Adding color to an existing décor scheme or changing it completely can be a daunting undertaking. Before you get into buying furniture, paint or even changing a simple slipcover, let’s discuss how the different colors in the spectrum affect you then you’ll be in a better position to choose where to add them to your décor.

Colors range from light to dark. If you look at a spread spectrum or even a picture of a rainbow you will see a variety of colors moving from light to dark. So let’s start out with our primary colors of Red, Yellow and Blue:

• Red instantly attracts and makes people excited. It can have a tendency to raise the heart beat. Red is a color of assertion, strength, romance, excitement, vitality, physical power, and outgoing ambitious behavior. Red is also a known appetite stimulant, which is why many restaurants use it in their color schemes.

• Yellow is associated with sunshine and it represents light. Yellow just happens to be the lightest color in the spectrum and almost always accompanies a positive mood. Yellow creates a feeling of hope, happiness, and wisdom. A light yellow evokes an optimistic sense of well being and natural light. It’s airy, radiant and atmospheric. Yellow gives the feeling that all is okay with the world. Yellow expands, warms, and brightens north-facing rooms. A dull dark or muddy yellow, however, has the opposite effect.

• The last primary color is blue. This color has a feeling of cool expansiveness and openness. The sight of blue stimulates thoughts of sea and sky. Blue is soft, soothing, compassionate and caring. It’s also an introspective color. Blue is often used in bedrooms and spas.

These three primary colors are individually strong. They contain traits that are significant. What then, happens when we start to mix them together?

• Let’s mix the excitement of red and the calmness of blue. This gives us purple. Pale shades of purple are restful and serene. The darker shades, however, make it difficult to focus. If you find the right balance with lavender, you can explore things like creativity and wit.

• Orange combines the happiness of yellow and the energy or red. It can be associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. Orange represents enthusiasm, creativity, determination, success, and stimulation. Like red it is also an appetite stimulant.

• Now we’ll mix blue and yellow. Green has both a warming and cooling effect. That’s why it’s the color of harmony and security. Green is also strongly associated with nature and a feeling of inner peace. Greens are particularly restful.

Now that you know how the colors affect you, you can start to add them to your room. Did you know that you don’t have to buy buckets of paint, brushes, and painter’s tape to simply change the color scheme of a room? It’s pretty simple actually. Let’s step outside of the box for a moment. If we’re not going to change the color scheme by painting then how do we do it? Using simple small changes in the decor.

You can start by getting a slipcover for your chairs or couch. Maybe change the drapes or curtains in the chosen room. Remember to “tie” it all together with throw pillows and add an accent piece like a vase, candle holder, or wall art.

Trying out colors like this gives you a chance to live with the color to see if you can really enjoy living with them. If you do then you might explore re-decorating an entire room.

After you have made your color decisions, finding accessories to complete the project can be as easy as…

Visiting http://www.yourgiftcloset.com and shopping our vases, our candle holder and furniture & decor departments. Patricia de Jerez. Expert Author on home decor, garden décor and food ideas. Join us on http://www.Facebook.com/yourgiftcloset. We’re looking forward to seeing you in both places! This article may be reprinted only with this resource box intact and included.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patricia_de_Jerez

New Year, New Colors for Your Home!

With the start of a new year many homeowners look to update their homes to provide a fresh start. This year all signs indicate that homeowners will be even more zealous about making these changes sooner rather than later in 2010 as they seeking ways to overcome the economic negativity that has been overshadowing their lives for the past year. Changing the colors inside your home is one of the least expensive ways to bring about this type of impactful transformation in a timely and inexpensive manner. Colors make you feel emotions, so why not make color choices based on the emotions you are trying to evoke in your home?

Red. Red stimulates the body and mind. It is the color of fire, excitement and alertness-thus increasing your metabolism and blood pressure. Because red stimulates appetite, food tastes better when surrounded by red. So it is a great color for dining rooms. Red can make a person feel passionate and excited. But beware-too much red can evoke anger and lead to anxiety. Therefore, in rooms where you are trying to create a peaceful, serene atmosphere-use small doses of red in earth tones like brick or terra cotta shades.

Blue. Blue acts like red’s opposite. It decreases the pulse rate, lowers body temperature, and reduces appetite. Blue is found in the sky, water and ice, and thus causes the body to produce calming chemicals, so it is great to use in rooms where relaxation is desired. Blue creates a more centered, spiritual and inspiring vibe. Blue hues suppress appetite as “blue foods” are rare in nature and are a sign of poison/toxicity to the body. Therefore, blue should not be used in eating areas in the home. People are also more productive in blue rooms, so if you need a little kick in the pants, try blue for your home office or your home gym. It is also a great choice for bedrooms.

Orange. Orange is similar to red, but it is a color that evokes the warmth of the sun versus the fiery heat of Red. It is a warm, welcoming and autumnal color. It encourages conversation & appetite, and relieves feelings of self-pity, lack of self-worth & unwillingness to forgive. Orange opens your emotions & is an antidepressant. Because of these effects orange is the best option for eating areas, creative spaces and those areas where you want to elevate someone’s mood.

Yellow. Yellow has been proven to stimulate the brain. This stimulation can make you more alert and decisive. It helps memory and promotes clear thinking, and decision-making. It is also the harshest color on the eyes, causing tempers to flair and babies to cry more frequently. Use golden-yellow tones to counteract these negative effects. With a golden-yellow kitchen, you just might not need that extra cup of coffee in the morning! Yellow evokes feelings of happiness, optimism, clarity, intellect and wisdom. As such, yellow is ideal for sunrooms, family rooms and real estate staging.

Green. Green is often used in decorating for its calming and refreshing effect. It helps to balance and soothe our emotions-hence the use of “green rooms” in television. Unlike yellow, green is the easiest color on the eye, promoting a sense of well-being & balance. It relaxes our muscles and helps us breathe deeper and slower. Green promotes growth, fertility, nurturing and healing-and is growing in popularity with the advent of the “green interiors movement.” But beware! Green can also cause laziness so be careful where you use it. Green is ideal for reading rooms, libraries and bedrooms.

Purple. Purple is a mysterious color, indicative of rebalancing your life. It is found in sunsets, darkness and shadows, and is the combination of two complete opposites – red and blue. Purple can be invigorating or calming, depending on how much red or blue is in the shade. Purple promotes good judgment, meditation and spirituality. Use purple in meditation rooms or other areas in your home where you want to feel creative, spiritual or imaginative because it balances the mind.

by Denise Willard of Decor by Denise

Decor by Denise is a full service interior design, decorating and staging firm serving the Washington DC Metro Area.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Denise_Willard

If you start a home business you will most likely need an office. This office will most likely need to occupy one of the rooms in your home. You will need to choose which room to change into your new workplace. Many factors will go into your decision including size of your home and how many people live with you. Your work should be important to you and home office color schemes set the mood for your work.

After the room for your home office has been designated, it will be time to figure out how you will furnished it. You may have some important supplies and furniture already. It could save you some time and money to check first before you buy. Make a list of everything you need; look around your house first, and then go shopping for the rest of the things you need.

Once you have everything from your list, the fun part starts. Now it is time to arrange and set everything up. Your businesses style should be taken into consideration when organizing your workspace. It is important that everything comes together and sets a good tone so that you can truly focus. The color of your walls can even be changed to help in this matter.

When it comes to home office color, bright or light colors are for laid back, creative, and/or energetic business types. If this is your business type then try your best to associate those type of colors. Also, elect blinds over curtains to boost it’s affect. For the more serious business types darker colors like brown may be the better choice.

If your workspace is strictly for business then don’t purchase an excess amount of seating. If you live with many people then the sitting areas will only invite them in. Only have enough sitting areas for you to conduct your business. If you are the opposite and like the extra company then a couch and a few extra chairs will be appropriate.

The layout of your workplace is important for setting the atmosphere for your work. The colors you choose to put in the room will set the tone and attitude of your business. Everything about your workplace should be thought out carefully. However, it doesn’t have to extravagant; it can be accomplished with very simplest things.

You do not need to spend a lot of money to build a successful workplace. You just need to build an atmosphere that will help you focus and succeed. Your home office color scheme and the furniture you choose will set the mood, tone, and energy. Make sure that those three things match you and your business type.

Next, find out more about home office paint and get other home office design ideas at http://designingahomeoffice.org.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leeanne_Dobbins

Casual Contemporary home decor can begin to look boring after a while, especially for families with children. Yet families on a budget often find it tough to upgrade their home decorating. That’s why interior designers so frequently recommend turning to that old friend, the color wheel, to enliven a home.

To decorate colorfully, start with a happy attitude and a willingness to bend the official decorating style rules. After all, you are not creating a designer showhouse, you are decorating your own home.

Outside, color can come in many forms, from brightly colored polyresin outdoor furniture to outdoor rugs. Surprisingly, weather-resistant rugs work both on the floor of a patio or a deck and on walls as “outdoor wallpaper.” Hanging up an outdoor area rug is a quick and inventive way to hide any imperfections in a home’s exterior, as well as giving the outside living space some pizazz.

Next, if there are children in the house, make use of their artwork. Framing his or her art and hanging it in prominent places (not just on the refrigerator door) gives a tremendous boost to a child’s self-confidence. What’s more, framed children’s works give unique wall art that has priceless sentimental value.

Add some whimsy to any room by painting wide color stripes on used tables, chairs, dressers and chests. Don’t limit the placement of these refurbished pieces to the children’s room; they make terrific conversation starters anywhere in the house.

To spruce up a child’s room, try painting a wide band of the child’s favorite color along the center of the walls. Then add two contrasting trips of grosgrain ribbon, one down the center of the stripe and one at the bottom edge. If a little girl loves pink for the wall art, echo the same shade in a lovely pink area rug for her floor.

Most families with children need plenty of supplies for crafts and school projects. As any parent knows, however, craft supplies that aren’t organized quickly become useless. The solution is to set aside a specific area somewhere in the home and furnish it with sets of shelves or better yet, wood cubbies. Paint the cubbies in bright colors or paint them white, whatever works best.

An empty wall anywhere in the home can become a work of art with a little ingenuity. Apply a coat of paint in any desired colored, and then go to town. Families can create a family portrait, a scene from the children’s favorite storybook, a mural that recalls a memorable vacation, or something totally out of someone’s imagination. If there’s a possibility that the decor may change in the future, consider using removable wall decals to create super-graphics that can be taken down later when a new inspiration strikes.

After one or two of these kinds of decorating projects, even the kids in the family may be bursting with ideas on how to color their world. Since painting is one of the easiest ways to liven up a home, projects such as these are sure to inspire a lifetime of beautiful decorating.

Sarah has ultimately opted for a proper table setting for the girls night out she’s holding next week. She has picked a red and yellow colored tropical fruit centerpiece which accentuates the ocean scene from her living area window.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Crosset