Painting Design Query

Cotta

Hi All,


I wanted to submit a design query. I know this is subjective to a person's taste but some additional advise would be appreciated.


I asked a painter around recently to give me a quote to paint a bedroom. I had initially asked for a dark blue on the walls, however the painter advised this would make the room look too dark and suggested the bottom half of the wall be dark blue with the top half an aqua colour. This sounded fine.


I liked the idea of the skirting, door and radiator being white but the painter suggested using both the blues on these items. Is a mixed colour on these items a good idea or can it be too messy?


Thanks

Doozergirl

It's personal taste.

If you want dark blue everywhere, you should have it! He's there to paint, not to state the obvious that dark colours are dark.

Do you have a dado rail or is he suggesting a painted divide?

You can paint skirtings and architraves any colour you like, but I would stick to the same colour on woodwork throughout the house. Not only is having architraves in two colours unorthodox, but there will be a third colour involved when you consider the room/hall on the other side and the colour of the architraves and door linings for that room. A decision has to be taken on where each colour stops. You'll find that while one side will be okay, the colour from one room will be visible from the other, depending on what you put where.

It's a bad idea, imo.

Mojisola

Cotta wrote: »

I asked a painter around recently to give me a quote to paint a bedroom. I had initially asked for a dark blue on the walls, however the painter advised this would make the room look too dark and suggested the bottom half of the wall be dark blue with the top half an aqua colour. This sounded fine.

Doozergirl wrote: »

It's personal taste.

If you want dark blue everywhere, you should have it! He's there to paint, not to state the obvious that dark colours are dark.

I'm always glad if a tradesman makes a suggestion like this. If I was set on my original idea, that would go ahead but it doesn't do any harm to have an expert give a few alternatives based on their experience.

PasturesNew

Have what YOU want, for the lifestyle you want to lead. You don't have to go with "what's trendy", or "what some random painter bloke thought".

Personally, I'd forgo the dark blue, I'd not want the walls painted two different colours (sounds like a reason to bump the price up as that has to be a straight line so could add another day's work to his diary). I'd settle for two differing, lighter, blues, one wall/one colour - and I'd go with white everywhere else.

It's all about what you want though .... he who pays the piper and all that. You need to have the chance to get what you like, so you can discover for yourself if you think it worked, or was the worst mistake ever.

pandora205

I just discovered that Dulux have a useful designer (Amazing Spaces) where you can visualise rooms by entering the sizes, layout, furniture etc. which might help give a better idea.

Personally, I'd be cautious about going too dark unless everything else in the room is pale but I'd definitely not go half and half and I'd always use white for skirtings etc.

Doozergirl

Mojisola wrote: »

I'm always glad if a tradesman makes a suggestion like this. If I was set on my original idea, that would go ahead but it doesn't do any harm to have an expert give a few alternatives based on their experience.

Tradespeople often don't know what current trends are and are actually just putting forward their own personal taste. And it is not their house. There is nothing wrong with painting a room in a dark colour if that is what you want.

An expert at painting is not always an interior designer. I'd say the OP's painter definitely isn't an interior designer if three colours on an architrave is supposed to look good.

Mojisola

Doozergirl wrote: »

You can paint skirtings and architraves any colour you like, but I would stick to the same colour on woodwork throughout the house.

Doozergirl wrote: »

Tradespeople often don't know what current trends are and are actually just putting forward their own personal taste. And it is not their house. There is nothing wrong with painting a room in a dark colour if that is what you want.

An expert at painting is not always an interior designer. I'd say the OP's painter definitely isn't an interior designer if three colours on an architrave is supposed to look good.

And that is just your personal taste.

(She says - from a house where most of the woodwork is painted to fit with the wall colours in the room. )

phil24_7

He sounds like the a hole that painted my house before I bought it. The bedroom had 3 walls dark blue, 1 wall a lighter blue and all the woodwork an aqua colour. It looked s**t!

I would have preffered all the walls dark blue and all the wood white. Yes it will be dark and 'may' feel a little cold (dark blue is much better than light blue if this worries you) but it will also be calm and relaxing...everything a bedroom should be.

You can lighten it up with flashes of white or colour around the room.

Hoploz

When I moved in to my house the lounge was painted dark blue. It was terrible. Needed a miner's lamp to see in there. I would not recommend it!

In my old bedroom we did a teal and blue feature wall behind the bed. The width of the bed was teal tension and the sections either side were blue reflection. It looked nice as a feature but when we moved here we didn't put the dark colour on, just used the lighter blue on the whole wall (white on the rest) looks lovely with duck egg accessories, although I have just chosen a wallpaper now so will be changing it to that as soon as the decorator can get here!

Doozergirl

Mojisola wrote: »

And that is just your personal taste.

(She says - from a house where most of the woodwork is painted to fit with the wall colours in the room. )

Which would just re-enforce my point that one should have what one wants, would it not? It was you that suggested they were an 'expert'

Mojisola

Doozergirl wrote: »

Which would just re-enforce my point that one should have what one wants, would it not? It was you that suggested they were an 'expert'

Not an expert who should over-ride your personal likes but someone who has seen lots more painting schemes than the customer.

No-one has to take advice that's offered but I would rather a decorator mentioned something in advance to give me the option of changing my mind. Maybe I am just lucky to have a very good decorating company - I welcomed their professional advice when the house was being redone.