These days the den has evolved into more than just a room designated for the man. Dens have become multi-purpose rooms in some households, where both the male and female members of the family can retreat. Although there are dens that are still used as studies and trophy rooms, many of the dens of today are also used as a second family room, craft room or even a computer or hobby room. So when selecting a color to paint the den, you must first decide what you are mainly going to use the den for.
Many people just throw things together, using whatever they have on hand to accesorize this room making it an eclectic style, while others create an exact theme or precise style when designing their den. You can paint your walls to highlight one or more of your prized posessions or even the fabric in your sofa. This depends upon whether you have created a formal or informal den.
A formal one should be accented with natural colored woodwork and all wooden accent pieces and trim should match it.
Paint the woodwork of your informal den either white or a complimentary shade to the wall color. This gives the illusion of a larger room.
Paint your formal or informal den a light to medium shade of a color that you like. Greens and blues are good choices as these colors have a calming effect on most people and are also soothing to the eyes. A den is a room where you are supposed to either study, or relax and chill out. If you are using the den as a computer or reading room, green walls offer an area to gaze at every so often to relieve eye strain.
Neutral toned walls are sort of noncommital. They basically go well with most any decor and fade into the background allowing the style of the room to be noticed instead of the color of the paint on the walls.
Lighter toned neutrals such as beiges, creams and wheats accent the woodwork and any other wooden pieces in the room well. They lighten up the walls which enables any natural or artificial lighting to reflect off of them creating the illusion of a more brightly lit room. The lighter shades of olive green, apricot and even muted dusty pinks can give the room a welcoming warm glow.
Pastel colors and lighter neutral tones are appropriate for a den being used as a hobby or craft room, as you need a well lit area to work on projects. A more brightly colored room may even motivate you to complete them. White or a lighter shade of natural woodwork also gives those pastel walls a more cheerful appearance.
A den used as a t.v. room could also be painted with a medium shade of paint instead of a pastel or light neutral tone. Make sure there is adequate lighting in a room that is painted with a deeper shade of paint. You do not want your den to appear dreary and uninviting.
Paint one or more walls a light color and the remaining wall or walls a shade or two darker of the same color. You can employ two similar shades of the same paint along with some painting techniques and enhance your walls with subtle stripes, textured or even shadowing effects. A stenciled border or trim along the top or across the middle of the walls, if the decor is plain, would also be nice.
Avoid bright shades of purple, lime green, orange, yellow, red, or hot pink as these colors are too vibrant for a small room. White and black or dark shades of other colors should also be avoided. White walls are too stark and glaring to allow you to enjoy the room properly, while black and other darker colors appear depressing and cost you more money to illuminate than lighter colored walls.
Recalling those scenes from old films and television shows of years ago, a den was usually the most masculine room of the house. This small room was designated for use by the man of the house, and it was most likely where you would see Dad retreat, to relax, prop up his feet and read the newspaper while puffing away on either his cigar or pipe, after a long hard day at work.
Sometimes, a den was also referred to as a library, study or game room. It was not uncommon to see the darkly paneled and painted walls of this room accented with shelving and decorated with either sports memorabilia or trophies of some sort. If Dad was a sports fanatic, fisherman or hunter chances are he would display most of his prized posessions in this room.
To me, the image I conjure in my mind when I hear the word den, is typical of those I have seen in old movies. I imagine dark woodwork, and half wall paneling, topped with either dark green or a light shade of neutral toned paint on the walls above those panels. I see the leather bound books on the bookshelves surrounding the room. These shelves are topped off every so often with trailing ivy plants in brass containers. In the center of the room sits a slightly worn leather chair and matching ottoman near the broad cherrywood office style desk.
There is always an ornate brass office lamp sporting a translucent green glass lampshade sitting on an upper corner of the desk. I can almost catch a whiff of the moist tobacco and pipe smoke surrounding the humidor that sits on the opposite corner of the desk just above the ink blotter. Accent this with a pen holder, writing tablet and some framed photos of family members. To me THIS is the way to paint and decorate a den.
Since most people are not as traditional as me, you might prefer some of those other possible options when selecting a color to paint your den.
Remember, these are just guidelines and suggestions. You can certainly paint the den whatever color you like. Most dens are small in size so you want to create a subtle effect, nothing bold or drastic. Just make sure that the color you choose to paint those walls works best for you.