Interiors that use high-gloss paint on the walls make gorgeous, scroll-stopping photos, and we can’t help but love this high-end, sophisticated look. Having worked with interior designers and painted many of these projects ourselves, we can give you behind-the-scenes advice on how to achieve this beautiful look, both from an interior design and a practicality standpoint.
Why paint your walls high-gloss?
If you’re drawn to this look, nothing else will do. High-gloss spaces are in almost every issue of high-end shelter magazines like Architectural Digest, Veranda, or Elle Decor, and will populate your Instagram feed if you follow hashtags related to high-end interior design, maximalism, or even contemporary design. Let’s look at the benefits of painting your walls high-gloss.
The Pros of Using High-Gloss Paint on Walls
Instant design cred
Rooms with high-gloss walls (and, often, high-gloss woodwork such as bookcases or paneling) are almost the pinnacle of interior design. There’s nothing else quite like it. Similar to color-drenching a space, or to using a bold wallpaper, high-gloss walls will make you stop in your tracks and take it all in. Usually, spaces with high-gloss walls are the most important room in the home, either the living room or dining room or a special lounge area designed for company. Even a small powder bath that your guests use will show off your design skills when done in high-gloss paint.
But it takes skill to pull this off. High-gloss walls are a bold design choice that must be carefully balanced with the right furnishings, accessories, and especially lighting. If you’ve curated a beautiful space where the high-gloss walls (and possibly ceiling) help wrap the whole room in sophistication, then you’ve created something truly impressive.
For this reason, high-gloss walls are a favorite with interior designers. Cathlyn Davis in Austin, Texas has used high-gloss walls to great effect for her most discerning clients. “I love using high gloss paint finishes to add another layer of drama to a space. High gloss is an incredibly impactful finish that instantly elevates a designed room.”
Designer Maria Beck agrees. For her clients in San Antonio, Texas, “High gloss walls evoke an Old World elegance, even in spaces that are more laid-back or refined. A soothing bedroom can be a sanctuary that feels just a bit more luxurious when the walls or ceiling reflect light in unexpected ways.”
Bold, rich color saturation
Especially with dark tones such as black, navy blue, or deep red, a high-gloss finish makes the color as rich and intense as possible. We see this with high-gloss painted cabinets all the time, and it’s equally true for walls. If you want to drench your space in a bold, saturated color, using a high-gloss sheen will ensure the color looks as beautiful as possible.
Durability
I’m listing this as a “pro” because Google, ChatGPT and Claude all mention this, but the durability of high-gloss walls is a bit misleading. Yes, high-gloss walls are more wipeable and “easy to clean” than typical matte, satin, or eggshell sheens. But high-gloss paint also shows every imperfection, and is harder to touch up. More on that later.
The Cons of High-Gloss Finishes
You might need help to pull it off
Using high-gloss paint on walls is a specific and bold interior design choice that most of us don’t have the experience to achieve without guidance. This is where using an interior designer is well worth the time and expense. This is a very specific look that is born from someone’s clear vision for the space. Most high-gloss rooms don’t “evolve”, they’re designed that way from the start. And most of us just don’t have the time, budget or training to design a room like this from scratch, complete with the final choice of lighting, flooring, rugs, drapes, and accessories.
Your choice of lighting will take careful planning
What can go wrong in a high-gloss room? The most important factor is lighting. Especially with darker colors, your light sources will bounce right off the walls in “glare spots” around the room if you’re not careful. With the right lighting, the reflections on your walls, ceiling, or woodwork will look intentional and luxurious. But glare spots in the wrong places will just detract from the overall effect.
You must carefully balance other colors and patterns in the room
Again, this is more of a consideration with darker spaces. High-gloss walls that are black or navy blue will automatically have a lot of contrast, with all the light sources and reflections in the room. As Austin-based color consultant Max Ruthven explains in her post on the impact of visual overstimulation, high-contrast interiors are not always the most soothing. In untrained hands, a high-contrast room can actually make us feel drained, as our nervous systems deal with the constant sensory overload.
This doesn’t mean you can’t paint your dining room or study in that dramatic high-gloss aubergine you love, but it does mean you need to build in enough softness, color range, and (we gotta say it again) well-designed lighting that the overall effect is pleasant, not jarring.
It will cost more to get your walls painted in high gloss
Now for the practical considerations. Let’s start with the underlying substrate, the surface of your walls or ceiling.
Because high-gloss paint is more reflective, light will bounce off every little imperfection on your walls. Any little bump will be highlighted as if a spotlight were shining on it. Therefore your walls have to be perfectly smooth to start with. In most cases, this means your painter will need to float your walls to perfection (sometimes called a “level 5” finish in contractor lingo, or “wallpaper ready”). This extra prep time will be reflected in your painting estimate.
Also, high-gloss paint can’t just be rolled on like regular paint, or you’ll end up with “roller stipple”. Basically, light would reflect off every little bump left from the texture of the rolled paint. Here’s an example (not our work):
So high-gloss paint (whether acrylic enamel or lacquer) must be sprayed on. Your painter must have the skill to spray on the finish consistently without drips or runs. They’ll even have to account for environmental factors, because high humidity (such as you might encounter in new construction in the middle of summer) can make high-gloss paints cloud or fog up, especially with darker colors.
For all these reasons – extra prep and time to float your walls smooth, practiced skill in spraying large areas flawlessly, the right working environment – professional painters will charge more to paint a room in high gloss than they would to paint the same room in a matte or eggshell finish. And please don’t even think of trying this yourself! Painting in high gloss is not a DIY project.
Touch-ups are harder to do on high-gloss walls
This is why I don’t consider high-gloss walls a more “durable” option. Yes, the higher the sheen, the easier it is to wipe down. But walls can go through a fair amount of stress just from everyday life – pets, rambunctious kids, even moving a piece of art from one spot on the wall to another (leaving a nail hole that needs patching). When touch-ups are needed, your painter may have to prep and re-spray the area all over again. For that reason, most designers reserve high-gloss applications for more “finished” spaces, where young kids aren’t a concern and the placement of artwork is already decided from the get-go.
The one situation where this is less of a factor is a room where your walls are basically all woodwork, such as built-in bookshelves. In that case, any small areas of sheetrock are less likely to get dinged or damaged. And the various beveled edges of paneled walls catch the light beautifully in high gloss.
Tips for success
If you’re planning a high-gloss space, kudos on your bold design choice! When designed properly, high-gloss rooms are showstoppers. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
Plan your budget carefully
Account for things like using an interior designer (strongly recommended), getting more nuanced lighting, and the higher cost of getting your high-gloss walls properly prepped and painted. Plus the possible maintenance cost if any future touch-ups are needed! This is not a DIY or “budget” option.
Pick the right interior designer
Make sure your designer of choice has worked with high-gloss walls before, and that her portfolio reflects this.
Hire an experienced painter
Not every painter can work with high-gloss paints. Perfect wall prep and skill with a sprayer are not optional. I don’t recommend going with the cheapest bid on this. Make sure your painter has photos of past work in high gloss.
Be careful with lighting
Just one central light fixture or a ceiling of can lights won’t cut it. You’ll want multiple, layered sources of light, including natural light, sconces, table lamps, and strategic use of overhead light. Dimmers are a must-have.
Balance the overall look with color, pattern, and textures
Especially with darker colors, you need to right mix of softness, range of color, and careful use of contrast to make sure your space is pleasing rather than stressful. Another reason to trust the design of your space to a professional!
When designed right, a room with high-gloss walls looks just stunning. It’s a bold design statement that can only be achieved in expert hands. A well-curated high-gloss room can be a source of joy and delight to everyone who enters it. If you want your space to be extra-special, to be a jewel box of a room that lifts their spirits and delights the eye, high-gloss paint on the walls and ceiling add just the right touch of sophistication. It’s not always perceptible right away, but with high-gloss walls, you can sense that this room is no ordinary space.
