Whether you are decorating your bedroom or entrance hall, every room should be viewed as an wonderful opportunity to use colour and make your house feel like home. Your decision to decorate may have been impulsive or part of a longer, more carefully considered plan. Whichever it may have been, it is just the beginning of your journey.
It can be overwhelming trying to choose what colours will go where in a scheme, especially if the room features architectural detailing. Your first decision should be whether or not you will highlight your woodwork, or whether you will leave this as the default, classic preference of white trim in traditional obligation.
Though there has always been a presumption that woodwork should be painted lighter than the walls, in contemporary decorative practises, the one-colour approach is utilised to create a backdrop that is more conducive to minimal living in which the trim is much less a feature interior element.
While it may seem as though the possibilities are never-ending, it may be of comfort to remember there are three basic ways to decorate your space:
Light on dark, dark on light and one colour throughout.
Light on Dark
This method of decorating is the most traditional, using a colour on the walls and white on the woodwork. Using white gloss became almost standard for many years, before its perceived austerity caused its popularity to waver. That said, this practise has come full circle and is once more the go-to method of interior decoration due to its crisp contrast and simplicity. Additionally, when used throughout a house, this unifies and connect all the rooms.
When there are subtle, muted tones on the walls, a bright white can ruin the harmony of a scheme. This is where House of Theobald’s whites become most useful. There is much to be gained by using a shade of white that is more sympathetic to your wall colour scheme.
If the contrast between your walls and woodwork is too strong, your eye will be drawn to the line of extreme tonal variation, making the architectural detail most obvious. Emphasis on details such as the skirting boards, doors and windows can make a space seem smaller by defining the space and its perimeters. When softened with tonally sympathetic tones of white, these features will be noticed less making the space seem larger and calmer.
Dark on Light
The second, less common method of decoration in the home is to make your trim darker than the walls. For many people, creating as much light and space in a room as possible is of the highest importance, and therefore use lighter colour schemes on the walls with darker tones on the woodwork to achieve this.
A darker trim instantly makes the walls seem lighter, while adding a decorative element to the space. While this is far less common and may seem an intimidating prospect, that is not to say it is not effective.
The use of a darker tones on woodwork compared to the walls is a method often seen in Regency houses, as they provide simple decoration while maintaining a feeling of calm.
Using a strong colour on woodwork with paler walls was a popular combination used in the Victorian era, and is slowly but surely regaining said popularity. This method of decoration is an ideal way to
add drama to your scheme, and while it may be a bold statement, it is more subtle than choosing a dark wall colour.
One Colour
The third and final method of decorating involves using one colour on both the walls and the woodwork. Used much in practise by the Georgians, there is great historic precedent for this form of interior decoration. It has become popular with many contemporary decorators due to the tranquil and chic aesthetic it creates in rooms painted this way.
Panelling, traditionally painted in three colours, becomes more elegant and simple when painted it just one. When a singular colour is used, a room immediately feels larger. This is because when contrast is removed, there is less awareness of the perimeters and confines of the space, making for a feeling of openness. This also makes spaces perfect for the displaying of art pieces.
Any unsightly, small or plain trim disappears into the colour of the wall, shifting focus to the depth and shadow it casts. Additionally, by using one colour alone, the connection between interior and exterior spaces is enhanced. If your window woodwork is the same colour as the walls, the eyes are not distracted by a secondary colour and are therefore free to gaze out effortlessly to the outdoors.
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