First time poster so please don't flame me! We need to decide on the colour of this retaining wall adjacent to our kitchen/dining extension. We'd love any suggestions on colours from you please?! The extension is painted black render but further up our driveway (not shown) there is painted white Render. thank you!
I think it depends on the aspect and what the space is for. You say it's facing the kitchen/dining room. Are there patio doors leading to the area? Does it get much light? What are you going to use the space for, e.g are you laying a patio, planting, laying a lawn? For example if the area doesn't get much natural light you might want to paint it white or off white to bounce light back in the house. On the other hand if you're planning to plant against the wall, you might want a dark colour to add depth - the sense that there's something behind the foliage.
Thanks E D and Shjuly! Some more pictures to help explain are attached. The first one is the internal view looking out towards the retaining wall as it is now. The retaining wall is north facing but the patio doors facing it (on the black extension) are south facing. There is light streaming in the patio doors during summer but as we're on a slope and it's near a hedge, in winter when the sun is low in the sky, I'm not anticipating it to be as bright. We do have a roof lantern in the space and another set of doors on the other side so I'm hoping the space should be light-filled regardless of the season. The plan is to pave the area between the patio doors and the wall but the area is too tight to have a table or chairs outside so it will really be an entry way and a space into which the doors can open on warm sunny days and evenings when we are entertaining. We will have our dining table adjacent to those patio doors in the first pic. I've mocked up (very poorly) the wall in black and white in the other two pics. at this point, we are leaning towards painting it black with potentially some larch vertical cladding added to the lower portion of the wall (by the bi-folds) at a later stage.
I wouldn't paint it black, it makes it look so depressing in the winter as the garden will have very little colour in it. But then again, I wouldn't have painted the extension black either, because I think it looks like you're trying to hide it. Sorry, I know you like it.
Normally I'm all about light and bright colours, but in this case I'd be tempted to go dark - not black though, which I think would be too stark - maybe a charcoal grey instead. Painting it white might split the space up too much and make the wall more obvious. Whereas I think painting it dark will draw your eye towards what's behind. You can grow some shade loving evergreens against the wall, e.g climbing hydrangeas, to blend in with the planting behind. I'd also think about how you want to light the space. You could add layers of light, some behind the wall to draw your attention into the distance, and some highlighting certain plants against the wall once they're established.
Sponsored
Reload the page to not see this specific ad anymore
Houzz uses cookies and similar technologies to personalise my experience, serve me relevant content, and improve Houzz products and services. By clicking ‘Accept’ I agree to this, as further described in the Houzz Cookie Policy. I can reject non-essential cookies by clicking ‘Manage Preferences’.
E D
User
Related Discussions
External Wall Insulation Colour
Q
Expanded online drop-in design/render service to trades using "sheds"
Q
Grey corner sofa...wall colour dilemma
Q
Bedroom paint colour for walls, doors and skirting
Q
RackytownOriginal Author
Ribena Drinker
User