'Anything with a red, orange or yellow undertone can make a color appear warm,' says interior designer Brittney Ferguson, who has some good advice to share with decorators. 'Keep in mind what the color is being paired with to avoid a mismatched nightmare. A warm color with a yellow undertone can significantly change when paired with a color with a contrasting undertone, making the color appear nothing like it did in the paint store. It is important to always sample paint colors in your space.'
Melinda Trembly of Rincon Rd Design Studio favors what she calls 'muddy' colors, or colors that aren't pure, but warns they aren't always what they seem. 'It can get a little trickier to determine the temperature of some of these colors, that's where undertones come into play,' she says. 'For example you can have a cool color like green with undertones of yellow that are traditionally warm. Neutrals can feel warm or cool as well, depending on their undertones.'