Rules of Painting a Room With Two Colors

Feature Wall

• The rule of a feature wall is that you must paint one wall a bold color that is meant to draw the eye while the other walls in the space are painted a different color. This different color could be neutral, or could simply be a complementary color that is much less bold. The color on the feature wall should be dominant enough that the eye is naturally drawn to that wall.

Division

• A relatively easy way to paint a room two colors is to simply divide the height of the wall perfectly in half. Paint the top half one color and the bottom half another color. The rule is to use the furniture in the room for color inspiration. Contrasting colors are possible as are different hues of the same basic shade. Choose colors that aren't jarring against each other, as you want the entire room to be unified, rather than pulling focus to the top or bottom half of the wall.

Border

• Another rule to follow is that if you want to create a classier look for a two-toned room, you should establish a border between the upper and lower color that you paint on the walls. You can do this with either a chair rail or a piece of crown molding along the middle portion of the wall, which creates a visually interesting border but also creates sharp definition between the two portions of the room.

Color and Height

• The height that you place a color at in the room should inform which particular shade you use to paint the walls. Basically, the higher you paint, the lighter the color should be. If you use dark colors closer to the ceiling, the room will feel small and cramped. If you paint with more than one color on a single wall, ensure that the lighter of the two is placed higher on the wall.