You probably already know that colors are an important part of decorating your tiny apartment. If you're renting, you probably have blank white walls that seems stark and make your space feel cluttered and furniture out of place. Changing the colors of your walls is an easy way you can instantly transform the look and mood of your space without having to spend lots of money. It’s a good idea to ask permission first from your landlord before you start painting, but usually people are okay with it as long as you paint the walls back before you leave. An understanding of how the color wheel works will give you the knowledge and power to create your own personal color scheme that works with your furniture so that you can visually expand or cozy-up your rooms. There is an increasing trend for bright, saturated wall colors, which may be what you are looking for. As long as you know how to use them, you can adopt any of your favorite colors onto your walls.
The Color Wheel
It’s important to pick a color scheme that is consistent from room to room especially in smaller apartments when chaos and claustrophobia are common problems. You should use the wall colors as the connector as you choose different colored accessories for different rooms. Above, you will find your fundamental tool for choosing colors. Primary, secondary, and tertiary colors are full intensity colors. Here is some important vocabulary for you to know when learning about these colors:
Tint: Adding white to full intensity colors
Shade: Adding black to full intensity colors
Tone: Adding gray to full intensity colors
Complementary colors: Colors opposite of one another on the color wheel. Example: red and green.
After you have an understanding of how the color wheel works, ask your self what you want the purpose or mood to be of the room. You will also want to ask yourself if you prefer warm colors or cool colors.
Cool Colors
Choosing cool colors for your color scheme is a great way to visually expand a room, especially if natural light is lacking. Some of these colors include blues, greens, and violets. These can be very relaxing and non-intrusive colors especially if they are paired with white accents. Violet is a unique color because it merges warm and cool, -since it is a mix of red and blue. Using pastel shades of violet in either warm or cool hues are space enhancing.
Warm Colors
Warm colors advance the walls of your room. Some of these fun and lively colors include reds, yellows, and oranges. You can still use these colors and open up the room a bit by using them in various paler shades such as pink, coral, and pale yellow. If you want to use warm colors but still create a restful feel, pick warm colors that appear naturally on the Earth such as burnt orange, golden yellow, or olive. These colors look rich but weathered. Pick warm colors for high-traffic or high-energy rooms.
Neutrals
Neutrals range from black to white and can include soft shades of brown such as taupe, beige, and ecru. Neutrals are great because they can extend and complement any room, especially if you have brightly colored furniture. Neutrals are flexible because they create contrast without harshness. You can easily change the style and color scheme of a room with neutral walls by changing your accent pieces.
Tips for Using Your Colors
- Pay attention to natural light. Use cooler colors in rooms without windows or sunshine.
Use warmer colors in rooms that get lots of sunshine. 
- Paint a wall floor to ceiling to heighten the room
- Hide an ugly radiator or any other unsightly architectural element by painting it the same color as the walls
- To create consistency, choose a color and use its various shades for other rooms
- To highlight a specific furniture piece, paint the walls its contrasting color.
I recently came across a great online tool for testing out wall colors. Use Sherwin-Williams Color Visualizer to try out a color scheme. You can save and download as many rooms as you want. Have fun!
