Design Tips

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Color Effects
Don't be Afraid of Color

Color Effects

By Judy Goldwater, Lifestyle Designer Central Coast

Have you ever thought you found the perfect color for your living room or bedroom, bought all the necessary materials, paint brushes, plastic, tape and a bucket of paint, and then, after painting the first wall, realized that the “perfect” paint color was too light, clashes with your carpet, or reminds you of a bowl of split pea soup that once made you ill? This experience is more common than you might think. To avoid them in the future, make sure that you not only understand the colors you choose, but also know the thrifty way to obtain color samples. That way, you won't be left with an entire gallon of paint waiting for the hazardous waste pick-up day in your town.

To start the selection process, you should understand colors and the effects they have on us. Colors divide into warm and cool categories, helping us choose shade might best dress the walls. For example:

Pale blue colors give the illusion of a larger room. Take a look at the photo below, and you'll notice the blues give the room a cool and fresh feeling. Cool colors tend to create a soft and quiet environment. Green, blue green, violet blue and violet also run in the cool categories.

Yellow falls into the warm color category, and can act as a stimulating and energetic color. With the correct lighting (as shown in the photo below) it is easy to calm the energy of the yellow and create a comfy and cozy place to relax.

The colors yellow orange, orange, red and red violet fall into the warm color categories.

Be observant while in restaurants, friends' homes, stores, or flipping through magazines and books; you'll get a good sense for how colors affect your mood and which ones you like best.

To test colors economically, find a few that you would like to try in your home. While at the paint store, look for sample color packs. Many paint stores are happy to mix up a pint for you to test at home. When you get home, paint a 2'x2' patch on your wall and live with it for a day or two. Then you'll know if that color is going to work without having wasted a gallon of paint!