A color drenched hallway with painted doors and trim.
Smaller spaces like powder rooms, laundry rooms and hallways are so fun to decorate! You can be a little more bold with small spaces.
If you’re experimenting with darker colors or wallpaper, these spots are perfect place to try them out.
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.
I may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links.
I knew I wanted to do something dark and dramatic to fit in with the rest of the basement. Color drenching is a painting concept where the walls, trim and sometimes ceiling are all painted in the same color.
This technique has had a resurgence over the past few years, but has been around for more than 100 years!
I prefer to use different paint finishes on the different surfaces, but I’ll go into that more in a bit.
We had my husband’s basement office painted a couple years ago, and I knew I wanted to use the same color we used in that room.
In the end, Carnelian leaned a little too purple for me and Sommelier was a bit too pink. Rojo Marron was the perfect in between — a lovely, rich burgundy color.
Last year I got to work painting, starting with the all of the trim and doors. If you’re painting baseboards on the wall and have to work around carpet, this trick will help:
I recommend using a drop cloth as well to protect your carpet.
I always use a semi gloss for my trim or moldings (crown, picture frame molding, door, window and baseboards) and doors. I prefer a satin or eggshell for the walls:
I’ve tried painting everything in a satin finish (it is definitely easier), but I find it looks so lifeless. I love the contrast of the shinier trim — I want it to stand out.
This paint is so rich and dark, I had to do FOUR coats on the walls and three on the doors and trim:
It took me almost a week to finish up the painting. I thought it would never end. 😉
Recently I’ve been trying to finish up little projects all over the house, and this little hallway just needed a few more touches.
Our plan all along was to hang our New York City prints in this space. We had a few larger art pieces that I stacked on the main wall:
The glass and frame on the bottom print had shattered years ago, so this week I rigged up a quick DIY frame with some trim. It works, just don’t look too close at it. 😉
Our basement is moody and cozy, and this warm hallway fits in perfectly. Here’s a sneak peek into my husband’s office painted in the same Rojo Marron color:
A year later, this space is finally done!
Here’s the before with the wall color we had painted throughout the house when we built (Agreeable Gray from Sherwin-Williams):
And here it is now, all those coats of paint later! We LOOOOVE this little jewel box of a hallway:
So I said I was done, but I think I want to paint the ceiling too. 😂 What do you think?