The bedroom is one of the key parts of a person’s house. For most, it’s where they feel the most comfortable and can fully embrace their personal side. As a result, the bedroom is where you’d find the most keepsakes, stylised furniture, and other decorations that show who the room belongs to. But, besides these objects, there’s also one more way to make your room more you – designing through colour.
As an interior design basic, a room colour sets the overall tone of a particular part of a house. The same goes for the bedroom. Choosing a colour palette that best suits what you’d want to see after a long day or spending a chill day indoors is a brilliant way for your room to reflect your personality and creativity. So before you start buying new furniture or looking for a professional painting service in Sydney, Melbourne, or whichever city you’re in, here are some tips to help you choose the best colour palette for your bedroom.
Look for inspiration or references
To help choose what colours can bring your room to life, you can first look for inspiration or references to help develop an idea. For example, you can look through your closet and find which style and colour combination works best. You can also look at artworks or even films and see what colour palettes appeal the most to your eyes. Consider which colours catch your eye, make you feel at peace or happy, or express your creativity. Having a good look at these references can help you find out which colours work well together when applying them to your room.
Decide on your colour scheme
Once you’ve got a general idea about the colours that you would want to use, it’s time to choose your colour scheme. You can use the basics of colour theory, mainly the colour wheel, to guide you.
Neutral colours
Some people prefer having more subtle and less bold colours inside their rooms, and that’s perfectly fine! There’s just something calming with the neutrality of colours like white, taupe, and grey that appeals to many people. Choosing these colours does not necessarily mean your room will look plain. You can mix and match these colours and use contrasts to come up with a clean-looking bedroom that will make you want just to relax all day long.
Monochromatic colours
Another one you can stick with is a monochromatic colour scheme. As the name suggests, you’re only choosing one colour for this one while using black or white to either lighten or darken your selected colour. For example, if you decide to use red, you can combine this with pink and maroon by adding white and black. If you’re really into a particular colour that makes you feel all happy inside, why not go for it?
Complementary colours
Next, you can also choose complementary colours. These are the colours that appear opposite each other on the colour wheel. These colours cancel each other out when combined, creating a greyscale colour. Some examples of these include blue and orange or red and green. This is perfect if you’re feeling more adventurous and want a room with striking colours.
Contrasting colours
Another way to have a room with a bold and dramatic palette is by using contrasting colours. A popular combination is the use of black and white, but you can also use other colours like red and blue if these colours appeal to you. Using these contrasting colours can create a more energetic vibe for your bedroom.
Analogous colours
Lastly, there are analogous colours. In the colour wheel, these triads are found next to each other. For example, violet, red-violet, and red are analogous colours. Applying this colour scheme is brilliant if you wish to have a colourful room that’s also comforting.
Consider these factors
After selecting your colour schemes, you’d want to start looking for the best interior paint, furniture, and decorations that go well together. However, before you start buying stuff, you should first consider a few things that can affect the look of your bedroom.
Lighting
One factor that affects how you can see the colours is the lighting. Since colour is a reflection of light, the amount and type of lighting in a room can affect your chosen colour scheme. Spend some time in your room and see how the daylight impacts your wall colours or the shadows it casts. You should also consider the light that you have in your room. For example, fluorescent lights usually throw cooler shades, which can also change the way you see the room colours.
Colour value
Besides the base colours, you should also consider the colour values of each one. The colour value refers to the lightness and darkness of colours. So, for example, if you’re going with an analogous colour scheme, you shouldn’t use a wide variety of colour values as this might make your room look a bit messy. Instead, try sticking to a dark and light colour combination when considering your colour value to make your scheme work well.
Longevity of design
Lastly, you should think about how long you’d be willing to have your bedroom’s colour scheme. How many years would you love seeing that yellow and purple combination before you feel like getting tired of it? Repainting and refurbishing your room is a lot of work, so it’s best to think about the colours and design that you would want to stick around with for the long run.
Apply the Colour Scheme
After you’ve got your final colour scheme in mind, it’s time to apply them to your room. A famous decorating principle called the 60-30-10 rule can serve as a guide when you use colour to design your bedroom. The rule states that 60% of the room should be a dominant colour, 30% should be a secondary colour, and 10% should be an accent. For example, the wall color, covering 60% of the room, could be a shade of green. Beddings and other coloured furniture (30%) can be blue, while smaller objects and accents can be blue-green or black.
You don’t have to strictly use three colours here, especially if you’ve chosen a monochromatic colour scheme where you’d use different shades instead. It’s also not a rule that everyone mainly adheres to, but it serves as a great guide if you’re unsure where to start.
There’s a certain fulfilment in being able to express yourself through the colours of your personal space. Coming home to a lovely room that reflects the hues that best represent you is soothing in its own way. So if you’re ever thinking of changing your room’s design or are constructing a new house, consider these design tips to help you in the process.
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