I want to paint my dining room a dramatic maroon, but my husband insists that it would make the room "small". Also I am looking for a finish that would add depth, without being trendy (like sponging). Any tips for colorwashing? Debbie
You don't necessarily need to use white for the trim. I did the reverse. My living room was a dark brown paneling and I wanted to litten up the room. I found a very light peach that looks great. It took forever to find a trim and I ended up with a Rasberry/ dark Maroon which was decided on because I had a sweatshirt on that color and it looked good against the wall. I would go with any light color for the trim that also goes with any paintings or linens in the room.
We painted our bedroom "pickled beet" and it was perfect. It made our big room seem even bigger. Most people seem a little scared to go with bold colors. Take a chance, it'll look great.
Go for it!! I painted my small bathroom ink blue and it seemed larger afterwards... cool colors recede from the eye, warm colors come forward... so pick a cooler maroon and my best advice for the color wash is don't be afraid of it. So many people are intimidated but it's literally just brushing on glaze in random X's don't over work the glaze because you want the brush strokes to show. If I were you I would find a good base coat that isn't quite as dark as the over all feel I want and then get the dark color that I really like and make that into the glaze. Good luck! oh and one more thing, paint out the trim with white, will class up the whole room and possibly even expand it if you have crown molding because the corners will recede.
You can use a bold color, Deep reds, royal purples, saphire blues, etc in a smaller room as long as you provide adequate lighting and keep you linens, dishes and accents (paintings, etc) in lighter and complementary colors. Such as silvers, creams, golds, etc. Any glass or mirror accents in the room will add shine and light and tricks the eye into thinking it perceives more space. And make sure that you have appropriate lighting. If you only have an overhead light, consider getting a chandelier or candleier (same thing but uses votive candles rather that electricity) and wall sconces (try a mirror behind the sconce it doubles the light provided) in order to brighten the space. It provides a classic, elegant space that feels formal and yet comfortable as well. Good luck.
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