Divide & Color: How To Use Paint to Separate Small Spaces

In tiny homes where a single room often serves multiple functions, color can separate a space into zones with different functions. If your bedroom is also your office and your living room is also your dining room, try using paint as a visual divider to section off areas—without sacrificing an inch of livable space.

To maximize space in a small water-front condo, the designers at Shift Interiors painted a broad gray-blue stripe above a desk to separate this work area from the rest of the room. For an even bolder effect, paint a block of color, like the peachy-pink one shown above from Mobel Pobel.

Sunny yellow paint distinguishes this closet-turned-office from the adjoining hallway in Laura & Ray’s Art-Filled Austin Home.

Create a primping station in your bedroom without investing in a vanity. Paint a colorful square on the wall and add a shallow shelf painted to match, as spotted on Decocrush, above.

A two-tone color treatment highlights this little eating area positioned right in the middle of a high-traffic area. The designers at Fusion D used a paned-glass wall to delineate the space without adding a visual barrier.

The charcoal wall blends seamlessly into a dark wood table in Saadia, Kip & Betsy’s Brooklyn Base, creating a compact and unified dining room that sits snuggly between the kitchen and living room.

You’d never guess that this color-coordinated reading nook is tucked on the side of a dining room—making it the ideal spot to recline after a big meal. Designer Caroline Olsson swept green paint up the wall, which transitions to mint green when it hits the ceiling.

Tell me, small-space dwellers, would you consider using paint to divide a room?