The Best and Worst Color Combos to Use in Dark Spaces
Did you know white paint can make rooms appear smaller if incorrectly used? Yes, you’ve made a dark room brighter, but white alone can make the space look too sterile and blocky. You may only mean to brighten the room; instead, you’ve created a surgical wing. Basements normally are not known for good natural lighting – depending on the basement layout. However, with simple color changes and light placements, you can add colors and accents to make your space appear brighter, roomier, and softer.
” Creativity takes courage.”
– Henri Matisse.
The Best Color Swatches for Brightening a Room
Don’t just paint a color, utilize it! When you use color pairing techniques you can still use that irony grey color you like or that dark brown, heck you could use black if you really wanted to. You’ll still make your small room, dark basement, or any other room in your home appear brighter and bigger if you use colors correctly and strategically.
Lavender
Welcome in all shades and styles to gently light rooms and create a certain ambiance. You can perfectly pair lavender with soft whites & dark/light grays to create a dimension that light can reflect off of.
Earthy Greens
Earthy hues of green don’t have to look like something out of the 1970s if used correctly. Pale greens can brighten up any space, especially with good lighting reflecting luminously without the risk of overexposure like a bright shade might. Earth toned greens work well with bright whites and cool blues.
Browns
Utilizing dark colors correctly means that you can have those dark colors you want even in an already dark space! Darker shades in low-lit areas can make rooms feel even more confining. But warm shades of brown can make spaces feel cozy without being confining. Pair with accent colors like bright yellows, white trims, light flooring color and bright furniture selections to make the room feel bigger and bright.
Blues
Depending on what shade of blue you choose, blue can actually be all wall color! Light or pale blues can make rooms appear brighter and bigger! Dark blues should stay as accent walls. Dark blues also pair well with white trims, light fabric furniture, and dark wood flooring.
Oranges
Yes, orange can be used! Earthy tones like apricot or pumpkin can be paired with whites, blues, and gray accents to amplify a space to exude warmth and brightness. Earthy oranges have an amazing ability to accentuate candlelight, low-lit lamps, and natural light from the sun!
Blushes
Blush tones can brighten up rooms where light is limited every time! Pairs well with light greys, soft whites, and makes dark blues really pop!
The Worst Colors To Use
Okay, not the worst, everyone has their opinions. But if you use these colors, you ultimately will not get a space that appears brighter or bigger.
White (alone)
White alone can make a space look too bland and boxy. But there is a thing about too much white and being too bright that may actually make the space look smaller! White works better when used as a trim, accessory, or with furniture.
Muted Neutrals
There is a right way and a wrong way to use this specific color wheel. A color that is too neutral or if you use too much of it can actually make a room look dark as well. Look instead at warm-toned neutral colors and pair with white for an open and airy style. Choose neutral furnishings, linens, and window treatments/drapes to pair with your wall colors – just don’t choose the same colors.
Picking a Color You Don’t Like
It seems like a no-brainer right? Well if you’re trying too hard to have a space look bigger, brighter, and more welcoming, you may actually end up with wall colors you don’t really even like. If you like a bright or dark color and are afraid to use it, adjust the shade or just use it sparingly,(less is more!) Don’t feel that you have to go without just because your preferred color wheel may not welcome artificial lighting or accentuate the size of the room.
Whatever You Do
If you are ready to make a space like your basement a more welcoming room instead of a dark, dirty, dungeon, just don’t do this.
Decorate a Basement That Isn’t Waterproofed
Don’t paint basement walls and waste money on redecroating if your basement experiences water damage from rain or floods from time to time. Not only are you just ruining a good paint job, your home’s foundation is crumbling year after year when water damage isn’t accessed and repaired. J.D. Johnson Waterproofing offers the lowest prices available in NEO but still with the highest caliber of workmanship there is to offer. If you think your home may be experiencing water damage, pipe issues, foundation damage or more, see the rest of our website to diagnose your problem and have a free estimate by one of our professionally trained and experienced technicians.