How to Separate a Dining Room From a Living Room With Paint

Position your furniture so that you create individual dining and living areas. Set up the living area with your sofa and chairs. Don’t forget to take into consideration the position of the television connection point. Place the dining table, chairs and other furniture slated for the dining area away from the living area in its designated area. Position other occasional furniture appropriately. For example, the coffee table will go in the living area, while the hutch in which you keep your dinner services and cutlery will go in the dining area.

Select the paint colors you want to use on the walls to distinguish the dining area from the living area. The color of your furnishings affect the decision for the wall’s paint colors. For example, a red sofa and chairs will stand out well against silver or gray. For the dining area, choose a color that displays your dining room furniture to its best advantage. For example, mahogany stands out well against a pink background.

Purchase the paint for both rooms based on color choices. When painting the living room, only paint the ceiling and trim if you wish to change the original color to coordinate with the color chosen for the living room walls. Use wall color to distinguish the dining area from the living area. While repairs may not be necessary in a new home, have some filler on hand just in case. Prepare the room for decorating by removing all furniture and placing dropcloths on the floor. Place masking tape around trim, sockets and light switches, or remove their covers.

Apply your paint to one wall at a time. Cut in carefully along the ceiling edge and around the trim with a small paintbrush. Use a roller or large wall paintbrush on the rest of the wall. Wherever possible, change colors where walls join in corners. However, to clearly distinguish a dining area from a living area, you may have to change colors half way along a straight wall.

Identify the division between your dining and living areas on a long straight wall by creating a white strip in which to hang pictures and photographs of a uniform size. Determine the width of the strip by measuring the width of the pictures and photographs. Paint a white area from floor to ceiling at the point where you want to make the division. Make this strip two inches wider on either side than that needed for your decorative paintings or photographs.

Run one piece of masking tape in a straight line from the ceiling to the trim at the point where the edge of the white or neutral-colored strip is positioned. Use another piece of masking tape to mark the other edge of the white area. Ensure the strip is the correct width to accommodate pictures and photographs. Paint right up to the masking tape using your dining area color on one side, and your living area color on the other. When you remove the masking tape on both sides, you will have a straight, strip of wall, the original paint color of the room, on which to hang the photographs and pictures.

Remove the masking tape when the paint is dry. Re-position your furniture in your newly defined dining and living areas.