Painting question? what color makes a room appear larger?

Question

I read in an interior design magazine before that certain colors can make a room look larger or smaller. I'm looking for help choosing colors for my very small bathroom. The room has very little wall space & right now the walls & ceiling are off white. The floor is beige and hunter green ceramic tiles w/green grout.

What colors would make the room apprear larger?

Answer 1

Lighter colors tend to make spaces appear larger and airier. A much paler version of the hunter green for the walls and an eggshell or light beige for the ceiling will "raise" the ceiling and make the walls appear taller. If height isn't a problem, the pale green can be used for both walls and ceiling and can be custom-mixed for you at the paint store. Hunter green can be used for the door, baseboards and any trim. Go with the same green for a cotton bath matt (very tasteful) and acquire towels that are green, beige and both.

A well placed mirror can be very effective but if your bathroom is as small as I think it is, an extra mirror on the wall may be disconcerting. And you may not have the budget or the inclination to retile your floor. This is a big job that requires skill and the right equipment, like a tile cutter. The floor sounds fine as it is. You can work with it. If it seems too "heavy", use a beige bath matt to lighten it up instead of a green one.

If the room lacks a window, a small to moderately sized framed print of an outdoor scene (not a photograph) on one wall can create a window, provide a "view" and help to open the room.

Whatever colors you ultimately choose, be sure the type of paint you use is appropriate for a bathroom (moisture, you know) or you may find it peeling within 6 months.

Answer 2

You could check online and find something called a 'color wheel' used by designers everywhere.

You would need to select a color(s) which is across the wheel form the two you mentioned, beige and hunter green.

Beige has some red in it and hunter green has more blue than yellow, so it's likely the white is a good choice to create an open neutral effect over-head.

By adding a tiny bit of blue to the off white, you might balance the amount of blue in the tiles and red in the floor to lend a sense of an expanding ceiling.

You also need to think about proportions: by selecting FEWER pieces of (ironically) LARGER furniture, it can create an optical illusion of having more space in a room.

Also, mixing up styles to create an eclectic feel is useful in small rooms, if you place glass-top tables on wrought iron bases, which allow the light to travel and circulate and refelct back to the ceiling for enhanced dispursement.

The glass needs to be placed at a middle level to low (In relation to the floor, since the lower you table is, the more it area it will reflect onto on walls and ceiling.

You might think about offering a design student a small payment to help you, since they are trained to tell you everything I mentioned. Happy decorating!

Answer 3

lighter colors on the walls, mirrors would help..

But consider changing the tile. It sounds like your grout lines are dark, so your are drawing attention to the floor, which will make your bathroom feel very small. Try putting in a larger tile, 12 x 12 at the smallest and get a grout color that will blend with the tile and not have such a prominent look. You'll be amazed how much it will help.

Answer 4

The Darker a color the smaller a space will look.

The lighter a color the larger a space will look larger.

Also use a semi-gloss, gloss or high gloss paint in the bathrooms this protects the walls from the elements. And don't go with all white that's boring do something like pastel green (also known as mint), or a lavendar.

Answer 5

White

Answer 6

Light colors tend to make spaces look larger. Usually I would choose a light blue, but since this is a bathroom you might go with a very light green or green and blue.

Answer 7

white, any light color, light dill green at k-mart (martha stewart) is a nice neutral color--many to choose from.....
also if you paint one wall a different color (using all light colors however)--just the different shade on that one wall will create an illusion of greater space. Mirrors add dimension as well.
To save space for your things, think about not only hanging shelves (closer) the wall to reserve room for floor area.
Think about HEIGHT too,.....hanging things high up towards the ceiling (more shelves/decorations)--saw this on a televsion show, but it was for a very small entertainment area room.
It'll work for any area

Answer 8

The most common bathroom color is white. White is simple and elegant. White also shows dirt very easily, which, may make it easier to keep the bathroom spotless; you’ll always know where the dirt is. One of the interesting aspects of white is that it reflects heat, meaning on those cold winter mornings there is no color colder then white to have in a bathroom.


pretty much, bigger= cool colors
smaller = warm colors

Visit my source's web site. there is pretty much everything to know on there about what colors will do and which room to put them in. it's quite knowledgeable

Answer 9

go darker as opposed to lighter. it is a fallacy that dark colors make a small room appear smaller. quite the opposite is true. and paint the ceiling and walls the same color. use lighter accent colors for the accessories. you can go to the BEHR paint website to do a virtual room makeover- colors and all. have fun!!!

Answer 10

light pale green or very light blue on the walls... I'd say change the flooring colour to something a bit more towards the light greys... I got that combination at home and it looks nice and makes the room spacious looking.