How Can Color Affect a Room's Dimensions?

Atmosphere

• Prior to deciding on a color scheme, think about what sort of atmosphere you want to create in the room. With the correct application of color, a number of different effects can be achieved. A bright and breezy, or light and airy, atmosphere can be achieved in the same room as a warm and cozy, or dark and impressive, atmosphere.

Cool Colors

• Cool colors such as greens, blues and violets visually recede. This means a wall painted in a cool color will appear more distant than it actually is, thus creating the effect of a large, open space. Cool colors are serene and have a calming effect, but remember, the small square of color on a paint chart will look very different when it covers the walls.

Light Colors

• Lighter shades of color reflect more light than darker shades, making a room feel larger and more open. This is why white is the most commonly used ceiling color, a white ceiling gives a feeling of height, therefore space. Small rooms and areas with little or no natural light, and darker recessed areas, benefit from the use of light shades. If you have a long, thin room, lighter colors used on the long walls will make the room appear wider.

Warm Colors

• Warm colors such as oranges and reds advance a room -- the opposite of receding cool colors. Warm colors create a cozy atmosphere because they make the room appear smaller, so they are ideal if you want to make a very large, open space feel more intimate. A long, thin room can be made to appear more square by using warm colors on the small, far walls to bring them closer into the room.

Dark Colors

• Dark, rich colors such as deep reds, greens and purples make a room feel significantly smaller. For rooms with very high walls, painting the ceiling with a dark color -- or a color that is darker than the walls -- will lower the ceiling, and the darker color can be extended down the top part of the walls to picture-rail height. Darker colors on an accent wall can also be used to create more interest in a square-shaped room. In this case, choose the wall opposite the window wall, because this is the wall that receives the most natural light.