Painting walls in the interior: styles, palette, color combinations and more than 80 images.

Pros and cons of painted walls

At first glance, this is the simplest type of wall decoration, the market offers a wide range of types of interior paints that do not have an unpleasant odor and dry quickly. There are some features to consider when painting walls.

Advantages:

• large selection, use of color;
• no harmful fumes when interior paint dries;
• you can paint the walls yourself;
• simple decor can be done using a template and a texture roller.

Disadvantages:

• preparing the walls is very difficult;
• emphasizes the unevenness of the wall;
• when repainting, the previous layer will need to be removed.

The photo shows a gray bedroom with a brick wall and smooth putty walls, the red decor is a bright accent of the interior.

Types of paint

Alkyd paints

• Paint based on alkyd resin, used for painting wood and metal, plaster. After drying, they are not harmful to health, do not allow moisture to pass through and do not change color.
• Oil paint dries for a long time due to the oil base on drying oil, and is used for outdoor work due to harmful fumes. Over time, yellowness appears in the color.
• Enamel paint has a distinct gloss due to the varnish base, and is used to paint any surfaces outside and inside the premises. Protects against corrosion, is resistant to light and a humid environment.

Emulsion paints

Economical to apply, other types of paint can be used on top of them, do not have an unpleasant odor.

• Acrylic is applied to well-dried walls, suitable for painting walls in rooms with low humidity. Amenable to good tinting, retains its color even in the sun. Does not allow steam and moisture to pass through, is more resistant to mechanical impact than others.
• Latex is resistant to washing and friction, dries quickly, hides small cracks, is used for painting wallpaper, plaster, brick. May change color when exposed to sunlight.
• Water-based paint loses its brightness over time due to color fading, is suitable for creating relief and texture, has high strength and hides small cracks, reinforcing them.
• Silicone paint based on silicone resins has high plasticity, forms a waterproof film, hides small cracks, can be applied to any surface. Compatible with other emulsion paints and does not allow bacteria to develop.

Textured paint

Looks unusual compared to ordinary painted walls, suitable for interior decoration and creating a unique interior. It can be mineral, silicone, or acrylic based.

Applied with a sponge using blotting movements if the area to be painted is small, with a textured hard roller with teeth, a glue comb, or a metal spatula. The relief is created by filler particles.

Combination with other materials

In the interior, 2-3 types of wall decoration are often used to diversify the design.

Wallpaper and paint

Combined in the case of finishing the ceiling with wallpaper and the walls with paint, creating an accent on the painted wall, the combination of bottom – paint, top – wallpaper. There are also special wallpapers for painting, which can be repainted several times.

Photo wallpaper and painting

Used in the kitchen, hallway and toilet. The walls are exposed to moisture, so photo wallpaper is used for decoration.

The photo shows a bedroom interior with photo wallpaper and neutral walls, the podium functions as a closet.

Plaster and painting

Plaster can be painted over the bark beetle, which will give relief to the walls, or combined with painted adjacent walls in the interior of the toilet, kitchen and hallway.

Wood and painting

A wooden wall made of beams or laminate goes well with a single-color paint job on the walls in the interior of an attic, living room, or country house.

Stone and painting

Suitable for finishing a fireplace wall in the interior of a living room, kitchen in the style of country or chalet, where the apron is made of artificial stone, and the rest of the walls are painted in a single or changing color. Brick and paint are suitable for finishing a kitchen in the Provence or loft style.

Brick and paint

Brick can be white or red, and paint in the tone of the brick, or different in color.

The photo shows an eco-kitchen with olive walls and a brick partition.

3D panels and painting

3D panels are suitable for simple but unusual interior design. Plain walls with three-dimensional panels are suitable for a discreet and stylish design, and two-tone painted walls with colored panels look good in a child’s room or in an abstract interior.

Design options

Plain walls are chosen for discreet interiors, such walls serve as a neutral canvas for expressing style in furniture and accessories.

Painting with two different colors

Painting the walls with two different colors is a rational technique for visually enlarging a room, changing the perception of the geometry of asymmetrical walls, or simply placing an accent on one wall. One wall can be painted with two different colors.

Painting with different colors (more than two)

Painting with several colors in the same range or a combination of contrasting colors will become an independent decor in the interior. These can be stripes, vertical or horizontal division of walls, painting all 4 walls in different tones. Within one room, it is better to make one color the main one, and leave the other 2-3 colors as auxiliary.

In the photo, one of the walls is painted with three colors in uneven stripes in a geometric technique using masking tape.

Stencils

You can make a design using stencils and templates yourself by cutting them out of paper and attaching them to the wall. You can also draw borders for the design using masking tape glued to the dried base color.

Striped design

Paint stripes stretch or expand walls, change the perception of the room depending on the location, color and frequency of the stripes.

Patterns and ornaments

Suitable for a child’s room, you can draw a house, a fence, trees, ethnic ornaments, monograms on the walls of the child’s bedroom interior.

Divorces

They can be organized or chaotic, created with a brush on wet paint on the walls.

Cracks or effect craquelure

Created using acrylic paint and craquelure varnish, the more varnish, the deeper the cracks. When applying, hold the roller vertically so that the cracks are uniform.

In the photo, the accent wall of the bedroom is made using the cracked paint technique with a backing to match the tone of the walls.

Brick

Imitation of brick can be done using plaster on a lined wall and drawn seams on wet material. After the plaster dries, apply 2 coats of paint.

Painting with squares

You can do this using templates or masking tape. The squares can be plain or colored, of different sizes and positions on the wall.

Texture design

It is created by painting walls with textured paint, which contains acrylic particles and starch. It comes in dry and liquid form, and can also be tinted. It is applied with a regular or textured roller. For interior design, a special textured paint for interior work is suitable.

Gradient and ombre

Suitable for visually enlarging the ceiling, if the dark color at the floor will go into white. The gradient or smooth color transition can be horizontal and vertical, with a transition to the adjacent wall. It is created with 2 or more colors, where at the junction of colors with the help of a dry roller or brush the dark color is stretched onto the light zone in one direction.

The photo shows a partition wall painted in ombre technique with a smooth smoky transition of gray to white closer to the ceiling.

Using a textured roller or sponge

Effects using a textured roller or sponge are made on a uniformly painted wall, creating the effect of watercolor, bark beetle, waves, cracks, velor or mosaic.

Painting

Artistic painting in ethnic technique, with the image of a view of nature, animals and reproductions will become an individual feature of the interior with painted walls.

Design using moldings or panels

Creates the effect of niches or furniture facades, adds volume. Molding can be colored or white, made of wood, duropolymer, plaster.

Wall paint color

White

Often used independently in Scandinavian and other modern interiors, also a companion for bright, warm and cold colors.

Beige

Does not draw attention to itself, acts as a background for furniture, is used in classic and modern design. It goes well with white, gold and black paint.

The photo shows a kitchen interior with a white matte set and beige walls, where the light laminate matches the paint tone.

Brown

Brown in the shade of coffee, chocolate, with a wood texture goes well with other natural colors, stone in the interior.

Green

Green in shades of ocher and pistachio color is calming, suitable for the bedroom and the hall. Light green and grassy are bright colors, suitable for a nursery, kitchen. Combines with raspberry, brown, yellow, white.

Gray

Is a background for the loft style and modern interior, combines with red, black and white, carrot-orange.

Blue

An ideal option for a bedroom, a nursery in a classic or marine style. It is also a common color for bathroom walls.

The photo shows a gray-blue interior with plain walls and classic shelves. Green accent makes the living room brighter.

Blue

Suitable for southern rooms with an abundance of summer sunlight, combines with green, white, blue and red.

Yellow

Yellow for a sunny interior or rooms with poor lighting, combines with orange, green, white.

Lilac

Creates an atmosphere of Provence in the kitchen, is suitable for any room and combines with natural pastel colors.

Purple

How magical amethyst attracts attention to the interior, is used in spacious rooms or combined with white painted walls.

Red

As the most active and energetically independent color, it does not need any additions, but if the apartment is small, it is better to combine red with gold, beige, and white. White furniture or a set looks good against it.

The photo shows a two-tone paint job with an accent red wall of a tomato shade, near which there are shelves and a chest of drawers made of natural wood.

Orange

Like yellow, it adds color to the interior and goes well with all shades green, black, gray. Used for balconies, bathrooms, hallways.

Pink

Pink in pale shades is used for the interior of a bedroom, a nursery, it is used to draw stripes and patterns using a stencil. It combines with pale blue, white, black, lemon.

Black

In the interior, it often acts as an outline or as a pattern, a companion color, is used independently in large rooms and acts as a background for light furniture.

Features of painting walls of different materials

Wooden walls

Wooden walls with painting not only look aesthetically pleasing, but also extend the life of the wood. Before painting, remove the old coating from interior doors or wooden walls and treat with stain. After drying, apply 1-2 layers of alkyd or acrylic paint.

The photo shows wooden paneling painted pale yellow in a classic bedroom interior with a gray baseboard and a light floor.

Brick walls

Before painting, clean and wash with water; after a week, all the moisture will come out and you can prime the surface and paint the brick with interior acrylic or alkyd paint. You can age the brick or create streaks. You can use a contrasting color for the seam.

Concrete walls

Before painting, you need to clean, make the surface smooth and without cracks, prime, let dry and apply epoxy or latex. The second layer should be applied to the entire surface of the wall at once so that there are no changes in shade.

Wallpaper

Paintable wallpaper is convenient because it can be repainted without driving pigment into the walls. Such wallpaper can also be removed without sanding or cleaning the surface. Wallpaper paint is water-based and solvent-free. Textured wallpaper makes the job easier and hides uneven walls.

Drywall

Drywall on a wall or ceiling is painted after filling the joints and the entire drywall, as well as sanding and priming. Acrylic or silicone paint is used, which are flexible and create a protective film.

Plaster

Painting over plaster is done on a clean, dry surface. If chips were noticed during wall preparation, they need to be cleaned and compacted. It is painted with a roller in 2 layers with maximum filling of pores.

Photos in the interior of rooms

Kitchen

The kitchen, as a room where you need to wipe the walls, needs water-based painting with acrylic or latex paints. Neutral colors, contrasting or matching the kitchen set, are suitable for the kitchen interior.

Children’s room

The children’s room can be painted with special paints marked as water-based and quick-drying. There are also paints with silver ions that do not absorb moisture and allow you to paint over them with regular watercolors. Colored stencil designs, stripes, drawings, letters and numbers will do. The interior can be easily changed by painting the walls a new color.

Living room

The living room as a platform for creativity can combine stone finishing and painted walls, several colors and different designs. Water-soluble, textured paint or a combination of colors in the interior will do.

The photo shows the interior of the living room with a wooden ceiling and plain light walls in country style with an emphasis on furniture from different categories and color palettes.

Bedroom

The bedroom is distinguished by a calm atmosphere and interior comfort, so you need to choose neutral, natural colors. In the interior, it is better to avoid bright colors or use them as an accent on the wall at the head of the bed. A stencil pattern, textured paint, stripes and ornaments will do.

Bathroom and toilet

The bathroom and toilet, as wet rooms, should be painted with acrylic, latex, silicone paint. Painting with oil-based materials is not recommended due to the long drying time and harmful odor. You need to paint those areas that are not exposed to water, the area near the sink and bathtub should be tiled.

Traditionally, the interior uses a combination of blue and white, white and orange or yellow. For the toilet, you can combine painting with vinyl or photo wallpaper.

Balcony or loggia

A balcony or loggia must be protected from corrosion and fungus with paint. Only paint for outdoor use is suitable for the interior of an open balcony or loggia, which is separated from the apartment. Water-based paints are suitable for wooden paneling, and varnish paints are suitable for brick or plastic.

It is often stuffy on the balcony, so a cool color palette is suitable, white and orange are also used. When painting, it is important to choose a sunny day with no rain forecast.

Hallway

The hallway or corridor can be painted using the ombre technique with an orange transition into the white ceiling. Water-based paints of light shades are used, combined with decorative stone or textured plaster. A narrow corridor can be widened with 2-3 horizontal stripes.

Design styles

Modern

The style uses a single-color or two-color painting of the walls, combining white with another color. In the interior of the children’s room, bright details in stripes and drawings on the wall are used. The emphasis is on practicality, so an unobtrusive palette and combinations are used.

Minimalism

Minimalism is observed in monochromatic painting, a combination of grey or pale blue with white, and decor with wide stripes. Sometimes contrasting molding or textured paint is used in the interior.

Loft

The interior is not limited to a specific color palette, the design is often used only on the accent wall. Also, brickwork can be painted using ombre technology.

Classic

In the interior, it is expressed in a neutral light background with golden, white monograms, in a blue or black ornament, which is emphasized by tassels and fringe on velvet curtains of emerald or ruby color.

Provence

Provence or French summer gloss of the interior is recognized in pink, mint or blue walls, olive shade of curtains and textiles. The walls in the interior can be painted in a single color or striped. To create individuality, you can make an artistic painting on the wall in the form of an open window onto the summer Provencal fields.

The photo shows a turquoise bedroom in Provence style with monochromatic wall paint, classic furniture and floral textiles.

Country

The interior uses a combination of natural timber or stone with brown, mustard, white paint with a whitewash texture.

Scandinavian

The interior is as practical and light as possible, so the walls are creamy, white, less often – sand, blue. Stripes, molding, 3D panels, white brick wall are suitable for decoration.

Painting walls as one of the types of finishing is used not only for external, but also internal work thanks to paints that are odorless, dry quickly and do not harm health.