This formal dining room exudes warmth and comfort in sumptuous shades of cinnamon and gold. Photo courtesy About Interiors, Inc.
Colors can make you feel happy or sad, refreshed or depressed. They can soothe, flirt, excite, and even threaten. Your home is an extension of your personality and reflects your own individual and unique style. What does your home say about you?
Tired of the same wall color in the living room or master bedroom? Looking for something that will add a little spice to your kitchen or bring a hint of elegance to the bathroom? Even before the trip to the paint store to select your colors, there are other things to consider when deciding on home decor.
“The most important thing for homeowners to consider when choosing colors for their home is what mood they want to create,” says Gina Garunkstis, designer and owner of GG Design Inspirations. “Once the mood is determined, you can find out what colors support that mood and then find the right hues, shades, and tints.”
“People react to color with their hearts, not their heads,” she says. “Color is highly personal and we’re drawn to colors that make us feel good, look good, or remind us of things from the past.”
Dawn Patrick-Wout, founder and CEO of About Interiors, LLC, agrees that people pick colors that connect with emotions.
“These color associations could be of a favorite restaurant, your childhood home, a favorite vacation spot, or even a favorite piece of clothing,” Patrick-Wout says. “The positive associations that you have for those places and colors will translate into your space and each time you enter, you’ll have a positive experience.”
A contemporary space is pulled together by reapeating the same palette of colors (blues, reds, and tan) in the table top, walls, art, and glass. Photo courtesy Designing Solutions.
Also the founder of Happy Places = Happy Faces, a nonprofit organization that uses interior design concepts as tools to inspire and transform living spaces for children, Patrick-Wout firmly believes that people should choose colors that create warmth and provide a sense of comfort instead of picking designs and decor that are based on current trends.
“Trends are just that,” she says, “and by definition are temporary. If you try to embrace every trend that comes along, after a while your home will be outdated and uninspiring. Using trends can help freshen your basic look, but should complement a more timeless decor that comes from knowing what you like and setting the basic foundation through the use of color, design, and texture.”
Trust your instincts. “Let the things you love inspire your interior home color. Are you an avid gardener? Then choose fabrics and wall colors that bring the outdoors inside. Is blue the predominant color in your wardrobe? Use it in your favorite rooms,” adds Debbie Wiener, owner of Silver Spring-based interior design firm Designing Solutions.
What’s the bottom line in choosing color then? According to colorist James Martin, founder of The Color People, an architectural color consulting firm in Denver, Colorado, and active member of the metro-DC based Color Marketing Group, choosing color is really very simple.
“People like warmth and richness. They want to be nurtured and surrounded by colors that give them relief from being out in the world,” says Martin.Garunkstis, Patrick-Wout, Wiener, and Martin hold that your colors should have intrinsic meaning to you because you will be living in these spaces. The colors that surround you should speak to you and offer a well-designed space that reflects a positive emotional attachment.
This living room was inspired by nature. The room is in Benjamin Moore BM HC-118 and the pumpkin wall on the right is BM2175-40.
“I’m seeing two different trends in residential dwellings,” says Garunkstis. “I see warm colors like golds, yellows, and cinnamon being used. People like these colors because they envelope you, warm you, and create cozy, intimate spaces. The second trend I see is toward softer ’spa’ colors. These colors are used by people who want to create a serene, quiet place in their homes. The soft colors are relaxing and the spaces become places of rejuvenation and regrouping after a long day. In both cases, people are creating home havens.”
Patrick-Wout believes that traditional spa colors, like blues and greens, will continue to be popular because many people take their color cues from nature. Colors that support eco-friendly perceptions are no longer considered dowdy and boring. Botanical greens, river blues, and earth tones like beiges, browns, and tans are very soul-satisfying, but Patrick-Wout believes that we will begin to see them paired with unusual accent colors inspired by Eastern design.
“Consider pairing Asian reds, tangerine, or canary yellow with nature’s neutral tones to add energy and life to your home decor,” says Patrick-Wout. “Bohemian and Moroccan designs can also communicate a sense of happiness and satisfaction and bring a rich ethnicity to a room.”
Wiener says that everyone is going au naturale with greens, browns, and blues. “Bringing an organic feel to interiors is more important than ever, but you don’t have to be a slave to style. If red is your thing, used well and with ample lighting, it always looks good,” says Wiener.
“People are venturing out and exploring different possibilities,” says Martin. “We’re coming out of a period of cocooning, where all we did was stay home and sit in front of our home entertainment centers. The fears surrounding September 11th have passed and we want our surroundings to reflect excitement, adventure, and fun.”
Martin believes that for decades, the fashion industry defined what colors and trends would be popular, but all that started changing a few years ago. “There are no rules anymore,” he says.Wiener agrees saying, “Why are ceilings white? That’s what builders paint them. There’s no reason for a white ceiling. Ceilings are way too big of an area to keep in white. Add a soft blue or green instead to give interest and coordinate with room furnishings,” says Wiener.
Even the once-popular monochromatic color schemes have undergone a transformation because they’re being complemented with vibrant and interesting textures, patterns, and styles. There is no longer the need to subscribe to either a traditional or contemporary style. New, timeless designs and color combinations blend elements from both styles.
Choosing the “Right” Color
Once you’ve chosen the general mood you want to create in a room and decided on your focal color(s), Patrick-Wout suggests that homeowners paint a large sample board or section of the wall.
“This will allow you to see the color in daylight and in the evening,” Patrick-Wout says. “Live with the color for a few days to see if you still like it. Ask yourself if you prefer the color in the living room, the bedroom, the kitchen, etc. Doing this before committing to a particular color will help you avoid costly [and time-consuming] color mistakes.”
Penny Fox is a frequent contributor to ChesapeakeHome.
Sources:
About Interiors, Inc. & Happy Places = Happy Faces: aboutinteriors.com or 301-220-2838
Designing Solutions: mydesigningsolutions.com or 301-445-6336
GG Design Inspirations: ggdesigninspirations.com or 410-672-7224
The Color Marketing Group: colormarketing.org or 703-329-8500
The Color People: colorpeople.com or 303-308-0220
