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Choosing Color Interior Design.
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Your choice of color interior design is influenced by your personality. And color can dictate the whole mood of your room.
What does your color choice mean?
Color in interior design is not just about rules. Decorating is an art - it involves style and flair.
If you can do it well, your choice of color in interior design will provoke a passionate response.
Color is a very personal thing. Everyone has their own favourite color. Everyone is drawn towards certain colors and groups of colors.
Tell us which colors you love - or love to hate!
You should definitely think about incorporating the colors you really love into your own interior design.
Colors produce a personal emotional response. But, colors also produce a general emotional response too.
Look at the list and discover how you can use color in interior design to get the right mood or feeling in your room. Find out the ideal colors for different rooms, different personalities, and different emotions.
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Violet
Pink
Black
White
Brown
Grey
Red
- Red is the color of power, passion, energy and strength.
- It is often chosen by outgoing, active types. It is also the color of aggression, anger and death.
- Red is a dramatic color - it has the shortest wavelength - so leaps forward at you. Children often choose red as a favourite because of this.
- Red stimulates the brain, raising the heart rate and blood pressure, and stimulates the appetite.
- It is good for a dining room - or any room where you want to stimulate activity - so use it for a study or an exercise room.
- Although red is the color of sex and passion, be very careful about using it in a bedroom, if you want to sleep in there as well.
- Red is an aggressive color, and can make you feel very restless.
- So avoid red in rooms you intend to use for rest or relaxation.
- Red is very flattering on the complexion - so use it in rooms you want to socialise in.
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Orange- Orange is a warm, friendly color. It is cheery and full of energy. It is often chosen by fun loving, energetic, warm and friendly people.
- Like red, it is a very assertive color. It can be overpowering - so use it carefully, and in small amounts.
- Like red, orange is said to stimulate the appetite, so it is a good choice for kitchens or dining rooms.
- As it is such a cheerful and friendly color, use it in rooms used for socialising.
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Yellow- Yellow is a bright happy color - optimistic in tone. It reminds us of sunshine - so use it in any room that feels short of light. It will bring a bright welcoming feel.
- It is particularly good in hallways and entrance ways.
- Yellow is said to improve the intellect and memory - and brings creativity, communication and a positive attitude. So use it wherever these are required.
- Yellow is particularly recommended for use in a study or home office.
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Green- Green is a restful and reassuring color. It brings balance, serenity and harmony.
- It is often chose by caring and empathetic people.
- Green has strong associations with nature and the natural world.
- Because of its calming and restful effect, it is a good color to use in any room where you want to rest and relax - especially living rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms.
- Be careful though - as too much green is bland - and causes boredom. Pale green can be unflattering on the skin. You can avoid this by adding lots of vivid blues and turquoises into your pale green scheme.
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Blue- Blue is a very soothing and calming color in interior design. It gives off emotions of serenity and peace.
- Blue is often chosen by quiet, intellectual and reserved people.
- Blue is the color of calm and healing. It is very restful. So, use blue in any room you want to relax in.
- Blues stimulate the intellect and bring clarity of thought - so use them in home offices and study rooms too.
- Too much blue can be cold and formal - and may lead to feelings of withdrawal and isolation.
- Blue is associated with water, so it often used for bathrooms and kitchens.
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Violet- Violet, or Purple, is associated with spirituality.
- It is a very powerful, dignified and regal color.
- Pale lilacs can be used as blue - for relaxing and calm. They are an excellent choice for rooms used for meditation.
- Deeper purples should be used sparingly. They are tiring on the eye. But they do give off an aura of luxury and decadence.
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Pink- Pink is very much associated with the feminine - as well as feminine qualities of love, nurturing and soothing.
- It is often chosen by understanding and sympathetic, nurturing people.
- Pink is usually seen as a little girl's color interior design choice. It is often chosen for womens' and little girls' bedrooms.
- It is usually looked on by men as a color of physical weakness - but strong, vibrant cerises can be successfully used in a masculine color interior design scheme of navy and brown.
- Too much pink can be physically exhausting - so take care not to overdo it!
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Black- Black is the color of glamour and sophistication. It has an air of mystery.
- It is a very powerful and dramatic color in interior design- and can be seen as intimidating.
- When using color in interior design, black is usually best kept as an accent color, used in small amounts.
- It also makes an excellent foil to show off all other colors to their best effect.
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White- White is the color of purity and simplicity.
- It is a highly reflective color. Use white to create the illusion of space.
- White is suitable in work environments requiring precision and accuracy.
- Too much white in a room can be cold, sterile and unfriendly.
- Pure white is a difficult color in interior design to use practically - off whites and creams are actually far more useable.
- Used as a background, white sets off other colors well - making them look fresh and clean.
- Black and white used together give a very dramatic look.
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Brown- Brown is a warm color - the color of earth and nature.
- It suggests solidity and security.
- It can be used as an alternative to black, without the negative impact.
- It looks good against all other colors - and can be used in any room.
- Brown makes a very good, sophisticated and warm, neutral basis for any interior design scheme.
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Grey- Grey is seen as a sophisticated choice for contemporary interior design schemes.
- It is associated with productivity, so is often used in offices.
- Grey can be seen as dull, lifeless and quite depressive. So, take care if you want to use grey in your rooms as grey can lead to a drop in energy, and a depressive feeling.
- It is best used in formal and modern environments, and used in conjunction with other colors.
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Your response to colors is such a personal and emotional response. So make sure your chosen color in interior design is one you really love. Tell us which colors you love - or love to hate!
You may also like to learn more about physical and emotional responses to color - and find out how your decorating color schemes can be used for physical, mental and emotional healing.Discover how to use the interior design color wheel and come up with your own successful decorating color schemes.
Check out the Dulux website for color combinations, suggestions, trends and a color personality quiz, to help you find your perfect color. The website also has an excellent interactive moodboard, where you can upload photos of your own rooms, to try out all the different colors.
Also try the Crown Paint website for color advice and information. Check out their new color trends, play around with color combinations in virtual rooms, and upload your own digital photos.
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