Room Painting Ideas

The four interior paint ideas that follow go contrary to some of the Interior Design color myths I often hear on the job...I'm sure you've heard some or all of these myths too.

As you learn and explore more about the world of Interior Design colors, you'll come up with your own interior paint ideas and, many of those ideas will fly in the face of color dogma you've heard over the years.

Hold your ground!! You're learning Interior Design color principles and your eye will tell you when your paint colors work.

Let's take a look at Four of the Most Common Interior Design Color Myths...Why you should ignore them...and, some alternative interior paint ideas that really work!

Myth #1 -- My room is so small; color on the walls will make it look even smaller.

Reality -- As far as perception of size goes, color isn't going to make a big difference. If some of you have had interior paint ideas that included deep saturated colors for smaller rooms...Go for it!

I recently read of a color design study done with two identical rooms--mirror images of each other. One was painted off-white, the other a pretty sage green. A number of people passed through both rooms and were then asked for their opinions. The overwhelming majority didn't notice the smallness of the room at all...but, almost all preferred the green room to the cold, naked off-white room...So, why sacrifice style?

Designer Tip: An interior paint idea that will make a small room feel larger is to paint adjacent rooms the same color. The effect is a spacious feeling as the borders between rooms disappear.

Myth #2 -- My windows are too small...there isn't enough natural light for color on my walls.

Reality -- If your windows are small, they won't matter anyway.

The little bit of light you're getting from your small windows isn't going to make a big impact even if your walls a white. I like to celebrate small rooms with deep color. Color emphasizes the intimate values of a small space and makes a personal statement about you.

Myth #3 -- My furniture is so dark, I need white to lighten the room.

Reality -- Surrounding large, bulky, dark wood furniture with white, off-white or pale pastels is the worst thing you can do. Why? Because the extreme contrast between light walls and dark furnishings makes the furnishings stand out and feel out of character to the rest of the space. Again, deep, saturated color will tend to diffuse the contrast and the darker colors will make more sense.

Myth #4 -- My room faces west. Won't warm colors make the room feel hot? Or vice versa--my room faces east, won't cool colors make the room feel cold?

Reality -- There are many influences on a room's "mood". Don't base your interior paint choices on only one lighting or environmental element. The emotional warmth of a compact west-facing room with a warm color palette again celebrates the intimate realities of the space.
Red
Red walls will increase a room energy level. You will never see red walls in a prison for that reason. Red can be consider for your bedroom ideas to increase activities at night, but don't paint the elderly person's room red. Red has been shown to raise blood pressure, speed respiration and heart rate

Yellow
Yellow is good for kitchen walls and bathrooms, it is uplifting and creates a feeling of sunshine. In living rooms, yellow can feel expansive and invigorating. Yellow is believed to stimulate the nerves and purify the body.

Green
Green is a relaxing and peaceful color. That's why people go to gardens to relax and seek calmness. Green can be painted in almost any room in the house. In a kitchen, a sage or medium green cools things down; in a family room or living room, it encourages unwinding and also promote comfort and togetherness. It is believed to relieve stress by helping people relax.