Decorating Tips: The Meaning of ColorsWritten by Kathy Burns-Millyard
Colors have many different meanings. Have you ever been in a blue room, feeling calm and relaxed, and then walked into a red room and you began to feel chatty and excited? The change in your mood wasn't just coincidence - it was an actual psychological and physiological response to colors of rooms. When you are planning to decorate your home, colors of your rooms should be one of your first considerations. You want to choose colors that you're not only comfortable with, but also colors that will create right types of moods for both you and your guests in each room. Let's start with some of more common colors: Blue is a calming, relaxing color. The color is good for bedrooms but can destroy mood in a dining room as it serves as an appetite represent. Combined with green, blue exudes a natural atmosphere in a room. For centuries, green has been representative of life and birth, but on flip side, it has been known for jealousy and inexperience. Like blue, green is a relaxing color. The color symbolizes a certain harmony both in world and in life. Red on other hand, is an appetite and conversation stimulant. Red is a fiery color that at times represents both hatred and passion. Red also represents power; thus use of it for celebrities on red carpet and red ties for powerful executives. Yellow is also a powerful color. Since yellow is color of sunshine, it has a happy, uplifting aura. However, yellow can also be color of melancholy and cowardice. Carefully pick hue of your paint and decorations, noting feelings you get in presence of those colors.
| | Southwest Style Decorating TipsWritten by Kathy Burns-Millyard
When you think of Southwest, what do you think of? Deserts, cactus, saloons? Well, Southwest style decor can actually combine these visions into a single decorating style. If you're wanting to use a Southwestern decorating theme in your home, a living room or den is a great place to use it. The bright colors and patterns are conducive to conversation.When you are looking to use this style, you first want to think about what colors you want to be most prominent. Reds, oranges, yellows, and greens are traditional Southwestern colors. You may want to paint room a deep turquoise and use throw rugs, maybe even some from a nearby Native American reservation, for floor. Colorful rugs can also be used as wall hangings. Many reservations still make these types of rugs by hand, so you can purchase authentic rugs at a reservation or online. The rugs are generally striped, and you want to use one that has all major colors in your room on it. After you choose a wall color and some throw rugs or blankets with your colors, then you can begin looking for furniture to either match those colors, or fit overall decor theme you're creating. You may find that this is your biggest challenge. My suggestion would be to find a slipcover that would match your colors so that you do not have to purchase a new couch, and if you ever want to redecorate you will just need a new slipcover. Tan colors work well if you use brightly colored pillows or you could choose a red or yellow slipcover for your sofa and chairs. Dark woods look good in a Southwest style room; you will probably want to distress wood so that it looks older, adding a more authentic touch to your room. Rustic, cabin-style furniture and accessories tend to go well with Southwest Style decorating theme too.
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