Painting is one of the finishes available for your surfaces, whether walls or ceilings. It involves applying a uniform coat on these surfaces to make the area more appealing.
Photo by Justin Schüler on Unsplash
Painting as a finish is a technique that’s been used in the construction industry since time immemorial.
However, this doesn’t preclude you from incorporating modern aesthetics into your painting finish. Nowadays, you can choose any paint patterns and colors for your space. With different varieties to choose from, there’s something to suit your taste and preference. You can go for bold paint colors if you’re vibrant or neutral colors if you’re laid-back.
On the other hand, various aspects should be considered before using any pattern or color with your paint. These aspects will guide your choice and ensure you settle for the right paint color for your space. But what if you want to paint your living room walls immaculately white? What should you consider?
Here are some essential things to know before you paint your walls white:
- Natural Light Affects Your Choice
Lighting is important to any space. It allows you to see as you move around to avoid colliding with objects. It can also be natural or artificial. Natural lighting comes from the sun and outdoors. Artificial lighting, on the other hand, relies on electricity to run.
The impact of natural light from your living room windows and doors can significantly influence your decision to paint your walls white. Like any other color, white paint has different fades, mainly warm or cool. Warm white has undertones of yellow or red, with cool white having undertones of blue or grey.
To help you decide, you can settle for cool white if there’s plenty of natural light streaming into your living room most of the year. The cool white’s soft nature and the natural light will complement each other, making your space appear bigger and brighter.
Meanwhile, you can settle for warm white if there’s minimal natural lighting. The warmth of its yellow-red nature will blend well with a low-lit room.
- White Requires High Maintenance
White is a bold color that effortlessly catches dirt. You can easily see the dust on its surface, a handprint of someone who drags their hands along your walls, including the point of contact with your door or window when opened. Therefore, if you’re thinking about painting your walls white, you should first consider if you can keep up with the associated maintenance needs.
Suppose you’ve decided to use white walls for your living room and you have children in your home or your living room is a high-traffic area. In such situations, there’s a high likelihood your walls will get stains every so often. Besides cleaning stains once they appear, you’ll need to repaint your walls every two years or as you deem fit based on their appearance.
Therefore, it would help if you had used white paint with a gloss or satin finish. This finish is easy to wipe down in case of stains. Plus, you won’t damage its appearance, which is likely the case with matte white.
- Your Decorations And Tastes Matter
Your living room decorations play a huge role in determining if white should be your go-to color. This will give you an idea of how you should decorate your space after painting your walls white.
In interior design, the goal is to ensure everything is in harmony; there should be continuity. Otherwise, your space will look disorganized. So, if your ideal decoration revolves around sleek, modern designs, settle for cool white. This white is more or less pure and screams elegance.
On the other hand, if you’re into rustic, monochrome pieces, you can try painting your walls warm white. Meanwhile, when it comes to taste, it entails the mood you want to set in your living room. If you’re going for a cozy and relaxed vibe, warm white is the way to go, and vice versa.
As you opt for white walls, it’s important to point out that you don’t have to paint all your living room walls white. You can use a different color, preferably a dark one like matte black, on one of the four walls. Although contrasted in color, the black breaks the monotony of the white walls, bringing out the beauty of your white walls.
Conclusion
Deciding to paint your living room walls white is a bold decision. However, you no longer need to worry. This article has shared some important facts you must consider and implement as you paint your walls white. Applying them will help guarantee that your newly painted white walls will be an attractive addition to your home.
Author Bio
Carina Jackson is an interior decorator and home stylist with a blog helping thousands of homeowners make the best design decisions for their living spaces. She is also a self-confessed cat lady with four kittens under her care.