Say you’d love to refresh a room with new paint color. It’s tricky in a Capitol Hill row house, where light may come from only one direction at certain times of day. Enter Linda H. Bassert of Masterworks Design, speaker at our January Preservation Café.
Bassert explains how paint color can transform the look, feel and function of a room, including in an older home.
Bassert is the color consultant used by Tech Painting and Image Painting, two companies you find frequently on Capitol Hill. But she is an independent consultant, too, and is an award-winning designer of window treatments.
Six tips from Bassert’s presentation:
- Start with inspiration, not paint color. Assess what’s there, such as art, rugs, fabric, tile or stone. Then let paint color tie elements together rather than leading the design.
- Choose color based on how you use the room. Stronger colors work for energetic spaces, while bedrooms and restful rooms benefit from softer ones.
- Transition colors at corners – light and shadow at corners make changes feel natural. Use color value to shape space. Lighter colors can look closer while deeper ones recede.
- Contrast matters for crown molding and trim. The crown and ceiling should differ in value to make the ceiling appear higher. Paint the backs of built-in bookcases to add depth, with deeper colors to add balance and dimension. Paint soffits to match and recede into walls.
- To sample paint correctly, use foam core boards and view color away from existing walls. Evaluate throughout the day to see how light affects your choices.
Is exterior color a more pressing concern? Bassert presented on exterior paint color in 2022, and that talk is available as well. Find Preservation Cafés on our website under Events & Tickets.
Follow us on Eventbrite and on our social media channels for notice of our next Preservation Café.
