Winters are depressing – the weather is chilly and when it snows – it’s all white outside. For a while, the snow looks pretty. But after a few days you long for the vibrancy of spring colours. Pretty sure, you have looked out the window during winter and just sighed at how dull things look? Yes, sure, the beautiful crisp white of the fresh fallen snow can brighten things up for a while. But then, you take a look at the garden, all wilted and torn and begin to miss the stunning colours that have gone to sleep until the warmth of spring.
So what do you do? How do we brighten things up when for the most part everything looks so dull and gloomy? There may be some help with this from your local home painting company or the paint store if you are handy with the paint brush yourself.
Bring in Spring with lovely bright colours for your home
Isn’t that a brilliant idea? From lemon yellows, to cheery oranges, brilliant blues and leafy greens – the colour choices are only limited to your imagination! A fresh coat of such beautiful shades can not only freshen up homes but lift spirits too. Now, who wouldn’t like that? This is a great way to welcome some warmth early on.
Painting isn’t really a daunting task – unless you live in a 10,000 sq.ft wall with huge walls – then it is! But for most of us who live in condos, townhouses, or charming mid-sized family homes, redecorating is within our reach. There are a wide variety of colour combinations and types of paint to suit each budget. Take inspiration from Mother Nature and become your own colour consultant.
Some flowers and plants have such an assortment of colours within them, they can make for wall, trim and accent colours, all within the same room! If you aren’t looking to paint the entire house – an accent wall here and there or room or two should chase away the blues!
Some More Spring Painting Inspiration
- Paint your favourite room first: Look at your house – which is your favorite room? Is it the master bedroom or that study room? Or is it the family room? A space that instantly relaxes you and makes you feel cozy immediately should be your first choice. Once you have identified that space, sit back and decide on a stunning new spring colour for it. Winter can’t be that bad after all! Here are some great ideas about choosing room colour.
- What to do about off white walls? You know your home should feel warm and inviting but the existing paint makes it feel cold and distant. Take the dining room for instance. This is where you could introduce ideas not just from spring but also fall. Think hues of red, gold, and light browns – combined with soft lights, they can make the space look very intimate. Adjacent rooms can be done in muted shades of green. No you don’t need to overdo the bright colours – use them tastefully.
- How to pick spring colours blend well together? Not feeling up to painting spring colours in each room? Fear not. One suggestion is to try painting adjacent spaces with slightly variable shades. This will be easier to handle and maintain a consistent look if you so desire. Alternately, use neutral colours such as a light gray, taupe or buff that can act as a bridge between rooms painted in bolder hues. In case of rooms that are pretty far off from each other, typical in houses with two or more floors, this colour coordination is not that essential. Pick a colour that makes you feel good – and make your space a reflection of your personal preferences.
- Is it best to stick to a single paint color? A sense of familiarity and continuity is important on ground floors. But, colour is often a great way to divide a large open space into ‘zones’. It can separate the dining area, kitchen nook from the TV/living room for example. There isn’t a rulebook that says ‘Thou shalt always one colour’! A single colour palette of ‘cool’ (blues, whites, greens’ or warm (yellows, oranges, reds) may work for some people but ultimately the choice is yours. Grays can help you soften jarring, bright colours – which can also be used as accents. So, don’t think you need to have yellow walls or bright blue furniture – a rug, a flower vase or even a piece of art can lend freshness to a room.
- What about the trim color? Trim is at times neglected and this isn’t a very good idea. Trim can lend character to a room and walls so neglecting it in your spring painting plans is not wise. Paint the trim a shade lighter than the walls – irrespective of what colour you have painted them. This will bring out their complexity, detail and show off a clean, classic look. Stained wood or darker trim will suit ‘period’ or ‘Victorian’ homes. It is important to remember that dark woodwork may make a room look busier and possibly smaller.
- Will I like this bright paint colour? A surefire to find out anything is – to test it! Yes, that really is the only way to know whether a colour suits your surroundings or not. Room size, amount of light and accents such as furnishings to floors can impact how a colour is perceived. If you want to experiment with an exciting shade on the walls, get a small jar for sampling. Paint a big piece of a board or any other surface you think appropriate. Put it up on various spots in the room and check how it responds to the light quality and amount over the course of few days. Ecopainting offers some advice here on how to paint colour samples.
- That deep colour looks stunning in the garden – how do I use it without making my house look haunted? Don’t be afraid of playing with dark colours. Small rooms don’t need to be white all the time! Bolder shades like a burgundy or cherry can be spectacular in small spaces, like a powder room for instance. If there’s a bigger room you want to paint, the effect is different. A deep blue or green can highlight architectural features and add a lot of visual interest to the room. Paint that nook a dark denim blue or just paint a wall in rich, reddish brown. Find ways to create a focal point with colour. Another great idea is to use the wall opposite a fireplace – paint an accent wall there. Spring doesn’t have to be difficult, how about freshening up the colour of just a few walls and creating some feature walls?
The tips above are just few ways you can beat the cold weather blues and recreate warmth in your home with just a few tweaks and a fresh coat of paint or two.
So, what is stopping you? Reach out to us today.
Ecopainting is a Toronto Painting Company that remains busy painting Interiors during the long winter months and busier when it’s Spring! Call us at 416 733-7767 and we can help bring spring to your doorstep.