Did you know that your home interior colors can influence your daily life?
Though it’s not conclusive that colors can stimulate people to act, to feel, or to think in a certain way, different studies show that colors affect us to some extent. In fact some findings suggest that colors impact these aspects of our life:
1. Mood
It’s almost human nature to associate lively colors with energy and soft ones with serenity; and we see this psychology widely applied in Interior Design. Although it’s important to note that the effects of colors vary per individual, a study conducted in Cyprus showed that vivid colors did evoke excitement among its participants; and a significant number shared it was even to the point of restlessness. Pale colors, on the other hand, may have resulted to boredom.
If recreational spots in your place are painted in pale colors, you may want to consider changing them.
2. Cognitive performance
Colors can breathe life into any room. But did you know that sometimes they can get in the way too?
For example in a home office, warm colors may make the room lively, but their distracting properties may hinder concentration. In fact a Dutch research found that people working on a “demanding cognitive task” (e.g. brainstorming, strategizing, and producing creative outputs) perform better in an environment dominated by cool colors. The less arousing the surrounding is, the more conducive it is for these works.
For “detail-oriented tasks” however (e.g. discussing business deals, negotiations, and other activities that involve people interaction), warm-colored work spaces are encouraged as they “make individuals more vigilant,” according to the same study.
3. Memory performance
While colors aren’t certified memory enhancers, studies prove they can be instrumental for the recall or the retrieval of certain memories. For reference, notice the strategic use of vivid colors in advertising and marketing for brand retention.
Red, in particular, was found to improve retention as its striking and alarming nature stimulates people to pay close attention to details.
Now this being the case, it may not hurt if you incorporate warm colors in the home areas where you or another family member studies most.
4. Tranquility
Have you ever been told to look at trees or anything green when you’re feeling stressed? If yes, did you give it a try? You may think this is just an expression but, according to science, it’s not. Cool colors do have relaxing properties, and various studies can testify that people experience reduced blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiration rate when exposed to these colors. So it’s not entirely emotion-based when arts or sciences professionals say cool colors help people relax – because it’s a fact that they can.
If you’re the type that wants more peace than vibrancy at home, try playing with blue or green-based color combinations and turn your own dwelling place into the Zen space you need.
5. Sleep
Colors can’t affect your sleep as much as technology can. But as the colors of your bedroom ceiling and walls are most likely the last thing you see before dozing off, it’s essential to choose color combinations that induce calmness and peace for these parts of your home.
According to a study conducted in the U.K., people sleeping in a blue-themed bedroom get the longest sleep per night across the country, averaging 7 hours and 52 minutes; and almost the same goes for people sleeping in yellow, green, silver, and orange-themed ones. The colors Yellow and Orange, though warm colors, have relaxing properties good for the nervous and digestive systems and this may be why they ranked high in the findings. People sleeping in purple, brown, and grey-themed bedrooms, on the other hand, get a lesser amount of sleep per night; the least of which averages 5 hours and 56 minutes.
So don’t be careless about this one. Be sure to make your bedroom a place where you can truly slowdown and rest.
At the end of the day, you’re free to color your own home how ever you want. It’s the best canvas for self-expression, after all. But it’s also important to know how all elements of interior design, particularly colors, influence your life. You surely wouldn’t want to be uncomfortable inside your dwelling place without understanding why. So choose interior home colors that match not just the layout and size of the rooms in your house but also their purpose.
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For more information about Empire East and its homes across Metro Manila visit www.eelhi.com; or call 810-3333 or 0917-8-EMPIRE. You may also like us on Facebook: facebook.com/empireeast/; and follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/empireeast and Twitter: twitter.com/empireeast
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