Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa March 2013 | Page 70

DECOR

BY ANGIE REDMOND

Get Colourful
Give your home a paint makeover

T

he mad rush of the New Year is over,
Valentine’s has come and gone but don’t
despair, there are many more projects
to keep your hands full. And what better way
to start than by sprucing up your house and
updating the look with some daring paint
jobs? Whether you prefer classic, colourful
or something different, we have all the bases
covered when it comes to putting a new outfit
on your house.

Colour wash
Colour washed walls create a mystical soft touch
to bold coloured walls and it is the easiest paint
technique to master. Colour-washed walls bring
movement and drama to a room’s vertical surfaces.
The technique is simple to master and you can
layer on as many tones as you like; the more layers
you add, the more interesting the finish.

In a young girl ’s bedroom, a bold colour
blocking technique can be used. You can use
simple colours such as matt black and paint a
large rectangle behind the bed. This highlights
the other colours in the room and can tie the
furniture into the design, depending on what
colour you use.

Dragging, or strie, is an easy way to add
interest to a smooth surface. The technique is
created by pulling a dry brush through a coat of
wet tinted glaze and it allows a range of looks,
including fabric-like weaves.
The effect is pronounced when there’s a clear
contrast between the base- and glaze-coat
colours; tones of similar intensity can yield a
subtler look. You can also use strie to create a
feature panel.

Tip: Add a graphic butterfly design by buying
self-adhesive vinyl in black and white. Cut out
the shapes and stick them onto the wall, or buy
a stencil and paint them on.

Tip: Create a striking impact on what would
otherwise be a bland wall by making the colours
in the panel tie in with the colour of the chairs
in the room.

Add colour to a neutral room

Stripes not solids

Are your rooms stuck in neutral gear? See how
bright, bold blocks of wall colour warm up a
formerly all-beige living room.

In a sophisticated tone-on-tone colour scheme
or delightfully bright circus-tent colours, stripes
add quick interest to plain walls. A steady hand

Graphic designs

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March 2013 SA Real Estate INVESTOR

and the proper brush yield a charming handpainted look. Taping lends the feel of precision,
with a crisp line. These stripes are hand-painted
along a pencil line to give them a slightly
imperfect edge. For a straight line, use painter’s
tape to mask off the stripes. For bolder stripes,
choose brighter colours or a pair with more
contrast.

Paint tiles
Give outdated ceramic tile walls a new look by
decoratively painting them in colours you love.
Enamel craft paint (available at crafts stores)
covers well on most tiles.

Five unconventional ways to paint
your room
Painting the ceiling and one of the walls the
same colour, elevates the wall and ceiling into
a floating pane of colour.
A deep crown mold and a bold painted ceiling
make for an interesting mix of the classic and
the unexpected.
Another take on the idea of painting half
the room — this time, a thin, contrasting
horizontal stripe in-between the t wo colours
adds a bit of architectural appeal.

www.reimag.co.za