Size Affected By Color And Value

If the home is an apartment or a small cottage, it will usually be found well to have the same tone of woodwork and the same tone of wall in all the adjoining rooms. A surprising impression of additional space can be effected in this way. If, on the other hand, the rooms are overlarge and cold in character, the best plan is to finish the standing woodwork in a darker tone, and place a more deep value upon the side walls.

Proportions Of Room Apparently Effected By Change In Architectural Details

Architecturally, the proportions of a room must be good in order to give a proper background for the beauties of the foreground. If the ceilings are too low, additional height may seemingly be gained by placing the picture molding at the very top of the side wall, or even, at times, bringing the tone of the side wall six inches over on to the ceiling, terminated there by a molding. If, on the other hand, the ceilings are too high for the size of the room, the picture molding should be placed at a distance of a third of the side wall from the ceiling, and the tone of the ceiling brought down to the molding.

Suitability Of Particular Colors To Individual Rooms

Tones of cream and brown, gray, and occasionally green, are usually best for the hall, living and dining rooms. Cream and brown belong to the warm colors and should be used on the north side of the house or where there is little sunshine. Gray is a cold color and is often admirable in a well-lighted, sunny room, containing vivid hangings, upholstery, or tapestry. Green, as a wall tone, should be carefully considered before it is used. Uninformed or unscrupulous merchants sometimes sell wall papers and stains containing a dangerously large quantity of arsenic. For this reason it is well to have a green wall finish tested by a reliable chemist before it is used. As a wall color it is restful and is adapted to use in a well-lighted library or living room. In the bedrooms light walls should always be used. A bedroom should be dainty, and only light colors are dainty. A soft blue tone may be used only on the south side of the house, for blue is a cold color, almost colder than gray, and is apt to give a gloomy effect to a room with a northern exposure. If you have a dark, dismal room, use a pale yellow tone for the walls. You will be surprised at the effect of sunlight.

Psychological Use Of Color

The whole trend of present-day decoration is toward the psychological use of color. Instead of the vivid, figured wall papers, plain painted or papered walls which are restful are now used. What sick person has not feverishly counted and recounted the dancing stripes and figures on walls and ceilings, and longed for a single flat tone of color to rest his tired eyes. But equally important is the artistic side. As the wall is the background for the room, it must be quiet and stay back in its proper perspective. Flat tone, washable wall paints are now on the market and are cheap and satisfactory. Good ingrain, oatmeal, and burlap paper are also to be had, at about the same cost, but of course are not as sanitary as washable tints.