"Dining rooms are often done in reddish tones, which increase appetite," Goldman says. "Warm colours are generally conducive to food, family and bringing people together."
The key when working with warmer tones is to bring balance to the room to prevent it from feeling too suffocating. "Using the airiness of a cool colour as an accessory or accent is a good idea," Goldman says. "That way you don't walk into a room and feel as though someone's thrown a heavy blanket over your head." For instance, in a room with a coral red shade on the walls, she recommends adding an accessory like acid green throw pillows to provide contrast.
You can also tone down the intensity of a warm room with furnishings and trim, says Nancy Bollefer, Canadian marketing manager for Behr. "Creamy-toned furnishings offer visual relief against the warmth of a wall colour, especially when paired with a cooler-toned window trim."
Lighting also makes a big difference to the look of a warm room - the wrong bulbs can suck the warmth out of even the reddest walls. "Everyone is moving toward energy efficient lighting, which is great, but sometimes it can completely change the colour of a room," says Neil Jonsohn, a principal designer at Union31 in Toronto.
While an incandescent bulb is a toasty 2,700 Kelvins, eco bulbs are often bluer and colder, reaching up to 4,000 or 5,000K. "If you've chosen a warm colour for your walls, it's best not to go cooler than 3,000K," Jonsohn says.
When it comes time to test your paint choice on a wall, Grech recommends looking at all the colour aspects of the room, including flooring and furnishings. "All colours have an element of both warm and cool," she says. "So when you view all your colour choices in one room, you can get a sense of their temperature relative to one another. A warm grey wall may look bluer and cooler when surrounded with white furnishings.
"The fact that this year's top warm colours are on the grey side makes picking paint colours easier because grey tones are less limiting and tend to go well with most decor, Elkins says. Here are some of the hottest warm shades for 2012:
. RED This year's reds fortunately aren't as intense as they were a few years ago, Elkins says. "The trend is luxury and refinement with a classic feel." For instance, Dulux's Stewart House Brown is a rich, reddish chocolate brown that adds drama to a room and also works well on an accent wall. New for CIL is Tea Dance, a coral red with hints of yellow that would warm up any living room, Ms. Goldman says. Meanwhile, Sico's star colour is Ming Red. "It's a contemporary coral colour inspired by social media, so it's designed to showcase your personal warmth and charm through your decor," Gevry says.
While Behr's elegant Bolero red illustrates how the colour temperature of a warm hue, especially a red, can be seen as a truly hot colour, Bollefer says.
. GREY Smokey, warm greys are big for 2012. Dulux's Raindrop is a warm neutral grey with a yellow tinge that's ideal in a den or study, Elkins says. "It's perfect for a room that doesn't get a huge amount of traffic, but that you want to keep light and warm. On the other hand, O'Keefe Grey is a more traditional, beige-y grey that's ideal for hallways and other high-traffic areas because it hides fingerprints."
Benjamin Moore also has rich new greys for 2012, including Stardust. "It's a warm, earthy grey with a chameleon quality that co-ordinates with most every hue," Grech says.
. YELLOW Mustard yellows and smooth, creamy colours, such as CIL's Golden Ember, are especially popular for 2012, Goldman says. For Behr, Basketry acts as a neutral, but imbues warmth because of its yellow undertones, Bollefer says. "And, because it's a mid-tone colour, it provides the warmth many of us desire, without overpowering a room."
