Relaxation is probably the most needed human condition we require in the hectic and busy societies of the modern age. After a long and hard day at work, we like nothing more than to come home and relax as best we can. Whatever age we are, it can be difficult to find true relaxation for more than just a few minutes. However, there are certain colors and related images that can encourage us to find a deeper form of relaxation without us even realising or trying. So what are these colors and images?

Blue – The most popular color amongst men, blue is widely regarded as a color which causes the body to release chemicals that lead to calmness and serenity. It’s also a good color for use in home offices and studies as it aids concentration and productivity. Care does need to be taken however as too much blue can lead to sadness and the “blues”.

Canvas wall art images that contain blue and will enhance relaxation include tropical beach scenes, savannahs, oceans, aviation and avian themes, sunrises, daytime cityscapes, swimming dolphins and those rather fascinating satellite images of earth from space.

Green – Like blue, green can be seen just about anywhere and everywhere, for it’s the color of grass, plants and the leaves on the trees. It’s also a relaxing color and is used by television companies to help people relax before appearing on a show; they sit in a “green room”. Green can also apparently improve concentration, especially when reading.

Wall art canvas images with green that will help relax the body and mind include forest scenes, grasslands, close-up animal shots in grass, plants, trees, fruit and vegetables, rice paddies, tropical rainforests and Irish and Celtic art.

Brown – Certain hues of brown can make wonderful additions to an interior. Brown inspires relaxation and a bond with nature, in a similar way to the above two colors. Brown can be seen a lot in wooden and leather furniture as well as wooden flooring and walls. In a white room, brown can bring a touch of antique character and rustic charm together with a general sense of wellbeing. However, too much brown in one space can bring about a certain amount of melancholy.

One might not imagine wall canvas art would be all that attractive in brown but there are some themes which work it well. These include images of furniture, woodlands, landscapes, tree bark, seeds and grains, crop fields, fabrics, sunsets, autumn leaves, bears, old 19th Century photographs, deer and wood floors.

There are some other colors which can contribute to a sense of calmness and which can be considered when decorating a room. Unlike the above colors however they are used primarily as background tones and would be more difficult to find in canvas wall art images. These colors include ivory, beige and light gray. There are of course a whole range of colors in between the above mentioned colors which will also be considered relaxing and ideal as decorative accents.

And planning the various aspects of your rooms first before you even enter the paint store will guarantee you the results you can enjoy and be proud of.

Tile, Countertops and Carpeting

Always start your home color design with the permanent, or fixed surfaces. Tile, countertops and carpeting will form the basis for your final color scheme and will ground the room. Determine if you want a soothing, neutral background or you want to go with something with a little more pizzazz.

When choosing natural stone, such as granite, marble or man-made ceramic tiles, note the underlying background color. This will set the tone for the next layer of your home color plan.

Fabrics and Soft Finishes

Choosing fabrics and soft finishes for your home may seem overwhelming at first, but go back to your permanent surfaces for clues. What undertone of color do the fixed surfaces have? If you are not sure, ask the vendor that you purchased the product from.

If you find a chintz or pattern that you love, check with the manufacturer to see what other colors you can choose from.

Accent Pieces

The cake is not done yet, but it’s time to add the icing! Determine if your accent pieces will blend into the decorating scheme or will add a pop of bold color. Think of very modern rooms that use lots of black and white with one strong accent color, such as orange. Remember that repeating a color throughout a room or even your entire home, will reinforce your color theme and add continuity.

Wall Paint Colors

When you have all your permanent surface choices in place, settled on the fabrics and soft finishes in the room and found the perfect accent pieces, then and only then, can you start shopping for the wall paint colors.

Find the common factor in the home color scheme you have put together and decide how you want the box (the walls) that displays your design, to look. You can paint all the walls one color, or you can pull a secondary color out of the scheme and use it to paint an accent wall in one room.

Follow this sequence for choosing colors and finishes for your home, and your remodeling and redecorating projects will go smoother, resulting in a more coordinated and pulled together look.

And if you need more ideas, advice and inspiration for your painting and decorating projects, see “Choosing Interior Paint Colors” and “Creating Room Color Schemes”.

The Color Scheme Bible

Within the book are contained 200 color palettes specially catered for the regular home environment. Whether a professional decorator or just a home-owner wanting to spruce up a bedroom or living room, this helpful and detailed guide will provide a great deal of help when it comes to choosing the colors best for your needs. The color palettes have been divided into nine different sections each based on a particular hue. Introductions to the color wheel are also given as are ideas for accents, highlights, applications as well as tips on balance and contrasting.

The best inspiration for interior decor often comes from the world around us. In this book, Starmer also offers advice on how to gather ideas from everyday life and to see the patterns and beauty in objects we might never have noticed before. Color can change and influence an interior space quite dramatically and so it’s important to discover which tones and hues best suite your design themes, personality and the spacial architecture of the room in question. With just a few color selections, it’s possible to make what began as a small and dark interior into a seemingly larger, bright and thoroughly cheerful living environment that will be the envy of all the neighbors.

You can read more about the contents of this book as well as where to buy it from here: The Color Scheme Bible: Inspirational Palettes for Designing Home Interiors.

Price: $19.77

The warm climate and colorful way of life in the Caribbean, also known as the West Indies, lends itself perfectly to interior décor and the creation of a vibrant kitchen scheme. Strong colors and simplicity are the key elements to interiors of this style. Rooms which catch the sun a lot are particularly suitable and mimic the glorious weather found in the Caribbean pretty much all year round.

One of the main colors you will need for a Caribbean kitchen is yellow. The beaches and sandy nature of the Caribbean islands is reflected in this color. If you have a wooden skirting board on the lower half of your kitchen wall, then this is a great place to paint a rich yellow color. White is also a very popular tone in the Caribbean and if yellow is a little too much for you, then white is a great alternative.

To contrast the yellow or white, it’s a good idea to go for color combinations found in nature. Again, like the yellow of the Caribbean sand, so the rich blue of the sky can be mixed with colors such as purple and cyan. The key here however is to soften the effect of the darker color buy using techniques such as lime-wash scrubbing. A rag soaked in methylated spirits can also be used to rub away some of the paint thereby creating a cloud effect much like seeing faint wisps of cloud in the blue summer sky.

Further colors can be added to the mix but with a little more restraint. Greens, oranges and natural wood tones can be used as accent pieces whether as part of furniture, table accessories or wall hangings. Older wooden furniture pieces in such woods as pine will look particularly good with the Caribbean kitchen style. Try to avoid the more polished mahogany which will look out of place.

These are just a few suggestions for color combinations if you are looking to design a Caribbean themed kitchen.

For a contemporary interior, the Lumalight sculptural floor lamp will provide a display of intrinsic beauty and luminosity. Whether you put it in the living room, a bedroom or a refurbished basement, the lamp will add to the modern ambiance. The rich visual warmth provided by the floor lamp will also serve as a comfortable and charming addition for the colder and darker months of the year.

The Interfold Lumalight 60 Series Floor Lamp comes in a choice of five parchment shade colors which include: Canary Yellow, Flame Red, Natural White, Old Gold and Stone Beige. There is also a functional zipper in the shade which allows for easy assembly and bulb changes.

I have a lamp similar to this one in my own home. They really are beautiful light forms to have in a living room where you can turn off the main ceiling lights and enjoy the glow of a delightfully formed sculptural floor lamp.

You can discover more about this floor lamp as well as purchasing details from the following location: Lumalight 60 Series Floor Lamp by Interfold

The Bohemian bedroom style is as popular as ever and the red quilt pattern as shown in the image above lends itself effortlessly to this imaginative decor scheme. The circular patterns avoid the hard and pointy abstract shapes seen in many designs and instead induce a calming, relaxing and almost dreamlike feel to the red quilt. For a bedroom needing a burst of red as well as some smooth funky patterns, this red quilt with circular shapes will be perfect.

You can purchase the quilt from the following online location: What a Dish King Quilt in Red by Denyse Schmidt

It’s constructed using a curved metal grid which has then been filled in places with brightly colored glass. I’m sure most of you reading this will have already visualised the beautiful stained glass windows in churches and cathedrals. The colors are delightfully appealing, energetic and ooze warmth which will brighten monotonous white walls in any interior setting.

This wave abstract wall art piece can be hung either horizontally or vertically depending on your tastes and the place where you hang it. Think about placing this colorful wall sculpture in a location which receives a lot of light so as to accentuate the marvellous colors. A hallway perhaps or on a dining room wall where visiting guests will be all but glued to the amazing wealth of tones, shades and flowing form.

You can buy this wall sculpture from here: Wave Abstract Wall Art With Bright Painted Squares

At night, when this leaf table lamp is lit, the whole room will be imbued with natural forms and beautiful warm colors. The leaf lamp shade is held together with a wrought iron framework which in turn is connected to study bamboo legs. The bamboo has been stained to give it a bold contrast to the leaves.

It’s interesting to note, that the cocoa leaves are actually the same leaves that chocolate comes from. They are very common in south east Asia especially in the Philippines where this leaf table lamp comes from.

There are numerous interiors which will be highly suitable for this type of leaf table lamp. Those rooms which you use after dark will be particularly apt so as to enjoy the full effect of the shade’s beauty. Perhaps a bedroom which needs a colorful accent to compliment the calm simplicity. Maybe a home study where the long hours of writing a thesis can be softened with natural elegance. Then there’s a kitchen or dining room where it will provide an impressive focus for visiting guests.

It’s available to buy from here: Multi Color Cocoa Leaf Table Lamp

This is the before image:

The family liked to entertain guests and also wanted their splendid ornate antique swing to be incorporated into the final design. As proud Indians they also wanted their statue of Gandhi prominently featured.

This is the after image:

As one can see, the room has a lot of more richness when it comes to colour and tones. The family’s cultural heirlooms have been placed inside a specially designed wall unit. Note the antique statue of Gandhi taking pride of place.

The ornate swing is also more prominently centred than in the previous design. It catches the daylight more having been placed in front of the window. New sofas and accents have been added plus hand knotted Tibetan rugs which anchors together the seating area.

Via: Nicey Berkenfeld Interiors

What do you think of this makeover?

The umbrella chandeliers are the creation of New York designer Shelly Sabel. Each umbrella lamp is made from umbrella pieces, some of them found, along with aluminum and porcelain sockets and parts. So far this year they have been displayed in numerous galleries but they will soon be put into mass production and sold in stores.

One might say it is bad luck to open an umbrella indoors but when the result looks as stunning as these creations, it’s a case of folding away old wives’ tales. As can be noted in the images, these contemporary chandeliers come in a variety of colors. To read more about the designer and browse through more pictures of her creations, visit the website of Shelly Sabel.

What do you think of these umbrella lamps?

H/T: Yanko Design