Small bedroom and dark paint color

MSKMGR
by MSKMGR
My daughter's bedroom is small and she wants to paint the walls a color similar to Pottery Barn's Pool. I think this will work well. BUT . . . she wants to do an accent wall in a deep blue. The colors look great together, but will it make her small room appear even smaller?
  9 answers
  • Have you uploaded a photo of the room to a paint visualizer? It might help.
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Jan 29, 2016
    In my opinion anytime you use a dark color in the room it will make appear smaller, however if there is sufficient light in the room then go for it. Paint colors are truly ones personal taste and if you feel they go nicely together I would let her have her way.
  • Sbsb1005 Sbsb1005 on Jan 29, 2016
    Its just paint and ultimately if you're not trying to sell the house then so what. I let my 13 yr old paint her whole room eggplant. It looked like a cave in there but she loved it. Plus only being one wall wont effect the feel that greatly. Go for it!! Be the "yes" mom!
  • Phil a Phil a on Jan 29, 2016
    Add some mirrors to the dark wall.... mirrors tend to make a room look bigger.
  • MN Mom MN Mom on Jan 29, 2016
    My son wanted a grey room with a black accent wall...nope! We did paint his room the color he wanted but instead of painting a wall black I purchased a trifold project board from Michael's. We centered it on his accent wall, nailed it up and now he has a place for his art and keepsakes. Comprising was easy in this one!
  • Shari Shari on Jan 29, 2016
    I 100% agree with everyone who says use the darker blue on the accent wall if that's what your daughter wants. Even if it does make the room look smaller, who cares? It is a decision that will, no doubt, make her very happy, at least for the time being. Painting an accent wall is not a huge money or time investment so I feel like you have far more to gain by allowing it, rather than saying "no." I think when you have kids, you need to pick your battles wisely. Saying "yes" to something harmless like paint colors balances out those more important things you may have to say "hell no" to later! "You want your WHAT pierced?! Hell no!" "You want HOW MANY tattoos?! Hell no!" "You want a dark blue accent wall? Sure honey, no problem!" You get my drift, I think. ;)
    • See 1 previous
    • Shari Shari on Jan 29, 2016
      @MN Mom Not too long after my daughter was born, I got a job in a psychologist's office and worked there for 20+ years....obviously long enough to pick up more than a few golden nuggets of wisdom and advice that was extremely helpful in raising her through the years Yep, picking my battles was definitely included in "Parenting 101." lol
  • Barbara Barbara on Jan 29, 2016
    If you plan on painting an accent wall in a darker shade, make it the wall that the entry door is on, that way when you walk into the room you wont be facing the darkest wall in the room. Your daughter gets her room her way, but the darker wall wont make the room feel quite as small when you walk in. We did this with my daughters room, a soft purple for the three walls and the wall where her closet and entry door, a dark dusty purple. The white woodwork broke up the darker color and still gave the room alot of lift. Keep the ceiling the light color or white to provide a light and airy feeling. Hope this helps.
  • Nancy Collis Nancy Collis on Jan 29, 2016
    it is just paint.......let your daughter express herself, if she can not do this in her own safe and private world then where? Help her do it, be as inthusiastic as she is.......a great bonding time! enjoy!!
  • CK CK on Jan 29, 2016
    Sometimes ya gotta go with the flow! You say "small"....how small? Sometimes even the lightest paint colors will not be enough to enhance/pretend to make the room seem bigger. It also has to do with what furniture is used, how much natural light, etc. Does your daughter want her room to have more of a feeling of a cocoon or lighter-brighter? Sometimes darker rooms are great for bedrooms if the person likes that 'secure' feeling. Ask her about how she wants the room to feel....that'll give you ideas about which color(s) to proceed with. If she only wants one wall darker, when she tires of it, it'll be a much easier fix than having to do all 4 walls :-) Find bedding that uses both colors she wants and you've got a win! This image is from Pottery Barn's website. It has dark blue used on the walls and a lighter blue also in the colors. This could be an inspiration for your daughter's room.
    • MSKMGR MSKMGR on Jan 30, 2016
      Thanks! She wants a beach theme and already has bedding and off white furniture. The rooms has one window and gets a lot of light so I think it will be fine. As everyone has stated - it's only paint.