How to Use Black in Interior Painting | Bay Area House Painting Tips
You may have noticed a new trend popping up in stylish houses here in the San Francisco Bay area – black interior paint! While neutral colors have been a decided trend for many years, black has been the neutral no one talked about. However, San Franciscans are seeing the light (if we can say that about black), and this bold paint hue has become a great way to make a statement in your home interior.
Where to Use Black Paint in My Home?
If you’re just getting your feet wet in this black-interior-paint trend, a good place to start is by painting your interior doors black. This is a good combination of bold and striking, yet very limited and defined in scope. You won’t overwhelm anyone with a couple of black interior doors, but it can be extremely eye-catching and attractive.
Another way to use black in a moderate way is with an accent wall. This is definitely an attention-grabbing way to create a focal point in a room, and it offers a host of possibilities for contrasting furniture or art.
In a room with attractive moldings, you might want to consider painting your trim black. If it was just the baseboards, that would feel a bit off-balance, but if you also have chair rail and/or crown moldings, black could provide a very attractive frame for your walls.
Finally, there’s the all-out option: paint the whole room black! This can be done very attractively, especially if you have large windows, or light-colored furniture. You probably want to avoid doing this in a smaller room, as it could tend to feel claustrophobic. Before you commit to this, look for pictures of black interior rooms to see if you can find an example similar to your proposed black space. What tricks did they use to make it look good?
Which Black Paint Should I Use?
First, let’s talk about the sheen. For interior doors and trim, semi-gloss is generally the best answer. For walls, most people would choose a satin or eggshell finish. However, if you have a painting company who can pull it off, a glossy black wall would be spectacular! It takes expert surface preparation and paint application to make it work well, so only try this with a quality Bay-area painting contractor.
Next, the color. There are tons of wonderful options to choose from, including blacks with blue undertones, or a slate-like feel, or deep gray hints. The best way to choose your black is probably to request some samples and see how they actually look when painted on a small area of your wall (or door, or trim).
What Colors Go with Black Interior Paint?
Most people who use black paint in their San Francisco homes tend to pair it mainly with white. This provides a needed balance, and a wonderful contrast. However, don’t stop with that!
Once you have your black and white as the main colors, spice up the room with bold accents that will shout for attention in all the right ways! This is the time for bright oranges, or a lime green, a showy yellow or a brilliant blue (of course, not all at once!). The thing that makes neutrals so easy to work with as your main wall colors is that hardly anything looks bad with them.
Interior Painting Company for the San Francisco Bay Area
If you are thinking about a bold change with the paint in your home, MB Jessee Painting would love to serve you. We can help you with color selection, and many other services as well, including wallpaper removal, decorative finishes, drywall and plaster repair, exterior painting, wood staining, kitchen cabinet painting, and more!
With more than 20 years of history serving homeowners in this community, MB Jessee is well-established and reputable, a name synonymous with quality painting. We serve Hillsborough, Oakland Hills, Pacific Heights, Piedmont, and the greater San Francisco region.
