How to Use Color in Small Rooms

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. 

The Essential Do's and Don'ts of Decorating With Color

Here's How to Avoid Getting Overwhelmed With Choosing Color for Your Home

Choosing color for your home can be overwhelming.  You can spend hours collecting images and inspiration for your next decorating project, and still feel a little lost when it comes to putting those decorating ideas together. Get the confidence you need for your next decorating project with these easy tips.

DON’T be afraid to express yourself with color. If you love the color orange, then find a way to incorporate that into your decor.  If you simply must have those vintage floral drapes in shades of pink, then surround them with colors that complement them. If you’re not feeling bold enough to paint an apple green accent wall,  try it instead as an accent on painted furniture. 

DO consider the existing colors in your room before adding more color. All the colors in a room are not apparent at first glance. You can walk into an empty room and not realize that there is already color in there that will affect future color plans.

  When you’re adding color to a room, don’t forget to consider the existing color. This can include flooring, cabinets, ceilings, counters and even the colors coming in from the windows. Many color schemes have been derailed by the lush green landscape outside, turning everything green when the drapes were opened. 

DO learn the difference between warm and cool colors. Knowing how to identify a color’s temperature is going to make your color decisions so much easier.  If you’ve ever brought home a color sample or decor accessory in a neutral color that never quite felt right with similar colors, most likely it was a color temperature issue. 

DO sample any paint color you’re considering for your home. When so much of our initial paint color selection begins online, your color is only as accurate as your computer monitor. When you're in the paint or home improvement store, you are choosing colors in their lighting. When you tape the paint strips on your wall, it’s still not the best indicator of how the color will look painted on the wall. Properly sampling paint is the most important DO when it comes to  choosing paint for your home.

DO use sample paint boards to sample color at home. This is a great way to sample color that you’re considering in a room. Using a generously sized board, you can see how the color reacts in the space. The beauty of using sample boards is that you can move them around to assess the lighting from every angle.  Using sample boards also allows you to concentrate on viewing one color at a time, rather than those big rectangles of color painted next to each other on the wall. Check out the newest products for paint sampling, too. Your local paint or home improvement store offers more than just paint boards now. Repositionable paintable films are great for sampling color throughout your room.

DON’T be afraid of using dark colors in small spaces. Conventional decorating wisdom has always been that a small room should be decorated in light colors so that it appears larger. While this may be good advice if the room is abnormally small, it’s not always the best advice. A dark color with light trim and accents can create a stylish look in a small room. You can challenge the idea that you should be decorating to make a room appear larger, by instead decorating to make a room feel wonderful. 

DON’T get overwhelmed with color choices. There are thousands of color and style options out there. If you’re going to be tackling a decorating project soon, set a deadline for the moment that you’ll stop searching and start decorating. Set a deadline to create your color palette, and get to work on creating the room of your dreams. 

How to Decorate With Red

Red is a dynamic color in decorating. It’s also a color that brings up strong feelings, as it tends to divide home decorators into a “love red” or “hate red” camp. Most often used in dining rooms, red is a misunderstood color that can offer so much more than just an occasional dinner party at home. 

 

It can be a challenge to incorporate red in decorating, but once you think outside the box with the ways it can be used creatively, decorating with red can be a joy. Before you add red to your space, it’s crucial to learn the Do’s and Don’ts of this energetic color.

DO think of red as a versatile color. Though red is popular in Asian-inspired decorating, for Feng Shui decorating, and in traditional styles, it can be added to almost every style. 

DON’T be afraid to use red outside the dining room. There was a trend in the 1990s of painting our dining rooms in rich red hues. This is still a popular choice, but other rooms can handle red beautifully.

Powder rooms, foyers, kitchens, and family rooms, are perfect choices for red paint and accessories.

DO plan for multiple coats of paint, if you’re using red paint. Red often requires more coats of paint to achieve the deep color you’re expecting, and often a coat of primer. Another option is using a tinted primer or self-priming paint as your base, this will help you achieve your target color with less coats. 

DO focus on red in accessories, rather than large-scale furnishings if you're just getting started with choosing red. Unless you are an unabashed lover of red, a red sofa or headboard may be overwhelming and limit how you decorate in the future. Red accessories can be moved around, and even put away for the seasons, keeping your decor fresh.

DON’T think that there is only one type of red. Red can be warm or cool. Warm reds have a brown undertone, and look wonderful with warm neutrals. The cool reds have more violet or blue undertone, and work best with black, cool gray, and white. Knowing the color temperature and identifying the undertone of your red is important when creating a color scheme.

DO consider a red accent wall.  If you would love to introduce red into a space, but would like to balance the color, an accent wall is a great idea. Warm reds look particularly beautiful with stone fireplaces and wood mantels, as an accent.

DON’T consider any red paint color without sampling first. For bold colors, sampling is mandatory. Given the multiple coats of paint required to achieve your chosen color, a full-scale painting project in red needs sampling before committing to the color. A red paint may appear much differently in the space, than on a paint strip. For sampling complex colors, a painted sample board is your best option. This allows you to apply multiple coats directly on the board, and not have to paint over large squares of heavily applied paint once you choose your wall color.

DO explore unexpected ways to add red to your home. A red faux-coral lamp could spice up a home decorated in a beach-inspired style. Adding a red throw to a dark leather couch can lighten up a dark room while keeping it elegant. Creating a red tile backsplash in a white kitchen adds energy and appetite to the space.

DON’T forget red when you’re landscaping your front yard and porch. Red flowering plants are one of the most attractive additions to enhance your home’s curb appeal. If you’re staging your home for sale, pots of red geraniums or red roses can create an inviting entrance to your home. 

The Essential Do's and Don'ts of Decorating With Color

Here's How to Avoid Getting Overwhelmed With Choosing Color for Your Home

Choosing color for your home can be overwhelming.  You can spend hours collecting images and inspiration for your next decorating project, and still feel a little lost when it comes to putting those decorating ideas together. Get the confidence you need for your next decorating project with these easy tips.

DON’T be afraid to express yourself with color. If you love the color orange, then find a way to incorporate that into your decor.  If you simply must have those vintage floral drapes in shades of pink, then surround them with colors that complement them. If you’re not feeling bold enough to paint an apple green accent wall,  try it instead as an accent on painted furniture. 

DO consider the existing colors in your room before adding more color. All the colors in a room are not apparent at first glance. You can walk into an empty room and not realize that there is already color in there that will affect future color plans.

  When you’re adding color to a room, don’t forget to consider the existing color. This can include flooring, cabinets, ceilings, counters and even the colors coming in from the windows. Many color schemes have been derailed by the lush green landscape outside, turning everything green when the drapes were opened. 

DO learn the difference between warm and cool colors. Knowing how to identify a color’s temperature is going to make your color decisions so much easier.  If you’ve ever brought home a color sample or decor accessory in a neutral color that never quite felt right with similar colors, most likely it was a color temperature issue. 

DO sample any paint color you’re considering for your home. When so much of our initial paint color selection begins online, your color is only as accurate as your computer monitor. When you're in the paint or home improvement store, you are choosing colors in their lighting. When you tape the paint strips on your wall, it’s still not the best indicator of how the color will look painted on the wall. Properly sampling paint is the most important DO when it comes to  choosing paint for your home.

DO use sample paint boards to sample color at home. This is a great way to sample color that you’re considering in a room. Using a generously sized board, you can see how the color reacts in the space. The beauty of using sample boards is that you can move them around to assess the lighting from every angle.  Using sample boards also allows you to concentrate on viewing one color at a time, rather than those big rectangles of color painted next to each other on the wall. Check out the newest products for paint sampling, too. Your local paint or home improvement store offers more than just paint boards now. Repositionable paintable films are great for sampling color throughout your room.

DON’T be afraid of using dark colors in small spaces. Conventional decorating wisdom has always been that a small room should be decorated in light colors so that it appears larger. While this may be good advice if the room is abnormally small, it’s not always the best advice. A dark color with light trim and accents can create a stylish look in a small room. You can challenge the idea that you should be decorating to make a room appear larger, by instead decorating to make a room feel wonderful. 

DON’T get overwhelmed with color choices. There are thousands of color and style options out there. If you’re going to be tackling a decorating project soon, set a deadline for the moment that you’ll stop searching and start decorating. Set a deadline to create your color palette, and get to work on creating the room of your dreams.