Inexpensive Ways to Brighten Your Mood and Home with Color

A couple quick facts: The locker rooms of visiting teams are often painted pink. Fast food chains commonly contain orange and red decor. Why? Well, it's all about color. The softness of the pink is believed to relax the visiting team so they lose their energy and drive, while the brightness of the orange and red encourages customers to eat quickly and leave.

Can a few simple color choices actually make a difference? Studies say yes.

In 1973, University of Illinois scientists interviewed a group of people about how colors made them feel. The participants revealed that some evoked feelings of "happiness" or "strength", while others conjured up emotions of "loneliness" or "fear." The results of this study became the basis for modern color psychology.

Sadly enough, these important details are often neglected in the very place in which we spend the most time: our homes. Instead, we fill our rooms with mindless (and often costly) purchases that don't bring us closer to contentment-worse yet; they bring us further into debt.

What it All Means

So, what if you could harness color to aid in your own happiness? What if, by changing a few simple details in your home, such as the color of your kitchen walls or the fabric covering on your favorite chair, you could boost your mood? Well, you may be able to - if you keep the following facts about color in mind:

• Red. Red is associated with love, desire, strength, and anger. It raises the energy level of a room, drawing people together and encouraging conversation. That's why it's a popular color for the living room or dining room. It's usually considered too stimulating for bedrooms, though, possibly making it difficult to get to sleep. Overall, red is considered the most intense of any color.
• Yellow. Yellows work great in kitchens, dining rooms, or any room that could use a splash of brightness. It's considered an optimistic color, evoking imagination and hope. But it can also have an opposite effect. In fact, studies show that people lose their tempers more often in yellow rooms, and babies have been shown to cry more. It's one of the most difficult colors for the eye to take in, so you're best off using it sparingly.
• Brown. Depending on its shade, brown can be either a very warm or very dry color. Rich, chocolaty browns create a warm, comforting, and inviting atmosphere, while light browns (if used too generously) can make an area seem barren. Combining light and dark shades, though, helps to bring an earthy, rustic, and natural feel to the room.
• Green. Green (especially light green) is easy on the eyes and quite calming. Therefore, it's a popular choice for bedrooms and bathrooms. It's also reminiscent of the serenity of nature and can even help with stress relief. Dark green is often seen as formal, bringing to mind wealth and taste.
• Blue. Blue is considered calming, relaxing, and serene, and is often recommended for bedrooms and bathrooms. It has also been shown to inspire order and organization. If you opt for light blue as the primary color in a room, be sure to balance it with warm hues in the fabrics and furniture. Also worth noting is that dark blue can evoke feelings of sadness, so avoid using this shade as your main color scheme.
• Black. Black represents mystery, fear, anger, and sadness. It can also signify style and sophistication, so try pairing it with lighter colors to offset its overbearing nature and bring out a formal look.
• White. A bright and sunny color, white delivers an airy lightness to a room. It's reminiscent of cleanliness, innocence, precision, and peace. Keep in mind: If overused, the result can be a room that's lacking in energy and life. It's always best to pair white with other colors so that the area feels more like an inviting space-and less like a sterile doctor's office.

Making it Happen

Think your design ambitions are bigger than your budget? Think again. Plenty of websites offer low-budget ideas for decorating your home with color. HGTV.com offers plenty of inexpensive solutions, from waiting patiently for discounts and sales to giving a little TLC to items you already have. (You'd be surprised at how a fresh coat of bright paint can totally reinvent a desk or how a switch-out of a pillow can make a chair look like new again.) Better Homes and Gardens is another gold mine for decorating ideas that won't put a dent in your wallet. For both sites, just enter words such as cheap or inexpensive. You'll find plenty of results that will get you on your way to solutions that not only look pricey, but are wallet-friendly.

Searching for stores that sell furniture and other home goods in a variety of colors at affordable prices? Then be sure to check out IKEA^® for tables, couches, bed frames, bookcases, and more. You'll love strolling through their showroom, where fully furnished kitchens, bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, and home offices will provide you with endless ideas on how to furnish with color for less. Don't forget about their famous Marketplace-rooms and rooms of everything from picture frames and plates to curtains and candles. Just what you need to make your house a home.

Other budget-friendly furniture stores include Value City Furniture and Bob's Discount Furniture. In addition, don't forget about warehouse stores such as Costco and Sam's Club-you can often find surprising deals on high-quality furniture. Target and Walmart are ideal for brightly colored home accents including lamps, shelves, and sconces. Remember to save your receipts so you can make a return if something simply doesn't look or feel right.

If you're in the market for paint, your first stop should be Lowe's or Home Depot. There, you can choose from hundreds of paint colors as well as help yourself to the collection of paint swatches. Recently, many paint companies have introduced small pouches or jars of paint (usually costing between $3 and $5) so you can test out the color at home before you commit to buying a larger amount. Talk about taking the guesswork out of things!

Remember, it's easy to get wrapped up in the "stuff" of life and begin to believe that all of your purchases-both big and small-will bring you happiness. But try not to forget about the power of color and the influence it can have in your life. Your home should be your sanctuary, a place where you can feel happy, peaceful, and safe. By making a few simple and inexpensive cosmetic changes, you can create a positive environment that's all your own. Just follow your heart, and let color be your guide.

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