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Bold Colors for Small Rooms

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I remember being advised, when I first moved into my small GHI home, that I’d better keep the walls all white so the rooms would look larger. I may have mumbled I like color but quietly I was thinking “Boring!”

So I thought it would be fun to post to the Unofficial GHI Facebook Group the question: “Who’s got bold colors? Send me photos!” Here are the results, followed by three amazing homes that I solicited for this project.

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

Above, from Alison Gary: “Larger bedroom of long frame (now an office with a door into new bedroom where the back window used to be and that bump on the left is for part of that en suite).

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

Above, Alison’s purple kitchen and orange half-bath (addition off front of a frame. “You can see the washer/dryer/hot water heater closet was flipped around and made part of it.”

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

 

From Debbie Ashpes (Alison’s sister), above: “My living room used to be turquoise and it was very fun!”

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

“And now it’s grey.” (Left) ”And my upstairs bathroom is lavender with a really bright shower curtain!”

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

 

From Emily Alvarez, left, her green kitchen. On the right, “This isn’t too bold but here is my recently redone bathroom.”

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

From Colette Zanin, left:  ”I wasn’t sure I had enough paint so that gave me the 2-color wall idea. I did the accents, like the overhead fan, the long mirror on the left, and the inset panels on the back of of the door in bright lime green.” Right: back of the door.

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

Above, from Katy Collin: Joker colors in my bedroom – these were not much choices, but I’ve chosen to keep them. Right, red accent wall in the living room.

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

From Shobha Duncan, accent wall in kitchen. “The color is called Raspberry TruffleThe other wall color is lighter.”

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

From Jen Ruffner, “Our green kitchen with yellow check floor…And our periwinkle bath.”

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

From Erica Ginsberg: “Moroccan Blue entryway. Clementine dining room.”

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

From Kristen Wolford, left, “Our plum addition/office (guest starring Oscar the cat). From Beth Leamond, right: “Lime green upstairs hallway.”

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

 

From Gretchen Schock: “Our previous GHI house, 2 bedroom wide kitchen in a fun green. The color always made the food look better.”

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

 

From Susan Stewart: “The room is such a mess this was the best shot I could get without cleaning up all the clutter. The paint was the line of California paint, their heritage series.”

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

Also from Susan Stewart, left, “Our living room. Again the false wainscot with a chair rail. Can’t get the colors right in this photo with my iPhone, it’s actually very calming.” Right: brightly lit bedroom corner.

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

Now for Drew Sommers’s block home, which I asked permission to photograph because I’d seen it.  Above, a bedroom.

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

Drew’s metallic-looking blue bathroom.

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

Dining room (note photo of Drew during a bike race).

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

Another bedroom.

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

Drew urged me to ask Lindsey Dodson if I could photographer her walls, too.  Glad I did. Living room above. She told me that each room has a theme.

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

Dining room.

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

Bedrooms.

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

Upstairs hallway, and sitting room.  Clearly, Lindsey wins the prize for BOLDEST GHI WALLS!

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

But there’s more – check out her light plates! Each is color-coordinated with the room it’s in, of course.

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colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

And the prize for boldest CEILING goes to Rachel Channon, for the dining room above.  The walls aren’t exactly meek, either.

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

At my urging, Steve Skolnik took this phone-camera shot of his and Lola’s scrumptious dining room.

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

And this one of their newly renovated kitchen. Gray can be pretty bold.

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

Since seeing all these walls I’m feeling a lot less bold about my own – grey in the bath and kitchen, grey-green in the living room and grey-blue in the hall. But I DID do some stenciling! Japanese maple and River Birch. I have no talent with a brush, but these were super-easy.

colorful room in Greenbelt Homes Inc

Finally, a panoramic shot of my favorite office ever, in mushroom brown.

Thanks for playing, everyone!

Follow Susan Harris:
Susan started blogging about Greenbelt soon after moving here in 2012, and that blog has grown into this nonprofit community website. She also created and curates the Greenbelt Maryland YouTube channel. Retired from garden writing and teaching, she continues to blog weekly at GardenRant.com.

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