Bold Color Tips

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

15 Jan 2008 06:14 PM

Want to try out some bold color choices in your home but not sure where to begin? Bold colors can be intimidating, but these tips will help you make good choices and give you the confidence to take the plunge. Bold colors can help you create your own sense of style, and warm up or brighten up a room.

Start out small by painting an accent or drama wall with a bold color, or choose to paint window frames, door casings, moldings and trim with a bold color. Use white for the walls of the room, but make sure to choose the right white. White, believe it or not, can come in different undertones. You want a matching undertone in your white, since it will reflect the color around it. Choose a warm white for oranges and yellows. A cool white works well with blues and greens. If you aren't sure how to chose the right white, just ask at your local paint or home improvement store.

If you chose to paint an accent wall in a bold color consider adding a 4- to 6-inch border of white near the ceiling to help the color pop out.

A high gloss paint in a bold color looks great on trim, and the gloss will make keeping it clean very easy to do.

Fabrics and upholstery can bring out the bold color and complement the trim. You don't have to match the color in your fabrics. You can choose a coordinating color. For example, orange or dark brown fabrics look great with red trim and blue and green fabrics work well with yellow trim.

Another way to introduce a bold color is to use it on the lower half of your walls. You can install chair rail molding to separate the wall. The bolder color, if it is a dark rich color, will anchor the room.

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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