Interiors, graphic design and fashion all seem to be have taken up very muted, and sombre colour palettes. But what if our relationship with colour effects our moods? The trend for beige, neutrals and naturals may be effecting our well being. Surely all these somber, muted tones are not making us cheerful, they may even be be partially responsible for the mental health problems which seem to be occurring in the UK.
We are all affected by colour, if you sit all day in a badly light, dingy coloured space, it is unlikely you will go home happy. Too much grey is bad for the soul.
Fortunately though, colour is once again making a comeback. Everybody may be feeling the pinch, but splashing colour at your interiors may be the most cost effective way to brighten up your space, and improve your mood.
But what colour will you paint your latest DIY project in?
As consumers, I believe that our biggest challenge is knowing what our style actually “is”. Whilst running an interior design workshop, the main thing I learned was that people are often unsure, of their taste. Colour is very subjective, it is down to individual taste (and vision), light surrounding the object, and the material said object is made from. Not only that, but colour affects mood. That black wall may look great but how does it make you feel?
Knowing your colour wheel is essential. The primary colours of red, yellow and blue, are colours that cannot be made by other colours. But even these colours are subject to a million variants, and can be made warmer or cooler, if mixed with blacks and whites or other hues.
Primary colours mixed in pairs, make secondary colours; orange, purple and green.
Secondary colours mixed in pairs give you browns, muddy greens and mauves. If you mix all primaries together you wil get black. But none of these colours will ever be “pure”, they will be perceived differently by every individual, and will be visually affected by the pigment used, the substrate printed on and the light they are viewed in.
The main thing to worry about when decorating a room is which direction the light enters the room from, once you’ve worked out the direction of the room you can start figuring out how you want the room to make you feel; cosy, energised, calm, whatever, and then you can start “playing” with some colour charts.
The following will give you a start point for your colours:
South facing rooms will have warmer and quite strong light, which you can pretty much get away with painting any colour; however, painting the room in cooler hues of blues, greens or neutrals will keep the room feeling cooler.
East or Westerly facing rooms, will have natural light early morning and evening. You will have to consider when these rooms are used and the type of lighting to choose, as this all affects vibe and intensity of light. Lighter tones with a warmer hue could be most useful here, peaches, warm greys, taupes and caramel colours could work well.
Northern facing light is very cool and there is less of it, which means your room may be darker. Pinks, copper and yellower tones will warm these spaces up. Even neutral tones, which have a splash of warmth to them will lift the room.
Painting rooms darker colours works even in smaller rooms, darker rooms can have a cosier vibe, and feel warmer, which may be a reason to use darker paint shades. Darker walls are also useful for layering possessions and pieces against to bring an intimate and more “edgy” vibe. Feature walls wallpapered, or painted a solid strong colour are useful for focussing your style, and working out what to bounce around the rest of the room.
Colourful art works can be used to introduce colour, which can then be echoed into cushions, which can then be reflected into rugs, tied into curtain tassels or edged along a cushion as piping. As long as you keep the look cohesive and connected together it will make sense. Find the threads of a style and it will all start to look like a well designed space.
All designs are made to order. Please allow 5-7 days for delivery.
Prices from Sarah’s new range start from from £47 per cushion, £95 for a small blind, £35 per metre of fabric, £57 per metre square of wallpaper.
Sarah does design consults on zoom, £45 per hour and will help guide you with any room.
Call her on 07706 136133 to book an appointment.
