The right shades can improve your mood and give your home a splash of personality. To help you choose the right hues, we asked Connectictut-based colorist Victoria Stuart Burke to debunk some of the most common color myths.

Myth 1: Dark colors make a room appear smaller.

Done in the right way, darker colors can actually make a room appear larger. "Place a strong or brightly colored accent piece on or near the far wall," says Burke. "It brings the eye further into the room and influences your perception of the room's size. Our eye quickly travels to the area with the highest contrast."

The mysterious black walls in this room, for instance, provide the perfect backdrop for the bold red-and-gold artwork.