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The Paint Color HGTV's Nate Berkus Wants You To Avoid In Small Rooms
By V BAWA
Homeowners usually assume painting a small space white will make it seem bigger, but according to HGTV interior designer Nate Berkus, white won’t always achieve the desired effect.
While Berkus agrees that painting a small room white will make it feel larger, he emphasizes, "The problem is you have to [decide] whether or not you want the room to feel larger."
For example, it may work to use white walls to make a basement-turned-office appear more spacious, but it may not suit a bedroom, where you’d prefer a cozy, intimate atmosphere.
In an Instagram post where he dispelled some interior design myths, Berkus challenged people to consider alternative techniques based on what they want to achieve with the space.
"There's something really interesting in design when you actually go with the worst quality about a room," he says. Instead of counteracting it, you can embrace and accentuate it.
If a room is small, “try painting it dark, maybe even painting the ceiling dark, because that can embrace that and make it really dramatic and really interesting," Berkus suggests.
Use warm lights, bold decor, and different textures to produce the right atmosphere — for instance, to create a cozy reading nook under the stairs or make the foyer more welcoming.