Don’t Be Afraid To Paint With Colors

The horses were out of the barn and running free long before Rachel Newman, editor in chief of Country Living magazine, knew a thing about working with color in a room setting.

Writing in the forward of “True Colors,” by the editors of Country Living (Hearst Books, 224 pages, $27.50), Newman recalls growing up in the country and how a love of horses contributed to a lifelong fascination with color.

“I went through a horse-crazy stage,” she writes, “and naturally I began to draw horses. But not content to color them realistic browns and tans, I made them blue, green and purple.” Bombs away.

Many of us are frightened silly of making a mistake with color in our living spaces. What we end up with is “safe” but rather predictable environments.

“True Colors” is designed to make us more confident in our selections.

While the book deals primarily with country and traditional decorating, its color philosophies can be applied to most any style. It’s a good read, a good look. Turn those horses loose.

Gray. It’s a natural in more ways than one. A good choice for rooms where a sedate color is desired. A color that can blend a setting into a single presentation.

Yellow. Now we’re starting to bubble. Yellow is light, warm, cheerful. It’s an ideal choice for a hall or entry because it conveys hospitality. Not a bad deal for home offices, either.

Red. Time to boil. Lots of red (as in red walls) spells luxury. Gold accessories, such as gilded mirrors, look wonderful with it.

If red in bold strokes is too much to think of, consider mellowing it with white or adding it to a room as an accent. Use it on woodwork, a banister, a bay-window frame.

Purple. Over the top? Maybe not. Purple can work as long as it’s not overdone.

The lighter the purple, the easier it is to use in a room. Lavender on a single wall, for example, adds a touch of excitement to a restful blue-and-white color scheme without overwhelming its sense of calm.

A deeper tone of purple paired with white is an eye-catching combo that adds a particular liveliness.

Pastels. Cooling-off time. Pastel walls can pick up on the colors of the more prominent accessories in a room and blend them in. And pastel walls don’t compete with accessories, as deeply colored walls will.

In their own subtle way, they tie together a wide range of textures and patterns as well as colors.