Using light and dark colors differently in a room can give an entirely perception of the space. Typically light colors and warmer tones will make a room look bigger while darker and cooler colors make a room look smaller.
Read below other optical illusions you can create using different colors and tones.
1 Color: Using the same color throughout a room keeps the room looking as it actually is. Light makes it seem bigger though and typically dark makes it seem smaller.
Accent Walls:
- Lighter: Makes the wall appear as if it is recedes further back and helps to elongate a room.
- Darker: Makes the wall appear to come forward. Good for really long hallways.
Ceiling:
- Darker: Makes the ceiling appear shorter. Good for rooms that have really high walls.
- Even Darker: Take the dark paint down further on the walls and then divide with a picture rail/moulding. With a light color below this makes the room appear broader.
- Lighter: Makes the ceiling appear heigher. Helps when trying to make a room look taller, good for large rooms.
- Even Lighter: Putting a light color on the ceiling and bringing it down to the picture rail lowers the line of vision to the picture rail.
Floors:
- Dark: Floors that are darker than the walls can make a room look smaller. Be careful with small rooms, it can make it look cramped.
- Light: Floors that are lighter than the walls will make a room look larger.
