Paint choices reflect the mood you want to create in your home

Often one of the most daunting tasks when embarking on a home renovation project is choosing paint colours. Colours have a personality all their own. When decorating your home, choose colours that will reflect the mood you want to create. The paint and decorating experts at Home Hardware offers these ideas for choosing your colours:

RED is ideal for any dining room, stimulating appetites and increasing brain activity. It is also excellent for child development. Surprise your child by adding colour to a hidden place — inside cabinets, closets, drawers and armoires.

ORANGE is extroverted with a contemporary outlook. Use shades of orange in a foyer, it helps in attracting people.

YELLOW is the brightest colour, stimulating memory and giving the room a warm sunny outlook. If used properly, it lifts spirits. Popular in the kitchen, shades of yellow can also be perfect for a home office or study.

GREEN is a natural colour, lending a feeling of tranquility to a room. It is a dominant colour that makes people feel secure. What better place to feel tranquility than in the bedroom—sleep peacefully in a sea of green.

BLUE is the most popular colour. It lowers blood pressure and inspires meditation. For those long, relaxing baths, a soft shade of blue makes any bathroom a spa.

PURPLE, though not a popular choice, will suppress your appetite. Painting your kitchen purple will help you cut down after the excess of the holidays.

WHITE is delicate and refined. It looks good with every other colour and helps to tone down other colours.

NEUTRALS suggest sophisticated ambience. Use neutrals in a monochromatic colour scheme, or with contrasting colour in an accented neutral scheme. Neutral grey is a creative colour. Any neutral is easily tolerated in a large area. Complex neutrals suggest class and exclusivity.