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House Beautiful’s report presents seven paint approaches that designers say can make a small room appear more spacious or intentional, including color-drenching, painting the ceiling and testing undertones in the room’s light. These are design recommendations, not guarantees: the effect depends on the room, its lighting and the chosen colors.
House Beautiful has published seven paint strategies that interior designers say can help a small room look larger or feel less cramped, from using one color across walls and trim to choosing paint based on natural light. The advice focuses on how color and finish affect visual boundaries; it does not establish that any one technique will physically enlarge a room or work in every space.
The report draws on comments from interior designers Joe Waroquier, Amber Guyton and Jewel Marlowe. Their suggestions include painting an accent wall, applying one color to walls, trim, doors and ceiling, and extending wall paint onto the ceiling. The report also recommends considering undertones, dividing a wall with paint or wainscoting, trying deep hues, and letting daylight guide color selection.
For color-drenching, Marlowe says that using a single color across architectural surfaces can blur where walls end and the ceiling begins. She suggests that the method can work with either light or saturated shades. For added contrast, she says walls could have a wipeable matte finish while trim and cabinetry use a high-gloss finish.
Waroquier cautions against judging a color only by whether it is light or dark. He recommends testing several large swatches in the room and checking them at different times of day. For rooms with little natural light, he says stark white can appear flat or gray, and suggests considering a softer neutral or a more saturated shade instead.
How Paint Changes Room Perception
Paint is a relatively direct way to alter how a room’s surfaces relate visually, without changing its footprint. The designers’ advice gives readers options for addressing different concerns: an accent wall can introduce color without covering the whole room, while color-drenching can make boundaries less obvious. Painting partway up a wall offers a smaller commitment and can add a defined band of color.
The recommendations also challenge the simple rule that pale paint always makes a room feel bigger. According to the designers quoted, light and dark colors can both affect perceived space, depending on undertone, lighting and application. That distinction matters for people choosing paint for a room that feels cramped, but the outcome remains subjective rather than a guaranteed design result.
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The Seven Techniques in Brief
The report’s list covers several different ways to use paint. Accent walls add a focal color; color-drenching carries one shade across walls and architectural details; and attention to undertones helps account for how a paint color reads in a specific room. Other suggestions are to paint the ceiling, divide the wall horizontally at around chair-rail height, consider deep saturated hues, and select colors with the room’s natural light in mind.
Guyton describes painting halfway up a wall as a way to add color without committing to a full-height treatment. She says she used that approach in her living room, which has 18-foot ceilings, to add a pop of color. The report also notes familiar non-paint approaches, such as reducing clutter and using mirrors, but its focus is the designers’ paint recommendations.
“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 offers designers’ opinions and practical examples, but provides no controlled measurements comparing the techniques or evidence that one approach works best across small rooms. It does not specify paint brands, exact shades or room dimensions for most recommendations. Perceived results can depend on daylight, existing finishes, room proportions and personal preference.
It is also not clear how the techniques would look in every layout or under artificial lighting. The advice should be read as options to test, rather than a promise that a room will look larger after painting.
Test Colors Before Painting
For readers considering a change, Waroquier’s practical next step is to apply large paint samples in the room and review them across different lighting conditions before choosing a shade. The report does not announce a product launch, study or follow-up date; it presents the designers’ guidance for homeowners to adapt to their own spaces.
Readers can start with the approach that matches their appetite for change: an accent or half-painted wall for a limited application, or color-drenching for a more unified look. The final choice should account for the room’s natural light and the appearance of the sample on the surfaces being painted.
Key Questions
What are the seven paint strategies in the report?
The report recommends an accent wall, color-drenching, checking undertones, painting the ceiling, painting halfway up a wall, considering dark hues and choosing colors in response to natural light.
Does dark paint always make a small room feel smaller?
No. The designers quoted say deep, saturated colors can blur a room’s edges and create visual depth, though the effect depends on the space and the color. The report does not claim this result is guaranteed.
What is color-drenching?
It means applying one color across multiple surfaces, such as the walls, trim, doors and ceiling. Designer Jewel Marlowe says this can make boundaries less distinct.
How should I choose a paint color for a small room?
Joe Waroquier recommends considering undertones and natural light, then testing several large swatches in the room at different times of day. He says stark white may look flat or gray in a room with little daylight.
Source: housebeautiful.com
