So many of you will be heading back to college or moving out on your own.  How will you be decorating your new homes away from home?  A fresh coat of paint can transform a room. Of course, if you are in a college dorm, you probably will not be allowed to paint the walls. Even then, choosing the right colors for sheets and bedding can set a mood.  So, what colors will best define you?  I drew up this list from one of my favorite guide books, ‘Home Sanctuary’, by Nicole Marcelis.  Have some fun with it.

White – innocence, purity and cleanliness, as long as you keep it clean.  It can also be cold, hospital like, and too crisp. It is projecting and masculine, often over-stimulating.

Black – powerful, impressive, mysterious, and can indicate that you have something to hide. feminine.

Brown – earthy, grounding, stabilizing, save it for your wood furniture and floors.

Purple – spiritual, sensitive, it supports creative energy, reflection and truth seeking.  It can also be associated with the abuse of power.

Violet – peaceful, soothing and tranquil, spiritual, it is thought to encourage sleep balance emotion and control hunger.  Sounds like a bedroom color to me.

Blue – peaceful, restful, it lowers the heart rate and blood pressure.  It infers loyalty, but can make you seem withdrawn and introverted if it is too cold.

Indigo or Midnight blue – may increase daydreaming and facilitate psychic powers, it is used to restore balance and stability.

Green – right in the middle of the color spectrum. freshness, re-birth, potential, harmony, peace, balance or, it can indicate indecisiveness.  It also conveys jealousy when misused. It has been successfully used to treat stress related conditions such as headaches and ulcers. Interesting.

Yellow – ENERGY,  joyful, happy and clear, it symbolizes intellect and has been used to sharpen memory, but it can also symbolize cowardice.

Orange – considered creative, social and optimistic, it conveys confidence, but can promote hyperactivity and be overpowering if you don’t get it right.  It is also thought to stimulate the immune system and ease depression.

Red – I used it a lot when I was young.  It’s the color of passion, and thought to be outgoing and assertive.  It’s an active color, good for procrastinators It can also convey warmth and intimacy.  Be careful though, to much of the wrong shade can make you irritable and angry.

Visit our Independent Living Section for more tips on moving away, and check some of our earlier blogs for more decorating ideas.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 23rd, 2012 at 1:32 pm and is filed under Decorating/Home Environment, General Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.