom is made in the technique of cracked paint with a backing to match the walls.

Brick effect

Imitation of brick can be done with plaster on a lined wall and traced seams on wet material. After the plaster has dried, 2 coats of paint are applied.

Square painting

Can be done with templates or masking tape. Squares can be plain or colored, of different sizes and positions on the wall.

Texture design

Created by painting the walls with textured paint, which contains acrylic particles and starch. It happens in a dry and liquid state, it can also be tinted. Applied with regular or textured roller. For interior design, a special textured paint for interior work is suitable.

Gradient and ombre

Suitable for visually increasing the ceiling, if the dark color near the floor fades into white. A gradient or a smooth transition of color can be horizontal and vertical, with a transition to an adjacent wall. It is created with 2 or more colors, where at the junction of colors, using a dry roller or brush, a dark color is stretched onto a light zone in one direction.

The photo shows an ombre-painted partition wall with a smooth smoky transition from gray to white closer to the ceiling.

Using a textured roller or sponge

Effects with a textured roller or sponge are made on a uniformly painted wall, creating the effect of watercolor, bark beetle, waves, cracks, velor or mosaic.

Painting

Artistic painting in ethnic technique, depicting a view of nature, animals and reproductions will become an individual feature of the interior with wall painting.

Design with moldings or panels

Creates the effect of niches or furniture fronts, adds volume. Molding can be colored or white, made of wood, duropolymer, gypsum.

Wall paint color

White

Often used on its own in Scandinavian and other modern interiors, it is also a companion to bright, warm and cool colors.

Beige

It does not draw attention to itself, it acts as a background for furniture, used in classic and modern design. It is combined with white, gold and black painting.

The photo shows a kitchen interior with a white matte set and beige walls, where a light laminate matches the paint tone.

Brown

Brown in the hue of coffee, chocolate, with wood texture is combined with other natural colors, stone in the interior.

Green

Green in shades of ocher and pistachio soothes, suitable for the bedroom and hall. Light green and herbal are bright colors, suitable for a nursery, kitchen. It is combined with raspberry, brown, yellow, white.

Gray

Used as a background for loft style and modern interiors, combined with red, black and white, carrot orange.

Blue

Ideal for bedrooms, nurseries in classic and nautical style. It is also a common wall color in the bathroom.

The photo shows a gray-blue interior with plain walls and classic shelves. The green accent makes the living room brighter.

Blue

Suitable for southern rooms with an abundance of summer sunshine, combined with green, white, blue and red.

Yellow

Yellow for sunny interiors or rooms with poor lighting, combined with orange, green, white.

Lilac

Creates a Provence atmosphere in the kitchen, suitable for any room and combined with natural pastel colors.

Violet

Like a magical amethyst, it draws attention to the interior, is used in spacious rooms or combined with white wall paint.

Red

As the most active and energetically independent color, it does not need to be supplemented, but if the apartment is small, it is better to combine red with gold, beige, white. Against its background, white furniture or a set looks good.

Pictured is a two-tone painting with a tomato red accent wall, which has shelves and a chest of drawers made of natural wood.

Orange

Like yellow, it adds color to the interior, it is combined with all shades of green, black, gray. Used for balcony, bathroom, hallway.

Pink

Pink in pale shades is used for the interior of the bedroom, nursery, they draw stripes and patterns using a stencil. Combines with pale blue, white, black, lemon.

Black

In the interior, it often acts as a delineation or as a pattern, a companion color, it is used independently in large rooms and acts as a backdrop for light furniture.

Features of painting walls of different materials

Wooden walls

Painted wooden walls not only look aesthetically pleasing, but also prolong the life of the wood. From interior doors or walls made of wood, before painting, you need to remove the old coating and treat it with stain. After drying, 1-2 layers of alkyd or acrylic paint are applied.

Pictured is a pale yellow painted wood paneling in a classic bedroom interior with gray baseboards and light flooring.

Brick walls

Before painting, clean and wash with water, a week after that all moisture will come out and it will be possible to prime the surface and paint the brick with interior acrylic or alkyd paint. You can age the brick or create smudges. You can use a contrasting color for the seam.

Concrete walls

Before painting, clean, make the surface even and free from cracks, prime, allow to dry and apply epoxy or latex. A second layer must be applied immediately to the entire surface of the wall so that there are no differences in shade.

Wallpaper

Paintable wallpaper is convenient in that it can be repainted without driving the pigment into the walls. Such wallpaper can also be removed without grinding and cleaning the surface. Wallpaper paint is water-based without solvents. Textured wallpapers make it easier to work and hide the unevenness of the walls.

Gypsum board

Gypsum board on a wall or ceiling is painted after the joints and all drywall have been puttied, sanded and primed. Use acrylic or silicone paint, which is plastic and creates a protective film.

Plaster

Plaster must be painted on a clean, dry surface. If chips were noticed during the preparation of the wall, they need to be cleaned and compacted. It is painted with a roller in 2 layers with maximum filling of the pores.

Photos in the interior of the rooms

Kitchen

The kitchen, as a room where the walls need to be cleaned, needs water-based painting with acrylic or latex paints. Neutral colors, contrasting or matching the headset are suitable for the kitchen interior.

Children's room

Children's room can be painted with special marking paints, they are water-based and dry quickly. There are also paints with silver ions that do not absorb moisture and allow you to paint on top of ordinary watercolors. Color stencil designs, stripes, patterns, letters and numbers will do. The interior can be easily replaced by painting the walls in a new color.

Living room

Living room as a space for creativity, can combine stone finishes and painted walls, several colors and different designs. Suitable water-soluble, textured painting or a combination of colors in the interior.

The photo shows a living room interior with a wooden ceiling and plain light walls in a country style with an emphasis on furniture from different categories and color palettes.

Bedroom

The bedroom has a calm atmosphere and cozy interior, so you need to choose neutral, natural colors. In the interior, it is better to avoid bright colors or use them as an accent on the wall at the head of the bed. Suitable stencil drawing, textured painting, stripes and ornaments.

Bathroom and toilet

Bathroom and toilet as wet rooms should be painted with acrylic, latex, silicone paint. Oil painting is not recommended due to the high drying time and harmful odour. You need to paint those areas that do not get water, the area near the sink and bathroom needs to be tiled.

Traditionally, the interior uses a combination of blue and white, white and orange or yellow. For the toilet, painting can be combined with vinyl or photo wallpaper.

Balcony or loggia

Balcony or loggia must be protected with paint from corrosion and fungus. For the interior of an open balcony or loggia, which is separated from the apartment, only paint for outdoor use is suitable. For wooden lining, water-based paints are suitable, for brick or plastic - varnish.

It is often stuffy on the balcony, so a cold palette of colors is suitable, white and orange are also used. When painting, it is important to choose a sunny day without a rain forecast.

Entrance hall

Entrance hall or hallway can be painted in ombre technique with the transition of orange to white ceiling. Water-based paints of light shades are used, a combination with decorative stone or textured plaster. A narrow corridor can be expanded with 2-3 horizontal stripes.

Decor styles

Modern

The style uses a single or two-tone wall painting, combining white with another color. In the interior of the nursery, bright details are used in stripes, drawings on the wall. The emphasis is on practicality, so an unobtrusive palette and combinations are used.

Minimalism

Minimalism can be seen in solid colors, combinations of gray or pale blue with white, decor with wide stripes. Sometimes the interior uses contrasting molding or textured paint.

Loft

The interior is not limited to a specific color palette, the design is used more often only on an accent wall. Also, brickwork can be painted using ombre technology.

Classic

In the interior it is expressed in a neutral light background with golden, white monograms, in blue or black ornament, which is emphasized by tassels and fringes on velvet curtains of emerald or ruby ​​color.

Provence

Provence or French summer gloss of the interior is recognizable in pink, mint or blue walls, olive shade of curtains and textiles. Walls in the interior can be plain or striped. To create individuality, you can make an artistic painting on the wall in the form of an open window on the summer fields of Provence.

Pictured is a turquoise Provence-style bedroom with plain walls, classic furniture and floral textiles.

Country

The interior uses a combination of natural timber or stone with brown, mustard, whitewash textured paint.

Scandinavian

The interior is as practical and bright as possible, so the walls are creamy, white, less often - sand, blue. Stripes, molding, 3D panels, a white brick wall are suitable for decoration.

Wall painting as one of the types of finishing is used not only for external, but also for internal work due to paints that are odorless, dry quickly and do not harm health.

Photo gallery

Interior wall painting 2022: design, color combinations, 30 photos

Wall decoration is an essential step in interior design. Today we will consider in detail the option of decorating the wall - painting. This is a popular and sought-after way to update and diversify the interior. Painting the walls in the interior gives scope for creativity and imagination. A variety of colors on the shelves of stores allows you to implement design ideas and bring your dream interior to life. The right choice of material is important, as the final result will depend on it. To start the painting process, materials offered in stores are studied and suitable ones are selected.

Many homeowners prefer to use paint rather than wallpaper when decorating their walls. More often, this method is chosen by more creative individuals, because by showing imagination, you can create an individual, spectacular, stunning design! How carefully you need to prepare the walls for painting, how many times to repaint, what is the optimal number of layers - we'll talk about this and more in detail.

Contents

  1. Pros and Cons of Painted Walls
  2. Wall Paint Tips
  3. Fashionable wall painting color in 2022
  4. How to paint the walls in an apartment with your own hands
  5. Combination of wall painting with other materials
  6. Photo of wall painting in the interior of rooms 2022

a simple type of wall decoration, the market offers a wide range of types of interior paints that do not have an unpleasant odor and dry quickly. There are some things to consider when painting walls.

Wall Paint Selection Tips

Paint Features You Need to Know:

Fashionable wall color in 2022

Many people ask themselves the question: try different shades immediately on the wall or on paper, which is then applied to the wall? Of course, you can use the second method, but still the first option will be more prudent. After all, the surface of the wall for painting is not at all like a piece of paper. There are different absorbency, hiding power, etc. Just make your test colors in the least visible places. So, you definitely can't go wrong with the future color of the walls.

The choice of colors plays an important role in the final look of the room. This is a rather complicated and most important process, because with the help of color you can both brighten up imperfections and turn an ordinary room into a cozy and comfortable room, or visually hide all the advantages and spoil the design as a whole.

The variety of colors and shades allows you to make the right choice for a particular room. First of all, you need to understand the differences between cold and warm colors. When choosing a color, it is necessary to build on both your own feelings and the advice of experts.

The first category includes: blue, gray, turquoise, blue, graphite, some shades of green and purple. Cool colors are suitable for those rooms that do not require extra light due to their location. They look fresh and encouraging in the interior, while visually creating depth.

Designers advise to use cool shades both in large rooms and small ones. If necessary, cold shades visually expand the space, while adding depth. Cold colors should be avoided in rooms where there is practically no sunlight, as they will look cold and dull. It is better to pay attention to warm shades that will create a cozy, pleasant and comfortable atmosphere in the room. They not only have a beneficial effect on mood and attitude in general, but also significantly activate mental activity and increase working capacity.

The second important point when choosing colors is the brightness, because the mood of a person will depend on this. For example, red is a rather bright and even flashy element in interior design, therefore, from an emotional and aesthetic point of view, it is far from suitable for every person. After several days of living in the red room, many begin to have a headache, irritation or anger appears. Red is considered a difficult color to perceive, so experts recommend using it in areas where homeowners do not stay for a long time, in particular the hallway, dressing room or kitchen, but in metered amounts. If desired, you can replace the red with some of its shades in order to achieve a calm in nature, but not boring design. The same rule applies to such bright colors as yellow, orange, green.

An important nuance when choosing shades for future design is the combination of warm and cold shades, which compensate for the lack of one or another component in the color scheme. For example, yellow is spontaneous, lively and very active, making it easy to overload a room, but when combined with cooler shades, it becomes a bright accent that only brightens the room. Almost every year, the gurus of the fashion world and fashion magazines make a list of "trend colors" that look as original, interesting and unusual as possible in the interior. In 2018, green, gray, white, blue and caramel colors were added to this list.

The choice of color also depends on the nature of the room. So, a children's room should bring warmth and comfort, so pastel shades are relevant here, and furniture or separate zones painted in active colors can act as bright accents. In general, pastel shades look appropriate in any room, especially in the designs of such styles as classic, neoclassic, shabby chic and, to some extent, vintage. At the same time, they can act not only as an independent element, but also as a white sheet for the entire design.

How to paint the walls in an apartment with your own hands

Do-it-yourself wall painting can significantly reduce the expenditure budget during the repair process. You can experiment with colors and textures, and if you approach this task creatively, in just a couple of days you can turn an ordinary apartment into a work of your own design art.

Of course, you should start with the choice of the paint itself. The modern market offers a variety of textures and colors, but the main thing you should pay attention to is performance. Especially if you plan to paint the walls in the bathroom or kitchen. Most decorative paints will give you many undeniable advantages both during work with them and in the future care.

Particularly practical is the use of water-based paint on walls. Its main advantage is versatility, ease of application, as well as a long service life (more than 10 years). Due to the vapor permeability of such a coating, you will also get a healthy microclimate in the room.

Another advantage of using water-based paint is that it is mostly white. You create the necessary shade yourself by adding special dyes, the so-called colors. Choosing a color scheme that will blend and harmonize with the overall space is the next important step when painting the walls in a room.

Combination of wall painting with other materials

To create a modern interior, designers suggest using several types of wall decoration. Wallpaper and paint are often used to decorate one room. The emphasis is on vertical surfaces. Wallpaper is glued to the ceiling. One wall is distinguished from the background of others by purchasing photo wallpapers for it. Paint can be applied to the plaster, which will create an original relief. For a country house, you can use wood in combination with plain wall painting. In the living room or kitchen, stone or brick is used for decoration. The rest of the walls are covered with a coloring composition.

Photo of wall painting in the interior of rooms 2022

Despite the abundance of available finishing materials for walls, painting is still safely relevant. Still, the availability and ease of design for most owners is not an empty phrase.

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