If These Walls Could Talk

BlackForestDecor.com Rustic Furniture Sale

Have you ever noticed that there are some rooms you love to go into and others that you find unsettling? Without realizing it, colors affect our moods and the way we function. Interior decorators have known this for years and use it in their offerings daily, but you don't have to be a professional to learn how to use colors to your benefit.

How we react to color is usually unconscious an,d almost instinctual, and that reaction is purely our own. You may love the color blue because you find it soothing, whereas I may find that same color unsettling and a little disturbing. There is no right or adverse reaction to any given color, but there is scientific backup to show how the use of color affects our moods.

Try this little quiz to see if you can tell which color belongs to which effect:

1. blue ...........................A. energy, vitality, excitement

2. orange........................ B. harmony and balance

3. red..............................C. dramatic, sensual, sophisticated

4. yellow..........................D. truth, serenity, and harmony

5. green...........................E. intellect, used for mental stimulation

6. purple..........................F. social and exuberant, warmth

7. black...........................G. purity, innocence, and joy

8. white...........................H. suppressive

9. pink.............................I. restful and calming

10. grey.......................... J. powerful, aloof, intimidating

You might be hard pressed to figure out which is which; although GH, some are relatively pretty because we react to them subconsciously. I'll give you a hint: pink is restful and calming and is the color of equilibrium. That is why delinquent children and even adults placed in pink holding cells had fewer outbursts when it was tried in the state of California. Conversely, couples fought more, and babies cried more in a bright yellow room. It would help to consider these things when painting and decorating your home. Green is a restful color and will help you sleep, so that it would be a good choice for bedrooms. This might be ringing bells for you as you recall color schemes wrong for the atmosphere you were trying to create in a given room. Perhaps your yellow and white bedroom looked beautiful in the daylight but was unsettling when you tried to relax and fall asleep. Keeping this knowledge in mind can help you enormously when ready to redecorate.

Start with determining what the room is going to be used for. Do you want to use warm colors that stimulate activity or warm colors that create a more tranquil mood? Check out www.littlemonkeymurals.com for more information on colors and great ideas for decorating.

Colors not only enhance the atmosphere of a room but can also visually change the dimensions of a room. The use of warm colors makes things like doors seem to stand out more, and cool colors tend to recede or withdraw. You have to be careful, though, as there is a fine line between a color being aggressive and that same color being cozy. Usually, the difference lies in the tones used. Walls, like our waistlines, appear more extended and taller with vertical stripes.

Did you know that colors could help with weight management too? Using the color orange in your place settings or tablescape stimulates the appetite, whereas the color violet suppresses it. Darker hues slow our eating, and brighter colors make us eat faster. Think McDonald's. They use the most brilliant of the primary pigments to get you in and out quickly. For healthy weight management tips, see www.canadian-cook.com.

Colors affect our moods and feelings and can even evoke physical reactions. Research shows fertility increases in a blue room (this can work for you or against you). Even though the temperature is the same, people feeler cooler in a blue room and warmer in a red room; with all the research and studies done on our color personalities and what the predicted effects of color should be on us, we have to remember that color is still a very personal choice. What works for one will not work for another, so when redecorating and getting a "professional" opinion, you must be honest with them. It doesn't matter what combination works on their palette or in the showroom; it has to work for you. Make every room inviting using the colors that evoke that feeling in you. Surround yourself with the colors you like.