Do you see the guests at your dining room table start to nod off after a couple of hours, and it isn’t Thanksgiving?

It could be the color of the dining room walls.

Too many homeowners worry about what color they paint their walls. Or maybe they do not worry enough. They sometimes err on the side of bland, or sin on the side of "bleahh."

There are colors that can make you sleepy and colors that keep you awake. The sleep-inducing ones - blues and greens - are "cooling and calming," according to the Rohm & Haas Paint Quality Institute in Spring House, Pa.

From a real estate agent's perspective, dark walls (purple and dark blue) tend to make a room look smaller and absorb light, while light and neutral colors make rooms appear larger.

Blue is also an appetite suppressant, however, so unless you are on a diet or are a bad cook, avoid using it in the dining room, the Paint Quality Institute suggests.

Red is a good choice for dining rooms, because it increases the heart rate, appetite, passion and energy. And diners rarely go to sleep, or at least wait till after dinner while their watching the football game on television.

Orange means warmth, friendliness and welcoming, and is appropriate for living rooms and children's rooms. Violet is fine for children's rooms, because, while adults find it repellent, youngsters like it.

Yellow brightens a room - a foyer, a sunroom, and a room for the elderly - but if it is too bright, it can repel.

Still, choosing paint is no longer simply a matter of blue, red, green or yellow.

Colors are becoming more complex and sophisticated, and are incorporating a variety of special effects, including 'pearlescence' and metallics along with the dimension of transparency and translucency.

Texture is a necessary special effect among designers and consumers these days. Wood and faux finishes continue to be hot.

And color choices seem to be immune to the economic downturn.

There are some guidelines that builders and other professionals should follow when choosing paint for particular audiences:

Published: March 27, 2003

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Al Heavens writes about real estate and home repair and improvement. He is the author of What No One Ever Tells You About Renovating Your Home: Real-Life Advice For Hassle-free, Cost-Effective Remodeling.