How to Paint Your Media Room

If you want a media wall that is simple but impactful at the same time, then painting it in charismatic charcoal hues is an excellent way to go about it. Even when you’re minimal with the charcoal cladding and feature the barest designs on it, it can still feel really impactful.

A dedicated media room can be a fun place for families to gather and enjoy a good movie (or a bad one!). It might be tempting to paint and decorate it like you do any other room in the house, but this can negatively affect the performance of the room.

When painting a media room, here are some tips you should keep in mind –

1) Go Dark!

The first thing to keep in mind is that TV screens reflect their surroundings. Projector screens take this a step further… they amplify and reflect any light source.

This means that a brightly coloured room can reflect onto the screen, causing a distraction even when the lights are off. The simplest way to fix this is by painting the media room with a mid-tone or darker colour.

There is a reason movie theatres are all painted black. While this is the easy, obvious choice, this doesn’t always work with the style of the house and is just too dark for many people.

Therefore, dark greys and deep maroons tend to be popular home theatre colours. A deep, dark red looks stunning, like you’re in a real theatre, but still performs well when the lights are off. Stick with flat and matte sheens for the paint

2) Make Sure The Paint is Flat

The paint sheen you choose is important, and this is true again when painting a media room. A flat or matte sheen is your best bet. While it shows wear quicker and is a little hard to clean, a flat finish will reduce the amount of reflections from the screen. This is ideal for the least distracting movie experience.

If the walls in your house get a lot of abuse, you can compromise with an eggshell sheen. It will be slightly reflective, but allow you to clean the walls more easily.

This is very important and often overlooked. No matter what colour you choose, you want to make sure it is a neutral colour. Since the screen is reflecting the room, the colour of the wall can actually distort the colours you see on the screen.Stay with a neutral shade to avoid affecting the perceived colour of the TV screen

3) Keep It Neutral

Blacks and Greys have shades that are a little too red or a little too blue. Most paint stores will have a selection of neutral shades to choose from, or be able to tell you if a colour is neutral or not And being neutral doesn’t just mean staying with grey and black. Deep reds, blues and greens can also be neutral colours.

4) Don’t Forget the Ceiling

Most houses have flat white ceilings. This helps make the ceilings feel taller and more open. In a media room however, this can causes reflections with the screen.

Once again, you will want to go with a dark colour with a matte finish. In most cases, it is easiest to go with the same colour you chose for the walls. Dark greys and blacks are the most popular choices here.

If you are looking to add some dimension to the room, try a slightly darker shade than the walls. For example, ask the paint store to give you the same colour 50% darker. This will help break up the transition from the walls to the ceiling

5) What About An Accent Wall?

I mean, why not?! When painting a media room, we sometimes get asked about doing an accent wall to break up the room. The absolute best place to do it is on the screen wall.

You can go a couple different directions with this. This first, and most common, is to paint the wall with the screen the darkest black you can find. Again, there is a reason movie theatres use black. It is less distracting, drawing your eyes only to the screen.

However, another option is to try a colour on this wall, especially if you watch with the lights off. Also, since the wall is behind the screen, the screen won’t reflect the color from this wall. A mint green will disappear with the lights off, but give the room some style and colour when the lights are on.

Some Other Tips…

While the paint will have a huge affect on the style and performance of your media room, there are some other things you want to think about:

Flooring – Use carpet. Carpet will absorb sound as well as light, and is really the only choice. Hard flooring is popular these days, but a poor choice for a media room.
Lighting – Put your lights on a dimmer so you can control how much light there is. Add blackout shades to any windows. Use a night light if you need a little light for getting around the room without distracting from the screen.
Seating – Home theatre seating is ideal, but couches work as well. Make sure they are comfortable, and that you have a place to set down a drink.
Furniture – If you need to put any other furniture in the room such as cabinets or bookshelves, try putting them at the sides or the back of the room. Ideally, your focus wall should only have the screen on it and be free from distractions.
Wall Hangings – Try to avoid any wall hangings that are reflective, such as pictures or artwork. If you must, try and use non-reflective glass. Fabric sound absorbers and heavy curtains are great if you are going all out for performance and authenticity.

On Trend Colours for the next Decade 2020 –

THE NEXT DECADE! WHAT THE??????

I am sure it was only 2010 last year? 🤦🏼‍♀️ Or are we just getting old? 🤣 Life moves Soooo fast and so do Colour Trends! Everyone has such individual tastes and we will always choose colours that reflect our mood and taste…no matter what is on trend but it is also very exciting to get some inspiration with the Paint Brands predictions leading into 2020.

If you’re a design buff, it’s always a good day when a paint brand sheds light on all the “Upcoming on trend colours” With so many collections of gorgeous paint hues range from an earthy orange’s to energetic greens. They are all versatile enough to work in both traditional and modern spaces.

We predict that we are all longing for more well-rounded lives. “2020 marks the start of a new decade, and with that comes a desire for balance—both at home and at work.

Approachable and comfortable colours create a bridge between living and working spaces, with honest hues that homeowners will connect with. All these new collections of trending colours encompasses themes of wellness and wellbeing, connected experiences, inviting environments, and deliberate colour stories. Here are some of Paintway’s our favourites –

Which is your favourite colour?

Let us know!

How to choose the Right Colours for your home

What’s the most important role colour plays in a room?

It sets the mood for a room. The colour you choose is really about what you want the room to feel like.

Do you tend to use one colour throughout the entire interior, or mix it up room to room?

In general, I feel it’s important to have continuity throughout the entire house. I’ll use one or two colours throughout the house, and then mix in other accent colours. That gives continuity, but at the same time allows the various rooms to have different personalities.

What kind of classic colour combinations do you think work best?

Blue and white, yellow and green for a kitchen, red and black for a very formal dining room. For a lounge, I would suggest chocolate brown and camel or dark green and navy blue. We like burgundy and khaki, navy and khaki, or dark green and khaki. And greys and blues look really great together.

What kind of guidelines would you suggest if someone wants to use bold colours?

You need to be aware that you will likely get tired of bold colours very quickly. If you really want to incorporate a strong, bold colour, use it as an accent. Bold colours are often attractive because they are the colour of the moment this can quickly date a room.

How should the homeowner account for different lighting in choosing colours?

Select three shades of the colour you want: where you think you want to be, and one shade lighter and one shade darker. Do this with paint, wallpaper, or fabric swatches. Put the samples in two places: next to the window and in a darker corner. Look at them at different times during the day and at night. Then make your decision.

Is a neutral colour scheme always appropriate?

No. It totally depends on the house, the location, the architecture, and the personality of the homeowner. It’s about trying to keep a balance. An entire neutral house can be boring.

How do you use colour to affect relationship and the relationship with other decorative elements?

Colour is key to how the decor is perceived. If it’s a big room, paint it a brighter, warmer colour to bring the walls in. Paint a smaller room a cooler colour to push the walls out. Colour also establishes visual weight and balance. If you put a bold primary-based piece of art in a pastel room, it’s probably not going to seem right. The colours of the art should balance the colours of the space.

What are the challenges homeowners face in choosing colours and colour schemes?

Sometimes people are scared of colour, especially dark colours. Ultimately, people should really follow their heart: If they love a colour, test it, and like it in place, they should not be afraid to choose it.