When you decorate your home, think twice about the colors you use. Plan out properly the color scheme before you even buy the paint.

1. That bright color might look great in a tiny swatch but garish on an entire wall. Use a free color visualizing tool to help you visualize how the wall would look in your chosen color, before you spend money on the paints.
   

2. If you choose a bright color, consider confining it to a single wall with neutral colors, on the rest of the walls to balance the look.
   

3. Light colors make a room look larger while dark colors make a room cosier.

4. To make the ceiling look higher, try a very pale color or white to make it recede. You could try painting the ceiling sky blue so it looks like you are looking up to the never ending sky when you look up towards the ceiling.

5. Wood gives the room a warmer, homelier, back to nature feel. A room with wooden wallpaper, wood floors, and ceiling, lit with warm lights gives you a comforting, cosy atmosphere.

6. Get your basic color scheme right first. The color of the floor, walls and ceiling should all complement one another. You could use the exact same color on the walls and ceiling for an unbroken, harmonious look in a room, to form the background before you add the furnishings or furniture. Visualize how the elements go together, you could sketch out the entire look on paper, or use color my home to put together the walls, floor, ceiling and furnishings to see how the colors go with one another.

   To use, choose the color or wallpaper for the wall. Next, choose the floor color. Then choose the ceiling color. Finally pick the furnishings. These are compared against the wall color or the floor color.
   

7. Dark colors are easier to maintain as dirt does not show up so easily. Consider a darker color for sofa sets, tables and other heavily used furniture, especially if you have little kids or pets in your home. On the other hand, if you have a long haired white cat that sheds a lot of hair, you might want want more white furniture as white hair contrasts with dark furniture. Consider your household when planning your color scheme.