Put Your Walls On A Diet!

Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute Helps You Choose PaintColors and Sheens to Help Define Spaces in Your Home

	Choosing a darker shade for the walls will reign in a large room and create a cozy and intimate space. (Photo Courtesy of Business Wire).

(HIT) - "Paint color and sheen can influence a person’s perception on size and width of a room," Debbie Zimmer, Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute (PQI) paint and color expert says. "By taking a cue from fashion, a person’s living space can be viewed as larger or smaller or taller or shorter."

For instance, a light-colored paint will make a small room appear bigger while darker shades will make a large room appear more intimate. Persons can use types of paint-induced optical illusions in any space in their homes. Zimmer recommends three easy tips to "adjust size" of living spaces:

Raise or Lower the Ceiling

If a ceiling feels too low, bright white can "raise" your perception of its height. By taking a cue from clothing designers, adventuresome homeowners can paint their walls with vertical stripes to enhance the sense of height.

On the other hand, dramatic high ceilings may cause a living space to feel cavernous. To visually lower ceiling height, add a mid to deep hue on the ceiling. Another alternative is to paint horizontal stripes on the walls.

Shrink or Expand Rooms

Just as a dark monochromatic outfit can visually "slim" an appearance, a monochromatic paint scheme can do the same in a large space. Choosing darker shade for the walls will reign in a large room and create a cozy and intimate space.

Is your room too narrow and long? Just widen it by painting the shorter walls a deeper color than the longer walls. If color alone is not enough to change the perceived dimensions, use color combinations to create visual breaks. Divide your wall space horizontally with a chair rail and paint the upper and lower portions different hues.

Don’t Forget the Sheen

For both visual and practical reasons, selecting the right sheen of paint is just as important as the actual color. Glossier finishes lend greater warmth and depth to surfaces than do flat paints. For example, a room with white gloss paint on the ceiling will seem larger than a room whose ceiling is painted with a white flat paint.
For additional tips on choosing hues that can impact room dimensions, visit www.paintquality.com, where every great paint job begins.

About the Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute

The Paint Quality Institute(sm) was formed by Rohm and Haas Company in 1989 to educate people on the advantages of using quality interior and exterior paints and coatings. The Paint Quality Institute’s goal is to provide information on the virtues of quality paint as well as color trends and decorating with paint through a variety of vehicles, including television appearances, newspaper and magazine articles, and instructional literature. Be sure to visit the Paint Quality Institute at www.paintquality.com

Courtesy: Home Improvement News and Information Center