Choosing Room Colours for the Home
The colours that we choose for our home reflects our personality. Room colours affect us everyday as we spend time within that environment, and can influence our thoughts and our mood, so you should spend time thinking about the colours you decorate with.
Don't worry about trends as colour trends come and go, simply choose colours that you love.
Colour has the power to change the shape and size of furnishings, as well as the shape and size of the room itself. Let’s find out more about room colours and how they influence your mood.
Each colour has a psychological value. Think about how certain colours make you feel, they can influence lots of different emotions.
Once you decide what colours you like, make sure you limit the number of colors in a room to no more than three or four. Too many colors can make a room look busy or cluttered. Paint is fairly inexpensive and transforms a room more quickly than anything else.
Room Colours
Red is a very intense colour and raises a room’s energy level. In the living room or dining room, red draws people together and stimulates conversation. It can create a strong first impression in a hallway.
Red has been shown to raise blood pressure and speed respiration and heart rate. It is usually considered too stimulating for bedrooms, but if you’re typically in the room only after dark, you’ll be seeing it mostly by lamplight, when the color will appear muted, rich and elegant.
Yellow captures the joy of sunshine and communicates happiness. It is energising and uplifting an good choice for kitchens, dining rooms and bathrooms. If you want you can have a small hallway yellow which will make it feel expansive and welcoming.
Although yellow is a cheery colour, it is not a good choice for main colour schemes. Studies show that people are more likely to lose their temper in a yellow interior In large amounts, this colour can create feelings of frustration and anger.
Blue is considered calming, relaxing and serene.
A pastel blue can look cold on the walls and furnishings, especially in a room that receives little natural light. When using light blue as the primary colour, balance it with warm hues for the furnishings and fabrics.
For relaxation in areas such as family rooms, consider warmer blues, or bright blues, such as turquoise. Blue has a calming effect when used as the main colour of the room , however use softer shades. Dark blue evokes, feelings of sadness, so refrain from using darker blues in your main colour scheme.
Green is considered the most restful colour for the eye and has a calming effect when used as a main color for decorating. It is believed to relieve stress by helping people relax. In the kitchen, green cools things down, in a living room, it encourages unwinding and has enough warmth to promote comfort and togetherness.
Purple is rich, dramatic and sophisticated and is associated with luxury and creativity. Lighter versions of purple, such as lavender and lilac, bring the same restful atmosphere as blue does, but without the risk of feeling chilly.
Orange is an energetic colour and evokes excitement and enthusiasm. This colour is a great choice for an exercise room as it will bring out all the emotions you need during your fitness regime.
Neutrals allow for a backdrop that allows you to add colour to liven the room up or take them away to calm the room.
Neutral walls and floors allow a colour to be added and then changed when the mood takes you. Perfect if you like to change things around with the seasons.
Black is best used in small doses as an accent. Some experts maintain that every room needs a touch of black to ground the color scheme and give it depth.
Light colours are expansive and airy, making rooms seem larger and brighter. Dark colours are sophisticated and warm and give larger rooms a more intimate appearance.