skip to main content

Home Decorating

How do I paint this weird small continuing wall??

16 years ago

Hi, I am hoping for some more helpful advice.Â I already received some great tips on my other post (thanks!!) This small ledge looking wall is actually a continuation of my family room wall.Â The trouble is, I am painting my kitchen tomorrow and it will be BM Saybrooke Sage.Â So do I paint that section too?? Do I leave it like the ceiling?Â Does it get painted the same as the eventual FR color, and if so, wont it look like a strange stripe up there near the ceiling??Â I never considered these things when we moved in.Here is the offending wall slice - its above the valance in the pictureÂ ;)

Thank you in advance for your suggestions- I will post pics of my newly painted kitchen tomorrow night, hopefully!!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

valley57
16 years ago
My first thought is to leave it the same color as the ceiling. Does it end up meeting the family room wall on the other side?
brownie4
Original Author
16 years ago
Yes, it meets the family room wall that is not yet painted any color.
Related Discussions
What to do with this wall and weird space
Q
Comments (28)
These are some things I had around the house I thought I'd start playing with to see if anything might work. I hung my son's pics back up. I am replacing the two chairs with a chair and a half chaise type in a dark sage that will be angled toward the tv. So I have this chair available if I wanted to slip cover it. I love the idea about painting the half wall dark. I think i will do that when my painter comes back for other work. The lamp is just from another room for an idea. So - any thoughts on this arrangement in the corner?
...See More
Weird section of wall - paint it ceiling, wall, or trim color?
Q
Comments (23)
Thanks all! Ttodd and awm, those pics really help. I think you are right - trim color it is. If I don't like it, I can always do it wall color later. In fact, I'll just have the painter skip it completely -- it will stay white like it is now and when he's done, I'll get the idea of whether it looks right in white or not. If not, I'll paint it wall color. Thanks all! Now, if I can only get over my "issues" about hiring a painter in the first place. This is my first time hiring a painter. I've always done my own painting and really enjoy it -- I'm just hard up for time these days with a job and 2 kids. I tend to be persnickety about the final paint job and often do 3 or 4 coats because I'm not happy with the coverage of 2. But I don't like ladders (or falling!) so I knew we were going to hire a painter to do the tall walls over the stairs and in a big open two-story area over the breakfast room. The painter we picked came recommended by a friend and his price seemed good ($300 for the tall stuff) so I asked him what it would cost to do the rest of the walls and ceilings that aren't done - he quoted another $800. Still seems like a good deal for all this space, but I'm having pangs about paying $800 for painting walls I can very well reach myself. Then again, I'm going to have my hands full wtih all the trim, plus we have two small kids who would probably rather be going places with mom and dad on the weekends instead of hanging out in the house while mom and dad paint. And I'm worried that I won't be happy with the final job because of how picky I've been in the past. He says he'll do as many coats as I want (for an extra fee, of course) but the prices he quoted only include 2. So anyway, I'm very nervous about how this whole experience is going to go...hoping I end up happy and feeling like the money we're spending is worth it. Thanks for all the advice!
...See More
How to paint this weird room - XPOST
Q
Comments (4)
bbstx - that's a good idea about the bookcase! It's not too late - in that I could make my contractor take off the beadboard he just put on - but it's a MESS behind it - the original window casing is there, there's wood padding out the beadboard that's been there for ages that would have to come off. It would make a big mess. We're going to put a shelf with victorian scrolly brackets up high on it, and under that somewhere a board with hooks for coats or something. folkvictorian - that's what I'm doing - just putting up the semigloss. It's not looking too bad on the old clapboards, I think b/c it's white.
...See More
how to paint weird wall/ceiling beam?
Q
Comments (5)
@alecforshort The "ceiling" and the inside of the beam should stay the same as the kitchen because it is actually part of the kitchen. You could case the opening as you would other doors and windows. There is another solution to consider. Use trim to frame off a rectangle on the gallery wall, leaving a perimeter of white around the top and sides and bottom. Paint the inside of the rectangle your accent color, it makes everything inside the frame seem special.
...See More
jerseygirl_1
16 years ago
I'm guessing there is some type of corner that separates the ledge wall from the kitchen. It's hard to tell from the pics.
The ledge looking wall should be painted the same color as the FR wall.
The ledge ceiling is still a ceiling and should be the same color as the ceiling in the FR.
valley57
16 years ago
If the room we are looking into (the room with the window valance) is the family room, and the wall under the ledge is coming out from the kitchen, I think you need to paint that small portion of wall the same color as the kitchen. The "ceiling" piece should match the ceiling color you are using (will it be the same in both rooms?--that would help). Also, if you are painting the family room in a complementary color (or a shade variation) to the kitchen, it will tie in nicely. I hope this makes some sense; I may not be reading the room correctly from the picture.
CaroleOH
16 years ago
I think it's hard to tell since the photos don't show the whole room, but I'm guessing the wall with the three pictures is the FR and the valance area is the kitchen?

You have a dilemna here! The little ledge wall looks like it runs into your kitchen right? The problem I see is there isn't a natural stop from the FR wall so you're going to have a strip if you don't make that color the FR wall color. But,if it runs across your kitchen, it may look odd too. How about you paint both rooms the same color? Or pick a slightly lighter color for the FR. That way it will all blend in nicely. It seems like these two rooms are fairly connected, so having them coordinate with the same paint color or very similar colors may keep them in sync.

My first house had a very open plan with the the outside kitchen wall running the full width of the house into the FR. The hall wall shared the kitchen as well, so for three areas, they all shared walls that made it next to impossible to paint the areas anything other than the same color or I'd have stripes down the wall where one ended and the other started. At least your stripe would only be 3-4"!

Goodluck with paint day!

Related Stories

REMODELING GUIDES Artful Stairs: Continuity in Steel

Ribbonlike Stairs of Steel Seem to Nearly Float on Air

ARCHITECTURE Roots of Style: French Eclectic Design Continues to Charm

By Steven Corley Randel, Architect

Hip roofs, towers, quoins ... if your house includes architectural elements like these, you might trace its design lineage to France

EVENTS On Show: Weird, Wondrous Science Meets Design

By Christine Ciarmello

Houses grown, not built. Power-generating soil. And snail poop that ... well, see for yourself in our coverage of a new Rotterdam exhibit

SMALL KITCHENS Kitchen of the Week: A Small Galley With Maximum Style and Efficiency

By Becky Harris

An architect makes the most of her family’s modest kitchen, creating a continuous flow with the rest of the living space

FUN HOUZZ Everything I Need to Know About Decorating I Learned from Downton Abbey

Mind your manors with these 10 decorating tips from the PBS series, returning on January 5

LIFE You Said It: ‘I Actually Prefer Small Houses’ and Other Quotables

By Becky Harris

Design advice, inspiration and observations that struck a chord this week

LIFE You Said It: ‘Just Because I’m Tiny Doesn’t Mean I Don’t Go Big’

By Becky Harris

Changing things up with space, color and paint dominated the design conversations this week

THE HARDWORKING HOME 6 Smart Ways to Work Your Square Footage

By Buckenmeyer Architecture

The Hardworking Home: From Juliet balconies to movable walls, here’s how to make a home of any size feel more open, flexible and fun

BATHROOM DESIGN 8 Clever and Creative Ways With Small Bathrooms

By The Inman Company

Take the focus off size with a mural, an alternative layout, bold wall coverings and other eye-catching design details

BEDROOMS 7 Ways to Make a Small Bedroom Look Bigger and Work Better

By The Inman Company

Max out on comfort and function in a mini space with built-ins, wall mounts and decorating tricks that fool the eye

Sponsored

High Point Cabinets

21 Reviews

Columbus' Experienced Custom Cabinet Builder | 4x Best of Houzz Winner

More Discussions

Icon stone fabric

1

need a loveseat, lighting, coffee table? Rugs?

10

Fireplace mirror size?

35

Thoughts on a white Roof?

7

light fixture and design styles

1