Colour is a form of non-verbal communication and more than just a visual experience, it has a significant psychological affect. The interior colours of your home or office have a huge impact on mood and emotions. Determining the best house paint colours requires experience, skill and a keen decorating eye.
An experienced decorator can help you create the feelings and moods you desire for a given space. Most homeowners are unaware of these features and without help fail to create that appropriate atmosphere in a given space.
The Best and Perfect Paint Colour For Any Space
We have to think about the purpose of the room, remembering different colours create different moods in your home. For example diverse feelings such as excitement, passion, serenity or mystery can be evoked by your colour choice. Understanding color theory in interior design allows one to create just the right mood.
It is important to note that each colour creates a different impact on people. Some of the influencing factors include age, race, culture as well as life experiences. However, people will always respond to colour-no matter what.
In general, following colours means following psychology effects in a home therefore answers to the following three questions is important:
- What is the function and purpose of the space?
- What mood do you want to create in that space?
- Which colours will help you achieve that mood?
Choosing Colours Should Not Be Taken Lightly
As colours do have meanings and definitely influence how we feel when we’re inside a space the process of selecting colours requires appropriate consideration, such as in selecting a paint colour for your bedroom. You want to feel relaxed in your bedroom so you can rest, sleep and re-energize from a stressful day. Here is where we would pick earth tones, soft blues or greens, as they evoke serenity and calmness.
Now for a kid’s room where they spend the majority of their time playing or studying, we would consider colors that bring happiness, energy, creativity and mental focus. Yellow or orange in this instance.
I would love to hear your answers to these questions (let me know in a comment below):
- What color is your bedroom?
- How do you feel there?
Think About The Color Scheme
The “colour scheme” is about combining colours. When choosing a paint colour for a room it is important to consider the colours that are already in your space. You need to think about the colour scheme that you have in your home already such as the colours of your furniture, the other walls, as well as
artwork, textures and accessories. These elements are all crucial to create a harmonious colour scheme and a perfect combination with the new colour.
Using the colour wheel is one way to easily create a perfectly combined colour scheme. You can create an Analogous scheme or a Monochromatic scheme or perhaps a Complementary color scheme.
-The Analogous Colour Scheme uses three or more colors that sit next to one another on the color wheel.
-The Monochromatic Colour Scheme uses tints, tones and shades within the same hue or color family.
-The Complementary Colour Scheme uses colors that are opposite from each other on the color wheel.
Know Your Cool and Warm Colours
The colour wheel is an important tool in choosing complimentary colours but it’s also important to consider the mood that different colours create. Here are three ways colours behave:
#1 – Active Colours; are warm colors such as red, orange, yellow and tend to stand out and dominate a room’s presence. Those colors make large rooms feel warmer.
#2 – Passive Colours; are cool colors such as blue, green, purple and help to create a calm atmosphere as well as make small spaces seem more spacious.
#3 – Neutral Colours; are beige, brown, gray, white and are neither activate or calming but rather act as a “canvas” to showcase other design elements in a room.
Lighting Is Key
Colour doesn’t exist without light so in order to see colours you have to have light. When light shines on an object some colors bounce off the object and others are absorbed by it. Our eyes only see the colors that are bounced
off or reflected.
Natural light plays an important part in how we perceive paint colors in our home so if you have huge windows and your space is very bright you can use dark colours with confidence. Conversely, if you have a space with a soft light dark paint will look darker and lighter paint will help you make the room brighter.
It is helpful to remember, selecting a dark or light colour will depend on the quantity of natural light you have coming in the space. Another helpful suggestion… always test. It is highly recommended to do a test area before painting your entire wall(s). On each wall of your room do a small patch with two coats and pay attention to how it is affected by natural light at different times of the day.
Make sure to consider the things in your space. The objects in your room play a significant part in the overall perception of it. Furniture, decor, and wall hangings all affect how light is reflected and absorbed. So it is an important fact to keep in mind: lighting in an empty room can affect paint colour somewhat differently then a room filled with furhnishings and decor.
If you have any questions or thoughts, let me know in the comment section below or contact me.
Take care and… “Keep Styling”
Deborah