Feng Shui Decorating On A Budget
One of the more popular ways to decorate the interior of a home these days is a technique called Feng Shui. You can hire an expensive Feng Shui expert to decorate your home, or use the simple tools outlined in this guide to create a peaceful and well-decorated home.
The goal of Feng Shui includes creating a living space that is well balanced. Typically, homes decorated well are balanced, clear of clutter and well designed. They are appealing on many levels to many people, which is why we decided to dedicate an entire chapter to the art of Feng Shui. Some important considerations in Feng Shui include color, which many believe have an effect on emotion, and "flow" or the balance of positive energy in the home.
You will learn more about each of these important aspects in the sections following.
Color and Feng Shui On A Budget
Painting your walls is one way to decorate your home. The colors you select can have a tremendous impact on the way you feel while in your home. Many people, including scientists, believe color affects people different ways. If you want to improve the way you feel AND decorate your home, you have to paint, but you also have to paint using the right colors. You want the colors you select to bring out positive emotions and feelings to create balance in your home.How do you do that? You consider the way color affects your personality, your spirit, and your like or dislike of a room or place in your home.
Some people for example, respond to dark colors as cool and relaxing, while others find them depressing or anxiety inducing. It is important you recognize the typical responses associated with various colors, and find out how YOU react to color before painting a room or space in your home.
Have you ever walked into an area where you felt especially calm? Did you notice the colors in the place? Start paying attention to color as you go through your day-to-day activities. You may start to notice some colors cause positive responses in you and others negative.
Many feel green and blue for example, are relaxing colors. Red often stimulates people, but this is not always the case. Some people feel the most relaxed when surrounded by deep, rich colors.
Keep this in mind when decorating your home. You also want to think about the kind of environment you want to produce. If for example, you want a lively living area to entertain, but a calm and peaceful bedroom, you may use two different colors in these areas.
Many people find bright colors irritating, so keep this in mind when painting your home. Your home will be the place you find the greatest tranquility, but you will likely also invite others into your home. The color in your room may set the tone for your interactions and engagements with others.
Most people find darker rooms depressing or tiring. This can be beneficial if you want to induce sleep or lethargy, but not good if you want to avoid feeling sad, or inspiring others to feel this way.
Does this mean all dark colors are bad? No. You have to figure out what colors you like and what colors you should avoid when decorating your home. After you do this, you can paint with liberty, knowing you are creating a space you can truly call home.
Popular Colors
If you have an interest in decorating your home using color, here are some popular color selections and their meanings. You can decide to paint your entire home a uniform color, or paint room by room.
Keep in mind that subtle differences in color may have a profound effect on the way you react to color, so be sure you "test-drive" a color before you paint your walls.
You can do this by visiting a local home improvement store and grabbing a few swatches of color. Alternatively, you can buy a small can of the color you think you want and paint a small area, or one wall, and see how you react to it.
- Red - if you want to create a passionate environment, one filled with energy, power or heat, red can be a great color. Many people alternate red colors or shades of red with rich cream colors when painting their bedrooms. Keep in mind however, for some red also inspires feelings of irritation or aggression, so be sure to measure your response before painting.
- Yellow - this color usually inspires joy, happiness, positive feelings, a sense of clean or freshness, hope, and reminds people of the sunshine. Yellow can also suggest something dangerous or hazardous to some people. You may consider a pale shade to counter this effect.
- Blue - this is an excellent color to bring peace and tranquility into any room in your home. It may also serve as an appetite suppressant, so you might consider it for your kitchen if you want to remain fit and trim. Some people find darker shades of blue depressing.
- Orange - this color, like yellow, is filled with energy and vibrancy. It is a good color if you want a productive and vibrant living space.
- Green - this is also a nurturing color, many find it relaxing. Some believe it brings good luck and for others it symbolizes nature or a more natural environment. However, green can also symbolize "envy" or jealousy, so monitor your feelings around this color.
- White - there are many shades of white. If you pick pure white, you may inspire feelings of purity, or you may inspire a "clinical" or hospital like environment in your home, so be weary of the shade of white you use. Many find white a color symbolizing inner peace and a sense of humbleness. In some cultures, white symbolizes death. Think of the white lily, a beautiful white flower often offered during funerals. Be weary of your reaction and beliefs about this color when decorating.
This will help you when you select colors to paint the rooms of your home with.