| Warm Colors: |
Reds, yellows, oranges and peaches are warm colors. Intense warm colors create
exciting spaces, while subdued warm colors form pleasant rooms for social gatherings. Warm
colors are often used in eating areas, like breakfast or dining rooms.
Warm colors also help make north rooms more inviting. Research has shown that people
actually feel warmer in a room painted with yellows, reds or oranges than they do in a
white or blue room. In colder climates, warm colors are a popular choice.
| Warm Colors: |
|
- advance toward the viewer
- are masculine
- are informal
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- are cozy
- are intimate
- are inviting
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| Cool Colors: |
Blues, greens, lavenders and grays are cool colors. Intense cool colors are fresh
and dramatic, while subdued cool grays are tranquil. Cool colors make rooms feel less
confining. They are often used in bathrooms and other small rooms.
Use cool colors in west-facing kitchens, porches and other areas where afternoon heat is a
problem. In very warm climates, using white and cool colors exclusively can make an entire
house seem more comfortable.
| Cool Colors: |
|
- recede or appear farther away
- enlarge a room
- are feminine
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- are formal
- are calming
- are tranquil
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| Neutral Colors: |
| Neutral colors are shades of white, gray or beige. Most neutrals are tinted
slightly with a warm or cool color. Neutral-colored walls provide a backdrop that does not
compete with furnishings and accessories. back to top |
| Light Colors: |
| Light colors create bright, spacious rooms. To the eye, light colors seem to
recede, making rooms appear larger and ceilings higher. Since light colors reflect the most light, they can brighten
a north-facing room, a closet or dark hallway. White walls form a neutral background that
does not compete with furnishings.
Wall roughness and paint sheen can
affect the lightness of any color. Smooth surfaces and gloss paints reflect maximum light
to make a color seem lighter. Rough-textured walls and flat sheen paints hold more shadow
and minimize the lightness of a color.
| Light Colors: |
|
- reflect light
- make a room appear larger
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- make a room appear
more open and spacious
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| Dark Colors: |
| Use dark colors to create an intimate room. Because dark colors absorb light,
walls appear closer to make the room seem smaller. Darker colors can be used to disguise problem areas such as
uneven walls, or to make a high ceiling seem lower. In heavy-use areas, dark colors can
help hide wear. Rough surfaces and flat paint finishes make colors seem darker because
they absorb more light.
Dark walls tend to dominate, so you
may choose to use lighter-colored accents to add balance to a room. When the walls are
dark, it is a good idea to tint the ceiling paint slightly with the wall color to make the
room blend and work together.
| Dark Colors: |
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- absorb light
- are intimate
- are heavy
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- are quiet
- make a room
appear smaller
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| Bright Colors: |
Bright colors are highly saturated with pigment. They are not diluted by white or
darkened by black. Bright colors work well in active spaces like recreation rooms, sun
porches and children's rooms. Because bright colors draw attention, they are often used as
accents in rooms with neutral or subdued color schemes.
| Bright Colors: |
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- create excitement
- are active
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| Subdued Colors: |
| Subdued colors are less saturated with pigment than bright colors. They are
blended to include mixtures of white, black or gray. Subdued colors are relaxing and
restful, and are frequently used in studies and bedrooms, and form a soft background in
bathrooms and dressing rooms. You can increase visual interest in a subdued room by adding
a few brightly-colored accents. back
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