The Value of Colors in Interior Design (Maybe Claude Monet Paintings Will Inspire You!)

When it comes to interior design, colors play a vital role in setting up the mood and the overall impression a certain room gives. People tend to feel depressed in rooms painted in colors different than the ones that they like. Here are some ways to color-code and improve the look of your house.

Choose the Room's Dominating Color

Pick the major color of the biggest piece of furniture you have in the room. This will be the dominating color. Keep in mind that certain colors may cause anxiety or even depression. This all depends on your current mood and how sensitive your mind is.

Generally, avoid painting in dark colors since they make the room appear smaller. Toning down the hue of the items you picked is a good way to keep the colors within reasonable limits. For example, if you have a red sofa, it should be toned down to a burgundy color or something more neutral.

Pick Colors That Make You Happy

You should also consider the psychological impact of light. Vivid colors like yellow and orange can lift your spirit and bring out the best in a room.

Think of the mood you want the room to project onto you, for example, the bedroom. Do you want it to be a place for rest and relaxation or do you want it to be a place for romance and intimacy? Cooler and warmer colors can stimulate different moods and, therefore, you should choose wisely.

Decorate in the Right Order

Decorating your rooms in the right order is very important. You should do so from dark to light with the floor being the darkest color and gradually lightening as you go up. Ceilings are usually painted in light colors like blue or white. This is made in order for them to match the predominant colors outdoors, giving the room the optical illusion of depth.

For the most part, as prevalent colors in your home, you should choose ones you would normally wear. This type of color-coding is a great way to make sure these are the shades you'll be more comfortable with. This mostly goes for furniture since some combinations of colors for walls and ceilings can feel quite oppressive.

Make Sure You Contrast

When you set up your furniture, consider how well certain contrasts in colors work when creating the atmosphere of the room. The contradiction between dark and light colors is a great way to enhance and highlight aspects of the room which you want to shine.

Do you have a beautiful dark vase with an interesting motif? Set it up against a light-colored wall to make it stand out.

Balance the Colors

Balancing the colors present in a room is very important. Most decorators use a ratio of 60-30-10 where the dominant color (usually on the walls and some bigger pieces of furniture) makes up most of the room.

Make sure you achieve a variety of color in order to create the contrasts you need. Use a single color for accentuating parts of the room. Much like creating a piece of art, a well-decorated home carries the same serene sense of aesthetics you get by observing a statue or a painting. Be open-minded and use your imagination as great artists do. Monet was inspired by places he traveled. He painted almost two thousand paintings, full of light, color, and movement. What inspires you?