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Even those who love color tend to make "safe" color choices -- white walls, black coats, navy suits, oak finishes.
Selecting the perfect color is often daunting, especially for your home or office where walls display color like a huge canvas, and your choices for furniture, textiles and accessories are endless.
Sometimes, a neutral -- instead of a color -- is the right choice.
Don't deprive yourself of color in your environment because it seems too risky. A home with no color is akin to perpetual elevator music!
The art of color selection in decor demands specific knowledge, context and imagination.
Specific knowledge of colors, individually and in combination with materials and products, is acquired through years of study and experience.
Context speaks to the circumstances of the setting. What color makes you eat leisurely or sleep better or gives you energy? What color keeps you focused? Choosing the right color for your home or office is much more than selecting a color you like. The psychology of color gives a clear path to finding not only what looks good but what feels good, and right.
Imagination enables us to visualize how particular wall color will interact with the softa, the rug and the art. Visualization is a skill that comes easier to some than to others. it can make all the difference in interior design by lifting your style--and your spirits-- to greater heights.
The color you like is useful information, but this question may lead to a disappointing outcome. When selecting for décor, for example, Rebecca begins, instead, by asking:
- What do you want to do in this room?
- How do you want to feel in this room?
Only then will she consider your color preferences.
For example, you may love red, but if Rebecca is decorating your bedroom, she is going to urge you to another choice, or use red in very small accents.
Why?
Red is a stimulant, accelerating heart rate, respiratory rate, and brain wave activity. While it is ideal for a physical application, it is not conducive to good, restful, restorative sleep.
There is also the quality of color to consider. If the room is for play and physical activity, bright colors are perfect. If it’s for unwinding and relaxing, then softer, muted tones are more appropriate and supportive.
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