Eclectic Elements

Colorful Inspiration

Now that we have covered the importance of contrast and the impact accessories can have on a room it is time to discuss application.

What do you do with your accessories?

How do you select your accessories?

Where can you find inspiration for your very own designs?

When it comes to design most of our decisions are based on color and how colors complement each other. Out side of natural light, color has more impact on the human psyche then any other outside influence. Colors can affect our mood, our appetite, even our tolerance for pain.

Fun Color Facts:

• Saturated Primary colors encourage quick movement. This is most often applied in fast food restaurants for a quick turn around.
  
• Warm colors include reds, oranges, and yellows. These colors advance making rooms appear smaller than they are.
  Warm colors also inspire activity


• Red is an appetite stimulant and increases heartbeat and breathing.


• Pink drains energy and calms aggression. Often sports teams paint their visitor locker room in pink to take away their competitions edge.
  
• Yellow can stimulate a person’s temper and aggravate a baby, but also enhances concentration.


• Orange increases energy levels.


• Cool Colors include Blues, Greens, and Some variations of Violet. These colors recede and open up smaller spaces.
  Cool colors are calming and soothing (this is why most spas are painted in blues and greens)


• Blue triggers the secretion of endorphins that calm the body and increase focus. It has been proven that weight lifters can lift more weight in a blue painted gym.
  Blue is most popular for being an appetite suppressant.


• Green can improve vision, and is the easiest color for the eye to see.

So how does all of this information translate into home décor? When adding color into your space it is helpful to know the implications of the color you are adding. A person with high blood pressure may not want to paint there bedroom Red. However, small amounts of red would add excitement to the room.

How do you apply all this information to your own home?

How does this help you to put together a color scheme?

Where do you begin?

These answers are no further then looking outside your window. Nature is the perfect place to get inspiration for color schemes. Nature doesn’t get it wrong. There is no such thing as an unpleasant sunset. You can literally take any picture of a natural setting and use all of the colors in the picture and apply them to your room. The results will be remarkable. The more abstract you get with your interpretation the better the results.Below you will find three examples of Design imitating nature.

The living room of WideBayEstates.com property Hollywood in Miami mimics Miami Beach scenery beautifully. The flooring tile color creates a sandy beach feel throughout the space. The lush patterned shag rug is a very literal representation of the water with its aqua green and deep blue colors. The shape of the white leather sofa replicates the shape of the waves. The white of the sofa and the Barcelona Chairs act like the clouds from this scene. The glass coffee table reflects light throughout the space similar to the reflection of the water.

The Grand Canyon is visible throughout the home office of WideBayEstates.com property Hollywood in Miami. The similarities go beyond the color, and include the texture of the walls as well. These two features tie this space to the cascading rock walls of the Grand Canyon. The draperies are representative of the shadows of the chiseled rock. The Blue stream is depicted by the frosted glass desk.

The Master Bedroom of Hollywood in Miami is the perfect representation of a small stream waterfall in the middle of the woods. The dark brown accent wall has been pulled from the bark of the trees. The leaves covering the forest ground has inspired the variation in the color of the wooden planked flooring. The blue and white sheers descend from the ceiling in the same manner in which the water pours over the edge of the rocks creating the beautiful waterfall.

Designing using nature as a guideline is both simple and fun. If you have any design questions or would like assistance with finding your own inspiration please contact Eclectic Elements Design Consultant Eydie Voss at Eydie@eemiami.net. All of the pieces pictured in this post are available at Eclectic Elements. Please call the showroom 305-285-0899 with any inquiries.