Which Colors To Use In Your Bedroom
You may not spend a lot of time thinking about the colors in your home, but they’re affecting you nonetheless. You picked the colors of the furniture and decor you bought for a reason — those colors make you happy or make your house feel like a home.
Colors can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people — a shade of green that reminds one person of the jungle on their Costa Rica vacation might remind another person of the algae on the childhood fish tank they hated cleaning.
Most people, however, tend to have similar reactions to specific colors. That’s the idea behind color psychology — the idea that you can affect your moods and emotions based on which colors you use to surround yourself. With that in mind, let’s look at the room where you spend more time than anywhere else — the bedroom.
Don’t Overdo It
Some colors tend to complement each other — blue and white, red and brown, gold and gray, and so on. The important thing to remember is that one of your colors is the primary color in your room and the other is the complementary color — you don’t want equal amounts of both.
You also don’t want to add too many other colors to the mix. If your bedroom is mostly blue and white, a bright yellow vase on a dresser might add a nice pop, but you don’t want yellow curtains — that would be too much contrast and could create a jarring effect.
How Different Colors Affect You
As anyone who’s ever owned a giant box of crayons knows, there’s more than one shade of every color. That will change the effect that a color has on your space — a bold navy blue gives a room a very different feel than a lighter, pastel hue. Light colors are airy and make a room feel larger, while dark colors give a room a more cozy, luxurious feel.
Red
Red is a bold, vibrant color. It raises our blood pressure and our adrenaline levels, resulting in a high-energy, stimulating environment. It’s a good choice for stimulating excitement, but it’s probably too rich for bedrooms. Save the red walls for dining rooms, where it will stimulate appetite and conversation.
Yellow
Yellow is a high-energy color too, but in a different way. It’s a cheery, bright color, reminiscent of sunshine and summertime. In small spaces like hallways and entryways, it can feel expansive and welcoming, and it makes a great complementary color. Too much yellow can be overwhelming, so it’s generally not a great fit for entire rooms unless it’s very pale and subtle.
Blue
Blue is generally agreed to be the best color for bedrooms — it’s relaxing, calming, and serene, helping you lower your blood pressure and slow your mind down for the night. Keep in mind that the lighting will change the way a blue color looks, though — the soft light of early morning isn’t the same as the bright white of direct sunlight. Buy a sample size of your favorite blue and paint a section of wall, then look at it in the morning, midday, and at night when your interior lights are on to make sure you like it at all times of day.
Green
Green is similarly calming. It’s easy on the eyes and promotes relaxation and comfort. Much like blue, green has the effect of reducing stress and helping you unwind, making it an excellent choice for bedrooms. If you do use green in bedrooms, though, be careful not to overwhelm the room. Green can be very bright and bold, drowning out the room. Very dark, subtle greens, pale shades, and smaller swatches of accent color are a good way to avoid adding too much green to your room.
Purple
Purple is similar to blue — relaxing, deep, and dramatic — but with a dash of warmth and luxury that blue doesn’t often afford. Lighter versions of purple, especially lilac and lavender, bring a restful quality to bedrooms that doesn’t run the same risk of feeling too cool or clean.
Neutral Colors
Neutral colors include shades of gray, brown, tan, and similar hues. They’re not terribly exciting in their own right, but they’re vital tools to any decorator. No matter how bold your tastes, you’ll need to offset all that color with neutral tones in some way or another.
Where To Put All That Color
It’s not just about which colors you choose to decorate a room — where that color goes is a big factor as well.
Ceilings are often neglected in a room — they represent a sixth of the room’s surface, but they’re usually just white. There’s nothing wrong with white, but don’t be afraid to paint your ceiling to spruce up a room. As a rule, ceilings that are lighter than the walls feel higher and more open, while dark ceilings feel low. Low isn’t a bad thing — big rooms can feel empty and cold, and a dark-colored ceiling can add intimacy to an otherwise uninviting space.
Bold colors in carpets have a similar effect, bringing the room together and giving them a more cozy, warm feeling. Set your carpets in complementary colors to your bedspread, decor, and walls, and you’ll have a gorgeous bedroom that will stand the test of time.