Choosing Color By Kim Morris of Morris Design, McMinnville Oregon

Light is what enables us to see color. How color appears in a room is based on each rooms light exposure. North facing rooms receive less direct light all year round and so the light tends to be “cool”, so a warmer color would be a better choice in a “cool” room. A South facing room receives more direct light and could in turn handle a cooler color better. An example of cool colors would be blues and grays. While warm colors would be yellow and red tones. Always review your paint choices in the room your painting to see how it looks in that rooms light.

Color can define a space, alter a space or create illusions. For example lighter colors make a space appear bigger and more spacious, while darker colors can make a room feel smaller. Painting the end wall of a long narrow room will make that wall appear closer which makes the room feel better proportioned. In a square room paint one wall a more intense color then the others and the boxy feel will go away.

Paint is a simple and cost-effective way to revive any area in your home or office. Not everyone is confident in choosing color, in that case just ask for a little help. However, remember it is only paint and it can be painted over if you really don’t like it. Don’t stress!

I personally don’t think white should ever be your wall color unless it is part of your actual design concept. I walk in to many of homes and business that are all white. The reason is usually, we’re afraid we’ll choose the wrong color. You can make a huge change just by changing those white walls to beige. Just a slightly change like this will warm up the space. If you are afraid of color then stay with neutrals on the walls and play with color in your accessories.

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