Add Atmosphere with Paint

What is it that sets the professionally decorated home apart from your home?  Often, the answer is just a splash of paint away. 

If you look through decorating magazines, you’ll find a mix of complex, bold colors.  Those colors are normally not your powder blues and pale yellows that your average DIY’er uses.  Those colors are deep, saturated colors that pack a punch. 

When you first look at these colors, you’re taken aback.  It’s too dark, it will make the room look too small.  But these are the colors that are effective in creating atmosphere in your home.  Try adding these deep colors in small steps.

Little Rooms, Big Impact

Try a deep, bold color in a small room, such as a powder room.  If you’re considering redecorating your guest bathroom or a half bath, take the first step to adding bold and deep colors to your home.  It’s a small room, so if you hate it, it’s an easy repaint, and there are no major furnishings to replace, just accessories and fabrics.  Try a deep plum or a deep smoky blue/gray or any other deep saturated color to get you used to having deep colors in your home.

Monochromatic Paint Palettes

Using a monochromatic color scheme or palette involves using a few shades of one color.  The result is a calming, sophisticated blend.  Try a deep moss green, one of the hot colors for the 2009/2010 season, with lighter shades of the same green. 

The easiest way to find the coordinating shades is to view the manufacturer’s paint cards.  They usually have 3-4 shades of the same color on the card. 

Analogous Paint Palettes

Analogous color schemes use colors that are next to each on the color wheel.  It works because those colors have a relationship that makes them work well together.  One color is used as a dominant color while others are used to enrich the scheme. The analogous scheme is similar to the monochromatic one, but offers more nuances.  Use a rich bold color such as that deep moss green with a smoky blue.

Complementary Paint Palettes

You may be more used to the complementary paint palette, which is using opposite sides of the color wheel to set off each color.  Each color becomes more vibrant and pure because of the other color.  For best results, place cool colors against warm ones, for example, a vibrant blue and deep, rich orange.

Use bold, deep colors with care to change a simple room into a rich retreat.  The colors can add atmosphere to your space to create a home that looks professionally designed.