Your Color Questions Answered

Today's color schemes tend toward the coordination of colors and tones. But colors don’t have to be an exact match from one item to another. Adding lighter and darker tones or values of the same color can add depth and a personal feel to a room rather than everything being "matchy-matchy."

Is it best to have a light color on the floor?

A light flooring color will draw the floor up to the eye, while a darker floor tone will drop it away from your eye. If you have low ceilings or want to increase the visual height of your room, add a deeper floor color.

Should my wood flooring match the wood color of my furniture?

No, woods typically don’t have to match if it is furniture and flooring. In the kitchen, however, wood cabinets should share tone with a wood floor in the same space.

White has a high level of reflectivity so that’s why white is the most frequent ceiling color choice. But there are other light options, such as yellow, which very effectively reflect light. Or you could select a light tone from your room scheme to tie the ceiling into the overall space.

Dark colors by themselves don’t make a room look smaller. But combined with light colors, they might. It’s high-contrast colors that make a room feel smaller. The less contrast in a space, the larger it feels, whether the colors are all light or all dark.