How to paint a colour block arch freehand

Colour blocking has been everywhere for the last couple of years, and is a really simple way of adding some colour and character to a blank space. Stuck with a boring blank wall and not sure how to tackle it? Why not add a colour block to break up the colour, or even create different spaces within a room? 

My favourite colour blocking project has been the yellow arch in our spare bedroom. I originally made this room over during the first lockdown two years ago as I needed to create a working from home space, however I have since turned this room into a nursery for our new arrival - with the yellow arch again taking centre stage. 

In both incarnations of this room the arch works really well to 'zone' out the room and create different spaces - in the spare room/home office it created a separate space for my desk away from the rest of the bedroom, and in the new nursery it perfectly frames the chest of drawers and nappy changing space. 

Creating the arch was actually a lot easier to do than I thought it would be, only taking me an hour or so to complete. 

You will need: 

Frog tape

Pencil

String

Angled paintbrush

Small nail

Your choice of paint - I've used a colour match to 'Safari Spice' by Dulux

How to paint a colour block arch

Firstly decide the width you want your arch to be - I decided mine would almost fill the full width of my alcove. 

Find the centre point using a tape measure, and secure a piece of string to this exact spot. I popped a small nail in the wall at this point which I used to wrap my string around. Attach a pencil to the other end of the string.

Your length of string should measure half the width of your arch (don't forget to add some extra length to give you enough to wrap around the nail and pencil though!)

Pulling the string tight, draw your arch across the wall.

You can then hand paint using an angled brush, which will help you to get sharper edges.

Don't forget to remove frog tape before your paint dries to prevent chipping.

Finally, compliment the arch shape with other circular shapes through your styling - for example the round shelf.

Don't just stop there! Want to add a bit more colour to a space? Why not go for half painted walls? A great way of adding some colour without it being too overwhelming. You could even add a scallop border along the top too? You can find a full DIY tutorial for creating this look on this post here. 

Is this trend something you'd like to try in your home?

Thanks for reading,
Sam Xx

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