You may recall your first box of crayons – that small box with only 6 - 8 colours. Even though the world is filled with a myriad of colours, they can often be grouped into Primary Colours – Blue, Red, Yellow and Secondary Colours – Green, Purple, Orange. Each colour has its own distinct energy or mood. When renovating the rooms your Toronto home, it’s worth exploring the palette of colours at your disposal.
Blue
Blue is a cool or calming colour. It can have a relaxing or calming effect. It’s often used in bedrooms or family rooms – it can help to relax everyone and encourage those in the room to stay and relax. However, dark blue can have the opposite effect, it can be very intense and make people feel sadness or depression.
Red
Red is an energetic colour. It can make people feel alive and invigorated. You will notice that many restaurants have caught on to this – it invites people to feel bubbly and ready for good food and good conversation. So it’s a great colour for a family room or dining room. Generally, you’ll not want to have red in a bedroom – it can be just too stimulating for a restful sleep.
Yellow
Yellow is a happy colour. It can make people feel the warmth of the sun, but beware too much yellow can make people feel anxious and agitated. Yellow is often best used in a kitchen, laundry room or bathroom but, it’s welcoming effect can be undone if there is too much of it. When you move along the yellow spectrum toward beige, tan, brown – it can be very warm and welcoming. Which we all know – that’s why so many living spaces are painted in ‘builders’ beige’.
Green
Green can be a very relaxing colour. In nature green and blue seem to be the most abundant colours, so it makes sense that green would be relaxing. Whether the green has blue or yellow undertones it can be a great colour for any room in the home. It can also be a neutral colour – with a little professional advice, it can be a complement to just about any colour.
Purple
Purple is a luxurious colour. It can give off the feeling of opulence or even royalty. The rich purples such as aubergine are often a great backdrop to a living room or a bathroom. Powder Rooms are a great place to play with some of the bolder colours, mostly because the rooms are small and we tend to not spend a lot of time in there. The lighter purples – such as lilac and lavender will have a similar effect as the blues but, with an added warmth.
Orange
Orange is an energetic and happy colour, which make sense since it’s the mix of red and yellow. Here again, it may not be great to have an entire room that is orange but, it is a great accent colour. It can also work well for a home gym, the colour will help you get to the end of your workout.
Neutrals
Neutrals are just that neutral, they tend to neither inspire nor offend. Designers will often use the neutral as a backdrop to highlight a focal point in a room. The neutral will compliment most colours that you pair with it. Depending on the mood you’d like to convey, you can use any of the above colours to add depth and emotion to a room's colour palette and mood.
Black
Black is the perfect accent colour. Every room could use a touch of black. Designers will use black sparingly and strategically, often to great effect. It won’t just complement any colour but, will in fact, enhance it.
For more insight how to renew the life of your Toronto home, read more in the Bryant Renovations Blog. Speak with your designer to find out how you can add more colour to your home and maybe even to your life.