Advice on Painting a Small Apartment
January 13, 2010 by Sean Yashar
Filed under Ask Debonair.
Dear Debonair: I have a small studio apartment. I like to paint at least one wall something other than white. My fear is that it is going to make the apartment feel even smaller. Any advice on what colors ideas I can do to open up the room and use a color other than white?
(photo provided by Kara Mann Design)
When working with a modest space, think less like a decorator and more like a magician. Especially when selecting paint colors, it’s all about creating illusions with color to make your space look larger than it really is. A grey palette is a popular choice with professional designers working with small spaces. The color grey is not only perpetually chic and sophisticated, but it subconsciously insinuates depth in a room. Your best bet is to paint all your walls in a light to medium grey and a focal wall (usually the wall at the very end of a room) in a shade of darker grey. By painting the focal wall in a deeper grey than the surrounding walls, the room will appear that much more elongated. If you’re lucky enough to have built-ins such as bookcases, paint the bookcase backs in the darker grey to draw the eye and add a sense of even more space. A second and less obvious trick for making a space appear larger with color is painting the ceiling. The ceiling is the most overlooked and underused space in a room, yet a coat of paint can work wonders for opening up the space. My good friend, interior designer Oliver Furth (Traditional Homes “Top 20 Young Designers to Watch”,) shared one of his favorite ceiling tricks with me: “There’s a Pratt & Lambert paint I like to use on ceilings. It’s called snow goose. It’s the faintest shade of pale blue. Almost like a very cool white. It subconsciously reminds us of sky and because cool tones recede, it makes the ceiling look taller.” To make this question on color that much more comprehensive, let me add the effects of natural light to the illusion of space as well. If you have a nice size window in your studio, I would suggest hanging a mirror on the opposite wall to reflect the light. Mirrors are your friend in a small space, and just like color, light and the reflection of light has the ability of really opening up a room.
Best, Sean Yashar
I really love your advice for modest living quarters with color. Would you also suggest light colored furniture in these small spaces or would the foucs be on just keeping things simple?
Thanks for your comment William. As for furniture, I think small pieces will actually make the room look smaller bc it will FEEL smaller. A small chair or sofa won’t be able to support you and your guests, and in turn you’ll feel uncomfortable in the space. As crazy as it sounds, I say go for a big, plush furniture, and make the small space feel like the coziest place on Earth. Highlight comfort and cozy, and don’t worry about the rest!
-Sean
I have a small one bedroom apt and an equally small budget. I need to paint the ceilings and walls. The ceilings are that horrible stucco like ceilings with the stuff that comes off if you touch it. I like the idea of using a pale grey for the walls…and having a focal wall…but the wall at the end of the room is mostly window so what wall should be the focal? And what do you suggest for paingting the ceilings? I will use the pale grey throughout…and maybe the darker grey for trim?