Imaginative Paint Treatments You Won't Get Tired Of
Regret them not. These anxiety-free ideas put a just-fresh-enough twist on the classics.
If you, like us, know from experience how much the old adage "once bitten twice shy" applies to paint choices, it's understandable to be a bit apprehensive about any treatments that seem too trendy or difficult to undo. (Remember that big pink walls moment in 2011? Yup, we went there. And back.) But that doesn't mean you can't take advantage of the transformative powers—not to mention affordability—of a can of paint.
We recently (optimistically) declared the end of the accent wall and the rise of a new pop of color inspired by the Serena & Lily–designed space below. It got us thinking about what other creative paint treatments are just too good to regret—Classic enough to never tire of, but bold enough to announce your design cred from the doorway.
1. The massive awning-like stripe is of course a super bold statement, but executed in an otherwise all-white room where traditional architectural details abound, it sings.
2. It's nearly impossible to go wrong with classic black and white. Both of these ideas, courtesy of designer Lee Kleinhelter, make the most of a bold black band—wrapping a room in non-traditional stripes (make them an even width for an even surer bet) or creating a faux headboard/canopy that makes for instant architecture.
3. Painting the ceiling is, at this point, a new classic paint trick, and the safest color choice takes a cue from mother nature—sky blue. In this New Orleans kitchen, traditional beadboard gives the look an even airier feel.
4. Paint your trim. Or paint everything but. Both looks are totally unexpected and transfixing in a sea of white-trimmed rooms. Fiyel Levent chose a blue-toned gray with an Old World feel for her historic row house, while J. Crew Menswear Director Frank Muytjens chose to pair bare knotted pine door frames with a cult classic wall color, Farrow & Ball's Downpipe.
