@Real_EstateInfo Hilarious, but so very wise!
Colour me peaceful
How colour in interior design affects us
Colour is used as a decorating tool to add drama and interest to a room. What most people don’t realize is that colour in large doses can impact how we feel. Here’s a test The next time you walk into a room with a colour other than off-white, give yourself some time and some inner quiet to notice how you’re feeling. Are you tense? Are you relaxed? Research has shown that colour can affect your mood. The brighter a colour is, the stronger the emotional response. Here’s how the major colour groups can impact mood:
Blue the most calming colour. It’s tranquility helps resolve conflicts. Blue actually acts as an appetite suppressant.
Green evokes a peaceful feeling. It’s the colour of harmony and balance.
Yellow – can be fatiguing depending on the intensity. The brighter the yellow, the more stimulating it can be, which can cause conflict and disharmony. However, a pale yellow can be cheerful like sunshine.
Red – is the most exciting colour. It can actually increase metabolism with passion and anger.
Putting an intense yellow in a baby nursery is definitely not recommended. Blue and green bedrooms get top marks for serenity and a good night’s sleep.
Of course, there are many factors that have to be taken into consideration when choosing paint colours. Colour can affect the temperature of a room. Warm colours are red, orange and yellow with brown as a neutral warm colour. Cool colours are blue, violet and green with gray as a neutral cool colour. These colours are effective in west and south exposures because they counteract the heat of sunny rooms. Warm colours are most effective in east and north exposures because they add warmth to the cold light.
Light has a major impact on how a paint colour will look on a wall. The amount of natural sunlight together with the presence of halogen and incandescent indoor light needs to be taken into consideration when choosing a colour. So often, the colour of a wall can be different at various points in the room!
So be careful … think about how you want your room to look and feel. Then invest in a small test pot of paint and brush on a few 18” x 18” patches in different parts of the room. Look at the colour in the morning, late afternoon and evening before making a final decision. Go that extra step for peace of mind.
Tobi Brockway is a Toronto-based professional Interior Decorator and Principal of Tobi Brockway Interiors Inc. For more information, visit www.tbinteriors.ca or call 416-520-3760.
