Adding a closet to an existing room

New closet built into existing room, do we try to match paint?

January 01, 2009

Sandy from Ontario asks...

We have an old Victorian house with no front entry closet. We has just built a closet through the entry wall that extends into the corner of the living room. The living room is painted with a light brown color that has been smooshed. Since the ceiling is 11 feet we have also stenciled the top two feet of the wall with a white fence with ivy coming through. The closet extends into the room in a corner 3feet by 3 feet. It is 8 feet high and I plan to build stained glass panels to go on top with a light behind on a timer. I don’t know if I can possibly match the paint in the room as it was done about 8 years ago. I do not want to repaint as the senciling will be erased. Do you have any suggestions for the new walls that contain the closet? I will be hanging art work on them when they are completed.

Lucy Campos-Gentile responds...

You could try and paint the walls below the trompe l’oeil border a shade lighter than the existing salmon. Extend it through the new closet exterior walls, and then add a simple trim around it (leaving 3 or 4 inches of space from the edges), painting it white as the faux trelice design. Integrating the new closet with the walls will be a very smart way to “disguise” the extra volume it brings to your space. You could also replace the floral valance for a white roman shade to bring it all together. It will balance the patterns and freshen up the look as well.