Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Dining Room & Living Room Painting Ideas

The use of paint in a living or dining room can add a specific feeling to the room.


The living and dining rooms are where many families spend time with one another eating, entertaining, communicating and getting together. If you are looking for a fun, welcoming or relaxing painting idea for these communal spaces, you have many choices. Before you dip into some paint, it is best to decide and plan what kind of look and atmosphere you are after once you put that paint brush down.


Stencils


If you are interested in a simple but decorative design, stencils are an easy painting idea for the living room or dining room. Stencils can be done as a top wall border or mid-height border that rests at eye level along the wall. Paint stenciling can be done as a family activity effort because they are easy for anyone to use. Just paint right over the stencil and lift the stencil tool away to reveal the painted decoration.


Accent Wall


A popular addition to a painted room is an accent wall. An accent wall is one particular wall in a room decorated with a special design or in a stand-out color that draws attention from the adjoining walls. An accent wall can add brightness to a dining or living room or easily update the room itself by introducing a new color. For an accent wall, you will want to choose a color that will complement and draw attention to the room's best features. Cool colors will generally be relaxing whereas warm colors will inspire energy and liveliness. For accent walls, you will want to see what furniture and decorations you already have in the room to make a complementary color selection instead of a clashing one.


Mural


Murals can be beautiful pieces of artwork literally painted onto your living or dining room wall or walls. You can hire or contract an artist to complete your mural or you may decide to paint the mural yourself. Depending on what type of look, scene or style you are after, it may be helpful to view different mural scenes before deciding on the image for you. A mural in your living or dining room can detail one wall or encompass the entire room depending on your painting preferences.


Sponge Painting


Sponge painting is a simple painting design you can use in your living room or dining room. To create a sponged paint look, the painter uses large sponges instead of paint brushes as painting tools. By dipping a sponge into paint and pressing it onto the wall, the artist can create an abstract and complementary design that will not distract from any of the room's decor. You can use one color or multiple complementary colors. If you want to keep colors differentiated, you will have to wait for the paint to dry before proceeding to a second color. Otherwise, you can blend colors by sponging a new layer of paint over a previous undried paint layer.


Graffiti Art


You can employ a modern, contemporary graffiti style in your living room or dining room by using spray paints to decorate one wall or multiple walls. Contract a graffiti artist you like or paint the work yourself. Graffiti art can be either abstract with no recognizable form or figure, or representative, meaning that the arts will depict a recognizable figure or form, depending on what you prefer. For example, you may choose to have shapes or colors instead of representative people, objects or landscape elements. You can garner inspiration online, around back alley streets in your city or by researching popular artists in the genre before you settle on a style for your paint job.


Ceiling Art


To create a heavenly and peaceful ambiance in your dining room or living room, paint a celestial scene onto the ceiling. Perhaps you will want to take artistic reference of Michelangelo's work on the Sistine Chapel or you may wish to create your own sky or atmospheric setting.

Tags: dining room, accent wall, living dining, living room, your living, living dining room