From the Floors Up

Learning Color Psychology

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Today, we are going to explore the psychology of colors to see the different ways that you can use the same colors to change the end results. Let’s get started!

Combinations

What you pair a color with can change how much it affects the atmosphere. For instance, different color pairings can complement, contrast, or even take from the other colors in a room. For example, if you pair red in your design with orange and yellow, the room will have a warm, inviting atmosphere. However, when red is paired with a neutral palette, the color will have the most authentic psychological influence on the room. Now pair red with against blue, and it will have the hardest contrast. The ratio in which you contribute to each color will also determine how much influence it has on the space.

Hues

A hue is both the color and the tinting of the color. Exploring different hues can have different outcomes on an environment psychologically. For example, blue may be used to relax an atmosphere, and green may be used to add liveliness. Now take turquoise, the hue between green and blue, this color can borrow elements of both. You can darken or lighten the shading of a color to create different outcomes as well.

Finish & Tone

Colors can also be affected by how they are perceived in design by their tone and finish. For instance, glossy yellow is more vibrant and expressive than matte yellow. Likewise, pastels are washed out by whites, where muted colors are darkened by blacks. The same color can have a masculine or feminine feature just by softening it or creating a pastel tone.

We think that the psychology of color is fascinating how it can change a room. We hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about how colors affect our atmosphere. How will you facilitate these tricks in your own home? Let us know below in the comment section.

Understanding Colors & Their Influence on Your Design

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Colors can be very impactful in an environment. We use color to add character to a space. From warm and cool tones, every color can help change the overall feeling of your home. Trying to find the perfect blend of colors to complement each other can be tricky at first, but understanding some basic tricks can help you master the skill. Today, we look at some of the simple aspects of color and how you can use them in your design. Knowing these can better help you facilitate different colors in your home. Let’s get started!

Tones

There are three types of tones that can be used in a room. You can create a warm-tone, which makes an area feel more inviting. This tone can be accomplished by using colors like red, yellow, pink, and orange. Or, you can create a cool-tone atmosphere by using colors like blue, green, purple, and indigo. This tone will make an area feel more relaxed and laid back. Lastly, you can create a neutral-tone. This tone is done by using beige, grey, white, black, or other colors that have no direct correlation with setting a tone. Each has their time and place in your design. Try to match the right colors to the feeling you want to provoke in each room.

Textures

Texture can also be very valuable in your design. When designing a room, you will typically stick to around three to four colors in general. However, with only three to four colors, some areas tend to blend together. For instance, having a beige couch against a beige wall can seem to mix together. This bland look can be fixed through the use of texture. So make sure you have plenty of texture throughout each space. You can have some carpet, grainy surfaces, or silky pillows. These types of texture will help create a dramatic effect and allow objects to pop off one another.

Complementary

With the use of more than one color, you will want colors that complement one another. While each color by itself can create a color meaning, using colors together can also be an effect. Consider the color green being used monochromatically throughout a design space. With all this green, you can evoke feelings of life, revitalization, or even envy. The color green has several psychological influences in an environment. Now take that same room and add the color red. You probably would quickly recognize this color combination as festive or Christmas-influenced. Pay attention to how the colors in your room complement one another and how they portray a feeling.

Color is one of the most powerful tools to use in design. A better understanding of how to use color can help you master your design. Since every color has its own psychological influences, these tricks can be great tools to take your design to the next level. While design is about aesthetics and functionality, how your design makes you feel is equally important. This can all be accomplished through the power of colors.

Surprisingly Effective Color Palettes

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Colors can have a dramatic impact on our living space. Each color has the power to influence the overall mood of the atmosphere. In fact, designing a room comes down to colors. We tend to use color palettes to give rooms a more diverse feel and capture the impacts of each color. If you went into a dimly lit, dark restaurant with red accents, you might feel a romantic vibe, whereas a brightly lit, blue and white atmosphere will have a completely different feeling. Typically, colors that are near each other on the color wheel can complement each other quite nicely. You can easily create a cool-tone or warm-tone atmosphere by choosing the corresponding colors. However, colors that are opposite of each other can also work together. In fact, here are three surprisingly effective color palettes you can consider adding to your own home:

Peach and Forest Green

These colors are nowhere near each other on the color wheel. Even the shading of peach and forest green is very far from similar. However, with peach’s youthful, springy feel accompanied by a more formal green, these two colors work wonders together.

Green is excellent at adding vitality to a space and freshening it up, but when you darken this color by creating forest green, it can dampen some of those desired effects. That is why mixing peach with forest green, creates a highly desirable effect.

Blue and Rustic Orange

Blue and rustic orange are another unique color combination. Blue is known to be a very passive and tranquil color, whereas orange is used in more Rustic or Mediterranean style homes. These two colors complement each other in a unique way. The rustic orange feels creative yet serious, helping to ground the free spirit of a bright blue room.

Teal and Red

The last surprisingly effective color combination that we had to explore is teal and red. Teal is a blue-green tone that is calming yet rejuvenating, whereas red is known to be bold and aggressive. These two colors are known to balance each other out while creating a colorful yet neutral feeling environment.

When exploring the color palette, do not be afraid to get a little crazy. You never know when two colors can effortlessly complement one another.

How to Incorporate Mint Green in Your Design

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While pastel colors may have been most popular in the ’50s, these light airy shades are making their way back into home decor and are fully on trend. If you are considering using pastel colors in your interior, one color that may have popped into your mind was most likely: mint green. Mint green is a beautiful pastel shade that is a mix of blue and green. It is often referred to as a serene color that is just as refreshing as a breath mint.

Perhaps, you are interested in incorporating mint green into your design but do not know where to start. Mint green has a realm of possibilities and today, we are going to focus on a few of our favorite design elements that feature this beautiful pastel. Let’s take a look!

New Take on a Classic

Accent walls are a popular trend in home decor. If you are not ready to dedicate an entire wall to this soft color, you can try the shade out on just a section of the wall. Using mint green in such an unexpected manner will immediately capture attention. Plus, you will not have to change up your current furniture or decor if the color is subtly incorporated on an accent wall. By using it on a section, whether it be stripes or half of the wall, you can get a taste for this pastel without fully committing.

Multiple Pastels

If you love the look of pastels, perhaps you may want to incorporate several shades throughout the space. Luckily, pastels are soft and airy, so they rarely interfere with one another or compete for attention. Additionally, you can capitalize on the fact that you are incorporating several pastel colors in one space and utilize a Scandinavian design which often favors neutrals and pastel colors.

Creative Kitchen Appliances

For a retro-inspired look, incorporate mint green kitchen appliances. Try a bold mint-colored refrigerator and dress your countertops with matching appliances like a mint-colored toaster and microwave. The pops of color will help add a chic style to the space without overwhelming the design.

Chic Cabinetry

Instead of installing new kitchen cabinets, consider giving them a fresh coat of paint and a brand new look. In an all-white kitchen, mint, green cabinets will stand out by adding style and flair. Or perhaps, you want to incorporate other pastels colors with the mint into a neutral-tone kitchen. The design options are endless.

Fully-Focused on Furniture

When purchasing furniture, many people tend to select a neutral furnishing because it can blend well with different design schemes. Mint Green furniture such as a love seat or ottoman will harmonize with a variety of colors and shades. If you are not interested in purchasing a new couch, try a tufted mint colored ottoman instead. By adding simple decor pieces with the color mint, you can change up your design without changing too much.

My Oh My, Metallics

When combined with gold or metallic accents, mint green looks super stylish and chic. Select glossy metallics or gold accents in a few strategic areas of the room to really bring emphasis to the color.

What is your favorite area of the house to incorporate colors like mint? We would love to hear your thoughts below in the comment section.

Using Upholstery to Create a Polished Room

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Along with the major design decisions like flooring and wall finishes, furniture is what sets the tone and style for a room.  Furniture style is how we define ourselves as traditional, modern, country or contemporary.  How we finish our furniture can be just as important in creating the look of a room as the style of the furniture. Upholstery plays a huge role in decorating a living room.

This contemporary space is a great example of how upholstery can be used to create a polished and pulled together looking space.  The furniture in this room is all contemporary in style but is not a suite of furniture that completely matches in form.  The sectional’s clean lines are echoed in the simple square upholstered ottoman that serves as the coffee table.  The curved side chairs are more fluid and sculptural than either the ottoman or the sofa.  What unites the pieces together is the matching upholstery fabric.

While this living room uses the same upholstery throughout the soft furnishings, that doesn’t have to be the rule for all upholstered pieces in a room.  In fact, having an accent chair in upholstery fabric that contrasts or compliments the sofa upholstery can make the chair more of a focal point. Choosing an accent fabric that contains the sofa color is a way to tie the two different fabrics together. Accents like area rugs and pillows can also play off the colors of the upholstery to bring the entire décor together into one cohesive and polished look.

From the Floors Up

From the Floors Up blog was created with the goal of providing a destination for consumers, designers and those interested in the flooring, design, and kitchen and bath industries. Here you’ll find, current, accurate and informative information that is always just a click away!

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