What Paint Colors Are Calming and Make a Room Big?

Best Colors

• Choose light colors to make a room feel larger, such as white, light blue, light green or pastel yellow. Blue and green are traditionally associated with calm and peacefulness, but any pastel shades will help a room feel calm. Colors become more intense over a large area, so choose a color a shade or two lighter than the colors you liked in the paint swatches. Choose a high-gloss paint to reflect light and make the room feel spacious.

Maintenance

• Dirt and dust accumulate on walls over time, reducing how much light the paint reflects and making the room feel smaller. Cleaning your walls or repainting every few years ensures that your walls reflect light and help your space feel larger.

More Strategies

• Good lighting helps a room feel larger, so let natural light shine through windows and skylights. Adding a lamp to brighten a dark corner or using track lighting helps a room look larger, too. Choose fluorescent lighting for energy efficiency, but check the color temperature of lights before purchasing them. You can also use decorative mirrors to reflect light and make a space look larger. Choosing scaled-down, multipurpose furniture also helps a room feel larger.

What to Avoid

• Don't paint a room in bright or vivid colors, such as cherry red, bright yellow or dark green. Bright colors are too stimulating and disruptive, while dark colors absorb light, making the room feel cramped. If you want to use an intense color in your decorating scheme, use it as an accent color instead. Dark furniture, trim or paneling also makes a room look smaller. Avoid having too much furniture or clutter. Open space helps a room feel larger and more peaceful.