Laugh if you must. But I totally agree with that. I go through autumn, winter and half of spring suffering from S.A.D.. While theories attribute it to lack of sunshine and vitamin D, I also maintain that the overall gloominess (grey skies, grey interiors during the day, etc.) contribute a lot to it. While I can't do anything about sunshine, I now keep warm white lighting on all day long indoors, and it helps a little bit. Having warmth in the paint and decor goes a long way towards that also. My family room/listening room has faint green walls--it is like a light version of hunter green that is subtly warm in a natural kind of way (natural colors to me being browns and reds, and certain shades of green, all of which reflect nature). Aside from some album covers, my decor is mainly Southwest, with photos of Utah and Colorado mounted on the walls, wall hangings, etc. that remind me of the western side of the US (lizards, geckos, Kokopelli, the sun, etc.).My Mexican painter told me that I would be depressed if I painted my room grey...lol
What ever she decides.
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Color Psychology, Light blue is the color most linked to creativity. Sky blue is the most calming shade of blue that helps a person relax… [and] is also a color that inspires safety and serenity. Dark blue is the shade that is associated with intelligence and lack of emotion.
Egads, I couldn't ever live with blue walls ever again. I didn't mind the dark blue I painted the room above, but even then I still felt it was a cold and depressing color on gloomy days. Thankfully the caramel-colored wall and somewhat rust-colored carpet offset the blue, and the room had two very large windows to lighten it up. Understand though, my mother had blue in nearly every room of the house, and I was sick of it by the time I moved out in my mid 20s. I still can't be around it much. And despite what the psychology is, I still find blue a depressing color. I relax more among warmth--not bold reds and yellows, but warmer browns and light tans, off-whites with a hint of yellow, maybe with darker accent colors like rust or cinnamon.Yep. When I lived in Oregon, SAD was an issue for a friend of mine there (years ago.) He worked in DP (ok, the IT dept. nowadays) and was diagnosed. I went int his office one day and saw that all his lights were "blue" compared to the other fluorescents!
See if you can pick up a Farrow and Ball swatchbook - they are an English paint company with a carefully curated shade collection with some incredible pigments. I struggled with finding a good grey - some went too brown or too purple, F&B Cornforth White (which is actually light grey) was just right. It’s the most expensive paint I’ve ever used but the colors are so amazing and complex - they shift beautifully throughout the day depending on the light. They also go on like a dream. Well worth the extra $$ IMO.
http://us.farrow-ball.com/
I went with a neutral colour, light in tone... for future resale if owning. No mention if BR is in a two story location?
Personally, I'd be more concerned with inside and outside projected sound.
Split-level house, with the bedroom on the third level, towards the rear of the house.
Not an issue. I rarely play music loud, and the doors and walls are pretty thick. My wife said it doesn't bother her.
The house is set back from the street, the neighboring houses are quite far away, and there is virtually no street noise in our quiet neighborhood.
A good pair of HP's if needed for volume control.
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Actually, that's on my list of goals for the new year... Now I will have the missus sleeping in the next room in the morning when I like to listen.
I painted my small room downstairs a deep orange color, and it looked great at night with some muted lighting. It had a small window high on the wall (the room was set slightly below street level), so it didn't get a lot of natural light.
My new room is on the second floor, with a window that extends almost the whole length of the side wall, and from my chair I have a view of the tops of trees. It feels inherently rather airy in here, so I'm thinking that a soft, but not dark, color would best, sort of like how Scandinavian rooms are done.
I second the vote for orange, but orange is kind of my color:
Currently renting, so I can't paint the wall, but if I could. I'd go with a nice burnt orange - not too bright, something a couple shades lighter than the lamp to provide a nice contrast. Then I'd paint the other walls a lighter, more neutral color, maybe an off white or light taupe, and then paint the ceiling with the same color, only about two shades lighter. In a small room, a light colored ceiling will make the room seem bigger.
But, that's just me. Looking around my office at work, that's basically what I have only substitute avocado green for the featured wall, with the the other three walls being light almond and the ceiling being eggshell. Lol, no wonder I'm hungry all the time!