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Did you know that with just a touch of color, you can perform visual miracles? Small spaces can be expanded, large spaces can be made more intimate, ceilings can be made to look higher or lower, and imperfections can be hidden in plain sight! All you need is to pick up a paintbrush—and follow these simple guidelines.
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Making small spaces look larger
Pale colors tend to recede visually (move away from you), so the lighter the color you choose for your walls and your floor, the larger your space will appear.
Cool colors (see The Creative Power of the Color Wheel feature) such as blues, greens and purples also appear to recede, making small spaces visually appear more open and spacious.
Shiny surfaces can help you expand space even more, which is definitely something to remember when selecting paint sheens.
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Tip: Use a semi-gloss sheen to visually expand a small kitchen or bathroom. Use a softer sheen, such as satin or eggshell, in bedrooms (these are especially great for kid's rooms) and living areas to offer a more subtle finish.
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Making large spaces look smaller
Deep, dark colors appear to visually advance (move towards you) so they're the choice if you need to reduce the sense of space in one, several or all directions.
Warm colors (see The Creative Power of the Color Wheel feature) such as reds, oranges, and yellows also appear to advance, making large spaces painted in these types of hues appear more warm and cozy.
Soft, non-reflective colors also diminish the sense of space, so choose matte sheens for the walls of an over-large room.
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Tip: Use deep, warm colors to make a large, lifeless dining area (see Entertaining Décor feature) seem more intimate. Warm colors not only make large rooms appear cozier, but also can help to stimulate the appetite!
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Patterns are a wild card
Patterns with a strong directional feel (stripes, for example) can also help to visually expand your space.
Vertical stripes tend to make rooms seem taller, while horizontal stripes make rooms appear longer.
On the other hand, small dense patterns (especially in dark colors) can make a room feel smaller.
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Trim, molding and even furniture placed at various heights can affect our perceptions of space.
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Corridor clipper. Do you have a long, boring corridor that seems never-ending? Paint the far wall in a deep, warm color and it will magically appear to shorten.
Tip: To give a corridor a more spacious look, paint it with light, cool colors. To make it look even longer, mount a tall mirror at the end, making the space appear to go on forever.
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Hiding things you don't like
Dark colors are great for disguising things you want to hide—for example, clusters of pipes or metalwork, ducts, vents, and doors or windows that are off-center, asymmetric, or just plain ugly.
Painting everything in the area in the same deep shade can help to camouflage unattractive features, making everything appear to blend together.
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Amazing, really—there are so many things that you can do with just a touch of color. All this power in a can of BEHR® paint!
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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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