Life Desk :
Colours, when teamed with current hues, offer consumers a full palette of colour and texture. The 2012 palette is really a statement about light and shadow. Luminous and somewhat transparent colours that are influenced by new materials will be popular in interiors. People are moving toward luminosity, phosphorescence and coloured lights to showcase interior walls or surfaces. Finishes give added depth and dimension. Lustrous metals bring value, strength, longevity and integrity. Colours can be divided into two groups – warm colours (red, orange, yellow) and cool colours (blue, green, violet). There are a few general factors that characterise each group. Warm colours are just that – warming. They add coziness and warmth to a room and generally stimulate the mind and emotions. Cool colours create a peaceful atmosphere and bring about a sense of spaciousness and openness. Now let’s take a closer look at some specific colours and their effects on the mind, emotions, and body.
Colour cues
Red conveys passion and vibrancy. It stimulates the emotions and ignites a feeling of enthusiasm and vigour. I suggest red in a formal dining room, or as a dramatic choice in a romantic, sultry bedroom. Dark red conveys wealth and sophistication, and is said to boost self-esteem. Bright pink is a fun colour that inspires playful conversation and a lively atmosphere. Pale pink is the most calming and soothing of the warm colours.
Orange stimulates both the mind and the appetite. For this reason, I suggest using shades of orange in kitchens, dining rooms, and offices. Since orange is such a wake up colour, it’s usually not a good choice for bedrooms. Pale orange (peach) is calming and soothing and creates a warm, nurturing, maternal environment. It’s a wonderful choice for children’s bedrooms and family rooms. Yellow is uplifting, invigorating, optimistic, and gives the sense of sunlight indoors. Studies have shown that yellow rooms are effective in aiding depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Pale yellow is sweet and subtle, and invokes a spiritual mood. If you are hesitant to add a lot of colour to your home, starting with a pale creamy yellow is a conservative way to break out of the neutral white walls. Deeper yellows stimulate the intellect, enliven the senses, and awaken the mind.
Blue is the most calming and peaceful colour to use in your home. Though shy baby blue, elegant aquamarine, and sultry navy are very different shades, they all relax the mind,
promote deep breathing, and slow down the body.
Green is a relaxing, centering, balancing colour. Because it is the most neutral colour on the
colour wheel, our eyes adjust to it very easily, and it can work in any room to convey a natural, pleasing environment. Green is said to heal headaches and reduce anxiety.
Finally, violet soothes the body and mind at a deep, spiritual level. Violet in any shade immediately sets people at ease, which makes it a wonderful choice for rooms in which you entertain guests. Violet stirs creativity and imagination and therefore is a great choice for children’s rooms, kitchens, and hobby rooms. Once you’ve selected a key colour, there are several ways to build up a scheme from there.
Warm reds, yellows and oranges will dominate. A preference for red will also reflect the influence of Asian cultures, in which red, the colour of prosperity, plays a key role. Life is complex, colour is complex. What we don’t want is simplistic colour. They’re very sophisticated neutrals, not beige or taupe or cream, but there’s one colour that’s all three of those at the same time. The colour reflects the popularity of gardening.
Colour tips
When choosing colours, trust your instincts. Or pick a hue in one of your favourite paintings or pieces of art, then paint a large swath on the wall to see how you feel about it. If you’re deciding between a lighter and a darker shade of a similar colour, pick the darker one – you can always lighten it by adding white paint. When using multiple colours in your home, choose hues of the same value and intensity to avoid excess contrast. Coordinate your interior and exterior colours for a harmonious feel, when possible. Note: Your area lighting will change the appearance of the colours you choose. Daylight, florescent, track lighting, incandescent lighting give different shades of colours. Be sure to check your colours in the lighting you have in your home. Choose 3 colours. If you are not using wallpaper use the lightest colour for your walls, medium tones for your large furniture pieces and window treatment. The darker tone can be used for accents. For that little extra touch, add fringe to pillows, curtains, throws in either a contrasting or matching tone. Adding flowers, plants, candles, decorative vases, pictures, collectibles etc. all add to the overall decorating theme. Match your sofa colour to the wall colour to make things blend and make the sofa seem less bulky.
-ToI
Colours, when teamed with current hues, offer consumers a full palette of colour and texture. The 2012 palette is really a statement about light and shadow. Luminous and somewhat transparent colours that are influenced by new materials will be popular in interiors. People are moving toward luminosity, phosphorescence and coloured lights to showcase interior walls or surfaces. Finishes give added depth and dimension. Lustrous metals bring value, strength, longevity and integrity. Colours can be divided into two groups – warm colours (red, orange, yellow) and cool colours (blue, green, violet). There are a few general factors that characterise each group. Warm colours are just that – warming. They add coziness and warmth to a room and generally stimulate the mind and emotions. Cool colours create a peaceful atmosphere and bring about a sense of spaciousness and openness. Now let’s take a closer look at some specific colours and their effects on the mind, emotions, and body.
Colour cues
Red conveys passion and vibrancy. It stimulates the emotions and ignites a feeling of enthusiasm and vigour. I suggest red in a formal dining room, or as a dramatic choice in a romantic, sultry bedroom. Dark red conveys wealth and sophistication, and is said to boost self-esteem. Bright pink is a fun colour that inspires playful conversation and a lively atmosphere. Pale pink is the most calming and soothing of the warm colours.
Orange stimulates both the mind and the appetite. For this reason, I suggest using shades of orange in kitchens, dining rooms, and offices. Since orange is such a wake up colour, it’s usually not a good choice for bedrooms. Pale orange (peach) is calming and soothing and creates a warm, nurturing, maternal environment. It’s a wonderful choice for children’s bedrooms and family rooms. Yellow is uplifting, invigorating, optimistic, and gives the sense of sunlight indoors. Studies have shown that yellow rooms are effective in aiding depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Pale yellow is sweet and subtle, and invokes a spiritual mood. If you are hesitant to add a lot of colour to your home, starting with a pale creamy yellow is a conservative way to break out of the neutral white walls. Deeper yellows stimulate the intellect, enliven the senses, and awaken the mind.
Blue is the most calming and peaceful colour to use in your home. Though shy baby blue, elegant aquamarine, and sultry navy are very different shades, they all relax the mind,
promote deep breathing, and slow down the body.
Green is a relaxing, centering, balancing colour. Because it is the most neutral colour on the
colour wheel, our eyes adjust to it very easily, and it can work in any room to convey a natural, pleasing environment. Green is said to heal headaches and reduce anxiety.
Finally, violet soothes the body and mind at a deep, spiritual level. Violet in any shade immediately sets people at ease, which makes it a wonderful choice for rooms in which you entertain guests. Violet stirs creativity and imagination and therefore is a great choice for children’s rooms, kitchens, and hobby rooms. Once you’ve selected a key colour, there are several ways to build up a scheme from there.
Warm reds, yellows and oranges will dominate. A preference for red will also reflect the influence of Asian cultures, in which red, the colour of prosperity, plays a key role. Life is complex, colour is complex. What we don’t want is simplistic colour. They’re very sophisticated neutrals, not beige or taupe or cream, but there’s one colour that’s all three of those at the same time. The colour reflects the popularity of gardening.
Colour tips
When choosing colours, trust your instincts. Or pick a hue in one of your favourite paintings or pieces of art, then paint a large swath on the wall to see how you feel about it. If you’re deciding between a lighter and a darker shade of a similar colour, pick the darker one – you can always lighten it by adding white paint. When using multiple colours in your home, choose hues of the same value and intensity to avoid excess contrast. Coordinate your interior and exterior colours for a harmonious feel, when possible. Note: Your area lighting will change the appearance of the colours you choose. Daylight, florescent, track lighting, incandescent lighting give different shades of colours. Be sure to check your colours in the lighting you have in your home. Choose 3 colours. If you are not using wallpaper use the lightest colour for your walls, medium tones for your large furniture pieces and window treatment. The darker tone can be used for accents. For that little extra touch, add fringe to pillows, curtains, throws in either a contrasting or matching tone. Adding flowers, plants, candles, decorative vases, pictures, collectibles etc. all add to the overall decorating theme. Match your sofa colour to the wall colour to make things blend and make the sofa seem less bulky.
-ToI
