House and Home
Page 38
Transform your bedroom into a beautiful retreat with curtains and soft furnishings in colours that feed your soul
We often concentrate our design attention to the rooms where we live our active lives and entertain friends and family, neglecting the more private areas of our homes. However, our bedrooms are very special rooms, our own personal spaces and a sanctuary where we can retreat from the world, relax and unwind, restoring our body with rest and sleep.
Bedrooms are where we start and end the day, and as such, creating the right ambience is vital to our well being; the colours that we wake up to affect us throughout the day, and the atmosphere that we relax in affects the quality of our sleep. The fundamental elements of your bedrooms’ decor may well already be in place; your bed, bedside cabinets, chest of drawers, and wardrobe space, but you can completely change the look and feel of the room by changing or adding curtains and soft furnishings to introduce colour, texture and style.
Colour Therapy for the Bedroom
The first step is to decide what ambience you want to create, and choose the colours that create that look and feel. Burgundy, scarlet and red are very energetic and physical colours, great for stimulation but not so good for a peaceful night’s sleep. Pink and plums are softer and more romantic versions of these colours and much more suited to a bedroom. Peach and apricot are emotionally supportive colours, providing love from their pink tone and energy from their yellow tone. However yellow by itself, although a cheerful colour, is mentally stimulating and should never be used in the bedroom of an insomniac. If yellow is your preferred colour, use it sparingly and ensure it is a pale tint or even cream.
Blues make a bright bedroom serene, but if you are of a quiet disposition or prone to depression, it is better to use lilac, orchid, lavender or almond blossom tones which are both soothing and supportive. Mulberry, salmon or rose pink are stronger pink tones for those of you that are not so keen on pastels, and promote warmth and affection while still being restful. Blues and greens are soothing and refreshing in a bedroom, and create a relaxing and restful atmosphere, particularly appropriate for the bedroom of someone suffering from stress. Blue-green and turquoise are both peaceful and fresh and especially good for this hot climate and sun filled rooms.
Feminine bedrooms
Many women like to have a feminine feel to their bedrooms, and all white walls with crisp white bed linen is a classic clean and cool look. Offset with wood furniture and natural textures, an all-white bedroom has a simple and fresh atmosphere that can be further softened with plants to subdue the harsh whites and create a less clinical feel. Whatever the colour, a distinctly feminine feel can be created with layers of softly draped fabric at the windows, and a bed dressed with a sumptuous throw over and plenty of soft cushions. Consider an upholstered headboard to coordinate with your other soft furnishings and to create a hotel chic feeling.
Masculine bedrooms Men can unwittingly choose so-called masculine colours for their bedrooms such as black, navy and burgundy, however large expenses of these colours can end up depressing and negative.
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Female Focus
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