How To Master Painting An Open Floor Plan
Sam Lutz • October 20, 2015
An open floor plan is an architectural design that allows two or many rooms to run together without doorways and physical barriers. For example, a living room, dining room, kitchen and foyer that all appear to be one large space is an example of an open floor plan.
Open floor plans are becoming more popular because they promote social behaviors in the house and large spaces can be put to more diverse uses. If you have an open floor plan in your home, knowing how to paint it can help ensure that you’re happy with the way your home looks.
Make the Space Unified
The first rule of painting an open floor plan is not to try to paint the different “rooms” in different colors. Doing so can divide the space in a way that’s jarring and visually disturbing. To paint the open floor plan, choose one color to pain the majority of the space.
That said, you can choose different paint colors if you come to a natural division in the space. If you encounter a pilaster and archway that naturally separates two areas, you can use that opportunity to switch paint colors from one to another.
In fact, breaking up the space with different colors whenever a natural division occurs can help create visual interest and cultivate a sense of depth. For example, if your open space involves built-in nooks for shelves along one wall, paint the nooks of those shelves in a different color. You can also break up the space by painting the crown molding or trim along the ground in a separate color.
Select Colors with a Relationship
When choosing multiple colors to paint in one space it’s important to select colors that have a relationship to one another. You can do this by selecting colors that have a relationship on the color wheel. Check our post on the basics of color theory
to find out how the color wheel helps to establish color relationships.
Alternatively, you can also check out the Benjamin Moore website. Benjamin Moore shows clearly which colors go well with all their paint swatches. Just click on the paint gallery, select a paint color you like, then scroll down to the bottom of that paint color’s page to see the “goes well with” options.
Consider the Size
Many open floor plans have tall ceilings and are large spaces because they encompass many rooms. Choosing a darker paint color either for the walls, the ceiling, or both can help make the space feel smaller, cozier and more intimate. Eggshell paint can help with this too, because eggshell paints absorb light, helping the room to seem darker, smaller and more comfortable.
Study Up
Before you commit to a paint color (or several paint colors), we encourage you to do your homework. Read expert opinions on how to create flow in a large space
and look at ways that other homeowners handled the same issue. Finally, stop in at Ace Paint
and talk to us. Bring pictures, if you want. We like to help customers solve painting quandaries, and we’re passionate about paint. We want to see you pick the color (or colors) you’ll like best.
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