Toning down wall colors and using nature hues guide home decorators' choices

With the onset of spring, thoughts of sprucing up a room with new paint leads many homeowners to worry whether their color choices are too dark.


In most cases, the tone of the wall color sets the tone of the room. Home decorators who are inclined to go with their favorite colors may want to keep in mind one rule of thumb to arrive at the right shade – browning or graying down.
 

"While the small scale of a shirt allows for a bright, wild and crazy color, the same color on your walls will give you a headache," according to Hamptons.com. "However, if the same color is 'browned or grayed' down to create its own neutral, lightened or darkened to taste, you may have found the win/win solution."
 

For the most natural-looking colors, homeowners should look past their windows to nature's hues. Particularly in a room that has large windows or glass doors, painting a room in nature colors is one way of bringing the outdoors inside, the website advises.


Using natural materials for window treatments achieves the same look. Bamboo shades are an eco-friendly choice for a window coverings that coordinate with nature colors, but can also be a neutral backdrop for spurts of color used as accents.