Are you tired of the same old look in your home? Looking to refresh and revitalize your living space? One of the simplest and most effective ways to transform a room is by changing its color scheme. Colors have the power to evoke emotions, influence moods, and create a whole new atmosphere. In this blog article, we will explore the art of changing a room with color and how it can breathe new life into your home. Whether you’re seeking a serene retreat or a vibrant gathering space, get ready to discover the transformative power of color with CIH Design.
What colors to choose?
Color can have a huge impact on the mood and feel of a home and its rooms. Consider some of these popular colors and the reactions they tend to evoke. Also, keep in mind that within each color category, there are different shades and tones that will lead to differences in how colors are perceived.
Blue
Blue is popular among designers because it offers so many different hues which can be used in different spaces for different effects. Designers often associate the color blue with stability and security.
Cool blues are said (dengarden.com/interior-design/How-Colors-Affect-Your-Rooms-and-Moods) to make walls feel further away from you, or recede, and can thus be a good choice in rooms that you would like to feel larger. Warmer blues that have undertones of red tend to make a room feel more enveloping and can be used in spaces where you want the overall vibe to be cozier.
Experts in color therapy have also long noted the abilities of different colors to evoke different feelings and mental states. Color therapists note that blue is often used as a calming color for individuals who suffer with depression or sleep disorders (with darker shades of blue being used for their sedative effect). (verywellmind.com/color-therapy-definition-types-techniques-and-efficacy-5194910#toc-what-is-color-therapy)
Red
Red tends to be a dramatic color, and using it to repaint a room or accent wall can produce a dramatic change.
Designers who swear by red say that it can be an intimate color and can even stimulate the appetite (hgtv.com/design/decorating/color/how-to-create-a-mood-with-color). Bright and vibrant reds are said to be mentally and visually stimulating (and therefore might be of less use in bedrooms), while deeper or more subtle shades can create a warmer and more welcoming environment.
In terms of color therapy, red can be a challenging color to achieve the exact effect you want. Because its brighter tones can be stimulating, it may be used to great effect in offices or other rooms to increase individuals’ energy levels. However, it can also have a triggering effect in people who are experiencing high levels of stress or tension.
Red can definitely change a room’s vibe. If you’re not sure that you’re ready to drastically change a room with this color, consider using it as an accent color on one wall or as furnishings instead.
Yellow
Yellow is a hugely versatile color that is often associated with sunlight, affection, intelligence, and wealth. It is a perennially popular color in many homes and work environments and with good reason: it can be very cheerful.
Designers use yellows in rooms where there is already a lot of natural light, but they can also be employed to great effect in rooms that you want to feel bigger and airier. Interior decorators also love to use yellow in rooms that will see a lot of socializing and human interaction, like kitchens and dining rooms (homesandgardens.com/interior-design/yellow-color-trend).
Color therapists often rely on yellow to increase individuals’ feelings of happiness or optimism. It is extremely popular in small spaces where a bright, happy color can make a small space feel more tranquil than claustrophobic.
Gray
Gray, in all its many gradations and shades, has been the go-to home color for the past decade. Once considered the color of formality, it has been reimagined and used as a color choice that is nearly infinite in its versatility.
Gray is universally acknowledged as a color that, depending on the room in which and the decor around which it is used, can be seen as modern and cool or classic and traditional. It provides a neutral backdrop for unique furnishings and accents.
Gray is created by mixing whites and blacks and has often been considered a dull or neutral color, but color therapy experts would urge you to consider using gray in living spaces, where its very lack of strong emotions can induce calm in this overstimulated world (astroyogi.com/spirituality/color-therapy/gray).
Green
Green can be a very effective and powerful color choice when looking for an easy and fast way to renew your home.
Long associated with nature, cooler greens have long been used in rooms and homes to evoke a calming and pastoral setting. While not usually hugely trendy, green nonetheless stands the test of time well. Its deeper tones, like emeralds, are considered to be elegant and can be used to great effect in the more formal areas of your home.
Designers and color therapists tend to agree on the use of green paint. It is often used to evoke relaxed feelings and to help anxious people feel less tense. Green is often said to invoke hope and symbolize rebirth and is one of the most appropriate colors on this list to use when you are trying to revitalize your home without spending a lot of time or effort.
Purples, Pinks, Oranges, Browns
There are also a wide variety of colors that are used less often to paint entire rooms or areas but can be used to great effect when choosing furniture, soft furnishings, and accent pieces. Different hues of purples, pinks, oranges, browns, and even beiges can make a room feel very different and may well be the solution to livening up your living space without even spending the money or time that repainting an entire room requires.
Remodeling your home and your environment can be as easy and cost-effective as simply choosing new paint colors for several of its rooms. Consider the different uses of–and emotions associated with–different colors to update and change your home for the better!