When you look in your closet and pull out a favorite item, you first notice the color. You are probably attracted to that item because the color creates an emotion when you see it and put it on. Colors in interior design work the same way and create different emotions when you walk into a space. From walking into a brightly colored candy shop to a modern black and white coffee shop, the colors and pieces selected in each space can make us feel excited like a child or a mature grown-up.
Pay attention to how you're using color in your home and ensure it aligns with the mood you're trying to create.
1. Creating Cozy, Comfortable, Yet Colorful Rooms
Choose a warm-toned neutral or earth tone to create a cozy room vibe. When picking a cozy color, or any color for that matter, it's essential to pay attention to the undertones of the color. The color undertone becomes most apparent when paired with an opposite color, so that color you loved on a sample card might look totally different against the trim work or furnishings in your home.
Picking a warm undertone means there is some type of red, yellow, or orange hue mixed in that creates a warmer tone. That doesn't mean there aren’t cooler tones mixed in as well, but they aren't as dominant. These types of colors can look great in the majority of rooms in the house and complement most color schemes. Still, the warm-tone neutrals tend to be excellent backdrops to the house's main rooms, like the entryway, living room, and kitchen, because they can easily transition to a new space.
2. Evoking Emotion While Infusing Impact & Energy
If you want to feel energy when you walk in a room, you may gravitate towards a more vibrant and "pure" color. A more pure color has greater intensity because it is not greyed out or muted by mixing it with other colors. I prefer to use pure colors as accents throughout a larger space or as a primary color in smaller rooms with more personality, such as a mudroom or half bathroom.
Mixing in complementary colors, which are color on the opposite side of the color wheel, is a great way to have a visual impact and create that exciting vibe in areas where you entertain a lot. Adding plants and other natural elements helps to ground a space that uses saturated colors and helps them from becoming overwhelming.
3. Soothing a Space with Less Saturated, Subtle Shades
If you're craving a more soothing color experience, then choosing a more muted and greyed-out color will be the right choice. These colors are less visually intense and can be used in a monochromatic scheme for a simplistic mood. You can also use them with complementary muted colors for a toned-down energy.
These calming colors lean towards cool undertones like blues, greens, and violets shades and are popular in bedrooms and bathrooms to create that spa and retreat feeling. Neutral colors with these undertones are also popular in homes' main spaces and work great to highlight millwork.
When deciding on a color scheme, the most important thing to nail down for our clients is what emotion they want to feel when they're in the room. Here is a quick overview of color psychology and how it matches your emotions.
Red: Passion, excitement, love
Pink: Soft, reserved, earthy
Purple: Mysterious, noble, glamorous
Blue: Wisdom, hope, reason, peace
Green: Nature, growth, freshness
Yellow: Hope, joy, danger
Orange: Warmth, kindness, joy
White: Truth, indifference
Black: Noble, mysterious, cold
Paint may seem easy to select, but colors can be very tricky to work with—and everyone sees color differently. Lighting also significantly affects a color's appearance, which is important to consider. I always recommend putting a few color samples on the wall and looking at them at different times of the day before deciding on one. It's much less time-consuming and expensive to put up extra samples than repaint in a few years because you don't like how the color turned out.
If you would like some support picking a palette that inspires you daily, we would love to help. Reach out, and let's chat about your project.
Warmly,
Carrie
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