Using Color to Change the Size of a Room

Do you want to lower your ceiling, but don't want to employ a builder?Then don't, employ a painter instead!

By painting your ceiling a dark color you automatically perceive that it is lower.
That is because dark colors advance. So of course to make your ceiling appear higher, paint it in a light color - preferably white!

It seems so simple and it is.


In general to make walls advance towards you, paint them a dark color. To make them recede away from you, paint them a light color.

If you have a rectangular room and want to make it look more square, then paint the two smaller end walls a darker color and have the long walls a light color. This will bring the end walls forward and make the room appear more symmetrical.

If you want to create a cosy room, choose a warm dark color. This will make the space feel warm and the dark color will enclose the room making it feel intimate.

To make a large open and spacious room, white (or as light as possible) would be the best choice, as white reflects light and the room appears larger.
Changing the perception of a room's size is easy!

Just Use Color.

Design Tip : Think Aesthetic

When embarking on a DIY project, the first thing you want to do is jump in with a hammer and start making mess! But this usually means you will end up shopping for the elusive "money tree".


In other words, leaping before you have planned can be very costly!
There are many questions to be asked, and these can be grouped into four areas:
Practical, Budgetary, Aesthetic and Maintenance




Aesthetic


Do you have items of furniture, artwork, carpets, that have to worked around, or which could be the basics of your scheme?Save racking you brains for a place to start, think about what you already have around you that you love, and work from there.


Does the exterior of your building, set the parameters for your interior? You don't have to follow the exterior, especially if you are in an apartment complex, but if you have a Victorian Villa for example it is often nice to keep some of the detailing even if you are updating the interior.

It is good to keep some of the detail from the house following through into the interior as shown here with the cabinetry emulating the window panes.


Do you have a tendency towards any colors? Do you hate any colors?



Also the intensity of color.Get this down on paper now as once you get into a project you will be so busy worrying about everything else that your common sense may goes out the window and you don't pay enough attention to the finishing ie the color. Also your love for a color may not be the same as the rest of the family who have to live in the house. Paint up some large pieces of card and prop them up where you will be renovating, you will start to get used to them and wil soon figure out which ones work in your space and which ones don't.




Do you have features outdoors that need to be viewed, (or hidden)?


Sometimes the view can dictate what you choose to do. If you look out at a concrete block wall through a window, perhaps it is better to use shutters as decoration or drape some fabric across so you don't have to see it. The opposite can also be said, why use window dressings if you have a spectacular view of the harbour!


Does your family (or your clients) have the same taste? Do they dictate a certain style?



Often it is obvious what you like, you always select similar things in magazines that you like, gravitate to particular forms of furniture when shopping, or love to feel textures. Try and pin point what vein of design suits you best - aesthetically as well as practically. This can be done by flicking through magazines and picking out what you like, if you all do that then find the common underlying theme. It could be you all like a similar group of colours ie warm colours, a similar look, uncluttered Minimal or Eclectic - a combination of numerous styles subtly combined, Pacific - bold florals with cane furniture. What ever it is write it down and try and follow that style or look including what you want to keep from your existing space.

Make sure your whole family are involved in the process of selecting style or colors and then select one person to oversee and make the final decisions - don't designate areas to different people, or you could have a nice orange surprise on your hands like this!




Do you want the space to be the backdrop and the furniture and fixtures to be central focus, or vise versa?Do you live in your house or is your house a work of art? You may want to keep one room the central focus for guests and display your artwork and your sense on style, and "live" in the rest ie keep it fashionable and functional.




Do you have an existing style and want to create a new style?Starting from scratch can be expensive, but wow, wouldn't it make a huge difference to your life, so do it! If you have the jitters, you could always put your old stuff in storage - just in case!


Have you see something you like in a magazine or book and have photographs of it for ideas?



This is a great way to start especially if they tell you where you can purchase everything - a great time saver. Just remember, make sure you don't "copy" the magazine, after all it is your own house and you have to spend time there, and it should reflect your style and personality to a degree.

Design Tips : Think Budget

When embarking on a DIY project, the first thing you want to do is jump in with a hammer and start making mess!


But this usually means you will end up shopping for the elusive "money tree".
In other words, leaping before you have planned can be very costly!


There are many questions to be asked, and these can be grouped into four areas:
Practical, Budgetary, Aesthetic and Maintenance


Budgetary Advice


Have you established how much you want to spend?Don't just guess a figure, the easiest way to get a budget is to prepare a sketch plan and get a quantity surveyor to provide a rough estimate so you can make a realistic budget. At this stage you have somewhere to start. If it is too high, you can prioritise the things you really want to do and leave out those that were luxuries, if it was lower than you thought you can add a few luxuries or simply not spend as much.

Thinking of alternative ways to use your money wisely, if you were to renovate your kitchen for example, the new appliances could be paid off over time leaving more money to spend on the space.


Once you have a budget figure. For safety's sake add a contigency sum.This covers any event that may occur, usually an unforeseeable, undesirable one! Allow 10% of the budget figure and add that on top. Keep this to one side as you may not require it, but it is best to have the finance ready, as when renovating you never know what may be hiding behind the wall linings or under the floor! You want to make sure you can finish your project.


Is there a possibility of Hire Purchase to extend your budget?For example, if you were to renovate your kitchen, the new appliances could be paid off over time leaving more money to spend on the space.




Do you think you have enough money to do the job?If not, can you take out a loan?



If you are making improvements to the house, get a valuer to value your property along with the alterations that you are going to make, send it off to the bank and as you will be adding more value to the property, they generally allow you to borrow more money (assuming you can still comfortably repay the debt).




Can you do all of the work yourself or a experts required?


It is often more cost effective in time, materials and tempers to hire an expert in specialised areas. Sanding back a floor using hired equipment can take hours and hours and is extremely messy - call in the professionals who have commercial equipment and it can be a lot quicker, cheaper and easier on everyones nerves.


Have you looked into the market prices for the things you want to do? Is your budget realistic?Go window shopping! Get prices on appliances, furniture, flooring product, light fittings etc. Can you save more if you purchase it all from one place, are there other ways to buy them? Can you buy them at auction, garage sale, friends of friends etc. Think about your time too. Sometimes it is cheaper to pay someone $25 an hour to paint the walls while you work and earn $35 for example.

Making renovations can be expensive, but with setting yourself a realistic budget figure and then prioritizing the items in the project you can achieve amazing renovations, you just need to be sure to get it all on paper first, then you can start working out what is most important in the space and go down your list from there, I am sure you will be greatly surprised at what you can achieve!


Will the changes you make and the money you spend be of value to the property or are you better off selling and buying a new one which suits your needs better?This is a major decision! People often become attached to a house but no matter how much money you throw at it to make it fit sometimes you just out grow (or the family leaves) a home. Your money could be better spent purchasing something bigger or smaller with less maintenance to do.



List up the items that you want to change, and the new things that you want (your wish list!) in order, so that as the budget is set up you will be able to prioritize the work to fit the budget and time frame.Life can be a lot simpler if you tackle small projects at a time. Sometimes this method is not cost effective if you are employing people to do the work, but for DIY projects starting and finishing are most important. There are thousands of DIY'ers out there who have their whole home in pieces and the family has to live in a construction site. Not comfortable!