Color
Yellow is another warm color, and it’s often associated with
sunshine, energy, and happiness. Bright yellow can evoke optimistic
feelings (when used sparingly).
• It can also help to spark
creativity, although when
overdone, it can cause anxiety
and stress.
• It is a stimulating color and
can cause feelings of
nervousness. People are more
likely to lose their temper in
an all yellow room.
This is why it’s best to avoid decorating a home office or children’s
bedrooms/playrooms with yellow as the main color. It does work well in
kitchens, though, as well as dining rooms, bathrooms, and home gyms.
Blue is another cool color, and is often used to create a spa-like
atmosphere — particularly in bathrooms. Light blue is a calming
color.
• Blue can bring down blood
pressure and slow the heart
rate. Pastel blue can create
tranquility, and it is associated
with health and healing. But if a
wall gets very little natural light,
it can feel a little too chilly.
• Blue slows the metabolism, and
because it is believed to
suppress the appetite, it’s not a
popular choice for dining rooms
— especially lighter blues.
While lighter tints of blue are used to evoke serenity, navy is a more masculine
choice, and can create an elegant or luxurious feel in any room, especially in
the bedroom.
A cool color, green is the color of nature and harmony. Lighter and
muted greens are soothing and relaxing, and are considered the
most restful for the eye.
• It’s also associated with fertility,
which may be one of the reasons
it’s so popular in bedrooms,
although it works well for virtually
any room in the house.
• Olive green is often seen as the
color of peace.
Also the color of money, green is thought to stimulate focus and creativity,
particularly lighter hues. Deeper greens can create an elegant feel in a room,
although it’s sometimes associated with ambition, greed, and jealousy, as well.
Red is a powerful color that can be either bold and dramatic, full of
passion and drama, or cozy, warm, and earthy, depending on the
shade.
- A bright crimson, for example, can
create drama in a room, while rusty
shades are cozier.
- Red is a warm hue that is best used
in rooms where you want to create
a lot of energy, since it is known to
increase heart rate and appetite.
Kitchens (and front doors) are great
places for red paint.
- It’s a great choice for a room where you want to stimulate conversation.
- On the other hand, it can evoke restlessness, and even gets the reflexes ready to
act, so keep these things in mind when decorating with red.
How to Choose an Interior Design Color Palette
Tips for choosing an Interior Design color scheme.
1. Choose one of the six main color schemes. They
are: monochromatic, complementary,
analogous, triad, split complementary, and
tetradic.
2. Look to nature for inspiration. The colors of the
sunset or the hues you see at the beach are
great ways to bring the outdoors in!
3. Rock a neutral color scheme. Get creative
with neutrals, and bring in pops of color where it
makes sense.
4. Consider various Interior Design “rules”. For
example, the Rule of Three states that “things
arranged in odd numbers are more visually
appealing to the human eye.”
5. Start with an inspiration piece. Fun fact: This is
my preferred method! You can pull your color
scheme directly from your chosen item, whether
that’s a rug, artwork, or whatever.
How many different colors should you use in
your home? How much of each hue?
Rule of Three
• The rule of three simple states that
“things arranged in odd numbers are
more visually appealing to the human
eye.”
• This is why color palettes often
consist of three different colors, or
we tend to arrange items in groups of
three. Our brains love odd numbers
because they challenge us mentally,
and groupings of three look more
natural to us.
• If you’re not sure how many colors to
start with when selecting your color
scheme, three is a great choice. You
can always add different shades or
tints of those hues later on.
Rule of 60-30-10
The 60 percent + 30 percent + 10 percent proportion is
meant to give balance to the colors used in any space.
• The 60 percent is your main color, and it’s going to
serve as the anchor for what comes next. You might
use this color on:
o Walls
o Large accent pieces,
o A larger piece of furniture.
• The 30 percent is your secondary color. So, you’re going
to use this hue only half as much as the primary:
o Draperies
o Accent chairs
o Bed linens
o Painted furniture
o An accent wall
• And, finally, the 10 percent is your accent color. It will
occur in smaller “pops” around a room:
o Throw pillows
o Decorative accessories
o Artwork
o Bedside lamps
o Candles
…
