Home decor is often viewed as simply a matter of aesthetics -- what looks attractive. But proponents of color psychology believe that the colors you use to decorate your home can have a profound effect on the emotional well-being of you and your family.
If you like the idea of using color to create an emotionally healthy home, color consultants say you should first consider the primary function of each room. Next, pick a predominant color. Although it can't be proven scientifically, color consultants say some hues work better than others at encouraging certain activities. Need ideas? Here's a room-by-room rundown of the colors believed to work best in each of the most important rooms of your home, and the moods they create.
Living room and foyer paint colors. Warm tones like reds, yellows, and oranges, and earth tones like brown and beige often work well in both the living room and foyer, because they're though to stimulate conversation.
Kitchen paint colors. Color consultants say that if you have fond memories of spending time in the kitchen when you were a kid, it might make sense to recreate the color scheme in your grown-up kitchen.
If there's no particular paint scheme you remember fondly, reds and yellows can be great colors in the kitchen as well as in the living room and foyer. But watch out if you're watching your weight: in addition to stimulating conversation, color consultants say that red may prompt you to eat more, if only subtly.
Dining room paint colors. Because it's stimulating, red decor can be great for a formal dining room. In addition to encouraging conversation, it whets the appetites of your guests.
Bedroom paint colors. The bedroom is where you go to relax and reconnect with your partner. Cool colors -- blues, greens and lavenders -- can be great choices here, because they are thought to have a calming effect. The darker the hue, the more pronounced the effect is believed to be. Reds tend to increase blood pressure and heart rate and stimulate activity. Blue does just the opposite. That's why we think of it as calming.
What if your teenager has a few ideas about how to paint his or her bedroom? In the name of family harmony, it probably makes sense to let your teen pick the paint -- within reason. Harrington says she let her own daughter pick a wild paint scheme for her room -- with the proviso that her daughter would repaint it white when she moved out.
Bathroom paint colors. Whites and warm colors have always been popular choices for bathrooms, in large part because they connote cleanliness and purity. But nowadays the bathroom is used not just as a place to wash up, but also as a private retreat for relaxation and rejuvenation. Most people feel comfortable with blues and greens and turquoises because these colors give a sense of being clean and fresh -- and calm.
Workout room paint colors. Reds and oranges can help you move. But they can also make you feel hot. For this reason, blues and greens may be better choices here. Yellow-greens and blue-greens may be the best choices because, in terms of color psychology, they're "happier."
Home office paint colors. The name of the game here is productivity: the faster you complete work-related tasks, the more time you'll have to spend enjoying family and friends. And color consultants agree that green can be a great choice for a home office.
No comments:
Post a Comment