Where do you head to when the family are all being a bit OTT and making you feel slightly frantic? Do you have a special room in your home to calm down in? If the answer is ‘no’ then, for sanity’s sake, it’s definitely time you did.
If it’s yes, on the other hand, then we’re guessing that room doesn’t have bright red walls, or even orange, black or purple? That’s because to keep you calm, interior designers reckon there are particular shades that have more of a benefit than others.
Nicole Gibbons is the owner of a paint brand. She swears by blue and neutral shades to help her relax. @NicoleGibbons): "I love using serene, understated blue and neutral shades to create a sense of instant calm in a space. Blue-greens and soft grays can feel especially tranquil and instantly put you at ease."
The reason blues, such as Waters Edge, by Benjamin Moore, as well as greens, are so inherently calming, is because they remind us of nature, explains fellow paint company owner Jamie Davis. He adds: “You can imagine looking out over the ocean on a beautiful day, or sitting in nature looking up at the trees.”
We’ve listed some other shades to paint your ‘restful room’ with right here:
Blush
This is a soft red and pinkish shade which looks great teamed with gold or silver accessories. Farrow & Ball’s interpretation of this color is called Calamine. And, yes, cleverly they have named it after the lotion that was used to calm us all down in the old days after we’d had too much sun or been stung by nettles. They describe their shade as subtle pink with a light touch of gray.
Lilac
Soft and soothing, lilac is a purple shade with gray undertones. It goes well with cream or even blue accents. Designer’s Guild describe their Highland Heather paint as “a cool wash of grayed out lilac. Smart and almost neutral.”
Soft Green
Staying with soft shades, a light green is perfect for a bedroom, such is its calming effect. It goes well with neutral colors for bedding and accents. Graham & Brown’s Frosty Walk is a perfect example of a relaxing color scheme. The company describes it as ‘charming, fresh and airy and a color which creates a sense of light and space in a room.
Sage Green
A darker shade of green than the above to the extent both shades are nothing alike, sage green is a trending color choice right now, says paint guru Annie Sloan. She adds: ‘It harnesses the calming energy inherent in green but anchors it with an earthiness and depth not always present in more vivid greens. Plus, it brings the outside in.’
Dark Gray
Staying with the darker side of colors, this Steel Resistance paint from Graham & Green is also capable of bringing you down into a relaxed state, say interior designers. This particular gray is mixed with blue undertones. As well as being calming, it’s also very contemporary.