Choose the Right Colour for Your Room

Changing the color in your room is a fairly simple way to make it look really different. Color can create a specific feeling or atmosphere, and make a unique statement that reflects your individuality. You can use color to showcase the things about your room that you really love, and make the most of your room's particular features and proportions.

Steps

Evaluating the Space

1. Get a feel for the space as a whole. Spend some time thinking about how your room looks and feels now, and what you want to change or keep. Are there features in the room you want to play down or emphasize? Do you want your room to feel airier or cozier? The color you use can help you achieve the look and feel you have in mind.
   • High contrast either in color or intensity can create a visual focal point of some feature in your room that you really love.
   • Avoid sharp contrasts between color or intensity if you want to downplay areas or features in your room.
   • Light or neutral colors can open up a small space.
   • Deep, rich colors in warm tones will create a cozy, inviting space.
2. Evaluate the room's dimensions. You want to have a sense of the proportions of the room as well as how much paint you are going to need based on the square footage.
3. Choose a color based on room size. Wall color can change the way room size feels or appears. If you have a very large or a very small room, select a color that will make the most of your space.
   • Avoid sharp contrasts between colors in small rooms. Try cooler tones in neutral shades to help the room feel larger.
   • Large rooms can feel more cozy with medium to deep colors in warm tones.
4. Compare the ceiling height to the room's size. How large or small the room feels or appears to be can be affected by the ceiling. For instance, a large room can feel smaller if the ceiling is low, and a smaller room can feel bigger if the ceiling is very high.
   • With a large room and a high ceiling, or a small room with a low ceiling, a contrast in color tone or intensity can visually separate the walls and ceiling. This will make a larger space feel more intimate and a small space feel more expansive.
   • If your room is small and has a high ceiling, or is large with a low ceiling, keep the color tones the same. Make sure that the contrast between the walls and ceilings is moderate or low.
5. Take the amount of light into consideration. Room color appearance can change depending on how much light the room gets. Also, the kind of light in the room is a factor in how the color looks.
   • Natural light will change during the day, so how it affects wall color will change too. Try out your color options first. Paint sections of the walls and check to see how it looks throughout the day.
   • Lighting fixtures also impact how colors will look. Paint a few sections in your color options, and then turn on the lights you will use most often to see how they affect the color.
6. Consider the room’s features. If your room has one or two large unbroken walls, the color you choose will have a big impact on the room overall. If there are multiple doors and windows throughout, your room will have a lot of color contrast between trim and door colors, and the wall color.
7. Paint the ceiling in a color that complements the walls. When you change the wall color and trim color, you need to make sure the ceiling coordinates and looks just as fresh as the newly painted walls. In addition, just as the tone and shade can change how the room’s proportions feel, the ceiling color will have the same effect on how high or low the ceiling seems to be.

Picking the Right Paint Color

1. Use your smartphone or tablet to “try” colors. Many places that sell paint and home decor items have websites or apps that will let you sample different colors virtually. There are also free apps that can do the same thing. These kinds of tools are great for getting a sense of how things will look overall, but keep in mind the digital version is only an approximation of how colors will coordinate in the actual space.
2. Pick up paint color chips. Places that sell paint will have printed cards that show different paint colors and color families. These samples will be organized by paint brand as well as by tone and color. This is a really good way to start the process of choosing a color. Take a handful home and see how they look in your room.
3. Ask for advice. People working in the paint department can help you decide on paint finishes as well as colors and tones. Some places have decorators on staff to advise customers about getting different looks by using different paint colors and finishes.
4. Test paint colors on your walls. Ultimately there is no substitute to putting paint on the wall in your room. You can get the most accurate sense of how a color will look from seeing it in your specific space.
   • Always put two coats up when testing paint color.
   • Put paint on two or three different walls to get a feel of the overall effect in your room.
   • Make the test area big enough to be able to really see how the color will work. A 2’ x 2’ square at eye level should be adequate.
   • Paint a thick stripe near the flooring to be sure it works with your floor color and texture.
5. Test paint color on a foam core board. If it isn't possible to put sample colors up on your walls, try making a foam core board substitute. You can get a pretty accurate sense from this method as well.

Creating the Look You Want

1. Decide how you want the room to feel. What kind of mood do you want your room to convey? Colors can create a sense of calm or rev up your mood. Decide if you want to feel soothed when you spend time in your room, or if you want to feel peppy and full of energy.
2. Look through decorating magazines and websites. Create a file with images you like and use these as a guide to help you decide what you want to do.
   • Look for images of rooms that have an overall feel that you like.
   • Save images that have elements or details that appeal to you.
   • Make notes to yourself about why you like a particular room or look. You may forget if you collect a lot of images.
   • Pin up print images in your room and visualize how different looks would work in your space.
3. Select a color scheme. Color family and tone are important factors in how a room will look and feel. Colors will also range from light to medium to dark. Accent colors or trim colors should have the same tone as the wall and ceiling, but you can use color intensity or color families that complement each other to create contrast.
   • Color tone is either warm, cool, or neutral. Warm tones can create a cozy feel, while cool tones can make a room feel bigger.
   • Choosing coordinating colors of the same intensity can make a room feel more spacious.
   • Large rooms can look very dramatic and dynamic if there are sharp contrasts between the intensity of the trim and the wall color.
4. Pick a color family to create feeling. Different color families affect how people feel; some colors are warmer, and others cooler, and these qualities are important for conveying a mood.
   • Reds are hot or warm colors typically. Red is also a very hot color in terms of creating a feeling in a room. Red can feel romantic and dramatic, or lively and exciting.
   • Blue is a cool color, and conveys a sense of calm and peace. Like the perfect clear light blue of a summer sky or the deep blue of the ocean, the soothing quality of blues won’t vary much with intensity.
   • Try green colors for a good balance between warm and cool. Because green is the result of a warm color (yellow) and a cool color (blue), it is an excellent choice for rooms with a neutral feel.
   • Yellow is an energy color as well as a comforting hue. Yellow is a great choice for rooms that could use some brightening up while still feeling soft and tranquil.
   • Neutrals like beiges or whites will almost always have a hint of color and tone. If you want a very quiet space these are a good choice, and you can introduce a suggestion of warmth or coolness by choosing a neutral with warm or cool colored tints.

Tips

• Coordinate walls with floor color. If you are redoing your floors as well as your walls and ceiling, you should find flooring that works with your color scheme. If you are not changing the flooring, make sure to check your color options for walls and ceiling against the current floor.
• Be sure to protect floors and furniture when you are testing colors. Use plastic or cloth covers whenever you are working with paint.
• Use good brushes and paint rollers. The tools you use to apply paint can help the color look its best, or result in a disappointing outcome
• Prep walls and trim before painting with a good cleaning. Use a mild cleanser diluted in water so that you don't end up with residue that interacts with the paint.

Sources and Citations

See also

• Identify Lead Paint
• Accessorize a Nightstand
• Arrange Bedroom Furniture
• Choose Interior Paint Colors
• Personalize Your Desk
• Feng Shui Your Bedroom
• Redecorate Your Room
• Make up a Bed Neatly
• Decorate a Bedroom
• Make Your Bedroom Look Cosy

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