Welcome the New Year with Color Choices
that Soothe Your Home's Soul

As we welcome 2005, what better time to take stock of the importance of family, friends and home life. Thoughtful consideration of our living space is certainly one way to welcome and renew relationships.

“Adding appropriate color’s or hues can provide the perfect backdrop on which to build area’s that warm the home’s soul,” Debbie Zimmer, decorative painting consultant for the Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute, said.

Incorporating soothing color combinations into a design scheme can impact on not only, the look of a space but also, the feel. To create a space that allows for quiet contemplation and personal reflection, Zimmer offers the following color combination suggestions:

• Soft Yellow and White
Add your own sunshine during winter’s darkest days. By treating your walls to pale yellow, your room’s thermometer will rise. Just by adding a touch of this welcoming color, your space will invite you to sit and relax. Not sure if an all-yellow room is for you? Include simply painting one wall in this happy hue and white on the other three. Add a dash of gloss white to the ceiling and enjoy the increased reflectance and warmth in your space.

• Breezy Blue and Pale Pink
This combination can set the tone for complete relaxation. Stretch out on your favorite sofa and enjoy the palest of pink on your ceiling. With a watery blue color on the wall surface, your room will have a spa-like feel, a perfect escape from a hectic day. “Enhance this palette with bright white trim and you’ll feel like you’re on vacation!,” Zimmer said

Remember the simple use of paint can provide aesthetically pleasing and practical effects within the overall space. By incorporating soothing color combinations, your living area can become a haven for rest and relaxation. Calming your space with color may be your easiest New Year’s resolution to keep!