Colours for interior decorating – what do they mean?
When choosing colours, themes, and styles for your home, there are a few things you should consider.
1. Fashion – is the colour fashionable and do latest fashions and trends matter to you ?
2. Is it in keeping with the age, style and structure of the house?
3. What kind of mood are you trying to create?
Fashion
Fashionable colours are great if you want to create a modern and trendy vibe. If the on-trend colours are too strong for you, then you, then rather than painting or wall papering whole walls, with them, you can just add some soft furnishings to bring the colours in. For instance, if red is the colour of moment, then you can paint walls in a softer, neutral colour, or have wall paper on accent walls with splashes of red, and then us cushions, throw or even a floor rug in red, to contrast with the wall, making the red not too overbearing.
The only down side to fashionable colours is that you may hate the look of your room, once the colours are out of fashion, so trendy rooms will require more regular decorating, and possibly re-furnishing.
House Style
Interior decoration should be in keeping with the “style” of the house. For instance, if you are decorating and furnishing a loft style apartment, converted from an old mill or warehouse, then wooden floors, and a clean, almost minimalist theme will be in keeping with the apartment – especially if it has exposed bricks and beams, and original windows. You can use bold pieces of furniture, and retro art always works well. Conversely , a small country cottage would need a more “fuller” and homely feeling. Traditional furnishings like cushions, curtains and bedding in floral designs and pastel colours would look very pretty. Walls in neutral or pastel colours would look work great as well.
Colour
Finally, consider what kind of ambiance you are trying to create. Here, colour plays a huge part. You may want to experiment with colours first, or try different colours in different rooms.
Red. Red is a strong colour, and is associated with danger, love and activity. In the home, red is a great colour for rooms that you use for socialising and entertaining. It is thought to stimulate conversation and energy. You would have to be careful though, as too much red can be a bit over bearing, so bring it in to the room via soft furnishings, or vases, or focal pieces of art.
Greens and blues. Light greens and blues are colours of calmness and rest. They relate to natures colours and can be used as tranquil and relaxing colours. Blues in fact, are thought to be perfect for bedrooms, promoting comfort and sleep, which may be why blue is such a popular colour bedding. Pale greens are great for a living room, where calmness and relaxation are paramount.
Yellow – I love yellow as you can have so much fun with it. Yellow can be used in kitchens for a light, airy, and energising feel. You can have yellow kitchen units, or yellow gingham checked curtains to complement yellow walls. There are so many shades of yellow, but the paler shades can make a small room look bigger. Light reflective pale yellow paint, also has a similar effect.
