The first thing that comes to one’s mind when decorating one’s home is the color. Or at least, that’s what happens in most cases. Color means mood. It can create it or make it vanish. Colors bring happiness or a sense of unpleasantness. They can enchant or create irritating sensations. They do so much, sometimes even without our becoming aware of it. The one word to best describe them: power. Today we’re focusing a bit on color psychology and why some colors are better than others when getting one’s place arranged.
When I decorated my room last time, the main thing that was on my mind pointed to colors. Not the furniture design, not the shapes of the home décor items but the color of them. It’s no news that different colors lead to different sensations and that they have an impact upon our emotions, moods and behavior. Thus, when related to home decoration, color psychology must be paid utmost attention in order to choose the right color and thus create the perfect ambiance. Choose red for your bedroom and you will “surely get a good night’s sleep”. The color you go for sends a certain message. Go for aggressive colors and who knows what might happen. Go for warm shades and calmness will make itself pop up sooner than you think. As one put it some time ago, color is nonverbal communication.
It is true that the same color can mean different things to different people. We are affected by color in different ways. Whereas red might be bearable and likable to some people, it may be unpleasant and irritating to others. There have been all kinds of studies that concluded that cool colors are preferred by men and warm ones by women. It’s a moot point, however.
Now, there are a few so-called guidelines when applying color psychology in interior design and decorating. Generally, warm or saturated colors like yellow, orange and red boost energy levels whereas cool colors like blue and green have a significant effect in calming us, both emotionally and physically. Still, this may not work when talking about the shades and tints of these colors. The geranium red might not be that easy on the eyes.
If you’re thinking of increasing the spaciousness of your place, then light colors are the ones to go for. They will make your room feel larger whereas the dark ones, no matter if they are warm or cool, will make your place feel smaller. The thing with the lighter tones is that in their case the “warmth” or “coolness” do matter. We can talk about receding colors, those that make a room feel more spacious, and the ones falling into this category are blue, green and cool grey, and the advancing colors, warm browns, red, yellow and orange, which have the opposite effect.
Then there are the color combinations. The neutral color schemes don’t just look stylish but they are relaxing as well. Such a combination is perfect for bedrooms. Two things should be kept in mind before choosing a color for one of your rooms. First of all, think of how you will use that room and secondly, when you will use it (in the morning when the light is strong or in the evening when you’ll go for artificial light). The same color looks different in different lights.
For instance, if you use a dark red for your bedroom, it will make the room look really luxurious in soft lamplight in the evening. On a bright morning, it won’t be that much of a joy though. Such a color would definitely not go for a room that you use for work during the day. But once again, color affects people differently.
Then, there’s another great way to make it easier when deciding upon the color to be used for your room, and that is by asking yourself about the mood you’d like to embrace when in that room. If you want to feel calm, then warm colors will help you with that. If you’d like to feel excited and energized, then red might be your thing.
Now, remember that you can have your own color psychology. And trust your own senses on that. If a furniture merchant says brown is you thing, it’s not like it really is. No. The color psychology in home design is in its early age. So, again, trust your intuition and instincts on this one!
Find out the colors that suit you best and that create the mood you’re most into by viewing the pictures below. The degree of pleasure may vary from one picture to another. This is how you can find out what your color is!
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