After a decade (or more) of ubiquitous grey, we see colour coming back in a big way. No surprise there. People are looking for optimism and a sunny bright vision for the future. They are ready to embrace colour for their homes once again.
In the 1920s, economist George Taylor declared he could predict the economy based on women’s hemlines. Well, I’m no economist, but interior design reflects a cheery shift, and I am all for it!
So here are 3 reasons why you should add colour and texture to your home…
1. Colours Create a Healthy & Happy Home
Have you ever wondered why some spaces feel calm and relaxed? Or in other rooms, you feel alert and energised, but you can’t put your finger on why?
Designers have been drawing from research on the effect of colour on our behaviour and have made some surprising findings. For example, there is a reason why specific colours work best for institutions like hospitals to foster a mood of optimism. Likewise, colours chosen for schools and prisons are selected to have a calming effect on behaviour.
Designers use colour psychology as a powerful tool to evoke a range of emotions and craft experiences in a space.
Red, thought to increase energy, is also used in interior spaces such as dining rooms and restaurants to stimulate appetite. Blue is believed to bring down blood pressure and offer a calming effect. Green is a calming yet uplifting colour, a good choice for any room. And yellow is just an outright cheery, optimistic colour.
Gray, well, without wanting to disparage an elegant hue, does not bring joy to a room or bring it to life!
2. Patterns Complete a Cohesive Space
Patterns, like colour, can be calming or energetic. If you are colour avoidant, a pop of pattern in an accent pillow is a great place to dip your toe. Depending on the design you pick, a pattern can also define a space, transforming it from ho-hum to traditional or tailored, whimsical or retro.
Patterns are also a great way to allowing the eye to travel throughout the space to connect elements. Patterns can echo the mood of art pieces by drawing on colours in artwork, strengthening the design and linking elements in a room.
When you add in an accent piece like a vase of flowers or a candle, it completes a triad of art, pattern, and accents for a cohesive (and pro :-)) look.
3. Create Harmony in Your Home by Blending Colours & Patterns
Combining colour and pattern is a powerful way to create harmony and flow throughout your home. We like to work with a colour palette taken from your art, or rug, or a pattern used in the room to draw out colours to create a colour palette.
We choose the primary colour from a pattern for the larger pieces like sofas and chairs and then choose accent colours from a key pattern. By taking one or two colours into the adjacent rooms, you can create flow throughout the space, so everything works together without being too matchy.
When we work on an entire home, we start with the things you absolutely love. Perhaps it’s an heirloom rug from a grandparent or a painting you both fell in love with.
We introduce something to get the design going if you don’t have what we call a “jumping off point” or a key piece to inspire the palette. So, for example, we might go shopping for a rug or present you with some fabrics with key patterns to get a sense of what you respond to.
Sometimes ‘shopping’ in your clothes closets to see what colours and patterns you have tell us a lot about whether your taste is feminine or tailored, edgy or bohemian, for example.
Are you looking for a team to combine design strategy with your personal aesthetic to create harmony in your home? Reach out, and let’s get acquainted!
Judith
