Painting Bull-nosed corners
11/05/2008 12:01 PM by Gretchen Schauffler
Bull-nosed corners are a popular drywall design in high-end homes. It is said that they soften the corners of open floor plans and add a touch of elegance. But painting bull-nose corners becomes a home-owner’s nightmare when it comes time to replace the inexpensive builder beige with a color palette that includes more than just one color. There is a way to do it and make it look wonderful. Here are my observations:
ONE: If it rounds, you have to round color over it (there are a few exceptions—you’ll see).
TWO: If the room has rounded corners it’s for a reason—usually an open floor plan—so embrace it and start to think outside the box.
THREE: Inverted corners are never rounded. 90 degree inverted corners are the best corners to stop a color and start another because the corner is shadowed by light and this softens the transition between colors.
Here is a typical bull-nose situation. As you can see I am showing you where corners round and where they sharply stop. Color wants to go with the flow, so it needs to “flow” over rounded corners and into other rooms. You will end up with great out-of-the-box colorful shapes such as U-shapes, L-shapes, and S-shapes that will make your room architecturally interesting and glamorous. The kitchen color can greet you with one stroke starting at the foyer, or a wall can become a 2-sided strong arch between living and dining rooms.
The easy way to deal with the space is to redo it all in one color. We have lots of those to choose from. Once you choose the perfect “neutral” color for your walls, life only gets better! Read: HOW TO CHOOSE THE PERFECT NEUTRAL
With all the blues, soft reds, and cool carpet, I thought these suggestions would work well. Try Devine Ash, Devine Shell, Devine Latte, or Devine Muslin. Remember, the computer screen distorts color so I suggest working with our color tools in real life.
Faux wainscot is an EXCEPTION. There are times when you can make a smaller cut and it’s better than having the seam run up the entire wall.
For a richer neutral color try Devine Bavarian, Devine Cappuccino, or Devine Mist. You can see that by deepening the color, the space fills up more and it looks less empty.
A richer neutral color allows you to bring in a richer accent color to cut in all the right places. Even though the ceiling is not a 90 degree edge and folds like a wall, the weight of the RICHER NEUTRAL is able to visually balance the stronger ACCENT COLORS. If the ceiling was white, it would look garish. With the neutral suggestions above try Devine Bordeaux, Devine Pinot, Devine Merlot, or devinegreen: Clover as rich blue-reds.
When there are small cuts you can make… make them. I call this good plastic surgery! Instead of running the color up the wall and having a huge vertical seam, do a small horizontal snip of color change. Take a good look how your walls and how they connect to each other. Think small color cuts if there are any.
Try Devine Tempest, Devine Shiraz, Devine Damask, devinegreen: Chameleon, Devine Storm, Devine Denim devinegreen: Shark, or Macaw as accent colors with suggested neutrals above. Remember the computer screen distorts color so I suggest working with our color tools in real life.
Our colors accommodate all past belongings, treasures, and present fancies. For this look try Devine Glass, devinegreen: Beluga, Devine Date, or Devine Almond as a “colorful neutral”. There is no right or wrong, There is only YOU!
Cheers to situations that make us think outside the box! Painting over bull-nose corners is a challenge that leads to rewarding personality expressions of color! Especially when you have colors like ours working together for you.
| Textile Help | ||
Painting popcorn ceilings
Can light wall colors brighten dark rooms
Back to Devine Blog
Thank you for this blog!! Just what I needed to see.. my entry to living room looks amazingly like this one and I have been stumped. I do not, however, have wainscot nor as much light. These rooms are on the north facing side of the house. I am wanting to use Oak as my main color… my living room has a huge archway into a dining room (all seen from the entry) and this room gets a LOT of natural light and has a tray ceiling. Would it work to paint the living room walls and ceiling Oak, carry that color through to the opposite side of the arch in the entry and then to the window wall above the door… then the entry door wall and two story wall next to it paint Cocoa? And possibly the half stair wall Olive and I’m not sure what to put on the complete two story stair wall as it seems to be a “dark space”- perhaps the Olive again? Then can I carry the Oak into the dining room by putting it on the ceiling with Ginger on teh walls? Or can I even put Oak on the dining room walls with Ginger on the ceiling? I love those four colors together (but is the Olive too light for this combination?) and they fit my home so well- lots of warm colors, quilts, old books, natural cherry furniture… I am afraid to use Cocoa as it is SO dark, but it really struck me as a gorgeous rich color. This is way too much fun and there are FAR too many colors to choose from!!! Thanks! I have never ventured out into COLOR like this before and am itching to start painting.
— Dorene Dundas 11/05/2008 11:36 PM #
Oh- I would like to add this comment or question. If I use Oak for the entire living room, ceiling and all, carry that into the entry, use Cocoa for part of the entry… then can I paint the dining room Oak with COCOA for the ceiling? Is that just “too dark”? Does a dark ceiling pull the ceiling down and make the room look small? The room is 12×12, maple flooring, tray ceiling (8’ in the tall part), and has a south facing bay window that gets a LOT of natural light.
— Dorene Dundas 11/06/2008 10:47 AM #
Follow your gut! The colors all sound stunning and the rich Cocoa ceiling is part of what makes it beautiful. Your instincts are correct about Devine Moss. I see it more as a problem with Devine Oak. It gray’s out next to it. You can keep Moss and change Oak to Devine Oat, to keep it all more earthy or keep Devine Oak and change Moss to Devine Hazelnut to have affinity with the golden tones…I can’t wait to see the after pictures!!!
Be brave my firend :)
— gretchen Schauffler 11/06/2008 11:39 AM #
What about Devine Olive? Too light or not quite the right shade? The wall the Devine Olive or Devine Hazelnut goes on is a “dark spot” in the house. I like them both… Thanks for the encouragement to be brave!!! I’m getting closer…
— Dorene Dundas 11/07/2008 08:27 AM #
Dorene:
Look at Devine Olive with the Oak. The important thing is to not have the green go gray. I just took a quick peek and it looks good, I want to make sure it looks good in your home. I also love the Hazelnut….I must of had Moss on the brain lol
— gretchen Schauffler 11/07/2008 11:54 AM #
I am leaning toward the Devine Hazelnut, a color I would not have chosen had you not suggested it!! Thank you!! Time to be brave! :)
— Dorene Dundas 11/07/2008 12:14 PM #
Time to face the music! Time to hear color sing! lol
— gretchen Schauffler 11/07/2008 02:34 PM #
My home is traditional. My living rm couch, love seat and 2 chairs share the main color of Khaki (SW Relaxed Khaki). I will be painting the living, dining, entry, up the stairs & down the hall the same as there are no stopping points. What would you suggest?
BTW, the family rm/kitchen will be Moss, and the study Almond.
— Janet Clausen 11/15/2008 01:19 PM #
Janet:
Sounds like you are pulling the whole house together! That’s the way to do it. You have many possibilities. You say your home is traditional, a great “clue”. You like greens, so you can stay with different shades of green, Devine Roast, Devine Hazelnut, or Devine Mocha. You can also do reds like Devine Cayenne, Sangria, or Ginger. If you want a stronger sense of direction read How to use Our Color Palettes and don’t forget to read Dorene’s comments. Use our legendary color process with our palettes as the color “compass” and you will have the perfect colors appear right before your eyes.
— gretchen Schauffler 11/17/2008 09:07 AM #
I am hoping you can help me solve a year long color issue! I moved into a home about a year ago and have painted my kitchen and family room three times! The problem I have is that my furniture is a warm colored darker wood and the cabinets in this home (that I did not pick) are a light maple. So is the floor and the granite on the fireplace and counters is a very cool beige with some black and I guess “mustardy” flecks in it. I would love to warm the space up but I have struggled with bad yellows and too cool greens so far. I am wondering if peanut in both rooms would warm it up and not fight the cabinets, floor and granite. I would also like to do an accent fireplace wall but wonder if the combo of peanut and moss would work. I know this is a lot of info and none of it probably helpful, I just don’t want another paint job to be in vain! Two of my good friends have used Devine and their homes are colorful yet warm and inviting. I want that too! Thank you so much, Carin (a self proclaimed paint-a-holic)
— Carin 02/14/2009 10:46 AM #
Carin:
I so understand your dilemma! I think I can help! If you have already tried yellow, and green, we can’t go there again…WHY? Because the light wood Maple is probably turning very “fleshy” (pink?) and the beige counter tops add insult to injury in this scenario! While Devine Peanut is a BEAUTIFUL color and a great “neutral” in a lot of places, I am afraid that it would not be as effective in yours. In order for the wood to look beautiful, you are going to have to go richer. So here are my suggestions: Devine Cafe, Devine Ginger, Devine Mocha, Devine Dust, or Devinegreen: Buffalo. Try those. With so much beige in the room, you need contrast and depth, along with warmth. Thanks for trusting our brand, products, and giving my opinion a shot!
— gretchen Schauffler 02/16/2009 06:07 AM #