It had happened again. There
we were, knee deep in drop
cloths, paint brushes, masking
tape and ladders – and the color
on the paint chip did not
resemble what was going on the
walls. My friend had decided
to go with a soft pink in her
daughter’s bedroom. “Ballerina”
the color chip was a light pastel,
reminiscent of cotton candy.
“Ballerina” the paint color looked
like Pepto Bismal on the walls.
My friend claimed the paint chip
looked different at home than it did
under the store lights. She was right.
The number one factor in how a color
looks in a room is lighting. During the day,
natural sunlight gives the truest color. Allow
for variances depending on how much daylight
comes into a room and what direction the light
is coming from. Tip: Southern exposures tend
to have brighter, warmer light quality; northern facing
rooms that do not get much sun appear cooler and have
a blue cast. Painted walls will look darker at night, when
incandescent lighting casts many shadows. Fluorescent lighting
is slightly cool so it enhances blues and greens, while reds appear
more dull. Incandescent lighting sheds a warm, yellow cast light and makes
yellows and reds brighter. It will dull the brightness of blue.
There
are many
factors to consider
when selecting
a color for the walls.
Paint on a large wall area will
always look darker, or more intense than
the small paint chip. The texture of the wall
surface can also slightly change the appearance
of a color. Sheen levels (flat or shininess) in
paint make a difference, too. A flat finish makes
color look more dry and chalky and absorbs
more light. Eggshell or satin finishes make color
appear polished and will reflect more light.
The rule of opposites:
The size of your room also affects the final
look of paint. You can use a few tricks to your
advantage. All colors have a temperature – they
fall into a warm or cool category. Reds, yellows
and oranges are considered warm – they visually
advance towards you to make a room seem
smaller. Use them for areas where you want
to bring down the scale of high ceilings or
tall walls. Cool colors such as blue, green
and violet visually recede. Use them to make
small rooms feel more spacious.
Many new homes today have open floor
plans with great expanses of wall, very high
ceilings, and large windows which allow in lots
of natural daylight. Bright colors are going
to look more intense in these spaces. One or
two accent walls is a good way to bring
brighter or darker colors into your room.
For colors that aren't as visually overpowering,
try using neutrals, earth
tones, or lighter values of your favorite
bright/dark hues on tall walls.
Paint manufacturers are coming
up with some savvy ways to hurdle
these colorful challenges. Large color
samples are available in many retail
centers. Small samples of
liquid paint are also becoming more
available, dispensed from jars
or pouches that give just enough
color to brush out a test swatch on
a wall. Leave color swatches on
the walls a few days and look at them
during different times of day, under
different light sources before determining
whether you want to live with your
new color.
Paint stores provide many handy
brochures to provide pre-determined color
combination. A dominant color and one or
two accents usually serve to balance walls,
floors, furnishings and window treatments.
Accent colors provide the visual sizzle and can
be anything from pillows to artwork to plants.
The key to color combinations is determining
what colors you already have to work with. Edit
your selections. The pieces you choose for the
room should determine how your color story
develops. If you are keeping the sofa and changing
the walls, is there a color in the upholstery
pattern you can use for paint? Do you have a
particular piece of artwork that would just sing if
the wall behind it were painted a color from its
palette? Is there a view outside the window that
provides color inspiration you would like to
bring indoors?
So how did my friend solve her Pepto Bismal
color challenge? Aside from the walls, the floor
color is often the second largest space of color in
a room. A green carpet will reflect a minty
shade on white walls. Red carpets will make
white walls look pink. Knowing this, she counter-
balanced the room by installing an off-white
carpet on the floor to reflect light up. The
ceiling of the room was finished with a darker
shade of pink to make the walls appear lighter.
Bright artwork with white frames and mattes
completed the feminine effect.
