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How do I Choose the Best Interior Color Schemes?

G. Wiesen
G. Wiesen

As you consider the best interior color schemes for the rooms in your home or work place, you should think about the furniture you may already have or want to use. The color scheme you choose can greatly impact what types of furniture you should choose for a room, and if you already have furniture then your color scheme should reflect that. You should also consider how different interior color schemes and shades of colors can impact a room, and the feeling that color creates in a room.

Interior color schemes in a home or work space are typically chosen to accompany various aspects of a room and create certain moods. You can hire a professional interior designer to work with you and help you choose a color scheme for each room, or you can develop your own aesthetic preferences and create a space for yourself. If you are creating your own interior color schemes, then you should consider certain aspects of a space as you choose the color schemes best for you.

The color scheme of a room can affect how people in the room feel.
The color scheme of a room can affect how people in the room feel.

The furniture you place in different rooms can greatly impact the interior color schemes you choose. If you plan to use dark wood furniture, for example, then you may want to use lighter colors for walls and accent pieces, to contrast the dark wood and make the furniture stand out more. On the other hand, you could also choose rich, dark colors for walls and artwork to create a more unified feeling for the room. This can work well to create a room with a warm, inviting feeling to it, and also allow you to choose certain pieces of furniture or decorations that stand out against your interior color schemes as focal points for your rooms.

A professional interior designer can help a client choose a color scheme for each room.
A professional interior designer can help a client choose a color scheme for each room.

Any colors you choose for your interior color schemes, as well as the shades of colors you choose, should reflect the nature of the rooms you are coloring. Dark shades of colors often create a sense of warmth and comfort, while lighter colors can make a space seem more austere or cold. Different colors can also create different moods; reds often feel inviting, especially dark reds, as well as earth tones like browns and shades of gold. Light blue can feel cool and relaxing, especially in a location that is prone to hot weather, and greens can often feel warm or cool depending on the shades that are chosen for interior color schemes.

Discussion Comments

sherylmacali

The main thing here is to perfectly match the interior color of the room with all the decors used as it creates deep impact on your mind and nature.

irontoenail

If you've got the time, you might consider getting a cheap pot of paint in the color you fancy and checking to make sure it works in the room you want it for.

Alternatively, you can find fabric or paper in that color and hang them up to see if it works (this might be easier, since it won't require moving or covering the furniture, but it won't look quite the same).

Often it's difficult to tell until you really see the color in the kind of light that comes into the room. Leave it there all day so that you can see it in different lights, and also after dark when you're using the electric lights in your home.

The colors on your wall really make a difference and can bind everything together or make it look strange or garish. Choose carefully.

umbra21

@Iluviaporos - I'm sure if they ask around first and are careful about it, they won't be ripped off. A color consultant might seem like a frivolous job, but it's been shown by quite a few studies that mood and stress levels can really be affected by the colors with which we surround ourselves.

And the consultant will work with your parents in order to make sure that they are both happy with the color scheme as well. Men, for example, might not be happy about using a pink shade on the wall. I know that's a bit of a sexist example, but it probably happens a lot.

I've also found that often a color consultant can get paint and fabric for cheaper than a client might be able to on their own, simply because they have a long term relationship with the distributor, but I would urge your parents to do their own pricing and make sure that they get the best deal no matter what interior paint colors they decide on.

lluviaporos

My mother and stepfather have recently moved in to a house which has quite a dark feel to it, even though there are plenty of windows. I think possibly because it has polished concrete floors.

It's a lovely, modern house, but they really want to brighten it up. And the dominant color at the moment is mustard, which my mother absolutely hates.

They are planning on hiring a color consultant, to come in and advise them on what to do with the place and different interior colors. I just hope he or she doesn't come in and simply advise them to paint all the walls white and use light blues as an accent, because that seems pretty obvious to me, if you want to brighten up the place.

I'm sure there's more to it than that, and my mother has a couple of friends who are recommending a person to them. I just don't want them to be ripped off.

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    • The color scheme of a room can affect how people in the room feel.
      By: picsfive
      The color scheme of a room can affect how people in the room feel.
    • A professional interior designer can help a client choose a color scheme for each room.
      By: Dmitriy Melnikov
      A professional interior designer can help a client choose a color scheme for each room.