The colour of paint used on walls and ceilings largely affects the mood and feel in any given room. You would be more inclined to rest in a room with relaxing colours as such those on the cool side of the colour wheel; while a room with bright colours may influence you to be enthusiastic and/or energetic. Additionally, the choice of lighting is also important as it enhances the colour scheme of a room.
When deciding what colours to use on your walls, it is always advisable to think about what mood you want to create and if the space needs to feel bigger or smaller and a little more intimate. Light shades of most colours have a brightening and enlarging effect while darker shades may create the impression of a smaller room. The colour blue, for instance can be used to achieve various goals depending on the tone used. Softer shades of blue are inviting and would be great for living rooms or spaces that hold many people since they inspire liveliness, calmness and comfort. Dark shades of blue may make a room feel smaller especially if lighting is inadequate and extensive stay in such a room may cause mental fatigue, anxiety or sadness.
The question of mood mainly comes about for living rooms, bedrooms and kitchens because we tend to spend more time in these spaces and they ought to be relaxing. Since hallways are closed-in places, it is usually important to use colours that instill brightness or openness, at least for the sake of claustrophobic people. Bathrooms should not be dull either. If you want to raise the energy levels in a room you may want to go with shades of orange, or red if you want to add sparkle and elegance. Soft shades of blue, purple and green will bring a happy and relaxed mood to a room while neutral colours like black, brown, white and gray can easily blend in with brighter colours to give the same effect.
In addition to the mood you want to create, there are many other factors that influence the colour scheme that you would want to use in your home. Personal colour preferences, age, gender and mental state are some of them. Pinks and reds are thought to interest females while blues are generally preferred by males. Yellow can work for either gender and for people of various ages but the shade of yellow to be used is crucial. Softer shades are the safest.
It is equally important to ensure that the colours you pick for the walls and ceiling blend in appropriately with the furniture and floor/tiles in the room. Too many colours in one room may make it feel congested and less inviting while using one colour may make it boring. You may enlist the help of an interior designer to help match your preferences with the right colours or seek advice as you buy paint from the professionals.
