Painting Ideas for Stairwells
- Faux finishes add depth and warmth to a room. Popular treatments include Venetian plaster, sponge painting, suede finishes, metal finishes and rag rolling. For faux painting, you need a base coat, an accent color, supplies to execute the particular faux technique and a faux-painting glaze. Rag rolling and sponge painting are simple to do, while suede finishes, metal finishes and Venetian plaster are more time-consuming, but also more unusual, faux methods.
- Some stairwells are large and open while others are narrow and closed off. For a bright and open stairwell, enhance its presence by choosing bold colors or use a dark accent wall to make the stairwell look deep. For narrow stairwells, however, dark colors give an effect of a shortened or claustrophobic stairwell space. Avoid distracting patterns and overly dark colors in small areas; stick to light colors that brighten the stairwell and help make it seem wider than it is instead.
- Certain colors create a mood. For example, the color orange is welcoming and friendly, adding warmth to a space. The color yellow is welcoming as well, but sunshine yellow can seem drastic if it's the first thing guests entering your home see. Use colors as a way to set the mood for a stairwell and introduce a person to what lies in the room above. For example, if the room above is calm and relaxing, use green or blue color schemes, which are both calming. Consider how you want to feel every time you pass through this space.
- The walls in a stairwell are not the only surface available to paint. Paint the staircase itself in contrasting colors from the walls or change it from a natural wood tone to a bold white to accent your wall choices, or vice versa. Consider changing the color of the staircase to add a second or accent color to that used on the walls, or even just paint the risers to add an element of surprise and whimsy.