Home Decorating Color Tips

The size of the room and the mood you want to create will influence your home decorating color choices.

For a cozy ambiance you can go dark. Bold color can be used in larger rooms with plenty of natural light, or in rooms where you don’t spend a lot of time like the powder room or the foyer.

• Be careful with the deep colors as they will highlight any imperfections the walls may have.
• To accent deep color on the walls like a chocolate brown, paint the trim white, providing a crisp, clean look. A more muted color should have a darker color on the floor and a creamier-based trim.

• Vertical stripes with low ceilings will also heighten the feeling in the room. Be sure to compliment the scale of the room with the stripe you choose. For example pinstripes will become indistinct in a large room and large stripes in a small room will overpower the space.
• Making the ceiling darker than the walls will make the ceiling appear lower.

Distinguishing architectural features in a room can be made focal, such as thick baseboards, deep window sills, crown molding and fireplaces by using a contrast color to the walls.

• Mask any architectural flaws by painting them the same color as the walls, for example a radiator in the room. Draw the eye away from whatever in the room you may object to, by placing emphasis on something you do like. As an example, position a pair of chairs in a beautiful fabric or hang a piece of artwork.

Add interest to any room with a decorative painted faux finish to the walls.

Try to avoid using trendy colors so you don’t appear dated.

Often the home decorating color on the paint cards you pick up at the paint stores bears little resemblance when you go to put it on the walls. Try a test run with a sample on the wall, or paint a sizeable poster board to tack on the wall so that you can study it at different times during the day and night.

• Water-based paints are the easiest to work with. They dry quickly and clean up with soap and water.
• Paint comes in three finishes, gloss, semi-gloss and matte (satin or eggshell.) Flat paint will hide any imperfections but withstands washing the least. Gloss finish is the easiest to clean so consider using that on trim, doors and cabinets.

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