RENOVATIONS: Paint gives best bang for the buck

Admit it. With holiday decorations long gone and daylight hours still too short, our houses feel dark and joyless. We're suffering from a bad case of winter doldrums, with budget chills making spring seem eons away.

Rejoice. Few things in life can make as big a change as a can of paint. Shannon Kaye, host of the DIY Network's home-decor show Fresh Coat, recommends fighting the winter blues by spreading colour, even a coat of white, on your walls. "Paint offers the biggest decorating bang for the buck. It can change your entire room," she says.

Here are Kaye's best tips:

Trends

- Bright white: While people often shy away from putting colour on their walls, the opposite is true of our furniture.

"People are buying more colourful, bright pieces."

If you already have a lot of colour in your in your room, you may consider going fresh and bright with white. Get images of dull, dingy white rental walls or builder beige out of your mind and think of the white as a canvas for your art.

"There are almost as many shades of white as there are for colours," says Kaye.

- Stencils: She's not a fan of wallpaper, but likes patterns and texture on walls. The happy medium is to do it with paint. "Wallpapers are coming back into fashion, but they are difficult to remove and difficult to paint over. A lot of people are finding stencilling is a way to create something personal."

Mood setters

- Quiet or busy: Kaye recommends spending time in the room you're going to paint and asking yourself: Will this be a space to spend time with the children? A quiet place to write? An exercise room?

- Inspirational helpers: If you want to give your room a paint makeover but are unsure of what colour to use, Kaye suggests taking a clue from your furnishings.

"I like to take a piece in the room as the inspiration colour," she says. "A favourite pillow, art work, curtains.Take it to the paint store or grab some paint strips and bring them home. Hold them up to the item and see how the colour works. Wall colour should complement the favourite item; an exact match makes the item blend in and disappear."

- Careful with colours: Too much colour can overwhelm you and your room.

"Oranges and yellows are cheerful, but when you multiply it by four walls, you could be glowing out the door when the lights are off," she says.

Play it safe by using tones from nature. A dark green in a small room can make it feel like a cave, yet sage and celery greens can give it a lighter, softer feel.

- Colour tests: Pick two or four colours, then pick up inexpensive sample-size paints and try them out on a wall. Live with it for a few days, looking at it from different angles and different times of the day.

- Accenting smarts: Use accent walls sparingly. A darker colour makes the other walls appear dull or dingy. The deeper the contrast, the easier it is to see flaws in the paint job.

Kaye prefers using two or three colours that have softer contrasts, like a silver grey with a charcoal. Don't be afraid to experiment. You just might end up with something that sends winter blues flying.

Painting sources

- Shannonkaye.com for tips and ideas

- Certapro.com for tips and advice

- BEHR.com for interactive programs that let you see colours and finishes, and see how they might look in your house; tips on colours that go together; plus a selection of the year's hottest colours.

(prepared by Joan Morris/Vancouver Province)