Decorating with Color

Too often, homeowners and builders forgo wall color because they simply don't know what else to do.

The resulting white walls hardly do justice to beautiful finishes and furnishings. Instead, everything sits in stark contrast against the walls, voiding rooms of depth and warmth.

"It just kills me," said Suzy Lord, interior designer and owner of Interior Concepts in Steamboat Springs.
Wall color is one of the most important aspects of decorating because it helps bland fabrics, flooring, carpet, accessories and other elements. It also is the easiest way to refresh a tired-looking room for the least amount of money.

"It just ends up enhancing woodwork, rockwork and expensive touches in home," Lord said.

Yellow, neutral and earth tones are good places to start when choosing color. Even the subtlest crème, beige or taupe softens a room and makes it more inviting.

"It really does make a difference to the eye," she said, noting that white walls can look good with white furnishings but generally are overbearing in Routt County's snowy climate.

People who enjoy color may opt for rich chocolate browns, burgundies, rustic reds, vintage blues, sages and gold tones - common colors and combinations in Lord's decorating palette.

Darker colora are a fun way to dramatize areas such as powder rooms and accent walls - painting one wall a certain color - can highlight a special piece of furniture or artwork, though accent walls also can break up space within a room.

Lord advises against a white ceiling - unless the crown molding is white - because it also can break up space. Despite common thought, painting ceilings the same color as the walls makes a room feel more spacious, she said.

Fabrics, furniture, artwork and other pieces can inspire color choices. Magazines also are a good source for ideas.

"Anything goes, it's just in how you work with colors," Lord said.

She recommended buying a quart of a color or colors to test on the walls. Homeowners should start with just one gallon of the color they choose and ask paint store staff whether a primer is necessary.

Hiring an interior designer for a paint consultation can help homeowners avoid expensive mistakes. Most professional decorators provide that service.

Paint quality is just as important as paint color. Good quality paint has a higher volume of solids, so it is thicker, resulting in better coverage with less paint, explained Chad Leusink, store manager at Sherwin-Williams in Steamboat.

"People usually learn that the hard way," he said.
Good paint generally costs about $40 a gallon, though his store runs monthly sales on different brands, Leusink said.

There are several choices in paint finish: flat, satin, semi-gloss and gloss. Typically, the shinier the paint, the more durable it is. Semi-gloss, for example, works well in bathrooms where water may drip on the walls, but glossier paint also can highlight imperfections.

Flat paints help reduce glare in rooms with a lot of sunlight and washable versions are available. About 90 percent of Leusink's customers choose satin finish, he said.