A Dramatic Color Drenched Hallway Makeover
March 05, 2025
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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.
We have a small hallway in our basement that was calling out for a makeover, especially after finishing up our cool kitchenette and bar down there:
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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:
Run some painter's tape along the baseboard, covering the bottom of it just a bit with the tape. Then use something with a thin, flat surface like this 6-in-1 painting tool to push the excess tape underneath the base.
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:
I can't find our exact bathroom plaques anymore, but there are a TON of similar options here!
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.
We had a recessed light in here, and when I updated all of our can lights in the house a few years ago, I skipped this one knowing I would hang a light instead.
Did you know you can hang a light fixture from a recessed light? I started doing this a few years ago and using this converter kit makes it SO easy:
I chose this light with a faceted glass globe. It's simple but really pretty. The one bulb is plenty for this small area -- I may even put it on a dimmer:
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:
I used these DIY picture ledges to hold a bunch of his plaques on the wall when you walk in. Grouping them together on the shelves makes them look more organized and less cluttered.
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?
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Looks beautiful, but yes…definitely paint the ceiling !!
ReplyDeleteVery dramatic but definitely paint the ceiling
ReplyDeletePaint the ceiling!!! (easy for me to say 😂)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! When you color drench, how do you know where to stop the door paint and trim from one room to another?
ReplyDeleteSame!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful 🤩 definitely paint the ceiling. Although I hate to paint ceilings 🤣
ReplyDeleteI have trouble appreciating this look but I like your courage.
ReplyDeleteI love the contrast of the paint finishes. I would consider painting the ceiling or maybe a wallpaper on the ceiling.
ReplyDeleteI vote wallpaper on the ceiling!!
ReplyDeleteUnpopular vote here, but I like the light ceiling. I would definitely not paint it. It keeps this little space from looking too small and dark and it adds a nice fresh space for the light to bounce off of. A dimmer switch would be genius.
ReplyDelete