Neutral colors and whites are used commonly kitchen and bath design and for good reasons. Future design changes and resale are compelling reasons to keep the permanent elements in space as timeless as possible. Enhancing a neutral design with color can make all the difference when personalizing the home. Bold colors on walls, furniture or even window treatments can make a dreary space bright and full of life without sacrificing the timeless nature of the design. Here are some suggestions to assist in choosing bold colors to bring out the life of your space:
With paint, seeing it with your own lighting is a must. Paper samples are available at any paint store to bring home, giving you the opportunity to see what it will really look like once on the walls. For the final color selection, it can be helpful to obtain a small amount of the color and apply it to a large piece of cardboard or butcher paper. Being able to see more of the color at one time will give you a better idea of what it will look like on a larger scale, and you can move it around the room to ensure it looks good everywhere.
While paint may cover a lot of square footage in a room, its color and tone can be adjustable. Furniture, rugs and window treatments will not be available in as many colors so if there’s a bold piece you want to incorporate, it might be helpful to start there and choose paint colors to compliment. It will be a lot easier to have the paint tinted a little more one way or the other then it would be to change the color of a sofa.
With bold colors, less is more, at least in terms of quantity. Having too many colors in one room can have a jarring effect. A conservative limit is two bold color choices and if more contrasting surfaces are needed, it can be done by changing the shade rather than adding new colors. Some of the most beautiful rooms Kitchen & More has put together incorporate several shades of just one bold color.
