Are darker colors a good idea for painting a smaller room??
Question:I would like to paint my "living room" a dark gold color. I don't want it to seem smaller tho..Any ideas!?
Answers:
That's exactly what my spouse wants to do! Our living room faces north and we are looking at a small, gold-tone stencil, over a medium reddish background. According to all those home improvement shows, dark color really DOES make a room look larger, since it absorbs light, whereas light colors bounce the light around, bringing the walls (and ceilings) forward! It goes against most popular thinking, that lighter colors make rooms appear larger.
However, watch out not to paint it TOO dark, or it will feel "claustrophobic". Another way to make rooms seem larger is to use darker FLOORS, especially hardwood. If you look at some "Before & After" shots on places like HGTV.com, you'll see that this is really true!
depend on what you accent with and what colour the ceiling is.
How about just painting one wall dark and the rest lighter?
No it is depressing
Lighter colors will make the room appear larger. Darker colors make them look smaller. If your set on that color paint one wall with dark and others lighter.
Not unless you like feeling claustrophobic. Dark colors always make a room feel smaller. If it's a large space, it might make it feel cozier.
I wish I could say dark colors are a good idea for small rooms but its not. I have a downstairs bathroom that by my standards is small and I had it painted a dark color I fell in love with (madder red) and it sure did make the room look alot smaller. I left the cieling white and it was accented with white it has a chair railing and from the chair railing to the floor is also white but its just not working. Looks smaller then ever. If I was to do it over I'd go with a lighter shade or paint just one wall dark
No, darker colors make the room look even smaller. :]
It really depends on your room layout.
I painted my kitchen red, my kitchen is not big but, it has vaulted ceilings .
it looks really nice.
I think the gold color you are talking about would not make your living room look smaller but, would bring in alot of warmth to your space.
GO FOR IT!!
If it has lots of windows, you may be fine painting it a dark color. Dark colors tend to make a room look smaller, while white and other light colors tend to make it look larger and more airy and open.
It would be fine to paint it that color, but choose a paint with a high shine/gloss look, or paint a gloss over it. Then, don't do as one answerer did, accent with very light or white pieces, it just draws the eye to the real depth of the room. Instead, add accent pieces that are similar in color and depth. That is what will make the room look bigger, not whether its light or dark.
Mirrors also help a room look bigger, and lots of light directed upwards.
I know this is long but you may find it helpful. Good luck
Before you choose a paint color, think about how the room is used and how you respond to different colors emotionally. Look at home decorating magazines and clip out color schemes and rooms that appeal to you. Keep in mind that paint can enhance a room's features or it can be used to hide flaws. Yellow, orange and red are classified as warm colors while blues, greens and purples are labeled cool. You may want to choose cool colors to create a relaxing ambience in a bedroom. A warm yellow adds warmth to a chilly den or dining room.
Decorators often use light colors such as cream and white to make smaller rooms appear larger. Dark colors such as navy or red can evoke a cozier mood in a very large room. Don't forget to take your floor covering into consideration when choosing paint colors. A very dark wood floor or a dark colored carpet will have an effect on how wall colors look. Upholstery texture and patterns may also influence your choice of paint colors. Decide if you want the room to have a warm, casual ambience or a more formal feeling.
Visit a local paint, hardware or home improvement store and collect a variety of brochures and paint samples. Pay attention to displays showing textured walls and paints with special effects. Consider how various paint combinations would look in different rooms. Take the paint chips home and look at them in natural and artificial light. When you particularly love one color such as blue-green, try using neighboring colors on the color wheel as accents to create an analogous color scheme. Interior designers often advise their clients to take a look at their wardrobes before selecting a new color for the bedroom or living room. If you have a lot of blues and greens in your closet, chances are you'll be happy with some variation of those colors on your walls. You may want to coordinate paint colors using hues from a favorite rug or painting.
Monochromatic colors are the easiest to work with when decorating. Basically you choose one color and use varying shades of it throughout the room to create a sense of casual coordination. For example a medium yellow room could have slightly darker molding, a lighter ceiling and yellow print wallpaper on one wall. Complimentary colors can be a little tricky. When choosing colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel such as blue and orange or green and red, it is best to use them as accents or accessories to avoid garish contrasts.
Color can also be used to create the illusion of a different sized room. A square room looks very different when one wall is painted a different color. Try enhancing interesting architectural features such as a window seat or beams by painting them a coordinating or contrasting color from the walls. You can make a very narrow room seem wider by painting the shorter walls a darker color than the longer walls.
The color you choose for the ceiling is very important. A lighter color is a better choice for a low ceiling in a small room. A dark color is the best solution when you have a cavernous room with a ceiling that seems too high.
Hallways and foyers will seem warmer to guests if you choose a warm color like yellow or peach. Red and green are popular choices for dining rooms and kitchens, while pale blue and lavender are considered romantic choices for bedrooms. Bathrooms allow you to be a little more dramatic. For example a black and white color scheme in a bathroom can be quite sophisticated but in a small bedroom the same look could be overwhelming.
Consider using a technique such as sheen striping to create vertical stripes of the same color but in different sheens or textures. It's a sophisticated decorating trick that not only creates visual interest but also helps create the illusion of height in rooms with low ceilings.
as a painting contractor I can tell you in many cases darker colors will add very nice drama to a room , I just did a house where ths small powder room was painted a dark brown called portobello,ant it was beautiful, I also did a entire home in a gold called mannered gold...with this homes cherry wood millwork and southwestern art , it looked nicer than an art gallerie ,so don't be afraid of darks ,just use them wisley.
the lighter the color the bigger the room will seem try using lighter wall with a darker border or install chair rails
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