What is the difference between warm and cool colors? Why is it important to know the difference?

Picking out paint can be overwhelming. From all the different color choices to the different types of paint (flat, matte, semi gloss, etc) you may not know where to begin. For this reason, we’re going to talk about the differences between warm and cool colors, what colors fall into these two categories, as well as which rooms they would look best in.

Warm colors are colors such as orange, yellow, red or any combination of these. They evoke the feeling of sunshine, heat, summer and warmth and can make a room feel bright as well as making a large room in particular feel more cozier. These colors can work in rooms such as living/family rooms, kitchens or dining rooms due to the bright cheery colors.

Cool colors are colors such as blue, green, light purple or any combination of these and their shades. These colors bring a calm and soothing feeling and are often linked to water/sky or ice/snow. These colors are good in small rooms to make them feel larger as well as in places where you would want a calming atmosphere such as a bathroom or bedroom.

These colors aren’t restrictive to the rooms we mentioned here-if you think orange would look good in your bathroom then go for it! Also a good rule of thumb if you’re undecided between a few shades of the same color is to just get a sample of each and paint a swipe on the wall of the room and think it over for a little bit that way you can really decide if you like a color or not before purchasing a large amount of that particular shade.

Also, keep in mind the décor of the space as well. Sometimes you can use the paint on the walls of a room to accent a certain color in the décor that can tie the room completely together and make it pop.