Choose the right paint colors to brighten a room.
Rooms painted with deeper cool colors may cause a room to appear dark and enclosed if the room receives little sunlight. Repainting walls in warmer paint colors can breathe life into a dark depressing room. Warm colors influence a positive feeling and can make a room look and feel bigger.
Yellow
Yellow is a warm color often associated with sunlight and the feeling of happiness. Yellow also induces a feeling of freshness or cleanliness. For this reason, yellow is a favorite paint color choice for a kitchen. White kitchen cabinets, with a fresh coat of yellow paint on the walls, makes the room appear spacious, bright and inviting. Uniformly emphasize the color yellow in your home by incorporating variations of yellow tones for walls, furniture and curtains, or make yellow stand out by choosing darker colors for decor and yellow for the walls.
White
White is a timeless color choice for kitchen cabinets, ceilings and walls. White may seem boring, but there are countless variations of off-whites to choose from. Repainting a dark enclosed room using a white paint color is the easiest way to brighten up a room and enhance its size visually. Paint over darker gray ceilings with a fresh coat of bright white flat paint and coat dark paneling or walls with a creamy off-white paint color. Some off-whites, although labeled white on the paint sample, may even resemble a warm tan neutral.
Red
Warmer paint colors of red are bright and lively. Red is uplifting and encourages excitement and energy. Paint a dark room with a bright red color, accompanied by white ceilings and white molding. Red brightens dark boring rooms and gives walls a striking appearance. Painting red often requires the use of a tinted primer and at least two to four coats of paint to achieve solid coverage. Light red paint colors brighten a dark living room, family den or home office.
Brown
Lighter brown colors, or tan, often contain subtle traces of red, gold and yellow for a warmer feel when painted on walls in a dark room. Burnt umber is an example of a warmer brown paint. Burnt umber consists of yellow, orange and red. Paint dark walls in a lighter brown, and paint the trim white. Warm brown paint colors go along well with green, red and yellow decor. Painting walls in neutral brown colors also looks inviting and acceptable to potential buyers if you are selling your home.
