Choosing your Paint: Go Soft, Dark, or Vibrant

An important part of choosing your paint colors is choosing the tone of your colors. A large part of setting the mood of a space is choosing between the softness, depth, and vibrancy of your colors. So jumping right in:

Soft – Soft colors reflect light and brighten a space. The more light there is in a space the bigger the space looks.  This can be achieved by using lighter colors. Scientifically light colors bounce more light off its surface, meaning there’s more light being cast into the surrounding space. Brighter lighter spaces also have the benefit of being more inviting. If you want people to linger, you want the space to feel open and bright. It’s also a bonus that bright and light spaces are good for your mental health.

Caution: Ultra-light colors do tend to wash out. If you want an off-white color that subtly ties into the color of another room with the same undertone getting a very light version of that color will work beautifully. However, this is more a subconscious tie-in, at first glance the room will look white. If you want a hint of whatever color you’re going to want to go a little more saturated unless the rest of the rooms color scheme will make the very subtle color pop.

Dark – Darker spaces have the effect of feeling and looking smaller. Dark colors absorb light, thus casting less light into the surrounding space. Which can make a room feel close and cozy. Not everyone wants every room to be sunny and bright. Deeper, richer colors can be soothing, relaxing, and homey. Also, when you have a larger room or an open floor plan darker colors are good for making rooms feel fuller and occupied instead of being vast and intimidating.

Vibrant – Bright, vibrant colors are the hardest to work with. These colors are exciting and good for creativity, so they’re good in small doses. However, in large quantities they can be overwhelming fast. Vibrant colors give you energy which is great in a work space but in high doses can make people jittery and irritable. Also, if the color is too bright when light bounces off of it the color can mess with your senses.