Tag Archives | Color Schemes

Rustic Paint Colors and Textured Wall Designs

In a rustic room, you’ll see a lot of natural materials. There will be a lot of old and reclaimed woods, stone, and metal. Because of this the color schemes of a rustic space will be made up of neutral shades and earth tones – white, greys, dark browns, iron black. Natural green shades can be mixed in by adding plants. So use that as inspiration when looking for rustic paint colors. Avoid man made bright colors – like bright blues, orange, and bright red.

Going Simple – Classic White

A Neutral Color: Go with white walls. This way any rustic pieces in the room, like exposed beams or wooden window shutters, will really stand out. Check out the bedroom in picture (1) – the white walls make the beams and the wooden bed the focal points in the room.

For a more modern and cozy look use a darker wall color. The bathroom in picture (2) has had its wooden wall panels painted black. Just like the white walls in the bedroom, the black walls in the bathroom contrasts well with the rustic brown mirror – making it stand out.

Rustic Wall Designs and Paint Ideas

Some ways of creating a rustic wall is to use stone or brick. The walls in the room can be made out of them, or you can decorate existing walls with stone or brick tiles. You can paint over them for a more toned down rustic look, just like the living room in picture (3). Wood is another design option. But use large log pieces – as seen in picture (4), for an authentic rustic look.

Exposed beams can also decorate the walls, not just the ceilings. They can be used as rustic crown molding, or to create a rustic support and valance over a window (5).

Another way to create a textured wall is with rough natural plastering (stucco) (6), or use wall paint to create textured finishes and effects (Textured Wall Painting Ideas: From Faux Wood to Linen Effects) (7).

Subtle Rustic Walls

Tone Down the Rustic: If you have a small room with standard height ceilings, you might want to tone down the rustic walls so they don’t become overwhelming. One way to do this is to have half of the wall (top or bottom) using something rustic like stone, brick or wood. And have the other half plastered over and painted white – creating a rustic/modern combination design.

A Feature Wall: Another way to add some subtle rustic style to a room is to use a feature wall. This is one wall in the room that is decorated, say in stone, brick, or wood, while all of the other walls are simply styled – say painted in white. Because there is only one rustic wall, it really stands out and becomes a focal point in the space. Just like the hallway in picture (8), and the stone wall feature in the bathroom in picture (5).

This feature wall could be the headboard wall in the bedroom, the wall behind the TV, or you could create a stone chimney column in the living room. It could also be the backsplash wall in the kitchen or in the bathroom.

image credits: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8

Bathroom Color Ideas: Palette and Paint Schemes

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter HC-172

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace 2121-70

For more grey ideas have a look at my mood board post here: Grey Bathroom Ideas and Design Styles.

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Summer Shower 2135-60

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Evening Dove 2128-30

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Rosemary Green 2029-30

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore How Blue Am I? 752

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Rich Cream 2153-60

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore November Rain OC-50

When it comes to bathroom color ideas you need to remember that a color scheme is made up of more than just the wall colors. If you look at the pictures above, the color combinations are made up of the wall color and the main focal pieces in the bathroom: cabinets, countertops, flooring, shower curtains, the bath and shower. Below I’ll go over design tips on how to create a well defined color palette for your bathroom.

3 Bathroom Paint Ideas for the Walls

Neutral shades like a warm tan, white, and light grey are popular bathroom color schemes. If you want to use a bold color like purple, here are 3 design options on how to decorate the bathroom:

1) Paint all of the walls in the color you want.

2) Paint one wall in the color of your choice (purple, red, blue, etc). This will be your feature wall. In the bathroom this is usually the wall that is against the sink. The rest of the walls are painted in a neutral color like white, grey, cream, tan. This way, you get that color but it is not as overwhelming compared to having all of the walls painted in the color.

3) The last option is to create a blank canvas. Paint the walls in a neutral color – then decorate the bathroom in the color scheme you want. Say it is blue – then use a blue shower curtain, a blue mirror frame, blue towels. You still create that blue color scheme, but you leave out the walls.

Divide and Conquer

For a more refined bathroom design, break up a solid painted wall by using a wainscot, beadboard, or tile divider. Just like the bathrooms in pictures (1) (3) (7) (8) and (9). This will also help small bathrooms feel larger.

Another tip for small bathrooms is to use light colors – on the walls and for the focal pieces. Bathrooms in pictures (2) (3) (7) and (9) are the best examples of color palettes to use.

Remodelling or Working With What You’ve Got

The items that take up the most space in the bathroom, the focal pieces, will play a big role in the style, design, and color scheme of the room. Take a look around your bathroom and see what the main pieces are – the cabinets, the countertops, the mirror, the shower curtain.

You will either have to remodel the bathroom to suit the color palette you choose. Or you’ll need to use a color palette that suits your current bathroom style.

Say you want a red color scheme for your bathroom. But you have blue floor tiles. This will clash. You will either have to re-floor the bathroom or work with what you have – go with blue or neutral colored walls to collaborate with the floor color.

Modern Bathroom Design Ideas: From Lighting Design to Color Choice

Test Bathroom Colors

Check out the bathrooms in picture (1) and (9). According to the designers they both use the same paint color on the walls: Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter HC-172. This is why you can’t solely rely on online pictures. The lighting in the bathrooms can make the paint color look different, the camera settings and computer screens can also alter colors in photographs. Because of this you need to go out and get samples and see how they will look in your own bathroom. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

Bedroom Color Ideas: Paint Schemes and Palette Mood Board

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Steel Wool 2121-20.

For more grey bedroom design ideas have a look at my mood board here: Grey Bedroom Ideas, Decorating Tips, and Pictures

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Hampshire Taupe 990 (some people say this modern color ends up a bit darker than in the photo)

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Brandon Beige 977

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Southwest Pottery 048

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Templeton Grey HC-161

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Woodlawn Blue HC-147

For a Bohemian style bedroom, go with a dark hue like the Newburg Green HC-158 seen above – or go with white/cream walls. For design ideas have a look at my mood board here: The Free Spirit: Bohemian Bedroom Ideas.

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Steel Wool 2121-20 (The photo makes the walls look blue, when the paint is more grey)

A really popular bedroom color choice is black and white. For more design ideas have a look at my post here: Black and White Bedroom Designs and Decor Ideas.

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Linen White 912

For purple bedroom designs and ideas have a look at my mood board here.

For orange bedroom ideas, check out this mood board.

For pure black bedroom design ideas, check out this mood board.

For black and gold bedroom ideas, have a look here.

For all white bedroom room designs and ideas, have a look here.

For red bedroom design and ideas, have a look here.

For red and black bedroom ideas, look at my mood board here.

For green ideas, have a look here.

For blue bedroom ideas, have a look here.

For pink ideas, have a look here.

And for teal bedrooms, check out this mood board.

In the color palettes above, you can see that the color scheme of the room is not just made up of the paint color on the walls. Everything, from the furniture and floors to the art pieces and bedding, is taken when creating the color palette. So think about this when choosing the color of your room. Will the color of the furniture clash with the new color of your walls. If you really want to style your bedroom with one main color, say blue, then will you need to take out decor pieces that go against this (like an orange pillow, or red art piece)?

Dark vs Light

Choosing between dark or light bedroom color ideas will really make a difference in how the room feels. A dark wall color will make the space feel intimate, romantic, secluded and cozy – which is ideal for a bedroom. A light color choice will make the bedroom feel bright and spacious – ideal for a small bedroom. It is all a matter of personal taste.

Wall Choices

Another thing that is a matter of personal taste is how much color you want in a bedroom. Some people would love to have all of their walls painted in purple. For others, they might find it overwhelming. Here are some options you have when painting and styling a bedroom with a color:

Paint all the wall in the color you want
Paint only one wall with the color you want. This will be your feature wall. In the bedroom this is usually where the headboard is. The rest of the walls are then painted in a neutral color (white, off white, cream, grey)
Have all the walls painted in white or a neutral color. This creates a blank canvas for you to decorate the bedroom with the color you want (through the bedding, pillows, curtains, area rugs, paintings, etc.)

Master Bedroom Color Ideas

There is no right or wrong color when it comes to master bedrooms – it is all a matter of personal taste. If you have a small room and want to make it feel large, then go with a light color. If you want a more luxurious feel to the room – then a darker color will work best. Have a look at my mood board here for other design ideas: Room Guide: Master Bedroom Ideas and Designs.

Guest Bedroom Paint Colors

For a guest bedroom, sticking to a light color would be a good way to go. It’ll make the space feel bright and welcoming.

Bedroom Paint Ideas for Kids

For a boys bedroom, a dark color works well. Just like the deep blue in the picture below. Remember you have the painting options mentioned above. If you think having all of the walls in a deep shade will be overwhelming, then paint one feature wall and have the rest in a more neutral color like white.

Wall Paint Color: Adriatic Sea CSP-660

For a girls bedroom, bright pastel shades will look good. Think shabby chic – mint, pastel yellow/orange, or pink. The same applies here too – paint all of the walls in a color or create a feature wall.

Wall Paint Color: Turquoise Mist 695

For more kids bedroom color scheme ideas, have a look at my post here: Color Schemes: Kids Room Paint Ideas.

In The Real World
Be carefully when choosing your bedroom wall colors. The pictures you see above, and anywhere else online, are great for inspiration. But solely relying on the images and paint colors online can be a big mistake. For starters, different computer screens show colors differently. Also a paint color will look different on different surfaces and in different light. So it is best to go out and get paint samples of the colors you like and see online. Take them home and see how they look in your bedroom. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12