Some people try to satisfy some outside 'requirement' of space with an insipid color scheme. It's not that you shouldn't try to make a room seem bigger; it's that you shouldn't pick a dull, drab color palette in the mistaken idea that creating an illusion of size is the be-all and end-all of decorating a smaller space. Why not embrace your small space with colors that you love and want to see every day?
White and pasty, light colors flatten things. Which is nice, in moderate amounts. In large amounts, however, it tends to make furniture and accents seem like they're hugging the walls for fear that they'll be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the center of the room where they might be *gasp* NOTICED! Fearlessly choosing rich colors can make smaller space seem like an asset instead of something you're apologizing for.
Don't be afraid to choose a bold color for your walls. A rich chocolate brown can be paired with any number of other colors to produce stunning results. Red is another color that people tend to shy away from, when it can actually lend an exciting, warm feeling to a room. Blues and greens have often been advised for smaller rooms, but not in the rich ocean and forest shades - consider them as anchor colors. You can use color to make the size of the room seem an asset rather than something you want to hide.
Color, when used strategically, can create depth to a room. Consider your bookshelves. If the interiors were painted a vibrant red or a rich forest green, people will look past the edges of the shelves. To their eyes, the room has just gained a foot or so of depth. The same goes for calling attention to anything that gives some kind of access to the great outdoors, even if it's only visual. Windowsills and door frames can be painted an eye-catching color to emphasize the additional space they provide the viewer - even if it's through a pane of glass.
Bright shades can be used to connect two or more rooms. The color of the rug in one room can be echoed by the curtains in another, and so on. Or painting the walls in the same color can contribute to the same effect. A repeating pattern can also be used to lead the eye from one room to another. The color of the furniture and art can also continue the color scheme.
Another use for patterns is to create height. A pattern crawling up the wall draws the eyes up and encourages them to look beyond their level. This creates visual space, literally, out of thin air. Hanging art high on the walls and decorations from the ceiling can also encourage the eye to seek beyond its accustomed field. This is especially effective when you have a small space with high ceilings.
Use colors in surprising places. Art, decorative pieces, repainted furniture, spreads, and utensils can all be used to anchor color firmly into your personal space.
If you want to decorate your home, you might as well decorate it in colors that you enjoy. There is always a way that you can incorporate your favorite color into a decorating scheme that makes your small space look fabulous. Don't try to disguise your small space with flat white or pastels; embrace it with the colors that you love.
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