The Importance Of Lighting In Interior Decor For August 2014
Aug , 2014- Colour Magazine
- 4 Min Read
Colour Stories
Dispel the darkness regarding the correct lighting for your interiors, by choosing the perfect lighting and letting your interiors shine on!
Home decor and interior design is not just about the right furniture, there are many more elements involved in having one's ideal home aura created. One of the more important, but neglected aspects of house décor, is choosing the perfect lighting. For most people, lighting is just something that allows you to see. But there's so much more to it than that. Read More…
Lighting can be used to create illusions, to highlight objects, to set a particular atmosphere and to give out the essence and vibes of a place. Lights must be chosen with great care because they can help you achieve the desired effect for your interior and improve the overall look of your house. The brightness of the light being used is a determining factor of the vibes and appearances of a room. Bright lights can make a room look much bigger than it actually is, as it gives us an illusion of spaciousness and largeness. Therefore, bright lights are recommended for small rooms with cramped furniture, as it prevents a room from looking cluttered.
Bright colours are also useful in maintaining high levels of energy and should be placed in rooms where studying takes place to keep one's mood fresh and alert. Dim lights, on the other hand, make a room look warmer and cosier, hence making it smaller, but in a comfortable way. It is recommended that one uses dim lights in large rooms that may seem uncomfortably big with bright lights. Dim lights help bring about a feeling of homeliness, which is why places like living rooms and dining rooms should usually feature dim lights in order to make them comfy and inviting. However, dim lights also give off a laidback vibe, so it is only recommended for areas where work is not expected to happen. This is how variations in the brightness of the lighting of an area are extremely essential and should not be taken lightly.
Lights are also useful when one wishes to highlight a particular area. This kind of lighting can be directed towards a wall, a painting, a door or anything worth paying attention to. Any brightened area is a huge eye-catcher and immediately makes an area noticeable. Beam lights are also used as a pleasant change from standard lights for a different and more elegant effect. And it's not just lights one must pay attention to, but also the colours on one's wall, as different colours reflect light differently. If the walls are dark, a brighter light should be used to make a room pleasant and vice versa. Today, it is not uncommon for furniture to feature in-built lighting as well, so you can experiment with your colour and lighting tastes. Essentially, lights are now being recognised as an important part of interior decor, as they should be. Now you know how to use them, so light up your surroundings wisely!
Colour Trivia
Colour Facts For August 2014
- We all know that the Facebook logo is blue in colour, but what many of us do not know is that the logo is blue in colour because Facebook's founder, Mark Zuckerberg, suffers from red-green colour blindness!
- It is said that individuals who prefer the colour magenta are said to seek harmony and balance in every aspect of their life; physically, emotionally and spiritually. Magenta, as a colour, has healing properties that help release old patterns of thinking and behaviour, creating mental balance.
- Orange is one of those rare fruits whose ripeness cannot be told by its colour, no matter where it's from. What's even more interesting is if an orange is unpicked, it can stay on the tree until the next season, during which time it turns from green to orange and back to green again!
- We've all had to recite the names of colours in school under the watchfulness of our ever vigilant teachers, but that was not enough to arm us with the required colour knowledge needed in this world. Today, there are various new colours, like Gamboge, thanks to the advent of Crayola and RGB or Hex codes. Gamboge is a few shades darker than mustard, but it is surprisingly transparent despite the dark tint of the colour. The colour has been named after the Gamboge tree, which is known for its yellow resin.
Colour Quotes For August 2014
"It is the eye of ignorance that assigns a fixed and unchangeable colour to every object; beware of this stumbling
block."- Paul Gauguin
"Working in white makes people look into it. White is ethereal. There's purity to it, it makes things look elevated in a way. There's a whole palette of white…"
- Jonathan Milne
"Colour is fun, colour is just plain gorgeous, a gourmet meal for the eye, the window of the soul."
- Rachel Wolf
Colour Tips For August 2014
- To add splashes of colour to your interiors without going for a major overhauling, you can paint the insides of a bookshelf or a windowsill with bright colours to bring excitement and depth to a room.
- A quick and simple way to add a dash of brightness to your dull interior walls is to opt for sponge painting. It is also very affordable, along with being easy, as you just need a sponge, a can of glaze and a little paint to add some drama to your interiors.
- If you've ever used a gallon of paint before, you know what a mess it can be to try to pour it neatly into the paint tray. So, to save yourself the mess, buy a few pour lids and use them on all your gallon paint cans. This not only makes the painting process quicker and cleaner, but since the lid is airtight, it makes your paint last so much longer.
World Of Colours
Colours & Emotion For August 2014
There is no denying that colours and emotions are inextricably linked and there are several ways colours can influence our emotions.
The association we have with colours is on multiple levels, there are social or cultural connotations, as well as personal relationships with particular colours.
It is perhaps this relationship with colours that makes us feel chic and sexy every time we put on a Little Black Dress or pop open a sunny yellow umbrella on a gloomy day, which invariably rubs off its cheery brightness on us.
The colour blue has seemed to have done much better to humanity than we would give credit to a mere colour. It is said that in 2000, blue streetlights were installed in certain neighbourhoods of Glasgow, which subsequently led to a reduced rate of crime in these areas!
The report was picked up by various news channels, which led to the instalment of blue lighting at the stations of a railroad company in Japan in 2009, in an attempt to reduce the number of suicide attempts. After the blue lighting was installed, no known suicide attempts have occurred in the area.
Source: Blue streetlights believed to prevent suicides, street crime – The Seattle Times
The colour blue has seemed to have done much more good to humanity than we would give credit to a mere colour. It is said that in 2000, blue street lights were installed in certain neighbourhoods of Glasgow, which subsequently led to a reduced rate of crime in these areas!
The report was picked up by various news channels, which led to the instalment of blue lighting at the stations of a railroad company in Japan in 2009, in an attempt to reduce the number of suicide attempts. After the blue lighting was installed, no known suicide attempts have occurred in the area.
Source: Blue streetlights believed to prevent suicides, street crime – The Seattle Times
Colours & Fashion For August 2014
For all the fashionably forward ladies who want to make a strong fashion statement this season, embrace hot hues like fiery red which can boost your confidence, giving you a sense of control while elevating your mood instantly.
Inspired by a mixture of blooming flowers and strong confident women add a modern twist to the traditional and embrace colourful equilibrium.
Colours & Gems For August 2014
For all those married couples agonizing over the choice of a perfect anniversary gift for their partner, the search should end at Aquamarine. It is said to be a strong charm, and being blue in colour, has a soothing influence, especially on married couples working out their differences. Additionally, it is also believed to protect against the wiles of the devil, ensuring a long and happy marriage.
Colours & Nature For August 2014
Beauty might lie in the eyes of the beholder, but the beauty of nature certainly lies in the colours embedded in nature from the golden sight at early dawn to the purple glow of the sunset, the cinnamon coloured tree trunks to the emerald green sea all add to the glorious beauty of nature.
No fashion runway in the world can replicate this shade of colour in all its vividness as seen in nature.
Nature and its myriad colours keep changing from minute to minute; the colours of the sky keep changing throughout the day, from pale pink at dawn to a dazzling blue at mid-morning to bright orange by sunset and purple by twilight, reminding us that change is the only constant.
Take your pick of the blue appealing the most to your senses from this mesmerizingly beautiful shot.
Décor
Colours And Contrast
Transform your home into a modern-day work of art by opting for two tone furnishing.
Give an interesting twist to your room by choosing two contrasting colours – black and white or white and one bright colour – and use them as a repeating theme throughout, such as a row of yellow and white pillows on a sofa and two-tone furnishings.
Opting for two tone furnishing schemes can instantly transform your house into a modern-day work of art! If you don't agree, just try adding some beige sofas to your deep brown or black painted living room and see the area transform in front of your eyes. Using more than one colour in a room not only adds colour and pattern to a room, but also texture and warmth. It is indeed unbelievable how much a simple coat of paint can do to enliven and breathe life into monotone furniture or walls, if used in smart combinations.
Light Up Your Monsoon
This monsoon, say goodbye to dull interiors by choosing the correct lighting for your home.
Choosing the right kind of lighting options for your home can make a world of a difference to how your interiors will feel this monsoon. To create a harmonious and warm vibe for your interiors, make sure that your house is well lit by changing your white lights to yellow lights, as it lends a warmer look to your interiors making you feel more comfortable and optimistic. There are various types of lighting options like accent lighting, ambient lighting or task lighting, which can be used to enhance the look of different rooms in your house.
For the living room, low ambient lighting can be used for general illumination and accent lighting for high lighting show-pieces and paintings. Dim lights are recommended in bedrooms along with controlled lights, which can be used on either side of the bed for reading. A study room needs overall illumination, but it is wise to have table lamps so that one does not have to strain their eyes for reading, especially during the day when overall lighting is not needed. Last, but not the least, it is very important to pay special attention to bathroom lighting during the monsoons because apart from ambient lighting, it is important to have some natural lighting in your bathrooms to keep the stuffy feeling at bay.
Get Cosy In Style
Change the feel of your bedroom from conventional and boring to warm and inviting by applying these simple ideas.
Bedrooms are the place where we dream, so it is only fair for them to be the stuff dreams are made of! With some simple attention to detail, you too can turn your bedroom into the ultimate relaxing retreat that it is supposed to be. Seating arrangement will make the bedroom seem cosier, so add some loveseats to a corner for that perfect romantic spot. For those with larger than life bedrooms, make your walls less daunting by filling them with extra-large pieces of art to make the room feel modern and glamorous.
On the other hand, to make your bedroom look bigger, avoid small furniture as it makes a small bedroom look smaller. Instead, use a high bed and a tall headboard which will create an illusion of the room being bigger than it is, giving you the impression of living in a larger space. Finally, as one usually does not entertain guests in their bedroom, we often ignore decorating it. However, it is only right that we treat our bedrooms with the same attention as other parts of the house, because ultimately it is us who spend a large amount of time there.
Colours & Ancient Sciences
Feng Shui For August 2014
There is a silver lining to every grey cloud! See what the colour grey can do to your house, according to Feng Shui.
The colour grey is usually treated as a dull or boring colour, but in Feng Shui, it represents the focused and protective metal element and it can bring beautiful Feng Shui energy to any space, particularly areas in the West or North and Northwest, boosting creativity and career prospects. While white and black are the more widely preferred choices, a grey backdrop brings out a colour like no other shade.
Grey can be used to add more elegance to even a simple room by adding dramatic colours against grey, but its use is not limited to stylising purposes, as it is believed that grey when used in bedrooms can help maintain a balance in dominating relationships. But you have to be careful while using grey in the bedroom as its usage completely depends on the personality of the person who lives there. It is advisable to use a bit of grey in the bedroom balanced by more earthy tones.
Reiki For August 2014
Discover the alternative path to recovery from chronic diseases through the power of Reiki.
Reiki is a profound experience which has to be experienced to understand its significance, especially for the diverse healing benefits that it has to offer. The colour therapy of Reiki is said to have a calming effect on the mind and is used by the body to increase its ability to improve health. Reiki supports the cause of well-being and the ability to naturally heal you by balancing the Chakras, but the results vary as each person is unique and so are the results.
This is especially suitable for long term treatment of chronic health conditions like depression, sleeping disorders, stress or flu to name a few, but depression and anxiety are fast gaining precedence over other disorders treated by Reiki. This can be attributed to various factors, but the most important one is that it negates the need of drugs and focuses on healing through eradicating negative energies, which is a safer and more permanent option, unlike anti-depressants. Reiki is believed to bring about dramatic improvements in conditions of people suffering from depression, and because of this it is becoming a recognized practice in hospitals and more so with local doctors.
Vaastu For August 2014
Find out your birth colour and harness it to experience its positive energies in your life.
Colours are the easiest means of influencing the human psyche and also easy to change when compared to other elements that go into the making of a house. It helps to keep a few things in mind while changing the colour of your home, like a room which receives less natural light should be painted in light colours, whereas you should opt for deeper and darker shades for rooms which receive ample natural light.
According to Vaastu Shastra, the colour schemes in a house should conform to the zodiac sign of the owner to bring good luck and happiness. Check what your lucky colour is from the following chart and try to incorporate these colours in the colour scheme of your home to bring luck, harmony, peace and prosperity into your life!
