More Ways to Fool the Eye With Color

Select Your Colors Carefully With the End Result in Mind

From Coral Nafie, former About.com Guide

A high ceiling is lowered visually with the green stripe.

Photo courtesy of the Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute

(Continued from Page 1)

Debbie Zimmer of the Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute offers some tips on using color to change the look of a room.

"Color can visually change the perception of a room’s size. Light, cool colors can make the space appear larger while darker, warm colors often make it seem smaller and more intimate," Debbie notes.

These basic rules of the use of color apply to any room, large or small. Keep in mind, though, that a small room painted in a dark color can look dramatic, not cramped. And a large room with light-colored walls and a high ceiling can look sophisticated and contemporary. Decide what your goal is before you select your paint.

Dark colors tend to recede while light colors jump out to the eye.

Debbie says that, "Pattern can also affect the way a space is perceived. For example, a room can be heightened by painting vertical stripes on the walls."

Just as a round woman would not want to wear horizontal stripes around the largest part of her body, neither would you want to use horizontal stripes or patterns to circle a large room. To achieve a look of greater height in a room with a low ceiling, draw the eye upward with vertical stripes or a pattern that rises. Or in a room with very high ceilings, you might use a contrast color stripe just below the ceiling or on a crown molding. The contrast color will draw the eye down, away from the highest spot.

And finally, Debbie says that, "Texture is an important element of design that can add interest and style in any room. Use decorative techniques such as sheen striping or stippling which provides a variegated appearance and gives depth to the surface."

There are many interesting paint finishes for walls that help eliminate that flat, boring look. Using a decorative painting finish such as sponge painting or faux painting can help to camouflage flaws in the wall's surface or create a focal point to draw the eye away from a less-than-beautiful feature of a room.

When sponge painting remember that a dark base with lighter top coat tends to have a bold look, while a lighter base with dark top coat looks more subtle. Experiment with your chosen colors to get the look you want.

For regular painting tips and color trend information, sign up for the Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute Do-it-Yourself Newsletter.

~ Coral Nafie

A part of The New York Times Company.