These experts secrets go far beyond looking at swatches.
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1
Forgetting About Natural Light
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People often think darker colors make bold statements, but they fail to consider whether there is enough natural light in the room. Without the natural light, "the room closes in and what starts out looking dramatic ends up feeling somewhat depressing," Wax says.
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2
Choosing A Color That Is Too Bright
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People tend to be drawn to the cheery colors they see in magazines. However, these colors often end up overwhelming the room — especially tiny spaces. "Without an airy, well-lit environment, the brighter colors in a smaller space are overly intense and visually uncomfortable," Wax warns.
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3
Relying On Tiny Paint Chips
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Krane notices that people commonly overlook the importance of testing paint directly on a wall. "While hanging up a color chip will tell you something, it won't tell you enough. You need to paint color tests on your walls in large swathes, in areas of shadow and direct light to get a real sense of how a color will look."
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4
Matching Too Much
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Trying to match paint colors to furniture leaves room for clashing and honestly, it's boring. "If your colors blend in too well then there will be nothing interesting to catch your eye in the design of the room," Wax says. Krane warns against matching as well. She recommends choosing a shade much lighter or darker to complement the furniture.
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5
Using White To Lighten A Space
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While white looks bright and modern in well-lit rooms, it can have the opposite effect in dark spaces. "White in a room with very little natural light will often look dirty and depressing," Krane notes. "It's better to embrace the lack of light and choose a color with some hue, using a mid tone or even dark color."
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6
Ignoring Shadows
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When choosing colors, it is important to test them at different times of day as lighting changes. "If you have a lot of shadows in your room, you might want to choose a brighter color because the room will naturally darken your selection," Wax says.
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7
...And The Color Of The Floor
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Different shades of wood flooring can have a major impact on how a color will look in a room. "Whether left its natural color or stained another wood tone, the floor is a major player in affecting the overall tonality of a room and needs to be considered when choosing paint colors," Krane says.
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8
Dividing An Open Floor Plan
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Creating two-tone walls in open spaces can create awkward divisions in the flow of your decor. "Most experts will either paint it all the same color or they will make subtle color shifts around the space, choosing walls with some kind of architectural feature to make a logical color shift," Krane says.
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9
Choosing A Color Because It's Trendy
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Decor fads can be great inspiration, but ignoring your preferences is a mistake. "Putting trends above your own personal taste is a recipe for disaster," Krane says. "Trends are fun and even useful to help suggest a new color direction, but if, for instance, you find grey depressing, don't paint your home that color! The fact a color is fashionable at that moment won't make you feel better if it's not your cup of tea."
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10
Playing It Safe
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Neutral tones work great in a lot of spaces, but sticking to the more muted sections of the color wheel simply because you're afraid of having to repaint, isn't advisable. Both Krane and Wax favor making colorful statements over "greige" any day.