Color has the power to communicate on physical as well as emotional levels, influencing not only the overall look of a room - its furnishings, fabrics, and accessories - but also the moods of the people within it. Red, for instance, is energizing while blue has a calming effect. Yellow and green respectively, are cheery and introspective and purple, a regal hue, has a dramatic impact.

By the same token, colors can have either a warming or cooling effect. From one side of the color wheel, red, orange, and yellow add warmth to a room - something you may want to take advantage of in a cool, north-facing room. Conversely, blue, purple, and green are known as cool hues and can tone down a too-sunny space.

Finally, keep in mind that color is the great deceiver and, by using the right hues, you can visually remodel a room. Consider these suggestions for working some design magic of your own:

• In a small room, create a greater sense of space by uniting the walls and ceiling with a sweep of white or another light color.
• Cozy up an oversized room with rich, warm hues. Maximize the effect by applying the same backdrop color over the ceiling.
• Lower a too-high ceiling by painting it a dark advancing color, such as brown or dark blue.
• Square up a long, narrow room by painting walls with a combination of advancing and receeding colors. For example, use a warm, dark hue on short end walls to coax them forward visually, then use a soft white or light hue on long side walls to diminish their importance.
• If walls are broken up by doorways and windows, paint away the interruptions with a light or white wall color applied over frames and all. Like wise, make an unsightly feature, such as an old fireplace, seemily disapper by painting it the same color as the walls.