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House Beautiful reported seven paint approaches that designers recommend for making small rooms feel more spacious, including painting walls and ceilings the same color, using an accent wall, and testing undertones in the room’s light. These are design strategies, not guarantees: the visual effect can vary with a room’s shape, finishes and natural light.
House Beautiful has published seven paint strategies that interior designers say can make a small room feel more spacious, from carrying one color across walls and ceilings to choosing a shade based on the room’s natural light. The advice focuses on visual perception, not physically changing a room’s dimensions, and its results depend on the space and the paint selected.
The report features advice from Joe Waroquier, founder and principal designer of Joe Waroquier Home; Amber Guyton, founder of Blessed Little Bungalow; and interior designer Jewel Marlowe. Their suggestions range from restrained color on one wall to using the same shade across multiple surfaces. The underlying idea is that paint can guide the eye and soften the boundaries between parts of a room.
One option is an accent wall, which Guyton says can add color while visually elongating a space. For a more enveloping approach, Marlowe recommends color-drenching: painting the walls, trim, doors and ceiling one color. She says this can blur architectural lines, making it less obvious where the walls end and the ceiling begins. Marlowe suggests varying the sheen—for example, using wipeable matte on walls and high gloss on trim or cabinetry—if a homeowner wants more visual contrast without changing the palette.
The other ideas address how color interacts with a room. Waroquier advises testing large paint swatches at different times of day, since undertones and changing light can affect how a shade appears. Designers also suggest painting the ceiling, splitting the wall color at roughly chair-rail height, considering deep saturated hues, and letting available daylight inform the choice. The report does not provide measurements or controlled comparisons showing how much larger any approach makes a room appear.
How Paint Changes Room Perception
For renters and homeowners working with a fixed footprint, paint is a way to change a room’s visual character without altering its layout. The suggestions offer different levels of commitment: an accent wall or a painted lower section can introduce color selectively, while color-drenching changes the appearance of nearly every surface.
The advice also cautions against relying on a simple rule that pale paint always makes a room feel bigger. The designers describe the effect as dependent on light, undertones and boundaries. A shade that looks bright on a sample card may read differently on a large wall or under limited daylight. Testing paint in the actual room can help people judge the color before applying it throughout the space.
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The Seven Strategies in Brief
The report’s seven approaches are: paint an accent wall; use one color across walls, trim, doors and ceiling; check a paint’s undertones; extend wall color onto the ceiling; paint only partway up the wall; consider dark, saturated colors; and choose a shade in response to natural light. The strategies are presented as designers’ guidance rather than a ranked list or a set of measured results.
Some suggestions can be combined. A homeowner might use a single color on walls and ceiling while choosing different finishes for trim, or paint a lower wall section and add wainscoting. Guyton describes the half-wall approach as a way to add a custom-looking color feature without committing to painting the full height of a room. The report also notes that deep colors may create a cocooning effect; that is a different aesthetic goal from making a room feel bright.
“Paint is a great way to make a small room feel larger because it changes the visual perception of the space.”
— Joe Waroquier, founder and principal designer of Joe Waroquier Home
Results Depend on the Room
The report does not establish that any one technique will make every small room feel larger, nor does it quantify the effect. Advice attributed to the designers is based on professional judgment and examples, not controlled testing. Room proportions, window placement, existing finishes, lighting and personal preference can all affect the outcome.
It is also unclear from the supplied material when the report was published. The source does not name specific paint colors or brands, give application costs, or assess durability and maintenance across the techniques. Readers should treat the recommendations as options to test in their own space, rather than a guaranteed design formula.
Test Colors Before Painting
The practical next step suggested by Waroquier is to place several large swatches in the room and observe them at different times of day before choosing a shade. People considering color-drenching can compare samples on more than one surface, while those uncertain about a full-room change can test an accent wall or a lower section first.
The report names no follow-up study, product launch or other scheduled development. The decision remains with each reader: compare paint in the conditions where it will be used, then choose a technique suited to the room’s light and the desired look.
Key Questions
What is color-drenching?
Color-drenching means applying one color to several surfaces in a room, such as the walls, trim, doors and ceiling. Designer Jewel Marlowe says the approach can blur the lines between those surfaces.
Do light paint colors always make a small room feel bigger?
No such guarantee is established in the report. Waroquier advises considering undertones and natural light, since a pale shade can look different in a particular room than it does on a sample.
Can dark paint work in a small room?
The designers say deep, saturated colors may blur corners and create visual depth or a cocooning feel. That is their design guidance, not a measured result for every room.
How should I test a paint color before committing?
Waroquier recommends testing several large swatches in the room and checking them under different lighting conditions throughout the day before selecting a shade.
Source: housebeautiful.com
