Paint has power to transform plain area into special space

Upon moving to a less-than-perfect dream house, the buyers’ initial impulse may well be, “Let’s paint this place!”

The paint color will usually be something safe and nondescript, and the job will usually be done by marginally skilled painters. Seldom is thought given to the possibility of a genuine transformation, which actually doesn’t have to be either complicated or expensive.

A satisfying and sophisticated outcome can be achieved simply through the proper use of colors. Some decorative painting — also not as daunting an undertaking as one might think — could make the setting even more successful.

Q: We recently moved to a charming but neglected house in a small town. The living room lacks molding or interesting woodwork, but it does have wooden floors in a natural stain.

Two doors, three window frames and the fireplace mantel have all been painted in the same (now-faded) white as the walls. If we decide to install moldings, should they be stained the same as the floor or should they be given an accent treatment? Also, do you have a suggestion for an overall color scheme?

A: Since you’re starting with what amounts to an empty canvas, you’ve got all sorts of options for colors and decorative treatments.

I wouldn’t match moldings or other woodwork with the stain on the floor. It would be much more interesting to paint the baseboard, the doors and the window frames in a color different from not only the floor but from the walls as well.

The room could then be tied together with the main component of whatever color scheme you choose. I’d go with something strong and deep — certainly nothing blandly neutral.

You’re fortunate to have a fireplace, so treat its surround, including the mantel, as a focal point. Don’t let such an important element fade into the background by painting it the same color as the walls.

The accompanying photo points in the design direction I’m describing. It’s taken from “Charleston: A Bloomsbury House and Garden” by Quentin Bell and Virginia Nicholson, published by Frances Lincoln Ltd.

Bell is the younger son of Clive and Vanessa Bell, who were leading members of the Bloomsbury Group of English intellectuals and artists. Throughout the first half of the 20th century the Bloomsbury writers, painters and designers exerted a powerful influence on English culture. Quentin Bell and his daughter, Virginia Nicholson, tell the story of the Charleston farmhouse in the Sussex Downs, linking it with some of the major figures who spent time there, including Bell’s aunt, Virginia Woolf.

The distinctive decorative look associated with the Bloomsbury Group can be seen in the photos of Charleston included in the book.

While the room shown here does have an elegant design, you could go further by painting the doors and mantel in a more decorative manner. It’s not difficult today to find artists who can paint an eye-catching design directly on one or more of the surfaces in a room.

If a financial rationale is needed, consider that a work of this sort can take the place of an expensive framed piece of art.

Rita St. Clair is a syndicated columnist with Tribune Media Services Inc. E-mail general interior design questions to her at rsca@ritastclair.com.