Because color is powerful, you may feel insecure about choosing color schemes. We've all experienced the difficulty of looking at a 2-inch-by 2-inch color swatch and trying to imagine what a whole room would look like in that color.

Color can be a psychological thermostat. Some colors are "hot" or energizing, such as red, orange and yellow. Other colors are cool and calming, such as blue, green and purple. Cooler colors make a space appear larger while warmer colors make a space feel cozier. Notice on our SKU pages you'll see descriptions on each swatch page that might see Red Brown, Yellow Brown, Orange Brown, Slate/Grey, or you may see Light, medium or Dark Brown. For the colored ones, this means a small amount of colored pigment was added to the stain. As you bring colorful paint and furnishing into your room, these pigments will get enhanced by the colors you bring to the room and they'll cause your floors to pop with color.

Traditionally, it's been considered best to put cool colors in places where you want peace and relaxation and warm colors in your more active rooms. But in today's mix-and-match lifestyle, many of the rules get thrown out the window. Now it's all about building the perfect room that represents you.

Dark colors absorb light, creating intimate spaces. They can be used in a small space to intensify the cozy atmosphere or in a large, sunny space to add intimacy. Dark colors on the ceiling will make it feel lower, making the space feel more cozy or cramped -- exactly why you need to carefully consider the consequences of the color choices you make.

For your floors, lighter colors will make a room seem bigger. A high sheen wood floor will reflect light throughout a room, adding interest and variety to the space. Darker colors, can add drama and intimacy. Muted colors often are the perfect center between bright and dark.

Your whole home should have a coordinated color scheme. You don't want to go to either extreme -- one color throughout or a different color in every room. It's best to choose a few coordinating colors and use various shades in different locations. Watch how the spaces flow into each other so color changes feel natural as you move throughout the house. Again, check out the wide variety of color choices and mix-and-match ideas suggested by our interior designers.

Interior designers often suggest that you look to nature when picking color, especially the nature right outside your windows. The colors in nature are always popular and never out of date.

If you want a modern, trendsetting color on the wall, such as a citrus orange or a lime green, limit it to an accent wall. The same holds true for trendy wallpapers and wall fabric coverings. Accent walls should play up the architecture. Dramatic walls in the house, such as a two-story wall or a wall with a fireplace, could make a good accent wall. But don't do an accent wall in every room of your house. It should serve a purpose and complement the space. Obviously, one accent wall is easier to change than a whole house when the color or paper goes out of style.

Whatever you decide makes the final choice carefully. Many paint companies have larger swatches or small amounts of paint you can purchase to test at home. The light in a room will significantly change the appearance of any color, so don't make your final decision in the paint store or you may be disappointed when you apply the paint to your walls.