Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Choose Serene Color Schemes For Bedrooms

Choose Serene Color Schemes for Bedrooms


Your bedroom is a sanctuary, a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of your hectic life. Upon entering, you want to feel as if you have escaped from deadlines, family and work demands--in short, the vicissitudes of the day. The colors you choose for your bedroom are an integral part of creating a sense of serenity and well-being. Loud, vibrant colors will not induce the calm you seek. Peaceful, quieter colors will promote a sense of tranquility, which, together with a lack of clutter, can help make your bedroom a reliable haven from external stress.


Instructions


1. Research your color responses. You may not be entirely aware of how different colors make you feel. Pick up a color wheel, paint chip samples, or other representation of a broad range of colors. What is your response to varying shades of white? What about blues, or greens? Perhaps certain shades of beige and even, brown bring about a sense of serenity for you. Consider times in your life when you have felt especially at peace. What were the colors in your environment? Take some time to remember, recall, and re-imagine your responses to the colors of the rainbow. Don't feel inhibited by what you've seen in other bedrooms. Your color scheme should be entirely your own.


2. Decide on a color or color-family around which to build your scheme. You may decide that green is most serene for you. Perhaps creamy shades of white, or maybe even, gray are more your speed. Blue can be another tranquil selection. Go with whatever gives you that all-important sense of peace.


3. Choose two or three shades of that color to build the scheme. If you have chosen blue, for example, you might decide on a pale blue for the walls, a slightly deeper blue for floor coverings, and midnight blue for bedding. Alternatively, a gray color scheme might include a blue-gray for the walls, slate for the flooring, and palest gray for the bedding.


4. Pick an accent color to add interest. Once you have decided on your main color scheme, you can inject a touch of whimsy by using accent colors. Fabric swatches can be a useful tool in this process. For instance, you might choose to add pillows covered in a blue-and-green print to your midnight-blue bedding. Or you might consider adding green accents to the window coverings, or even upholstery. Alternatively, in a cream-colored scheme, accents of beige and brown can add visual interest: Examples include mahogany bedposts, rich chocolate furniture, or maple or oak flooring. In the end, your accent color choices should be clever, but not so stimulating as to interfere with your primary goal: a sense of serenity in the bedroom.

Tags: color scheme, sense serenity, accent color, Choose Serene, Choose Serene Color