Posted on: July 23, 2007

Color Your World

Whoï¿½s afraid of Purple Smash? Hereï¿½s how to introduce fresh, strong color to your home today - and wake up happy tomorrow

By Beth Kujawski
CTW Features

Colors that lie across from one another on the color wheel are complementary colors: red and green, blue and orange, yellow and purple. Using analogous colors from room to room will create more flow.

Color can be scary. If you've lived your life in a world of white and beige, you might feel a little daunted when it comes time to spruce up a room. After all, in terms of square footage, no other surface in a room has as much impact as your walls. At the same time, painting is the easiest - and usually least expensive - decorating project to redo if you don't like the results. So have no fear. Color is here.

If the thought of frequent taping and spackling leaves you cold, adhere to one of the basic rules of decorating: Start with what you love. More than likely, you probably have a pretty solid personal style, you just may have never thought about what that style is. Chances are, you're drawn to colors that all relate to a central color. Think about the colors that please you - sometimes, what's trendy and what you love will be the same thing - then let your rooms guide you. The size and function of rooms will help determine what colors suit them. Some rooms scream to be painted a certain color. Others whisper. Listen closely.

There is nothing wrong with painting every room in your house a different color. Just make sure the colors harmonize. If you can see your kitchen from your living room, you'll want the colors to complement each other, not clash. Colors that lie across from one another on the color wheel are complementary colors: red and green, blue and orange, yellow and purple. Colors that lie next to one another are analogous colors: yellow-green, yellow, yellow-orange. Using complementary colors will yield rooms with both balance and contrast. Using analogous colors from room to room will create more flow. One way to pull all the rooms together is to paint each of the ceilings and all the trim the same, neutral color.

The exposure of a room (southern and western exposures receive lots of natural light throughout the day; northern and eastern exposures receive the most light in the morning), the number of windows and even exterior architecture (porches, wide eaves, etc.) will all play a role in helping you determine what colors suit the space.

Consider another basic rule: light colors make a room look bigger. That's true. But sometimes, there's just no point in trying to fool your eye or anyone else's. Some rooms are just small, so why not enliven the walls with a jolt of color? Any shade of purple, from periwinkle to plum, is a fun choice for a small bathroom, especially if you have white fixtures. White will help balance the room and give your eye a place to rest. (Fluffy white towels will do the same trick.) And, hey: A bright color will help you wake up in the morning.

On the other hand, if you're trying to get some sleep, consider painting your bedroom a relaxing color. Designers are declaring that sage green is on the wane, but don't let that stop you. Greens can be calming and may be just what you should be looking at before you turn out the lights and drift off.

Whatever colors you choose, trust your instincts. At the paint store, take chips of any colors that interest you for the room you're painting. Once you have them home and look at them in the room's light and with your furnishings and accessories, appropriate colors will start to stand out. When you've whittled the chips down to a few choices, ask your paint salesperson to provide you with "pull-downs," larger swatches of the colors you've chosen. Live with those on the walls for at least 24 hours, so you can see the colors in the varying lights of day. Once you've made your choice, have the paint guy swipe a bit of color that's just been mixed onto the paint chip you selected it from. Make sure you can't tell where the paint ends and the chip begins. If the color looks off, don't accept the paint until it's adjusted to the color you've selected. You're the one who's going to end up repainting if you don't get the color you wanted.

Paint itself will be one of the most reasonable investments you make in a room, but once you add your time and effort, the cost escalates. So after you've conquered your fear of color, don't be afraid to spend some cash on good paint.

When it comes to paint, price is a fair guide of what you're getting. Good paint will adhere to the wall better, cover more and spatter less. The difference in price between good paint and not-so-good paint isn't much, but you'll be glad when the rollers are washed and the tape is pulled down and you love the results. Buy cheaper paint and you may have to paint many coats to get good coverage, thereby using more paint, not saving much money and costing yourself a bundle in frustration. And when it comes time to wash your walls, good paint will stand up to scrubbing.

Color trends come and go, but your preferences will last a lifetime. If you want to keep current, read up on what designers are doing with interior colors and decide if what's hot works for you.