Painting your entire home can seem like a daunting task because there are a variety of different rooms, spaces and hallways that can be painted. Every room in the house is usually a different size and shape and there is also a particular mood that is set in each room partially by the paint color on the wall. When considering the entire house it is important to choose if you want the whole home to be cohesive in color or if each room will be given a unique atmospheric environment.
One of the ways to approach painting your home is to paint it tonally, using paint colors that are in the same category but that vary in tone. This is a good solution to a home layout that has a lot of open doorways, walkways and arches that open the view into the next room or hallway. The colors will not clash because they are in the same color category and they will also guide the eye through to the next room and create an illusion of space and depth when used in slightly different tones.
One of the easiest ways to paint the entire home is to create this effect with varying shades of white. Instead of leaving the home with bright white walls the walls of each room can be painted with different shades of white like eggshell and cream. This does not create a very strong impact or distraction to the eye because the colors are not so bold but the variation in color is enough so that the feel and ambiance in each room is different. It can almost be a more difficult design challenge when using a pallette of different whites because each room then has to be decorated in tune with the subtle nuances in color.
Another aspect to consider is if the home is going to have a color theme. If the home is an italian villa or is meant to reflect a country home in Tuscany the colors used in the house will be different than a home that is supposed to reflect the victorian era in Versailles. If the house is meant to fit a theme it should stay within that theme to avoid a major clash in color from room to room. A Tuscan themed home will be full of yellow and orange sunny colors while a home that is reflective of victorian Versailles may be better suited with light pink, light blue, and pastel green.
The color of the bedroom is all about personal preference. It is said that the color red is too strong and intense for a bedroom color and that very light colors like light blue are far more soothing than an intense red color. This is a general rule but does not hold true for everyone. If you are painting a room for your child or a guest room it might be better to paint it a light color to play it safe. If it is your personal bedroom and you feel more comfortable and relaxed in a warm and deep colored pallette it is perfectly acceptable to paint a bedroom whatever color that pleases the eye. Generally it is nice to have a lot of windows and sunlight streaming through a bedroom and if the bedroom does have breezy large windows it is nice to compliment the airy sunlight with a light paint color.
If deep warm or cool colors like burgundy, pine, or plum have to be used in the home they should be reserved for the room in the house that is the den or home theater. The rooms that are mainly used in the darkness or at night really do not need to be painted in colors that will reflect the sunlight.
That being said, a room that usually painted white or light in color is the bathroom. Bathrooms are typically the smallest rooms in the home and therefore painting them in a dark color will enclose them and make them look and feel smaller. Painting a bathroom in a light white, light yellow, or light blue creates an illusion of an open atmosphere and makes the bathroom feel less claustrophobic.
