Behr

Designer Abigail Ahern calls it “color paralysis” – the fear of making a regrettable choice when redoing a room in a bolder palette. Bored sick of beige, many homeowners yearn to surround themselves with more dramatic colors yet, somehow, still play it safe. With these 10 tips from color experts, it’s possible to go bold without regret.

1. AUDITION THE COLOR IN A BIG ROLE

“Never, ever, ever just go by the swatch card. It won’t do the color justice or reflect how it will look in your pad,” says Ahern, author of the book “Color: Transform Your Home” (Quadrille, 2015). Paint an entire wall “and live with it for a few days to see how it makes you feel and how it looks in every light,” Ahern advises.

2. TEST TO SEE IF THE COLOR BELONGS

Before doing an entire wall, paint a repositionable sample board. That way, you can move the board around to see how a color looks in different lighting and up against trim, furniture and draperies.

3. WORK UP YOUR NERVE IN A SMALL SPACE

“Making a bold color choice is intimidating. If you’re not ready to do it in a main room, start small – someplace like a powder room that’s not a big commitment,” recommends Jackie Jordan, owner/designer, Jackie Jordan Studio, Allen, Texas.

The dining room is another place to experiment because you won’t live with the results every day, “and since it’s used for entertaining, it’s a place to add drama and energy,” she adds.

4. GIVE YOUR BOLD COLOR STAR BILLING

“When you have a bold hue taking up a lot of real estate (such as a bedspread or sofa), restrain the rest of the palette, as it will make your key piece look way more amazing,” Ahern says. Bold colors are typically used as accents, but they can succeed as the predominant color in a room as well. Balance and contrast are keys. If the walls are dark or saturated, go for neutral, subdued upholstery.

5. HEED THE 60-30-10 RULE

Choose a main, secondary and accent color, and apply them formulaically. For example, the main color on all four walls could be oxblood, with camel furnishings and olive accents.

6. USE COLOR SELECTION TOOLS TO GET STARTED

Some paint manufacturers’ websites and various apps allow you to experiment with different color palettes by “painting” preselected rooms or uploaded images of your own home. “Online tools are great to start the process and to answer the basic question of, ‘Do I really want red on my walls?’ But I would never make a color choice based on a virtual image,” Jordan says.

7. LET THE COLOR WHEEL BE YOUR GUIDE

If you’re timid, choose an analogous color combination – colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. If you’re more adventuresome, choose complementary colors on opposite sides of the color wheel.

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