When you are decorating a small room, it's important
to learn the rules that have been around for decades. Then, forget those
rules. In the past, it was common knowledge that all small rooms should be
painted in light colors to make the room appear larger. Another rule is that
you should avoid warm colors, as they advance toward you as you sit in the room
unaware of the impending advance from the lovely yellow walls. But there
are some rules that can stifle creativity, and keep you from creating the room
of your dreams.
Do You Need to Make the Room Look Larger?
When you read that you should decorate
small rooms in light neutrals to make the room appear larger, it makes
perfect sense in theory. A lighter color can make a room feel airy and
spacious. Before you decide to create a neutral color scheme for the
room, ask yourself if making the room larger is really your decorating
goal. If you are standing in the room and thinking to yourself that you
need to find some way to make that room look larger, then perhaps pale neutrals
are a good choice.
If you are standing the small room
thinking that you'd like to create a beautiful room, and see no need to
make the room look larger, then you are more open to creating a palette based
on your own style.
Unless a room is abnormally small, and
possibly windowless, you have much more freedom in choosing colors than you may
have been led to believe. Choose neutral paint colors if you love the
look of a neutral color scheme. With that neutral palette, you can also add an
accent wall in a darker or more vibrant color, or add those colors as accents
in your decor or window treatments.
Try a Monochromatic Color Scheme
If you'd like to be more daring with your
color choices in a small space, then a monochromatic color scheme is
a great way to rev up your color, while keeping the look orderly. A
monochromatic color scheme is easily achieved by choosing shades of the same
color to use throughout the room. This is a sophisticated look that is very
relaxing in a variety of decorating styles.
Dark Colors in a Small Space?
Dark colors can be used successfully in a
small space if you keep the color palette simple. Dining rooms and powder rooms
are popular choices for dark wall color, regardless of the size of the room.
Dark walls make a stunning backdrop for decorating with artwork,
especially with painted metallic or white frames.
Warm or Cool Colors?
Using cool colors in a small room is
another popular decorating rule. In color theory, we learn that warm
colors advance and cool colors retreat. It's a valid point to consider in
decorating a small space, but it doesn't mean that you must use pale blue or
beige in every small room of your home. Using cool colors in a small
space should be a guideline and a consideration, not an iron-clad rule.
If you would like warm colors in your small
room, you can choose light shades of those colors on your
walls without fear that they will close in on you. You can also choose
warm colors for a small room if you keep your accents colors and trim light or
white, to break up the intense color. Most successful color palettes
include a mix of warm and cool colors, with one color temperature
dominating. For a small space, you could choose a dominant warm color,
but sprinkle the room with cool accents, and air accessories.
As with most decorating rules, it is great
to know them as they can help you avoid decorating pitfalls that others have
encountered before you. When decorating your own small spaces, know the rules,
but let your own personal style be your guide.
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