Using Colour to Change the Size of Your Bedroom

Did you ever wish your bedroom was bigger or smaller? Well if you don't have enough money to change the actual size of the room, then you can use paint to make the bedroom seem bigger or smaller.

Paint is well known as one of the least expensive and easiest ways to change the look of any room, but if you pick your colours carefully you can give the space a new feel as well as a new look. Certain colours can make your bedroom walls feel closer or farther away.

If you have a small bedroom and you want it to feel more spacious, then consider painting the walls a receding colour. These are the blue,green, purpleish colours and any combination thereof. Look at a basic colour wheel  you'll see that those colours are all next to each other on one side. You probably want to avoid the darkest of these combinations, however as painting a room in very dark tones can make it look smaller overall.

If you want to make a large bedroom feel more cozy, then paint the walls advancing colours. These are the colours on the other side of the colour wheel - the reds, oranges and yellow. Bright warm colours will close in the space and make the room seem cheerful and cozy. Also if you have a large cavernous room with a very high ceiling, consider painting the ceiling a medium or dark colour which will make bring the appearance back down to a normal height.

When painting your bedroom, make sure you buy enough paint to do the job! Consider how many coats you will need. A dark colour may need several coats.

IF you are trying to paint a light colour over a dark, you may need to use some primer and also a couple of coats. 1 gallon of paint can do about 400 square feet so keep this in mind. To measure your room, go around the edge of all the walls with a measuring tape and record the total width. Measure the height from floor to ceiling and multiply by total width to get the square footage. Measure all the doors and window opening and subtract this from the total square footage (or not, it's always a good idea to have a little extra paint then not enough!).

Don't forget to protect your wood moldings with painters tape, remove all the covers from the electrical outlets and plugs and cover the floor and furniture with drop cloths!

Lee Dobbins is owner and editor of Bedroom Designs And Decorations where you can learn more about bedroom colours and decorating schemes.

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