What color to paint the walls

Choosing a color to paint or decorate walls is a responsible matter. Without meaning it, with just one color scheme you can make a room warm and cozy, cold and repulsive, a small room visually more spacious or a large one visually smaller. Already proven the influence of color on the human psyche, and the influence is unconscious. You may be in the bedroom and feel irritated, although there is no internal reason for this - and all because the walls are “pressing”. How to choose the color of the walls for each room - we’ll talk in this article. By the way, we will talk specifically about flowers, i.e. rules and advice apply not only to painting walls, but also to choosing wallpaper colors. 

Hallway wall color

In fact, the hallway is like the “face” of the apartment, it is first of all seen by guests who accidentally drop by, and the owners themselves are initially greeted by the hallway, so you should take good care of its design and especially its color. According to the classics of the genre, it is customary to use light colors in the hallway, which is most likely due to the desire to visually expand the space.

Most hallways are limited to an area of ​​5-6 m2, so there is no other option but white or just a light tone. However, despite the fact that visually such a solution will indeed add quite a bit of space, this cannot be called a practical approach. But if the desire to use white in the interior of the hallway is strong, then it can be properly diluted by combining it with other tones. A simple combination of black and white can create a simple yet original look. It is better to distribute black from below, and white from above. It is advisable to maintain the tone in both accessories and furniture. Light colors will fit perfectly into small hallways, and to add zest, you can play with the palette:

• Cream shades and ivory tones can be used as single colors or complemented with various colors and textures. This color scheme is ideal for classic interiors and will highlight the beauty of the selected furniture.
• A dark hallway can be enlivened with yellow tones, but not too saturated, and white. For example, yellow walls will harmonize perfectly with white trim and paneling. Cool white color skillfully compensates for the brightness of yellow. All this will create the effect of a bright and spacious room.
• Blue and soft blue colors, which are so rarely used in hallway design, are completely underestimated. But in the same way they visually enlarge the space and add freshness.
• Despite all the triviality of gray, it can be used to create an exquisite design if you skillfully use its ability to advantageously emphasize other colors and enhance their brightness. One of the classic combinations is red and gray. By playing with these colors you can achieve the desired effect. For example, if the hallway is elongated, but you want to make it more square, then against a gray background, at the end, you need to make the wall red and the effect will be obvious.

For the hallway you can choose almost all light colors: terracotta, pink, green, and orange - the main rule is a skillful combination.

It would be correct to touch on dark tones, which also have their fans. Many people know the property of dark colors to visually reduce the area of ​​a room, so this palette is not used so often in the hallway. But this does not mean that they cannot be taken into account, you just need to be very careful. If you are lucky enough to become the owner of a spacious hallway, and even more so if it has windows, you can experiment without fear. In any case, it is not recommended to use only dark colors; the presence of light shades is welcome, even in very spacious hallways, in order to balance the color.

Kitchen wall color

The hostess feels comfortable in a beautiful and cozy kitchen, which means that the dishes will be tasty, so the color of the kitchen should be chosen carefully. Designers have many tips on the topic of painting a kitchen space, let's look at some of them.

So, when choosing a color scheme, you need to start from several factors: lighting, furniture, interior style in general, ceiling heights and area sizes. As with other areas, the rule applies here: the smaller the size, the lighter the walls. However, psychologists strongly do not recommend making the kitchen in flashy and bright colors, especially if a lot of time is spent there and if it is small in size. Only owners of spacious premises can afford a kitchen in dark colors. But for owners of large areas it is better to avoid excessive use of cold tones, as this will make the room too deserted, boring and faceless.

If the kitchen is located on the north side and constantly lacks sunlight, give preference to calm, warm shades, such as orange, beige, yellow. If the kitchen, on the contrary, is constantly flooded with sunlight, it is better to abandon saturated colors, as under the sun they will become even brighter and can begin to irritate. Recently, green and light green cuisines have become very popular; pistachio and other pastel shades will be original. These are universal colors that will merge with all interior options and styles.

When choosing the tone of the kitchen, pay attention to the color of the set and furniture. So, for example, it’s much easier to match walls with white; almost everything goes with it: burgundy, blue, peach. Classic brown furniture harmonizes well with walls in beige, white and peach tones.

Since furniture is a key element of any interior, ask yourself whether you would like it to stand out or blend in. In the first case, the walls need to be painted in calm colors that will not attract attention, then the furniture will come to the fore. And, conversely, to create unity, choose the color of the walls that is “native” in tone with the furniture. You can allow yourself to run wild with imagination, if the furniture is completely white, then the walls can be very different.

Plain furniture requires an emphasis on the walls. It’s good when in this case there will be a pattern of contrasting shades on the walls. Otherwise, everything will be dull and uninteresting. But if the furniture is not at all mesmerizing or there is no opportunity to buy something beautiful, then transfer the entire emphasis to the walls, making them bright and saturated, but remember the limits of reason.

Speaking about color for the kitchen, I would like to remind you of the “taboo”, i.e. about tones that are better not to use at all. For example, it is better to avoid excess black and brown, since in addition to “eating up” a lot of space, they also create the effect of a dirty room.

Wall color for children's room

The baby’s psyche is just beginning to form, and colors have a very strong influence on this area, especially considering that the child spends a lot of time in the nursery. From birth, psychologists advise surrounding the baby only with calm and quiet flowers. When the baby is over two years old, the room can be made bright, colorful and rich. Therefore, first of all, when choosing colors, you need to rely not only on your preferences, but also on the age of the child. For children under two years old, gentle warm yellow shades will be ideal, which will make the nursery cozy and at the same time not at all boring.

According to the same psychologists, starting from the fourth year of life, babies begin to like the contrast of bright colors: red, blue, yellow, etc. It is highly not recommended to use dark colors in the design of children's rooms, as they have a depressing effect on the child's psyche, but light colors contribute to favorable development, generate energy and good mood. With the help of correctly selected colors, you can even influence the health of your baby. For example, pale blue colors help normalize blood pressure, and ivory colors improve your mood.

A good option for a nursery would be two-color walls. There are many options for execution. You can paint each wall a different color, or use the main color on all walls, and then decorate with polka dots in a different color, or sketch out lines and original patterns. For girls, it is preferable to choose warm colors, for boys, cool shades, but this rule is not mandatory and is implemented at the request of the parents. In a nursery, you can use many colors at once, the main thing is that they combine with each other. Multi-colored drawings are welcome on the walls.

In the color scheme of the nursery, you can rely on the temperament of the child himself. For lethargic babies, it would be good to use richer colors, as they have an exciting effect on the psyche, but on  overly active children Calm tones will have a beneficial effect.

We give you a short description of the colors.

• Blue color has a positive effect, although it depresses the nervous system, it helps to relax muscles and dulls pain. However, it is better not to overdo it, since being in such an atmosphere for a long time can instill a feeling of fatigue and lead to depression. You can use blue in a children's room, but in small quantities.
• Green color has a beneficial effect on vision, it helps normalize blood pressure, stimulates brain function, improves breathing, and treats sleep problems.
• The color red does not have the best effect on the psyche of children. It excites the nervous system, increases blood pressure and can cause headaches and even nightmares, so it is better to avoid red in the nursery.
• But the color yellow has a positive effect on everyone and is welcome in even the smallest rooms. It stimulates brain activity and is good for vision. However, if the baby is too active and nervous, then it is better to give up yellow.
• Orange is good for improving the functioning of the digestive system, improves appetite, however, despite such a positive effect, there is no need to overdo it with it, since in large quantities it can cause dizziness and fatigue. It’s better to put only a few accents in orange, for example a couple of toys.

Wall color for the living room

A lot of time is spent in the living room - receptions and family gatherings are organized. In order not to experience discomfort in such an important room, you need to choose the right color and here, again, there are several rules.

First, you need to remember that the size of the room plays a significant role in choosing a color. Bright colors help to bring the object closer to you, while pale ones move it away, so if the ceilings in the apartment are low, it is better to decorate them with cool shades in order to visually lift them and make the walls warmer. And vice versa if the ceilings are too high. If the living room windows “look” to the north, it is better to give preference to warm tones; for “southern” apartments, it is preferable to use shades of cold tones, they will bring freshness and cleanliness.

If you are in the living room more often in the evenings, then it is better to choose colors that look good under artificial lighting. Combine color harmony with the existing furniture in the living room. Ideally, the latter should be only a tone lighter than the floor, but darker than the walls. The maximum number of colors used in the interior of one room is 5, but there can be many more shades.

Well suited for decorating a living room:

• purple - it calms, but in large quantities it has a depressing effect;
• white - gives purity and is suitable for any design;
• black - good for accent, but in no case as the main one;
• blue - cools, soothes, but you also can’t be overzealous with it;
• yellow lifts the mood and has a warming effect;
• green - creates harmony and calms the nervous system;
• orange - has a beneficial effect on the person as a whole;
• red is a good color for the living room, but only in small quantities, otherwise it can cause aggression.

Bedroom wall color

The primary purpose of a bedroom is a place to relax, so when choosing a color for the walls you need to avoid bright and flashy colors that will excite the nervous system. If you don’t want to make a mistake with the color, then give preference only to calm, warm, cold shades. You can turn to Chinese geomancy Feng Shui for help. For example, according to experts, green in the bedroom has a calming effect on the nervous system, chocolate gives a feeling of calm and warmth, blue and blue help to relax and relieve tension, gray evokes boredom and helps you fall asleep quickly, white makes you sleep deeply, without dreams.

But it is better to avoid colors that have a stimulating effect on the psyche, for example, cheerful orange, passionate red and, over time, depressing yellow. It is also better to avoid colors that are too dark, as they, especially in artificial lighting, can be too gloomy. If you want brightness and saturation, then make accents of the desired shades, for example, decorative pillows, a chair, a pouf, etc. Remember, bright and catchy details should not be more than 10%. And before going to bed, it is advisable to remove all this fun out of sight.

It is permissible to use no more than seven colors in bedroom design. If you need more, then use tones. Since the room is often occupied in the evenings and at night, you should think about how the chosen colors will harmonize with the light, since some may “go dark” under the light of incandescent lamps, but at the same time come to life under fluorescent lighting. Therefore, in advance, when going to a wallpaper store, for example, take a flashlight with you.

Bathroom wall color

The bath has long ceased to be a place where the body is simply cleansed. Nowadays, especially women, relax in the bathtub and create a spa island for themselves. To ensure that the atmosphere is inviting and matches the mood, it is important not only to furnish it correctly, but also to choose the tonality.

It is important for the bathroom that there is enough light in it, because they can shave in it, apply makeup, and comb their hair, which is very inconvenient to do in twilight and darkness. Even with good lighting, dark walls will absorb light and the brightness will disappear. On the other hand, a bath is a place of high humidity, so cold, light colors can emphasize this and make the room feel uncomfortable.

As such, there are no requirements for the color scheme of the bathtub, because although a lot of time is spent in it, it is not so much that the color significantly affects the human psyche. In this regard, you can completely rely on your taste and desires. However, it is still better to pay attention to the rules for combining colors so as not to end up looking tacky and tasteless. When using bright colors, do not use more than three combinations, or no more than six tones.