by Carol Larsson

Created on: April 06, 2010

Your bedroom is a place to relax, sleep and dream, away from the stresses and worries of the world.

When you are choosing a color to paint your bedroom, if you want the room to have calm, soothing feel, you will need to choose a calming, relaxing color.
Invigorating and energizing colors such as red, yellow and orange are best used else where in your home, if you want to create a feeling of calm relaxation.

The colors that many people find calming are blues, greens and mauve's. With these colors, even though they feel more relaxing, a bright shade will feel lively. They could also remind you more of a child's playroom than a tranquil bedroom.

Some ideas for colors are Eau de nil (a pale watery green with a slight hint of blue), pale blue or a pale violet if you want more warmth.
You do not have to choose a pale color to get that relaxing feel to a room. Deep violet or indigo can be surprisingly calming and the dusky shades of this color can recede and give you a sense of space and distance.

Deeper and darker shades of a color can be easier to get wrong and not give the feel to a room you are looking for. They also show up any slight imperfections you may have on your wall surface.

Paler shades of color are easier to get right or at least easier to live with if you do get it wrong.

If you can, buy a sample pot of the color you are thinking of using, and try it in your own home. Paint manufacturers do there best to make there color charts as accurate as possible but paint can seem very different at home on your wall. The way color acts with light can change with the time of day and the direction of the sunlight as it comes through your windows.
Do remember colors can look very different when they are on all four walls, the light in the room will bounce from one wall to another, giving a different look and intensity to the color. You may need a paler shade than you at first think.

If you choose a paler shade of paint, you can accessorize the room with a darker shade of the same color. A very, very light violet on the walls contrasting with the warmth and richness of a deep, deep violet velvet or brocade fabric.
Or perhaps, matt pale eau de nil walls with equally pale either eau de nil or a pale champagne colored curtains in a rich silk satin with bed linen in a pale champagne with a touch of a metallic gleam.

Pale Nordic blue walls accentuating even the dullest light on the most cloudy of days. Add simple sheer white floor length curtains and crisp white bed linen with a large fluffy white blanket to throw over the bed to add warmth and texture.

In your bedroom if you want a relaxing retreat, use a calming color and you will feel more relaxed.

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