Let’s take a closer look at colors and how they can transform a room.
Red typically increases adrenaline and has been known to raise blood pressure and speed up heart rates. Red is a good choice if you’re looking to bring some excitement in your bedroom. However by lamplight and at night, the colour becomes muted, making the room more rich and elegant. It’s also great for living rooms and dining rooms and for doorways if you’re looking to make a strong first impression.
Yellow is a colour of sunshine and joy and is an excellent choice for kitchens, dining rooms and bathrooms, as it is uplifts and energizes a room.
When used as a main colour scheme however, it can bring out feelings of frustration and anger in most people and even cause babies to cry. In small spaces and hallways, it can be expansive and welcoming.
Blue is known to have a calming effect when used as the main colour of a room and can encourage relaxation in social areas such as family rooms, living rooms or large kitchens when used in shades of periwinkle, cerulean or turquoise.
To avoid the room coming off as chilly with a pastel blue colour, opt for light blue and balance it with warm hues for the furnishings and fabric.
Green combines the refreshing quality of blue and the cheerfulness of yellow, green that is restful on the eye and suitable for any room in the house. In the kitchen, it’s calming; in a family room or living room, it encourages an ambience of destress, comfort and togetherness.
Green also has a calming effect when used as a main color for decorating. It is also believed to help with fertility, making it a great choice for the bedroom.
Purple is associated with luxury and creativity and in its darkest hues (eggplant, for example), is portrayed as rich, dramatic and sophisticated. It’s lighter shades like lavender and lilac, have the same calming power as blue does, but without the risk of feeling chilly.
Orange is a dynamic color that invokes excitement and enthusiasm. It’s a great color for an exercise room and helps in producing endorphins released during exercise. In ancient cultures, orange was believed to heal the lungs and increase energy levels.
Neutrals (black, gray, white and brown) The basic colours in every decorator’s tool box due to their flexibility. To brighten up a room, add more colours and subtract to calm things down.
Black is best used as an accent rather than a main colour. Some experts maintain that a touch of black is needed in every room to ground the color scheme and give it depth. To make the job easier, rely on the interior designer’s most important color tool: the color wheel.
Crimson is a color that should be avoided as the main color of a room as it is said to invoke feelings of rage and hostility. A room painted crimson would affect the peace and harmony you hope to create in your home
Following these helpful hints would help jumpstart your search for the perfect colour for your rooms. As color choice is a personal matter, be sure to choose a hue that suits you, your family and your lifestyle. If you have any tips to share, please leave a comment below!