(NAPSI)—Feeling happier at home may hinge on something as simple as repainting the walls. Different colors affect your mood, your energy and your efficiency in different ways. Changing the shade of paint in your bedroom, kitchen or home office can be a big improvement. Here are some ideas from color expert Erika Woelfel, director of color marketing for Behr Paints.

Select a few of your favorite things, such as artwork or fabric in furniture upholstery, and use their colors throughout your home. This will place the focus on things you enjoy.

If you tend to be easily distracted, you may need home office colors to surround you in soft, muted tones that relax, calm and help you get down to work. But if you find motivation difficult, you may want to go with warm, bright colors like yellow or red to stimulate focus and energy.

Cool colors such as blues, greens and purples are passive in nature, receding into the background. They don’t distract or disturb and can help to quiet the nerves, lift the spirits and soothe the soul.

Natural, restful, yet rejuvenating, green is perhaps one of the best colors to use in spaces where the main goals are thinking and creativity, such as a study area. Ranging from soft, subtle sages, to soothing sea greens, to the deep, dignified forest and hunter shades, greens ease stress, stimulate the thought process, and promote feelings of balance and harmony. Most people find green a very pleasant, relaxing color, so it can be a good choice for the bedroom.

Large spaces feel more intimate and inviting when painted a warm golden tone.

Warm colors such as reds, yellows and oranges are active and actually visually advance toward you, making rooms painted in these hues seem more intimate and cozy. Warm hues are also cheerful and invigorating, great for a child’s playroom, man cave or family room. A warm color on the ceiling has the effect of bringing tall or high ceilings down to a more intimate, human scale.

Representing peacefulness, white can give an open, spacious feeling. Soft, muted or tinted whites are good choices for main wall colors. Use bright whites for trim and moldings to create a crisp, clean look.

A dark color painted at the end of a hallway can have the effect of stretching the space, making the wall seem farther away.

Soothing and comforting, neutrals make a great background. Neutral colors can be unifying when there is an eclectic mix of colors and décor styles in one room.

Grays are subtle and sophisticated, while taupe and beige are versatile and work well with many other colors.

Neutral red and brown warm up an overall space or can be used on their own for a feature wall to create an area of interest.

Whatever color you choose, consider low or zero VOC: volatile organic compounds. The paint smell dissipates faster, making it a good choice for family spaces.

Woelfel points out that Behr’s recently introduced next generation Premium Plus Interior Paint provides an innovative solution for homeowners who want high quality paint with priming properties at a great value. The zero VOC interior paint delivers exceptional durability, hides what’s under it well and seals previously painted and uncoated surfaces such as drywall, wallboard and wood without the use of a separate primer. In addition, it has a low odor formula.

An aid to choosing color is an online color tool called ColorSmart by BEHR, which lets you browse a collection of inspirational color palettes, find your favorite color and coordinating color palettes, and preview in a simulated environment. There’s also the free ColorSmart by BEHR Mobile application, available for iPhone, iPad and Android compatible devices.

The paints are available exclusively at The Home Depot stores. You can visit www.behr.com to find how-to information, explore design and color guidance and order eight-ounce paint samples. For new ideas and inspiration, you can follow Behr Paints at www.twitter.com/behrpaint and like Behr at www.facebook.com/behrpaint.

 

On the Net:North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.(NAPSI)