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Choosing A
Color For Your Walls |
The decorating trend has moved away from
all white walls to adding color to our homes. Color is a
great idea, but it’s not always easy to choose. You can
bring paint chips home, but take it from me; even that does
not always ensure you have chosen the correct color.
Color definitely affects your mood, so you want to choose
the right color for the right room. Warm colors in reds and
yellows promote sociability and are a great color for
kitchens and living rooms where family gathers. However, if
you are constantly on a diet, you may want to choose blue
for your kitchen and dining room, as it is believed to be an
appetite suppressant. Red is a stimulating color and may not
be the best choice for a bedroom if you have trouble
sleeping. If you want a room to be quiet and serene, choose
the cool color schemes of blues, greens, and violets.
Neutral earth tones are also calming colors.
There are three ways to create a color scheme for your home.
The first is using a complimentary color scheme. This scheme
uses the color wheel with colors at the opposite end of the
wheel. They are directly across from one another on the
color wheel. They do not match or blend, but rather
compliment each other. Some examples of complimentary colors
are red and green, blue and orange, or violet and yellow.
This is a bold statement and is best used for accent colors.
For example if you have yellow walls, you may want to have
violet in your pillows for a little bling.
The second color scheme is analogous, which uses colors that
lie directly next to each other on the color wheel. Examples
of analogous colors are blue and violet, violet and red, red
and orange, orange and yellow, yellow and green, and green
and blue. These colors blend well because each has a little
bit of the other in it. This scheme can be used with both
vibrant or pastels, or a mix of pastel with an accent wall
in vibrant. You can use a dash of complimentary color on the
opposite end of the color wheel for accents such as pillows,
art, and accessories.
The third scheme is a monochromatic color scheme, which
simply uses the same color in various tones and shades. You
can go to your paint store and find a monochromatic mix on
their sample cards. This scheme can be very restful and
relaxing.
If you are afraid of a lot of color, a splash of color on
one accent wall can make a statement without dominating the
room. This wall can be a vibrant color or just a deeper
shade of your primary color. Another way to add color to a
room is to find something you love and go with that color as
an accent. This could be a piece of artwork, a treasure
heirloom, a rug, or a piece of pottery. Interior designers
usually say to pick the primary color of your room and
choose accent colors to match, but I find it easier to
choose a piece I love with color and then select the primary
neutral color for the walls. There are so many colors to
choose from today, you should have no problems selecting a
wall color.
Use color as texture for your room. There are many paint
finishes that add texture to your room. Suede and sand
finishes are a few examples. See our article on faux
painting for more texture ideas.
Don’t be afraid to mix warm and cool colors together, for
example; soft yellow walls with blue accents or a deep red
with a soft sage green.
Remember paint is cheap. If you don’t like the color once it
is on your wall, you can tone it down by colorwashing. This
is simply done by mixing a small amount of a neutral color
such as brown or black to water. ( 1 part paint to 10 parts
water) and painting over your too bright color. You can add
more or less water for whatever look you want. Do a practice
area before you commit to the whole wall. You don’t have to
buy a gallon of brown paint. Just go to your craft store and
buy 1 or 2 ounces of latex craft paint. You can use a brush
or even a cloth to wash over the wall. Try it. What have you
got to lose if you don’t like the original color? If you
don’t like the colorwash, go out and buy another gallon of
paint. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
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