Dear Jean and Richard, Every time you share your thoughts on color, I look for specific suggestions, but you’re always talking about coordinating one room to the next or about reading swatches. I want to know what colors go best in what rooms.

Richard: Hi Susan. First, let me defend our former advice by saying so many people try to pick colors from a tiny swatch while they’re in the store, which can be a recipe for disaster. And tying rooms together through color is a good thing. But as I sit here in a room color best described as yellow, I’m feeling positive, which is one of the attributes of this hue.

Jean: Wow, you need to sit in yellow more often! In fact, you should paint your entire house yellow if that’s what it does. But yellow might be best used in poorly lit foyers and dark halls. If you use it in large areas, like living rooms, tone it down to a more buttery shade. A close kin to yellow is green, nature’s neutral. Depending on the tone, it’s also a good choice for living rooms. And dining rooms. And kitchens.

Richard: I know, I’ve seen your house. It was green before green was cool.
Jean: Well, green is by definition cool. I also like soothing soft blue. Blues are usually best suited for bedrooms and other more “restful” areas. But caution with blues in scope. Clients once requested I put Carolina blue carpet in a whole house, and a huge wall of Carolina blue pinch pleat draperies in another house. I learned that blue, expanded that much, is totally overwhelming. So either keep the tone light and gentle, or the volume small.

Richard: Maybe more people need to paint their dining rooms blue, so they’ll rest in between mouthfuls. Sometimes you see red walls around food, which can actually stimulate the appetite and create excitement. This is why some high end restaurants use red in their dining areas. Reds can be fun in the right setting, and you don’t have to stop with just the walls. But if you’re trying to lose weight, don’t paint your dining room red.

Jean: Why are you looking at me? My dining room is a light teal. Seriously, research has shown that blue can serve as an appetite suppressant. Purple, on the other hand, is a little too close to red. Eggplant is appropriate in small proportions, but lighter purples are often perceived as spiritual or child-like.

Richard: On a color wheel, beyond red are variations of orange. These are a little like purples—be cautious where you use them. They can be cheerful in small doses, but agitating on large surfaces. If Jean were a color, she’d be orange.

Jean: Richard would be purple. But we’re all actually a blend of all colors, and your home can be that too. Mine is primarily greens and blues, with some pink and black thrown in as accents. Richard’s is mostly grays, browns and black, with accents in gold and silver.

Richard: Speaking of accents, trim color can be as important as the wall color. White is always a good choice, though—especially with pale greens like sage or any pale tones. Pure white actually exaggerates the psychological effects of strong hues like reds and purples because it contrasts so sharply. You may want to tint the white slightly toward gray or cream.

Jean: And Susan, remember to always take your time and bring that color swatch home (preferably a large one). Look at it in sunlight and lamplight, move it around to different walls, all the while measuring its relationship with the room’s furnishings. Whether it’s cool or warm, loud or soft, every color will have something to say when it lives in your home.