Paint is a decorator’s best friend. But you know what’s even livelier and more interesting than one paint colour? Two, of course! Colour-block your walls by pairing several juicy hues together. Here are 10 examples of colour-blocking — from a plain ceiling to an unloved corner — that showcase the look. Get ready to start your very own block party — decorator-style!
Paint a Mural
Is it a mural or is it a colour-block treatment? It’s both! And you can create this sunny mountain scene like blogger Stormy Beaty did in her daughter’s boho bedroom using painter’s tape, peachy-pinky paint and an icy beverage in between to reward yourself. Before starting, be sure to give your wall a thorough clean.
Go Geometric
Colour is at the forefront of this incredible shared kids’ bedroom by Dart Studio. Playing off the wall angles, the geometric patches of colour add major drama. The felt-ball wool rug from Sukhi and the overscale Design Within Reach knot pillow brings in a whole other whimsical element.
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Cut a Corner
If you’re not entirely confident about mixing colours, pair white with a prominent colour. Farrow & Ball’s Arsenic (a pretty green, despite the name) electrifies this corner by Jo Smeeth of INDA Interiors. The landscape painting of the Azores in Portugal is an unexpected surprise, adding vintage character to the space.
Doll Up the Dining Room
Dining room feeling flat? Take a page from Jo Smeeth of INDA Interiors. A chartreuse wall animates this room, where large-scale collage artwork and bubbled light fixtures are playful flourishes.
Block Out a Headboard
This ravishing bedroom by interior designer Hannah Drakeford is for the truly brave at heart. Black and blue and orange accents are used deliberately to great effect. (Note how the oranges uplift the darker colours.) The wild blue anchors the room and acts as a headboard (behind the actual headboard).
Circle Your Ceiling
Here’s the ceiling in Hannah’s bedroom. It took the designer a full afternoon to complete the circle, using a satin emulsion paint so the orange would pop against the matte-white ceiling. To create the circle, Hannah tied a pencil to a piece of string and tied that to the base of the light. She then painted the circle freehand outlining it with a brush and filling it in with a mini roller. “I struggled to move my neck the next day,” she laughs. But so worth it!
Go Halfsies
Hallways can be a pain in the posterior. As linking spaces, they’re sometimes tight and often unloved. Bring life to yours by lashing the bottom half in a strong colour, and go white above for a quieter look. It’s modern wainscoting!
Paint a Pantry Door
Marlene the Frenchie has found the best room in the house (obviously). Leila Talmadge, the designer behind Colourful Interiors, did a snappy treatment to her pantry. Propping open the door reveals a fun surprise: a fluorescent yellow door. So lovely against the blue exterior. And those graphic floors are fab!
Brighten Your Furniture
This vivid vignette features Annie Sloan’s playful (and new) Capri Pink Chalk Paint on the sideboard, the mirror, the vase and the radiator. Greens and blues weave in more amazing colour. The styling is on point, too – we see you lady in vintage portrait.
Rainbow-ify the Staircase
Here’s a cool DIY way to approach that tired old staircase: paint each riser a different colour. It’s fun and the kids will approve. Plus, paint does a great job hiding imperfections on ancient surfaces.
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