3 Interior Color Rules for Small Spaces

In small spaces inside homes, interior color designs can greatly influence the amount of perceived area of a room. Although there is no actual modification to the size of the room, certain colors make it feel bigger while others can make it feel more enclosed. Colors are governed by rules as much as anything else. While you can combine any two colors you wish, it does not mean they will blend nicely with one another. Colors have qualities which need to be considered, especially when you are trying to create a pleasant atmosphere inside your home. 

Smaller interior rooms in your home, when painted for decoration, require some careful consideration before proceeding. The risk is that if you paint a small room certain colors, it can make it seem even smaller and more confined. If you have a taste for uniquely colored rooms, consider these 3 tips about the painting of small interior rooms. 

Keep It Simple

In some many instances does this rule apply: keep it simple. In a small interior room, the recommendation is that you do not complicate the decorations. On the walls, ceiling and carpet or flooring, don’t try to do too much with color. A single simple color for the walls, another for the ceiling will suffice. If the room is carpeted, take care to blend the colors nicely with it. Avoid complicated wallpaper patterns or any other color design that will draw attention to the small stature of the room. 

Darker Colors Towards Bottom

If you do have multiple or even gradient color patterns in a small room, be sure to arrange the scheme so that the darkest colors are towards the bottom, getting lighter as you move up to the ceiling. This includes the carpet or floors. If it is a bathroom, for instance, with dark green floor tiles, the walls should not be darker than the floor. A lighter, olive green or a subtle yellow might look nice on the walls. The whole gradient color design culminates on the ceiling in either white or an even subtler yellow or green. The same thing is true if the room is carpeted or has hardwoods. Rooms with walls darker than the floors tend to look like a box with no bottom. 

Lighter is Better

The most basic rule, though, of decorating a small room with color is to keep it light. Dark rooms feel smaller than they already are. The smallest rooms in a house are usually the bathrooms, some bedrooms, an office or a laundry room. There is no need to make them seem even more diminutive by painting them with dark colors. If you do blend colors, be sure the darker of them is not dominant in the room.