Paint a Bedroom in Primary Colors
Red, blue and yellow and variations of these basic colors, such as cadmium red and lemon yellow, are primary colors. Combining two primary colors creates a secondary color. For instance, red and yellow make orange. A bedroom painted exclusively in primary colors may seem a little overwhelming, but when you temper those colors with softer, complementary shades and areas of neutral paint, the finished effect can be striking. Add bedspreads and curtains that don't clash to create a cohesive design.
Instructions
1. Draw a straight line around the room 36 inches up from the floor. Use a chalk line or a level to make sure the line is even all the way around the room. Measure the length of the line and buy that many feet of wide, decorative molding to use as a chair rail.
2. Paint the wall red from about a 1/2 inch below the line down to the floor. If there is molding at the base of the walls, remove it before you begin to paint, and double the amount of molding you buy for the chair rail. Buy the same molding design for both the chair rail and the base molding.
3. Cut the molding as needed to fit along the walls and in spaces between windows and doors. Miter corners so the molding will fit snugly. Paint the new molding white and any other existing door and window trim.
4. Paint the walls from the top of the red paint up to the ceiling blue. There's no need to be tidy where the two paint colors meet, because that will be covered by the chair rail. Install the base molding with 1-inch brads, and then install the chair rail along the line. Dab caulk onto the nail heads, smooth it out and paint over it if necessary.
5. Create yellow accents by painting thrift-store-find picture frames without glass and attaching them to the wall. Soften the yellow by distressing the pictures frames. Put on a coat of white paint, follow with yellow and gently rub some of the paint off in spots so it looks weathered.
6. Paint the ceiling a very soft yellow. Consider adding built-ins and painting them the same color as the ceiling.
Tags: chair rail, around room, base molding, Bedroom Primary, Bedroom Primary Colors, , molding chair rail