The colour of paint can have a great effect on the look and feel of a room. Here are a few tips on choosing the perfect colour.
- Making a small room look bigger and lighter.
Lighter colours will make a small room look bigger. A pale shade will open out a dark room and will help to conceal pipes, radiators or irregular window shapes. Cool shades such as light blues will have a cooling effect on a sunny room. White woodwork and chrome accessories will also help to give a room a more open, clean, cooling feel. Lighter shade furniture will help to enhance this effect.
- Diminishing a large room
Dark colours can make large room look cosier. To make a low ceiling look higher, paint it a lighter shade than the walls, to have the opposite effect, paint the ceiling a darker shade. Do disguise an odd shaped room, paint the walls and the ceiling a dark colour and break it up with skylights / down lights.
- Establishing a mood
Strong primary colours broken up with neutrals will provide a stimulating feel to a room. For a more relaxed feel neutral colours would be a better choice. A burnt orange colour will give warmth to a large room especially if lots of light is allowed in through the windows. Remember to take your furniture into account when you decide on a paint colour. If couches, carpets, paintings and curtains are the right colours, it can complement the effect you want for a room, however it can take the whole effect away if it doesn't go with the colour of your walls. If you don't have enough money to buy new furniture, throws can do the job just as well.