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Bored
with beige? Done white? Ready for something
a little more adventurous?
If so, bright, vital colors may be for you. Intense
and unusual, they’re energizing and powerful.
But decorating with them is like cooking with exotic
spices—it takes confidence, some knowledge and
a certain amount of courage.
Here’s how to do it—and succeed. |
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Before
you start painting, ask yourself the basics:
What feeling do I want in this space?
What practical things must I deal with (light,
room shape, existing furniture and architectural
details)?
Can I see other spaces from this space?
What colors will they be? How will that all
work?
And the most important question of all…”What
colors do I love?” (see Creating
a Color Scrapbook).That’s often the
perfect place to start, as you’re the
one who'll be living with them.
Don’t be rushed. Give yourself time to
absorb images and ideas from magazines and books.
Live with a test paint patch rolled onto a wall
for a week or two. |
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Start experimenting with
bold, high chroma colors by restricting yourself
to different shades of the same color. |
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Red
is a classic bold, bright color—sophisticated,
passionate
and extravagant. Pink is shocking, creative and
fun. |
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Orange
glows with warmth and positive energy. It’s
fun, active, young—and daring. |
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Yellow
will energize and warm any space that feels dull or
bland. The color of sunshine, it goes with almost
everything—especially in the kitchen. |
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Green,
in its bright shades is fresh, clean, energetic and
easy, and makes a good background for other bold colors.
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Blue,
ever popular, is calming and relaxing, connecting
you psychologically with the sky and sea. In deep
shades, it’s elegant and classic. |
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Purple,
poised between warm and cool, is mysterious
and magical. Unexpected and dramatic in its
pure form, in lighter shades it’s meditative
and calming. |
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Want to go a
step further? See The
Creative Power of the Color Wheel
for tips on combining colors. Try
adding the neighboring colors in
the color wheel—especially
on the warm side. (For orange, that
would be red and yellow).
Or look for wonderful, bold, unusual
contrasts in flowers and nature.
Or go all the way, and try complementary
colors—the ones directly opposite
on the color wheel.
The best schemes don’t add
just hints—they boldly contrast
blue with orange, purple with yellow,
red with green.
Don’t water down these bold
colors, making one into a pastel
for example. If you think it may
be too much, use carefully placed
white to keep the peace. |
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Stylish, daring color schemes
aren’t created to impress. They’re
always rooted in the personalities and innate
style of their creators—you! |
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Try the ColorSmart™ by BEHR interactive program to experiment with thousands of different color combinations and see how they look in actual room settings.
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