Do you have a room in your home that makes you feel relaxed or happy? You probably haven’t thought much about it but colours often have a major effect on the way you feel.
When you decide to make a change and give your home a facelift, make the right colour choices, and you could lift your mood and that of the rest of the household.
Many of us choose to stick to safe colours, with inside walls dressed in one shade of white or another. It may be time to change your thinking and experiment with other pastel shades.
Use Nature’s Pallet
Interior designers have started to look at colours taken from Nature’s pallet. Think greens, pastel blues, and shades of brown and rust. There is no right choice when it comes to colours. Stick to the shades that make you feel happier.
Warmer tones like terracotta and stone make people feel more at home. These colours make them feel nurtured, giving them a sense of well-being. Shades of white are now taking a back seat and pastels are making a comeback. They’re called neutrals.
If you’re looking to freshen up the darker autumn tones, a minty green should bring some calm into the room. The stress and tension of the lockdowns have left people with a need for nurturing. They want to connect with nature. Hence the change to earthy tones and soft natural shades.
Here’s What the Home Stylists Have to Say
Miriam Fanning, founder of the award-winning design business, Mim Design, says that earthy tones help people to find emotional balance. She points out that it’s not just the wall colour that gives us a sense of well-being. The furniture and décor also play a role. Householders can accentuate areas with unusual artworks, throws or cushions that add a pop of colour.
Bright and airy living areas invite you in. They’re relaxing and comforting. Fanning says that pastel shades make people feel lighter. However, some autumn shades amongst them are still acceptable.
David Hicks, an interior designer who upgrades luxury homes both in Australia and abroad, prefers grey paints that contain shades of green or blue. He believes that blue is relaxing and that people automatically respond well to shades of green.
He also likes warmer tones, saying that people find yellow emotionally arousing. According to Hicks, yellow has the strongest psychological effect. It represents optimism and trust. It is a cheerful colour that helps you to focus.
Don’t Forget the Outside
Adding colour to the outer walls of your property can also help to improve your sense of well-being. Shannon Lamden started her business, Hey Nice Murals, during the pandemic.
She celebrates life with colourful backyard murals that she designs and paints herself, bringing life to otherwise boring walls. She designs the murals to represent the family and the household, mixing colours according to the family preference.
She believes that colourful murals raise the mood of the family and inspire them to love their homes once more. She recently did a mural in 1970’s oranges, greys and light greens. The colours were all reminiscent of her client’s favourite childhood colours, and brought back happy memories.
Some colours remind us of happy times. The right choices can improve our feelings of well-being. They affect our mood and could be a deciding factor in how we live our lives.