DESIGN PROBLEM – ACHIEVING CALM WITH INTERIOR DESIGN
Like most families, we have a crazy busy schedule. Our homes should be designed as places to decompress. Moreover, I wanted our personal spaces to feel private and restful. With two boys very active in competitive sports, good sleep is needed and appreciated by all! While the bedrooms are already separated physically by being located upstairs, I wanted to incorporate as many interior design techniques as possible to achieve calm.
DESIGN PRINICPLE – PSYCHOLOGY OF COLOR
There are plenty of things that trigger an emotional response, and color is one of them. We can psychologically associate color with a personal experience which triggers an emotion. We can also associate color psychologically as a symbol of a cultural concept. In western culture white is associated with cleanliness and innocence, but in the far east it is associated with morbidity.
Further, our bodies have a physiological reaction to light at specific wavelengths. This article in Science Alert provides some highlights on recent research finding how different light wavelengths affect hormone secretions. And we all know that hormones can affect physiological functions like heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and others.
Moreover, most people will have a psychological connection between cool colors in general with calm relaxation. Research is suggesting that physiologically cool colors can actually lower the body’s temperature. Better yet, cooler temperatures have been shown to provide ideal conditions for most people achieving quality REM sleep. Hence, the popularity of cool colors for bedroom designs.
MY CALMING COLOR CHOICES FOR PRIVATE SPACES
I chose a cool blue as my predominant color for all the bedrooms. Now, there is a difference between blue light (which is a suspected culprit of alertness by suppressing melatonin at night) vs blue color of interiors. Blue light is the wavelength of the light source itself (phones, computers) so it is usually the sole focus of the eye. Blue interiors are the wavelength of light reflected from objects that are only part of the whole that the eye takes in.
However, I also needed to incorporate at least one of the colors from the main living areas (green, yellow, red). This helps make all the spaces throughout the home feel cohesive. So, I chose green as my Golden Ratio Rule secondary color for the boy’s room. Due to my penchant for changing things up, I rotate yellow, red, or green for our master bedroom and bath depending on the season. Find more details of my whole house color scheme by getting access to the Style Library.
Moreover, your bedding, drapes, and floor rugs are the key elements to bring in your secondary color. They are also the elements of the room where texture can be soft and lush. This will pack a double punch for a restful affect if these elements are also a cool color. Save a warm color for your tertiary wall décor and accessories if you want the full affect.
The guest bedroom in the basement was a bit trickier. Due to the Global design style, there was a need to have a more eclectic feel. However, I chose to do this by having a variety of shades and patterns all in blues and greens in keeping with calming, cool colors.
COOL BEDROOM COLORS CAN INCLUDE REDS
Cool and red seem contradictory. But it’s all about the undertone. You can see the difference in the picture below between the pink of the blanket (blue, cool undertone) vs the pink of the rug (yellow, warm undertone).
Keep your bedroom as just that – a room for your bed where the interior enhances it’s restful purpose.
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