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Q. I'd like my kitchen to be vibrant but want calmer hues in the bedroom. What colors are best for the different areas of my home?

Brian Santos: When selecting color for a room, keep in mind that each color has a psychological value. Review the following emotional correspondences and strive to make your design feel right as well as look right.

Decorating with Color

Red

Red is warm, bold, stirring and energetic. In its pure form it can increase heart rate and raise body temperature. Use red in rooms where activity occurs, like a family room, or where sleeping and resting are not a priority. For a deep, intense setting, use other colors sparingly in a red room. The eye is drawn to red, so it also makes an eye-catching accent color.

Yellow and orange

Yellow and orange are just as exciting as red, but they are more cheerful than bold, more bright than stimulating. Yellow and orange warm and enliven any room where they are used, but work especially well to brighten dark rooms. On large surfaces they are best used in light values.

Blue

Blue, the color of sky and water, creates fresh, cool and restful feelings. Blue walls can make a south- or west-facing room feel cooler. Because it "recedes," blue also creates the illustion of space and distance, conjuring up emotions of haughtiness, formality, reserve and sadness.

In spite of evoking such contradictory reactions, blue is a favorite because it is easy on the eyes and the nerves, making it an excellent choice for rooms where you want to relax or sleep.

Green

Green is the dominant color in nature. It is a pleasing, organic, fresh, calming and restful color. It is a great color for any room where you want a relaxed and fresh atmosphere.

Purple

Purple is lush, regal and passionate. It is an intense and highly emotional color, partly because it straddles the line between the warm red and cool blue. This makes it a difficult color to use in interior design, and it is usually confined to the role of an accent.

Black and white

Black and white are pure contrasts and intensifiers—light and dark, yin and yang, all or nothing. Dramatic and elegant together, they lend sophistication in decor that is stylish and urban.

Brian Santos has presented his informative and entertaining workshops on painting techniques to more than 5,000 audiences at home shows across the U.S.



		Color and Your Personality Content provided by Q. I'd like my kitchen to be vibrant but want calmer hues in the bedroom. What colors are best for the different areas of my home? Brian Santos: When selecting color for a room, keep in mind that each color has a psychological value. Review the following emotional correspondences and strive to make your design feel right as well as look right. Decorating with Color Red Red is warm, bold, stirring and energetic. In its pure form it can increase heart rate and raise body temperature. Use red in rooms where activity occurs, like a family room, or where sleeping and resting are not a priority. For a deep, intense setting, use other colors sparingly in a red room. The eye is drawn to red, so it also makes an eye-catching accent color. Yellow and orange Yellow and orange are just as exciting as red, but they are more cheerful than bold, more bright than stimulating. Yellow and orange warm and enliven any room where they are used, but work especially well to brighten dark rooms. On large surfaces they are best used in light values. Blue Blue, the color of sky and water, creates fresh, cool and restful feelings. Blue walls can make a south- or west-facing room feel cooler. Because it "recedes," blue also creates the illustion of space and distance, conjuring up emotions of haughtiness, formality, reserve and sadness. In spite of evoking such contradictory reactions, blue is a favorite because it is easy on the eyes and the nerves, making it an excellent choice for rooms where you want to relax or sleep. Green Green is the dominant color in nature. It is a pleasing, organic, fresh, calming and restful color. It is a great color for any room where you want a relaxed and fresh atmosphere. Purple Purple is lush, regal and passionate. It is an intense and highly emotional color, partly because it straddles the line between the warm red and cool blue. This makes it a difficult color to use in interior design, and it is usually confined to the role of an accent. Black and white Black and white are pure contrasts and intensifiers—light and dark, yin and yang, all or nothing. Dramatic and elegant together, they lend sophistication in decor that is stylish and urban. Brian Santos has presented his informative and entertaining workshops on painting techniques to more than 5,000 audiences at home shows across the U.S.