(ARA) - Using wall color is one of the most exciting and impactful aspects
of home decorating. With paint, you can create a mood and atmosphere that expresses
your personality and makes your home uniquely yours. With a little planning,
painting is an easy and economical way to periodically update your palettes
and reflect current tastes.
"Color plays an important role in how your home looks and how you feel
in it," says Charlie Chase, president and CEO of CertaPro Painters, North
America's largest residential painting company. "Whether you undertake
the job yourself or you hire professionals, careful selection and use of color
can create a great sense of satisfaction without requiring a large investment."
To get started, keep in mind that inspiration for color can come from anywhere.
An entire color scheme can originate from a single item, such as a rug, and
can be carried out in just one room or throughout a house.
White Isn't Just White
Far from being bland, white can be warm and sensual, if used correctly. All-white
interiors evoke a modern and sophisticated look, whereby shadows and textures
take on a bigger role. You can choose from a variety of warm shades to effectively
create the illusion of space and to avoid a cold, clinical atmosphere. White
walls are the perfect scene-setter for colorful furnishings without making the
room seem cluttered.
Don't Forget the Ceiling
The clever use of color can transform the most difficult of spaces. Dark
shades "lower" the ceiling and lighter shades give a lofty feel. Painting
a vibrant ceiling to match a favorite piece can pull a whole look together.
Pastels Create Serenity
Light colors, such as pastel yellow or lavender, allow a great deal of flexibility
and help create an atmosphere that is bright and spacious. Pastels impart a
feeling of tranquility, which may be ideal for a bedroom or quiet area of the
house. Colors on the blue end of the spectrum imbue a cool effect, while those
tinged with red, orange, or yellow add warmth to a room.
Be Bold with Darker Colors
Painting with dark tones is a powerful design statement. Dark colors are
ideal for creating a cozy atmosphere in a large, well-proportioned room. Painting
one wall of a room or an alcove within a room in darker tones can be a useful
technique for accentuating certain features or adding a sense of depth.
Mixing It Up
Combining colors is an easy way to add drama and dimension throughout your
home. Warm colors work well together and tend to be lively and exotic. Cooler
shades suggest a relaxed, calm atmosphere. The degree to which you achieve these
effects depends on the intensity of the color and whether you use them pure
or mixed.
"Choosing a unifying color palette helped make the large addition to
our house feel as if it's always been a part of the original structure,"
says Michael Kluber, president of Kluber, Skahan and Associates, an architectural,
engineering, and construction management firm, who selected CertaPro Painters
to paint the interior and exterior of his house located 40 miles west of Chicago
in Batavia, Ill. "Throughout much of the house, we used one light neutral
that's very calming and in harmony with nature. The rest of the rooms use colors
that complement it and one another so there's a sense of coherence, intimacy,
and harmony at work as you go from room to room."
Room to Change
As you consider color and its effect, take into account the room size, its
functionality, and how often it's used. For example, do you have a hectic living
room with lots of activity in a small space? If so, too much strong color may
add to the confusion. Or perhaps, there's a room that needs to serve more than
one function throughout the day. If so, what color serves both purposes?
In general, small rooms do best with light colors, which make surfaces blend
into the background and become less conspicuous. If bright-toned colors are
important to you, try incorporating rugs, pillows, and curtains as a way to
introduce splashes of color. If you do try strong colors, remember to limit
your color scheme to different shades of a single color. You can use dark colors
but avoid too many color contrasts that can make objects feel as if they are
coming at you. Alternatively, deep, rich colors that create the impression of
advancing toward the viewer are a good choice for large spaces. A large room
can withstand and even benefit from strong, pure colors.
In the end, whatever color choice you go with, always buy a small amount
of paint first and test the color on the wall. Don't be shy about taking a few
risks with color. If you end up with something you don't love, keep in mind
it's relatively easy to fix.
Visit www.certapro.com or call (800) GoCerta for a free brochure from CertaPro
Painters.
Courtesy of ARA Content
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