Colorblocking For Impact and Interest

Trends come and go and that's what keeps the interior design business hopping. A trend that has gained re-popularity over the last couple of years is color-blocking with paint. If done properly, color-blocking your walls can add a lot of impact and interest and vitality to a space that might otherwise be ordinary. The idea of using multiple complementary or contrasting colors on your walls can be a way of charging even the smallest of spaces with vitality (click on 'each and every inch' to see my son's cool version of color-blocking).


The idea behind colorblocking is to take at least two, but up to three and four, colors and apply them to either opposite or adjacent walls. These pictures illustrate what I've done in a den, living room and dining room of a home in Plainfield. You will notice that the colors were pulled from the fabric and art that is in these three rooms. I've used 4 colors. The color in the den is the color from the sectional in the living room. In the den, which is quite small, I used only the taupe from the living room sectional, but as you stand in the hall area between the two rooms you really get the sense of how these two rooms pull together. The orange color on one wall in the living room and one wall in the dining room is in the artwork in both of those rooms and also in the print fabric in the living room.

It's tricky to know which color to put where. I usually make that decision based on contrast. If a piece of artwork has a lot of the lighter colors or a light background, or if there is furniture on that wall with a lighter background, I put one of the darker shades behind it. The opposite is also true: if there is a darker piece of furniture that is going to be on a wall, then that is the wall that will get a lighter shade from the pallet. Generally, you want a balance of color. If there is only a small amount of a certain color represented in either your fabrics or artwork, then use that color more sparingly.

As in all things design, the idea is to make your space uniquely yours and choosing to use color-blocking is a great way to tie your home together from room to room. And the great thing is you can get a really custom look with only the price of a gallon or two of paint. Go be creative!