The bedroom is a special space, a place where you need to feel safe and comfortable. It takes you in at the end of the day, holding you while you are most vulnerable. It is the first place you see in the morning, and its atmosphere can temper your entire day. That means that the décor and especially the colors used in this room are important. They have to cradle and nurture you, to help soothe and ease you, but not to lull you so much that you have trouble getting motivated.
The power of color on the human psyche is something that has been well documented and researched by psychologists and sociologists. When in the presence of different colors, people will behave, think, and react in different ways. By understanding these principles you can take control of your bedroom in a subtle but important way.
Red is one of the most volatile colors, and its use in the bedroom is generally not recommended. That is because red tones tend to make people excited, their presence can cause heart rates to increase and metabolism to speed up. A bedroom decorated with too much red and make a person feel agitated and anxious, or can lead to fighting and arguments.
The energy and passion of red colors can make it difficult to relax in your bedroom and drift to sleep at night. It can create a space where you always feel like you have to do something, mitigating any sense of serenity or calm that you are trying to create in the space. This is usually a bad thing. However if your problem isn’t going to sleep, but rather is waking up each morning then you may want to consider using red tones to create a space that is just a little less dreamy.
Another exception to the rule against using red in the bedroom is in the case of a romantic setting. Red is the color of love, and red sheets, red candles, red drink coasters, and artwork with heavy red hues can all go a long way towards making a bedroom more intimate and romantic. However you don’t have to choose between passion and serenity. Just keep a series of red hued accessories in a drawer in the bedroom, and every once in a while spice things up with a breath of fresh color.
Blue is a much more common bedroom hue. It tends to evoke a sense of serenity when used in the décor of a bedroom. Symbolically it tends to remind people of a clear blue sky, or the quiet depths of the ocean, which are both soothing environmental features. In a bedroom, the use of the color blue can help to create a haven that cradles you to sleep each night.
Another very common color used in bedroom decorating is green in its many hues. Green is a color of life, of forests, of lawns and nature and the living breathing world. When used in a bedroom it can act as a type of arbiter between energy and relaxation. Green hues can provide a bedroom with a sense of calm serenity, without dipping into the dreamy atmosphere of blue dominated spaces.
Earth tones are also very popular in bedrooms. These warm colors include oranges, ambers, browns, tans, and camel colored hues that create a sense of warmth and safety in a room. They are also often associated with home, hearth, and the family, and can go a long way towards creating comfortable bedroom spaces.
The importance of color in the bedroom stems from the subtle power that it has over us. The right tones can make a room feel sleepy, energetic, comforting, or vibrant. Of course mixing and matching shades and colors is the only way to create an integrated space. However through it all, you have to pay attention to how you react to the space, and the colors that are used throughout it.