Painting Living Room Ideas

Deciding on the right colors when painting living room spaces is a large part of the decorating process. Because color has such a large effect on the way a space looks and feels, it is important to find great colors that coordinate with the rest of the space.

Decorating with Color

There are few things to consider when painting living room spaces; the size of the room, the lighting levels, and the colors of existing items such as furniture, accessories and flooring. It is important to consider all elements in order to pull the entire look together.

1. SIZE of the room: Using a lighter interior paint color in smaller living rooms usually helps to enhance the space. Try to bring in some contrast by using darker colors in the furniture and textiles. You can also create an accent wall by using a deeper shade of another color. Using a dark wall color design everywhere in the room will create a cozier feel and make the room feel smaller. A good interior paint color combination and distribution between the darks and lights will bring an appealing balance to the space.
   
2. LIGHTING types and levels: The correct lighting for your room can either make your colors pop or distort and dull them down. The color output of the lamp will cause colors to take on different hues. If there is less lighting in your living room, try to use lighter colors to help brighten the space. In living rooms with a lot of light, feel free to experiment with some more dramatic options. To read more on living room lighting click here.
   
3. Colors of EXISTING ELEMENTS such as furniture accessories and flooring: The existing elements in your space will have a huge effect on the colors you choose for your room. Things can get a little crazy when dealing with a variety of existing items, so remember to edit. Use an interior paint color that will complement and bring balance to the space.

Find Some Inspiration!

The easiest way to develop a color scheme when painting living rooms is to first find something with color and pattern within the space that you really love. For example you could pull from the colors in your furniture, throw pillows, curtains, area rugs, anything really that you want to use as inspiration.

Beach Neutrals
A good color scheme includes a range of colors from light, medium, and dark. When decorating with color, it's easiest to choose one or two main colors to work with first. Then build interest around those colors by introducing different tones and shades that contrast and compliment the main color. Minor tweaks and adjustments to the original colors in the photo are usually necessary to make the room really tie in with the surrounding furniture and accessories.

Color Inspiration

This photo has 5 main colors that are pretty obvious, but incorporating all of these when painting a living room could make the space feel overwhelming. Instead pick two or three that you really like and look closer to see different shades and variations. Use your images as inspiration not as the final word.


For new spaces, choosing paint colors can be as easy as finding a great photo or piece of artwork. When painting living rooms use your inspirational images (like the images below) to get new color combination ideas.

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