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Use Color to Add (or Subtract) Space

If your room is small, try choosing a lighter color for the walls and large furnishings to make the room look larger. Darker colors can create a cozier feeling and make a big room look smaller.

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  • Paint Color Perfect

    How to select the right hues for your home using our Color Visualizer.

    by Cathy Lloyd

    How many times have you faced the great wall of color swatches at your favorite paint store only to walk away dizzy and more confused? Or have you ever fallen in love with “the perfect color” only to find out that it looked much better as a swatch shade than as a whole room?

    Color is the easiest way to add personality and energize your rooms—but how do you know which colors to select? Many people avoid the color frenzy by sticking to neutral palettes, while some brave souls play the ‘trial and error game’ to find the right color combination. Luckily, HomeFurnishings.com offers a free Color Visualizer tool to help you choose the best hues for your home. Before we highlight the easy steps for using this resource, here are a few tips for choosing colors.

     

    Color Combo Tips

    • Look at the furniture, fabrics and artwork already in the room. What colors stand out? Starting with an existing color in a room can provide a sense of cohesiveness.
    • Take a hint on color harmonies from Mother Nature. Think of the warm colors of a sunset and how they all work together. Another example is the combination of beach colors with the taupe brown sand complementing the shades of blue in the water and sky.
    • What feeling do you want the room to convey? Red is an energizing color and induces hunger so it works well in dining rooms. Blues and greens are calm, relaxing colors—perfectly suited for bedrooms and family rooms. Bright sunny yellows add a cheerful accent to kitchens and bathrooms.
    • You don’t have to paint every wall the same color. Try painting the center wall a complementary color to make it stand out as an accent or focal point.
    • Don’t forget the ceiling. Ceilings make up one-sixth of the space in a room and offer a great way to add dimension and flair. Ceilings that are lighter than the walls feel higher while darker ones feel lower.  If your walls are lower than 9 feet, consider choosing ceiling paint two shades lighter than your walls. And if your ceilings are higher than 9 feet, paint them one shade darker than the walls.
    • Moldings can be painted too. Stick with white or light colors for a fresh, crisp, contemporary look, or try a shade darker than the ceiling for a bold contrast.

     

    Use the Right Tools

    Instead of trying to match paint swatches with bulky carpet and tile samples, or getting frustrated with expensive mistakes, you can virtually decorate and redecorate your rooms. Use our Color Visualizer to experiment with endless color combinations to find what works best for your room. The Color Visualizer tool not only has a palette of 600 paint colors, it also features countertops, hardwood and laminate floor choices, and various tile, carpeting and area rug selections. Follow these five easy steps to begin your planning:

     

    1. Click on “Color Visualizer” under the “PLAN” main tab on our homepage, or follow one of the links in this article.
    2. Select a room from one of the 50 virtual room layouts.
    3. Change the colors in that room by using the drop-down menu on the left to select the part of the room you want to experiment with, for example “Wall” or “Trim.”  Then choose “Paint” from the product category drop-down menu in the center. Finally, click and drag a color from the color palette onto the highlighted area in the photo.
    4. Try experimenting with the endless color and material combinations. Be daring: Sometimes the combinations you least expect might work well together end up being the ones that are perfect.
    5. When you’re done, you can save your color plan, print it or e-mail it to family and friends.

     

    With these easy tips and suggestions, you can now change the colors of your room with confidence.