Colors have characteristics and deep emotional ties for most people. By learning how to manipulate color you can create a mood and environmental sense of being in your home. Use it to your advantage to set the stage for warm romantic evenings, casual and comfortable relaxing mornings, and vibrant and exciting meals.
Red
Red can actually raise blood pressure and heart rate. It’s a very stimulating color both visually and psychologically. Red can be too strong for some and irritating while it makes others feel alive. Red can stimulate appetite so it may encourage finicky eaters to eat or may push some towards overeating.
Orange
Orange is another color that’s closely tied to appetite; notice how many restaurants feature red and orange colors. Orange is hard to decorate with but in small doses it’s inviting and has warmth and energy. Variations of orange such as peach and rust are more tolerable in large doses.
Yellow
When asked most people associate yellow with happiness. The color evokes joy and sunny dispositions. This is why it’s often chosen for smaller rooms, like bathrooms, that don’t have a lot of natural light. It’s also a great color for kitchens as it retains some of the affects on the appetite the red and orange do but to a much lesser degree.
Green
Green is a restful, calming color that mellows a mood and creates a sense of well being. It’s a great color to bring people together in a comfortable cooperative way. It’s also very popular for bedrooms as it helps people relax.
Blue
Blue has almost the opposite effect of red, it lowers blood pressure and heart rates. It’s typically not a popular color for kitchens as it makes people disinterested in food but it is often used in bedrooms and as an accent in living rooms. Currently the trend is towards sea foam or powder blue colors which are used both as accents and anchor colors.
Purple
Purple isn’t often used in decorating because it’s hard to work with. It’s a combination of the exciting red and the calming blue and the overall affect is different for different people. Watering down the purple into lavender is more acceptable for many and often used for girl’s bedrooms. Small touches of deep purple give the air of wealth and prosperity and dress up a neutral room with life.
White
White is seen as a pure and clean color. It gives a room a sense of space so it’s a great color for small bathrooms as it makes them feel larger and clean. A lot of white in differing hues can seem quite luxurious and opulent. Some people may see white as too sterile so it’s often better to opt for a slightly off white shade.
Black
Black can be considered very depressing if it’s overused, but in small doses it’s a great accent color as it draws dramatic attention to the other colors you have chosen and seems a bit luxurious in its own right.
When establishing a color scheme for your home consider how colors will work together, will they create a harmonious mood or a wild contrast that is distracting. Some colors will overpower others and may change the atmosphere you’re looking for so careful thought should be given to the entire scheme, not just one particular color.
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