by Lisa Zamosky

Many of us have walked through our homes wondering how to liven up our white or otherwise neutral walls. More of us today are open to the idea of color in our homes, but remain apprehensive about committing to bolder colors. With a little information and a daring spirit, you can easily enrich your living space with the use of color.

Baby Steps
“Many people paint walls white or neutral because they think it is practical or because they are afraid to take the step toward color,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute and author of Color Messages and Meaning. “At the same time, they know they have a boring room.”
If you want to add interest or excitement with color, Eiseman suggests taking baby steps by adding “touches” of color throughout your home.
“Artwork is one way to bring color into your home. Also think about starting in the kitchen, which is a more whimsical space,” Eiseman says. For example, utilizing colorful kitchen accessories, colored dishes or colored glass doors in cabinetry can make a significant impact. Adding just one boldly colored chair or ottoman to a living room is another good way to begin. “You don’t have to do the whole sofa in a color you like, but a piece of furniture is a step beyond just adding little pieces of color,” according to Eiseman.
Eiseman also recommends experimenting in a small space, such as a powder room. “This is a place I always advocate going very dramatic because it’s not lived in, and there is a surprise element to opening the door and finding a very bold color on the walls.” If you don’t have a small space in which to try out a new color, the dining room is another great spot to consider. To experiment with paint on the walls, Eiseman suggests creating a focal wall: one wall that immediately attracts the eye upon entering a room.

See the Big Picture before You Start
Even if you aren’t prepared to add color to the walls of your entire house, according to C.J. Volk, creator of Citron® Paint, you should still take into consideration how you want your whole house to feel. “Starting small can help if you’re new to this, but usually people start out fearful and then get more adventurous as time goes on. Often, by the time people get back to the first room, they don’t like it anymore.” For this reason, Volk suggests writing down a series of words describing the feel you would like for your entire house and keeping those words with you as a guide whenever making decisions about design in any one room. “Knowing how you want your house to feel is the beginning of the process. Just putting colors on the wall is usually the beginning of a mistake. It just feels too random,” says Volk.

Applying a Winning Strategy While different philosophies exist in the area of home design, there seems to be general agreement that while each room may have its unique characteristics, the house should convey a sense of continuity and flow.
“You don’t want color changes that are obvious because that creates the opposite of flow and connection,” says Volk. She suggests people use neutral colors in halls, which connect one room to another, get richer toward window walls, which are always the darkest in the room, and do something more dramatic on the ceiling. “People don’t notice ceilings, but particularly with higher ceilings, you can really do beautiful things.”
Above all, designers seem to agree that when it comes to color, there is nothing to fear but fear itself. “Fear doesn’t keep you from making a mistake,” Volk says. “Fear keeps you from doing something beautiful.”