How to Choose a Wall Color for a Small Living Room

If you live in a house with a small living room, it's easy to make it look larger. Use color to fool the eye into perceiving the space as larger than it is. It can be as simple as putting a new color of paint on the walls. If you want to get an entirely new look, start with a new wall color and finish by implementing some of the tips below.

Instructions

1. Choose a cool color. Cool colors appear to recede into the distance, giving the impression that the walls are further away from you than they are. Examples of cool colors are blues, greens, purples and pinks.

2. Choose a light shade of a warm color. Paint colors vary in intensity, ranging from the lightest to the darkest shades. If your heart is set on a warm color, choose a light or pastel shade. Again, light colors evoke spaciousness, fooling the eye into perceiving the walls are further away than they actually are. Examples of warm colors are reds, oranges, yellows and browns.

3. Choose a light shade of a neutral color. Neutral colors appear restful to the eye. Paint your walls a neutral color in a light shade of tan, grey, cream, or a subtle off-white. This option works great if you like bright colors. Use the bright colors as accents against the light neutral walls. Your living room will feel larger, yet have the bright spots of color you love.

4. Create a monochromatic color scheme. A small room decorated in shades and tones of the same color feels larger. Your eye perceives an apparent seamless transition from surface to surface when every surface is either the same exact shade or a lighter or darker shade of the same color.

5. Use the same color on walls and floor. Either paint floor the same color as the walls, or have wall paint custom-tinted to the same color as carpet. A seamless transition between walls and floors fools the eye into perceiving the space as larger than it actually is. You can use a shade of color that is slightly darker than a pastel with this option.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're unsure of what colors complement each other, use a favorite print or painting as inspiration. Pick one of the lighter colors in the print for the walls and choose two or three other colors in the print for your furnishings and accessories.