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March 04, 2005
Yellow Is the Color.
All the decorating advice I've been reading lately (online, no time for bookstores, pathetic) about small spaces keeps suggesting that neutrals, greens and blues open up a space while all the warm colors I like make a room more "intimate." Just because I have smaller rooms, do I really have to sacrifice the colors I love (yellows and reds)? Thanks!
-N
Hi N!
Absolutely not! Brights definitely work in small spaces!
But I say that with a few qualifications. As I've mentioned in past columns, there are no rules about decorating your own home (although there are probably some local laws, if you're thinking of doing a "missile silo" theme). It's one thing if you want to inflict a love of chintz upon a corporate law office, but in your own house, you really can't go wrong. If you love it, it's right. It is all about reflecting your tastes and personality properly, and if soft greens and blues make you want to die of boredom, then please don't use them.
Of the colors you mentioned, yellow is really the most versatile for small spaces of any kind, and red is the most limiting/difficult to use. But I have seen all sorts of bright and warm shades--red and orange and yellow--each used really, really well in a variety of small spaces. (This book has several! Enter my contest and win it! You have seven hours!)
One way to keep from ovewhelming a small space is to cover 2-3 walls with a nice neutral like beige or eggshell, and then smack people in the face with a deep, very sexy accent wall or two. Anchor the room here and there with dark (black or brown) accessories or furniture, too (I find it helps).
If it fits in with your overall aesthetic, in a kitchen or a bathroom you could literally divide all the walls in half horizontally with a chair-rail element (you could make one out of wood molding or with a simple strip of paint-tape, depending on your budget) or bead board (inexpensive painted paneling works here too). Then paint the top-half of the wall a more subdued shade, and then cover the bottom with your favorite vivid shade. Or vice-versa, according to your fancy.
And, say you paint your whole living area orange. Just what exactly is wrong with intimate? Shouldn't your boudoir be intimate? Why not use color bravely?
My only suggestion if you do go this route: go all out. Make sure you LOVE the color and carry its theme and feeling a bit throughout the room. It's a good idea to have more subdued furniture with bright walls, but do make certain the wall color fits in with your stuff. Pick the color up in throw-pillows, in curtains, in candles, in vases, in frames, even in a rug. Don't go monochromatic or anything, just be sure to tie it all together in a way that makes sense to your eye.
A common mistake people make with bright color is to leave it hanging and let the rest of the room just stay blah. You want a sexy, cozy, red bedroom? Do it up right, and accessorize with Eastern elements. Pick a complimentary or contrasting color to set it off throughout the space and to add interest. Go red and white and be inspired by the very chic and mod Target aesthetic.
And hey, if it looks a fright or you get tired of it quickly, you can always paint right over it. Kilz sealer and primer always provides you with a clean, pure slate if it looks like a crime scene or the inside of a pumpkin.
Thanks for reading! And enter the contest!
Ask Apartmentalist is a weekly advice column. It'll appear here every Friday. Do you have a question about crafts, decorating, or your living space? Email Lara@apartmentalist.com.
Posted by Lara at March 4, 2005 05:00 PM
Comments
This article sounds a lot like my philosophy - surround yourself with the colors you LOVE.
Unfortunately in our tiny bedroom I took it too far. Four walls of orange is too much. As soon as I get the nerve to tell Kevin he has to paint light grey or taupe over deep orange, three of them are going neutral. :)
Posted by: tiffany at March 17, 2005 09:33 AM