Paint is Your Base Layer - Be Bold!
Things have been very busy with new property but progress is being made. I’ll try to do an overall update near the end of summer. The nice thing is that because there is a new office/studio space, it is allowing me to start from the ground up on building it out to suit my needs. I’m not changing the shape of the room or anything, but my wife and I started with replacing the floor and we just finished painting. My take on painting a space for myself that will be used for creative endeavors is this. Go bold! Find a color you like and go for it. I say this because it literally sets the tone for your space. Do not let thoughts like, “nobody will like it” or “people will be blinded” stop you. Even if you end up not liking it, you still created it and I guarantee you will learn something. I’ll go through my own thought process when setting up a place to be creative. Hopefully, that can give you ideas for making your creative space stand out.
Previous Office
I used a white ceiling to help reflect light and a grey wall (left over from another room) to allow the orange to really give the space a warmth and give some punch to the room.
For my space, I am looking for a place to create music, work on video production, and do other content like this post. While the post writing and music do not specifically have any visual requirements, I did want to incorporate a “grey screen” behind my PC video monitors to help with color correction while editing video. It might seem a bit frivolous, but it also serves a second purpose in helping to keep the color in check. Don’t get me wrong, my previous office was full orange at one time. Every wall and even the ceiling. However, I ended up pulling back to what you see above, both for better lighting and the fact that looking back at my videos, I had an orange glow that made me look a little sickly! But go ahead and experiment. I went a number of years like that and when it didn’t work, I changed it. For this rendition I knew I would continue with the wall behind my desk as the grey screen and the remaining 3 walls my bold color. You can do something similar with a focal wall if that matches up with what you are trying to do.
Because music is one of my hobbies, that means my desk setup might not be the standard setup. I have my desk so the longest part of the room is behind me. This sets up a good listening station that minimizes reflections from my studio monitors when listening back to music. You probably won’t have that issue yourself, but you might have your own constraints. Think about those and how you can use color to accent certain features or elements in your space.
I own my own home so I have a little more freedom to paint, but even if you are not allowed to paint there are other ways to bring in color. You could hang fabric that has the color you want using removable hook and look (don’t want to get sued). You could paint large scraps of cardboard, hanging the same way. You could even paint your desk or another piece of furniture to also pull in a color that will help you smile when you enter the room.
New Office Space
This time I went with a blue to be a bit brighter and cooler. Popcorn ceiling will stay for the moment, but this time I tracked down a “true” grey screen. Both the flooring and painting were done with furniture in the room. Not necessarily recommended, but sometimes you just gotta roll with it.
If you have experience painting then you probably do not need this next section, but read on if you are new to it. I like paint because it is relatively inexpensive compared to other ways of covering your walls. Really, it also has very little limitations. I think every place will now allow you to take a scrap of anything and color match it. Once you have the paint you need only a couple of tools to get started. A brush for the edges, a roller for the main parts, tape for masking off anything you do not want painted, and a floor covering. I hate cleaning rollers, so I just cover it between coats with plastic (grocery bags are great for this) and when done I just chuck the roller after it has dried. A little water for the frame and brush and I’m done.
Start by taping your edges and then use your brush along the edges cutting in 3 or 4 inches and then roll out the paint to fill in the rest. Depending on what type of texture is on your walls you will have to roll in different directions (and even then it might need the brush to get all the little holes that seem to show). Once done be sure to pull the tape (try pulling straight out from the wall) before the paint dries or you can pull the fresh paint off the wall. Ask me how I know! If you are doing a second coat in a couple of hours I can usually get away with leaving the tape on, but otherwise remove and redo the tape if you do another coat. Now you can step back and soak up the colors!
Bonus tip: For clean line at the corners if you are doing different colors. Paint a color around the corner a couple of inches. Let it cure at least overnight. Now come back with tape making sure really press at the edge if you have texture. Paint your second color and immediately remove the tape. Super straight lines and no extra colors coming through. Bonus Bonus Tip: Don’t paint up next to the corner. Leave a small band of your other color. If done around the ceiling you can get a faux crown molding look.
I hope this helps you overcome any fear you might have with adding a good punch of color to your creative space. I know it helps me want to actually be at my desk creating. In an upcoming post you will see how I start to layer with wall hangings and in my case acoustic treatment which will help distract from the color while still using it to make an impact.