As winter approaches and you find yourself getting less and less sun, you might notice your mood affected as a result. To stop yourself from coming down with the winter blues, why not try adding some bright colour and “va-va-voom” to your interior design to shake things up? Read on for six tips to add some inspirational orange to your home.
Wall Paint
As far as room refreshers go, a new paint job can be the perfect way to brighten your walls and add warmth to a room. The right paint colour can also coordinate a room’s decor and showcase special elements like a feature artwork or piece of furniture. You can take advantage of the colour psychology in your paint choices and choose orange tones to encourage energetic, creative or exuberant moods.
Like a setting sun, you’ll find that bright orange exudes warmth, which makes it the perfect colour choice to make a darker room feel cosier. In areas with plenty of natural light you can opt for a cooler, more apricot shade instead. If you don’t feel comfortable with painting an entire room orange, try creating a feature wall in the happy shade, or even minimise the effect by painting the inside of bookcases or the edge of a fireplace orange.
Soft Furnishings
An easy and less intense way to add the colour orange to your home is via accents. As a lot of people prefer their orange in small doses, this tactic has the advantage of being easily changed later on if you get tired of these zesty tones in your house.
Orange is often introduced as part of a pattern in striped or floral soft furnishings or can be implemented through simple blocks of colour — think pillows, throws, artwork, bedding, wall clocks, towels and more.
To add a modern burst of colour to an otherwise simple white living room you can purchase orange cushions for your lounge, or add some zest to a neutral palette in a bedroom by complementing a multi-coloured quilt cover with a bright orange throw rug.
Furniture
Another way to add zing to your home’s decor is by choosing some orange-toned furniture. Brightly coloured bar stools can contrast against stark white kitchen countertops nicely, while a muted orange sofa can be paired beautifully with dark walnut floors and a wooden dining table to set off spicy sparks in your living space.
Lighting
Whether you choose lamps, pendants, candelabras or chandeliers, lighting is another way to add a beautiful orange pop to your home. With this colour also being known as a shade that energises a space, orange floor-standing lamps or desk lights can be used in areas such as offices, workshops and sewing rooms to encourage creativity.
Tiles
Simple white bathrooms can be jazzed up with an orange feature tile that runs around the centre of the room, or a vertical mosaic pattern in bright pumpkin tones can break up a block look in the shower recess. The combination of white and orange always tends to have a classic yet clean feel, which is a suitably fitting result for a bathroom.
In the kitchen, you can optimise the effects of colour on moods as well. Since orange is believed to stimulate hunger and also represents freshness in people’s minds, it is the perfect colour to use as a tiled splashback above a kitchen sink.
Flooring
Carpet or rugs with orange as their main shade can add a needed boost of colour to any room. The welcoming hue can be used in a small floral runner in an entryway to help make visitors feel at home, or a splash of the tropical look can be added to a lounge room by utilising a rug in bright pink and orange tones.
A room with lots of wood can be lifted with a vibrant design (a bright orange rug placed underneath a wooden coffee table for instance) or an exercise studio fitted with a zippy orange-toned carpet for a feeling of invigoration.
Whatever way you choose to decorate, it’s evident that you can artfully add some tangy orange accents to any room in the house. From show-stopping wall paint to earthy home furnishings, you can begin to enjoy the positive mood effects of orange in your home decor today.
About the Author: Megan Smythe is a blogger and lifestyle writer with a passion for interior design, investment property and travel. She loves to keep up-to-date with the latest home and decor trends and suggests people looking for great homes in the Keysborough area visit Elmswood.com.au for more information.