Colors can set a room’s mood and can visually affect its size. Using the right colors can single-handedly create a space that reflects your mood and style.
On your walls, different shades give differing effects:
Pale shades
Use a soft tint of color to create a calming effect and to make the room appear larger. Nice pale shades that are most effective are butter yellow, shell pink, or misty green.
Bright shades
To make walls stand out and to create an energizing atmosphere, choose vivid colors. You can try using cobalt blue, canary yellow, or grass green.
Deep shades
Rich, deep shades conjure feelings of comfort and safety, and make the room look cozier.
Why not try Bordeaux red, amber gold, or sapphire blue.
Make your kitchen cabinets come alive with color.
Cabinet color can open up or pare down the kitchen.
flickr photo by A National Acrobat
Pale shades are best for reflecting light and thus make the kitchen more open and airy.
Bright shades unify the space by creating a strong focal point. Bright shades can also distract the eye away from appearance of clutter.
Deep shades can disguise flaws. Because deep shades can absorb light, the dents and scratches seem to vanish.
Colors on furniture
Colors can enhance, refine, or highlight a piece of furniture.
Pale shades can lighten appearance of bulky furniture, making them look more delicate.
Bright shades draw attention to the furniture piece, making it the focal point of a room.
Deep shades can make a particular piece of furniture look more substantial and serious.
Colors on floors
Add intimacy to a room and highlight a focal furniture piece with floor color.
flickr image by yachtfan
Pale shades showcase elegant dark wooden furniture by providing a sharp contrast.
Bright shades create a similar effect to that of an area rug by highlighting a focal of any room.
Deep shades lend coziness to a large room without making it appear smaller.
Set the mood of the room with color.
flickr image by urbaneapts
Colors can have an effect on people both emotionally and physically. According to Dr. Morton Walker, author of The Power of Color, bright colors energize, causing a rise in blood pressure and heart rate. Pale colors, on the other hand, slow the action of the heart.
Pale colors are known to relieve stress and lower blood pressure. They produce a sense of warmth and have the ability to soften hard surfaces like sinks and counters, making them very appealing for use in kitchens and baths. Pale colors work well in bedrooms, too, or in any room you want to have a stress-free feel.
To feel energized and create a dynamic mood in a room, use bright colors. Such colors are great for children’s rooms, kitchens, family rooms, or anywhere you want a lively mood to prevail. Just keep in mind that, when using brights, a little goes a long way. Intersperse bright shades with neutral colors to keep them from becoming too overpowering.
Deep shades have a quiet strength about them that is very comforting. Deep shades are believed to reduce marvelous excitement and relax the mind. For this reason, these shades are the choice for dens or masterbaths, in which you want to spend time alone contemplating.
© 2010 Athena Goodlight