The secret art of using color to enhance your bathroom

Throughout history, people have known and harnessed the power of color. Color can influence behavior, trigger emotional responses, and there are those who believe that color has the power to heal. It is undeniable that color has had an enormous influence on the development of humanity.

Early civilizations used color as much as we do today. The Roman emperors used the “Toga Picta” (a royal purple toga with gold embroidery) as a means of indicating their status, the Celtic tribes used the peppermint plant to produce a deep blue dye which they wore all over the body before going to the battle and most Surprisingly, Indian tailors are recorded to have used many different colors of dye to produce printed cotton as early as 330 BC.

Since color is so important to our daily lives, it’s only natural that we want our homes to be the color we like. You may be surprised to learn that over the course of their life the average person will spend more than 2 years in the bathroom, so it’s only natural that we spend an adequate amount of time making sure that the colors we use to decorate it complement how we want our bathroom to look and feel.

color temperature

Everyone knows the association of colors with emotions, such as red for passion, blue for tranquility and green for peace, but did you also know that colors have an associated temperature?

• Reds, oranges and yellows, the colors of the scorching sun, are warm.
• The blues, greens and purples, the colors of the grass, the sea and the sky, are great.
• Blacks, browns, grays, silvers and whites, the colors of the ground, are neutral.

Warm colors make a room appear smaller and cozier and objects appear larger and heavier. Time seems to pass faster in warm spaces, and warm colors and earth tones encourage and maintain body heat. Warm colors are a great way to revitalize your body if your job involves a lot of physical activity.

Cool colors make a room appear larger and more spacious and objects appear smaller and lighter. Time seems to pass more slowly in cool spaces. Cool colors are more conducive to mental activities and “muffle” sound effects. Cool colors are effective in stimulating the body and mind to relax and unwind, and are suitable for those with jobs that require intense concentration for long periods of time.

Neutral colors, as their name suggests, are not considered particularly warm or cool. Neutral colors are highly dependent on the colors around them and tend to reflect the attributes of those colors rather than possessing their own. Neutral colors are considered calming and calming, and ideal for those with extremely stressful occupations!

natural expectations

We may be several thousand years away from those who lived outdoors all their lives and never knew a town or a city, but the human brain is still conditioned after all this time to expect the darkest colors at our feet, colors mid-range at eye level. and the lighter colors far above us.

Some people like to take advantage of this ancestral evocation in their bathrooms to give the impression of bathing in the open air, using ceramic floors in earth tones, painting the lower halves of the walls green and the upper halves and the ceiling in different shades. blue. . To complete the experience, plants are often placed around the room and some people even have soothing music playing in the background.

Make color work for you

However, regardless of your choice of bathroom colors, it is strongly recommended that you use at least three but no more than six separate colors for decorating. Of these, one should be the lightest, one should be designated as the accent, and the other colors should be somewhere between the two. The accent color should be the brightest or darkest of all the chosen colors and should be used in at least three different positions within the room.

Most of the bathroom should be decorated in the lightest color. Medium colors should be used in secondary areas such as shower curtains, blinds and mirror frames, leaving the accent color to be used on items such as towels, rugs, soap dishes and other small but important bathroom accessories.

For a small bathroom, a popular alternative is to tile three walls in white or very light colors and paint the fourth wall in a bold, contrasting color. White mosaic tiles will take shades of this color and project them giving the illusion of depth and making the whole room appear larger and less plain.

apply emphasis

If you’re really proud of a certain feature in your bathroom and want the attention to naturally shift to it, here are a few tricks you can use to achieve this effect:

To emphasize the floor, color it darker than the walls or ceiling.

A tray ceiling is an attractive way to add depth and break up a common flat roof line, and it can be inverted or recessed. Pick a color and use a darker shade on the tray and a lighter shade on the rest of the ceiling. This will naturally draw the eye upward.

Add a decorative border along baseboards or along the upper sides of walls to draw attention in those directions.

Remember to make sure you buy and use special paint for bathrooms, designed with a high tolerance for humidity. The glossier the paint, the more light will reflect off the surface of the walls, making your bathroom look brighter and more cheerful!

Say goodbye to clutter!

There is nothing worse than feeling uncomfortable in your own bathroom. You could have the most relaxing colors in the world, but if your bathroom is cluttered or feels cluttered, you’ll miss out on the effect you’re after. However, there are a number of simple and inexpensive steps you can take to deal with this problem.

Painting the bathroom cabinets white makes it look like it takes up less space and therefore makes a small room appear larger than it really is. Painting furniture in dark colors will naturally have the opposite effect, and is a possibility when you have a large bathroom with lots of light.

Adding additional lighting can open up the look of your bathroom. Wall sconces are very affordable and will add warmth and depth to your room. If you’re looking to spend a little more on your bathroom, you can install fluorescent tube lighting, install larger windows, or even add a skylight.

Last but not least, an increasingly popular step taken by many designers is to install one large or several small mirrors above the bathroom sink. Mirrors reflect the light in the room, picking up the subtle shades, tones and patterns and projecting them throughout the room, making it appear larger and more colorful. For even more depth, install two full-length mirrors on opposite walls, facing each other. You will be surprised with the results!

taking the last step

While adding color to a room is the cheapest and easiest way to dramatically change its appearance, reactions to color are personal to each individual. What relaxes one person can be nerve-racking for another. Ultimately, it all comes down to a combination of past experiences, emotional associations, and personal preferences. If it “feels” right, then go with your gut and go for it!