The Ottawa Sun – Saturday January 24, 2015 – Home Plus
Decorative Touches – Relationship between paint and mood
Painting is one of the easiest and lease expensive ways to transform the look of a space. The colours homeowners choose for their walls can give rooms their own unique feel and even affect the moods of the people within them.
Finding the right shade for a bedroom or kitchen involves more than just selecting the first colour that catches your eye. Design experts and psychologists alike say it may be worthwhile to choose a colour that helps you feel good rather than just following design trends. The paint colour you pick may add energy to a space or create a tranquil retreat where you can unwind at the end of the day.
Blue
To create a spa-like environment and a more serene space, look to shades of blue in soft variations. Cool blues are soothing colours that can help lower stress levels and promote sleep. That’s why blue is frequent fixture in bedrooms and bathrooms. Just be advised that too much blue can make a room appear cold and stark, so balance out blue with some warmer accents.
Orange
Many people do not immediately consider bright orange for their homes, but when used as an accent shade, orange can really brighten up home. Orange is considered a shade that expands creativity and imparts a youthful appeal to a space. Consider an orange accent wall or a burst of colour with orange throw pillows. If pumpkin orange is a little too bold for you, tone it down by choosing a more pastel, peachy hue, which is equally warm and energizing.
Red
Red stimulates energy and appetite, which is why the shade is so popular in restaurants and home dining spaces. Red is a good choice for social gathering rooms but my not be the wisest choice for a bedroom, as the colour may prove over stimulating.
Green
Green can evoke composure and tranquility and works in any room of the house. Since green is the primary colour of nature, it also works well for those people who want to bring some of the outdoors inside and work with the fresh starts and new growth that green can inspire. To make green feel less subdued and sleepy, work with its complementary opposite, red, by using a few bold red accents here and there to balance out the tranquility of green.
Purple
People have long related purple to royalty, and this dramatic colour can add a formal, regal aspect to a home depending on the hue. Purple also may help stimulate the creative side of the brain. In paler shades of lavender, purple can seem almost ethereal and spiritual. Some designers suggest avoiding purple in a bedroom because that is a place you want your brain to rest rather than be stimulated.
Yellow
Few colours are more vibrant than yellow, which can help stimulate conversation and make thoughts more focused. A luminous shade of yellow is an ideal way to make any space more welcoming and bright. Just use it sparingly, as too much yellow may not be a good thing. Yellow accents mixed with touches of purple can offer the balance needed to prevent yellow rooms from overwhelming residents and guest.
Home decorators should keep in mind that colours can be blended to create the desired environment. A colour scheme based on complementary colours, or those opposite side on the colour wheel, may fit. Otherwise, analogous colour schemes, or those colours that are next to one another on the colour wheel, can create a variation that suits your design needs.
Colour Visualizer
Try out Sherwin Williams Colour Visualizer, this online tool allows you to upload a photo of your room and try out different colours, enjoy!
https://www.sherwin-williams.com/visualizer/
Genesis Renovation is here for all your painting needs, give us a call if you have any questions or would like a free estimate.
