You’re planning to remodel a room in your home. You’ve visited your favorite local and online sources for ideas, contacted the experts for guidance, and you can’t wait to pick out floor coverings, cabinets, hardware, countertops, and everything else you need to complete the transformation of your home.

And, in the midst of all this, you’re perusing paint chips, trying to work out colors for your walls and ceiling.

Of course the colors you choose should support the look you’re creating with that fabulous new furnishings, stylish glass backsplash or any of the other components you’ve carefully selected and coordinated. But the right tones and shades of paint, applied in the right way, can do so much more.

ProSource Wholesale Showroom gives us some advice on how to use color to get things started in your new interior design plan.

The Power of Color

Beyond adding color to a room, paint can actually add to (or subtract from) a room’s perceptual size. It also has the power to change the way we see the shape of a room, and even how we
feel when we’re in it.

For example, bright colors like the yellow adorning the walls of this dining room create a positive mood that welcomes everyone to the table.

Like many colors, yellows can be warm or cool. You can give your room a sunny smile or a serenely sophisticated air, simply through the yellow you choose.

Lighter colors in cool shades, such as light blues, tend to take a visual step back, making things seem farther away — including your walls. On the other hand, colors that are deeper and warmer, such as browns and reds, aren’t afraid to get right up close. This can make your walls seem nearer, and bring a cozy feeling to even a more expansive room. This bedroom, with its comforting mocha walls, is an inviting example.

Change your room’s visual height.

To give your ceiling a bit of a “lift,” paint it white or another color lighter than your walls. Remember that lighter colors create that “far away” feeling, which will help your ceiling soar.

For a ceiling that seems too distant, choose a darker paint color than you’ve chosen for your walls. This will help bring it “down to earth.” Another trick to visually lower a ceiling is to bring the ceiling color down over the walls by about a foot. If your ceiling is very tall, you won’t perceive the line, but you’ll feel as though the ceiling is more within reach.

Use color to get your room in shape.

Use color to get your room in shape. Want to subtract some length from a long, rectangular room? Paint the longer walls in light, cool shades, and bring the short walls in by painting them in darker, warmer shades.

The same principle applies to “slimming down” a wide room – use darker, warmer shades to bring the short walls closer, and light cool shades to push the long walls back. This will help you “square up” the look of your room.

For another way to make a room seem taller or longer, take a hint from fashion designers. Vertical stripes will give your room a longer, leaner look, while painting horizontal stripes will add perceived width or length.

When it comes to enhancing a room remodel, a paintbrush can be a pretty powerful tool. In fact, you might say it can even work magic. Especially when you pair it with careful color choices, some creative planning… and of course, more than a few strokes of genius.

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Below are some color choice tips that can go a long way in creating the perfect space for you!

xoxo Jennifer