Color can make a home safer and more enjoyable. Light colors reflect light back into the room. Dark colors absorb light. For example, a white wall will reflect 85 percent of light back into the room, whereas a dark brown wall will reflect only 10 percent back into the room.

A person's ability to perceive certain colors declines with age. By age 75, many people are not able to distinguish between shades of blue, blue-green and green, and violets. Even if you've always loved blues and greens, these colors may lose their appeal. Dark colors and colors of similar intensity (brightness or dullness), such as black, brown, navy, gray, and maroon, are more difficult to distinguish. They also may be depressing. Light, pastel colors such as light pinks, salmon, peach, light yellows, pale greens, off whites, and light blues may be difficult to distinguish from each other, too.

Bright colors can help the visually handicapped "read" the environment more effectively. Dark and light color contrasts can make objects more visible. For example, a dinner plate with a colored border or a white plate on a colorful place mat can help the person see the plate better and avoid hitting the glass on the edge of the plate. Light foods such as vanilla ice cream served in a dark dish can be seen easily. Contrast is also effective in signaling changes in the floor level. Contrasting color can be used to show where stairs begin and end.

• Select light colors for walls and ceilings. Use medium colors for floors and wood finishes.
• Furniture that contrasts with the carpet and walls is easier to see. Put a slipcover on a sofa or chair or use a throw cover to save reupholstering expenses.
• Avoid glossy finishes on floors, wood furniture, etc., to eliminate glare.
• Use cloth tape in a bright contrasting color on the edge of kitchen or bath countertops that are a similar color as the floor or cabinets. The counter edge will be more visible.
• Avoid very large patterns or small "busy" wallpaper designs. They can become confusing or produce blurred vision and eye fatigue.
• Use light colors in areas that tend to be dark, such as hallways, closets, and cupboards.

From: Life-Cycle Housing: Furnishing a User-Friendly Home, by Wilma S. Hammett, Professor Emeritus, North Carolina Cooperative Extension, North Carolina State University. Used with permission.