Expand Your Laundry Room With Paint

Painting your small laundry room is a great way to make it feel bigger and more welcoming. Light colours such as whites, blues, and greens can open up a space and make it seem much bigger. For example, a soft organic green like Dulux Willow Tree or a pale blue like Sherwin-Williams Dew Drop can create a sense of space and airiness. If you want to make a narrow room look wider, light and cool colours are a good choice as they seem farther away. Conversely, you can emphasise the length of a room by painting the longer walls a darker shade.

Another way to make a room look bigger is to use colour drenching, which involves painting walls, woodwork, ceilings, and even furniture in one cohesive colour palette, making the walls appear endless. You can also try painting an accent wall or adding an eye-catching pattern like vertical stripes to create an optical illusion of extra space.

Use light colours to open up the space

When decorating a small laundry room, it is important to consider the colour palette. Using light colours is a great way to open up a small space and make it seem much bigger.

Light, bright colours are favoured to open up small or awkward spaces because they reflect natural light and create a sense of space. Lighter shades of white, grey, blue, and green will make a small space look bigger. Warmer shades of white, such as those with yellow undertones, can add a cheery feel to the room. Alternatively, a cool, pure shade of white can work with any design style, from modern to farmhouse.

Soft shades of organic greens and sky blues can also create the illusion of depth, making walls look further away than they are. These colours reflect the outdoors and seamlessly connect indoor and outdoor spaces.

When choosing a white paint, it is important to consider the undertone. The right undertone can make your space sparkle, while the wrong one can make it look dull. For example, if you have white appliances, choose a classic white without yellow or grey undertones, as these can look dingy.

If you are set on using dark colours, it is still possible to make a small space seem larger. Dark and bright white colours can be used together to create contrast and the illusion of a much larger area. For a long, narrow room, paint the shorter walls a slightly darker colour than the longer walls to give the image of a square shape.

Using light colours on the ceiling can also create the illusion of height in a room. If your walls are dark, any shade of off-white or even light pastels or greys could work.

Use bold colours to make a small laundry room seem larger

While light colours are often recommended to make a small room seem bigger, bold colours can also do the trick if used correctly.

Firstly, you can use bold colours as an accent wall. This creates an optical illusion that the room has extra space and directs the eye to a focal point, helping with furniture placement.

Secondly, you can use bold colours to create a two-tone effect. This trick makes the room seem taller by creating an off-centre divide that gives a taller perspective. To do this, divide the room into thirds and paint the bottom third in a darker shade than the remaining two-thirds above.

Thirdly, you can use bold colours to create a colour-drenching effect. This involves painting walls, woodwork, ceilings, skirting boards, window frames, doors, and radiators in one cohesive colour palette. This makes the walls appear endless and gives the illusion of bigger walls.

When using bold colours, it is important to use the correct undertone or sheen for better matchability and durability. Consulting a home painting expert can help you avoid amateur mistakes.

Paint an accent wall to draw the eye and create an optical illusion

Painting an accent wall is a great way to make a small laundry room look bigger. It can create an optical illusion of extra space and help direct the eye to a focal point, making the room seem larger than it is.

When choosing a colour for your accent wall, consider a light hue or a soft shade. Light colours can make a room feel more open and airy, creating the illusion of more space. Colours like white, pale blue, sage green, and light grey can really open up a room and make it feel bigger. These colours also reflect natural light, enhancing the sense of space.

If you want to make a bolder choice, dark colours like navy, charcoal, or even black can add depth and dimension to a small laundry room, blurring the lines between where the walls begin and end, which can have an enlarging effect.

You can also try painting vertical stripes on your accent wall. This will add to the sense of height in the room, making it feel taller. Just be sure to stick to wide stripes and avoid painting stripes on all walls to prevent the room from feeling constricted.

Remember, the key to making a small laundry room look bigger with paint is to create the illusion of more space and draw the eye to a focal point. So, choose a colour or pattern that stands out and makes the room feel more open and spacious.

Use stripes to make the room look taller

Painting your small laundry room with stripes is a great way to make it seem bigger than it is. Vertical stripes will make the walls seem taller, while horizontal stripes will make them seem broader. Using stripes is a clever way to create the illusion of more space.

When considering how to make a narrow room look wider, remember that light and cool colours make a wall seem farther away, while warm, dark colours advance towards us. So, for a long, narrow space, paint the shorter walls on opposing sides a slightly darker colour (one or two shades) than the longer walls to give the impression of a square shape. Alternatively, you can paint the longer walls a darker shade to emphasise the room's length.

Stripes don't have to be obvious to have an effect. For a subtle take on the trend, opt for wallpaper featuring trees or a forest theme, which will create vertical lines while making a nature-inspired look. Or, for a more elegant twist, opt for half-height panelling, which will make your small laundry room look bigger and work wonders in narrow spaces like hallways.

Remember, when it comes to making a small room look bigger, medium shades will make your space appear smaller. Using dark and bright white colours that open up a room creates the illusion of a much larger area. So, if you're looking to make your small laundry room feel more spacious, grab your paintbrushes and get ready to stripe it up!

Paint the ceiling a light colour to create the illusion of height

Painting the ceiling of your small laundry room a light colour is a great way to create the illusion of height and make your space feel bigger. This technique can be especially effective if your walls are a darker colour, as the light ceiling will create a sense of openness and make the room feel taller.

When choosing a light colour for your ceiling, you can opt for shades of off-white or light pastels or greys. You can also get creative and paint light blue and white clouds on the ceiling, pairing it with a calm blue on the walls. This can be a fun way to bring some personality to your laundry room while also making it feel more spacious.

Another tip to enhance the effect of a light-coloured ceiling is to use crown moulding. This will draw the eye upward, emphasising the height of the room. Additionally, you can use vertical stripes on the walls to further enhance the illusion of height. However, be careful not to overuse stripes as they can make the room feel constrictive.

Remember, when painting a small room, it's important to choose the right paint finish. A satin or semi-gloss paint finish is more durable and easier to clean, making it a good choice for laundry rooms. So, go ahead and paint that ceiling a light colour, and enjoy the feeling of added space in your laundry room!

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