Home Decor Colors that Stimulate Intelligence

COLOR YOURSELF SMART

By now, it's common knowledge that color affects your mood, but can it actually make you smarter? We know which colors every alpha woman can use to give herself the mental edge.

Because the colors you use to decorate can affect your mood, they also affect your energy, your creativity, your ambition and learning curve, all of which are necessary components of intellect.

So if you want to stimulate your intelligence, pick up some paint, furniture or accents in these smart colors.

The color orange stimulates mental activity by increasing the supply of oxygen to the brain and makes you feel invigorated and ready to get things done. If you're working on a project with your hubby, all the better — it stimulates social interaction (while being less aggressive or romantic than red).

But orange is still a power color. Don't feel like you have to use a bold orange or paint every wall to get the desired effect. It can be used as an accent for other colors with a similar effect. You can also try softer or earthier hues like nectarine, orange rose, pumpkin, canyon sunset and more. To avoid overdoing it, try a single accent wall, throws and decorative pillows or other accents.

You should definitely avoid bolder oranges if you tend to be naturally hyperactive or are easily angered. Also avoid all but the most subtle oranges if you're easily distracted. This isn't a good color for people with ADHD, for example. And keep it out of the kitchen. It can make you hungrier.

Yellow also stimulates mental activity, but it's easy to have too much of a good thing. Too much yellow can make you a bit touchy. Since it helps activate your memory, increases your concentration and (in small doses) promotes creativity, it's a great color to use in a place where you study, do crafts or work on organizing big projects.

Stay away from dark yellows, which may cut off your creative juices since the color is associated with caution, and opt for brighter (or even paler) versions used here and there as accent colors. In fact, using yellow can be as simple as keeping fresh yellow flowers or a bowl of lemons in the room.

Yellow works best when contrasted with a darker color or a neutral. Look for lemon drop yellow, buttery yellow, maize or daffodil.

Pale blue is popular in school classrooms because it increases productivity, intuition and creative thinking. It has a calming affect, slowing down your metabolism and suppressing your appetite. When the craziness of your life is filtered out, you'll have plenty of time to ponder the important details.

Dark or extremely bright blues should usually be avoided in dedicated work spaces (like your craft room, home office or kitchen), as they can actually be quite oppressive in large doses. Instead, opt for country blue, powder blue, pale periwinkle, steel blue, cornflower or sky blue. But paired with the right partner color, feel free to toss out some bold blue throw pillows.

Blue is the perfect power-concentration color for the hyperactive or easily distracted. It can be used all over the room (in its lighter incarnations) in various shades or with other colors. If you tend to be very sedate by nature, opt for bolder blue accents or use one of our other intelligence-stimulating hues.

Unless you're a romance novelist, we don't suggest a totally white color scheme for increasing your thinking power, as it's often considered sentimental or nostalgic, both of which can inhibit your ability to think in the present or future. However, white is the perfect color to use with any of the suggestions above. It aids in mental clarity and encourages you to clear clutter and obstacles (physically and mentally).

Black can be a bit tricky as it depends on your personality. It pairs well with many of the colors mentioned above, but should only be used by those who feel it adds a sense of sleekness or stylishness, which can stimulate some people's creative minds by making them feel more professional or sophisticated. Others may simply consider it depressing.

If you think you can handle it, you can soften the black details by using accents with black satin bows, polka dots or stripes. Just make sure the black is truly an accent and doesn't dominate the main color.

Gray may be a better option for most than black. While it has no intellect-stimulating powers on its own, it's associated with wisdom and solidity. It also works to enhance the effect of other colors in small doses.

Resource:  Heather Barnett, Sheknows.com

Color Trends for Home + Interior 2013

Pantone View Home + Interiors 2013 Trend Forecast

Earlier this year, Pantone released the Pantone View Home + Interiors 2013 Trend Forecast, a guide containing the nine most directional color palettes for home furnishings and interior design in 2013.

"To create the 'magic' that ultimately leads to sales in the marketplace, colors for 2013 will need to coax and cajole, soothe or astonish, renew and replenish," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. "At the same time, there will be the consumer's expectation of practicality - what colors will have staying power and can be relied upon as a steadying influence in unsteady times. Skillfully balanced color palettes that play to their practical side, while satisfying their aspirations, hopes and needs for something novel will remain key to enticing the would-be consumer or client."

Pantone View Home + Interiors 2013 is a forecasting book that provides color and trend direction, enabling designers to select the right shades and combinations for home furnishings or interior spaces. The book contains visual inspiration, suggested color harmonies, individual tear-out palette cards for each of the nine forecasted palettes, swatches of the 75 forecasted colors, and images from the forecast for use in presentations and storyboards. Highlighting additional insight and directions, a summary page concludes the forecast with a comprehensive color overview and a look at other factors influencing the world of home furnishings and interior environments.

To enable digital design, Pantone View Home + Interiors 2013 also includes Pantone Color Manager for direct download of all Pantone Color Libraries into design software.

The nine palettes for 2013 are: Connoisseur, Glamour, New Old School, Rugged Individuals, Extracts, Footprints, Sojourn, Surface Treatments and Out of the Ordinary.

The palette called Connoisseur takes a fresh approach to celebrating the finer things in life while displaying a sense of history and elegance. Whether it is the perfect plate or the smooth finish of a simple table linen, these fine sensibilities are often reflected in a choice of colors that are both sophisticated and refined, yet not without a touch of understated drama. The colors are a compilation of monochromatic violets and orchids, liquid pink, deep mahogany, alyssum white and beechnut green, all reflected against champagne beige and silver.

The very word Glamour expresses what this palette is all about. Sleek and sensuous, it is very much reminiscent of the Art Deco era interpreted with contemporary influences. There is something very personalized and unique in the beguiling styling that involves both confidence and flair. Colors adequately reflect the mood of a bygone era: Rio red, and Monaco blue, deepest tap shoe black and chinchilla, ethereal gray moonmist and jasper teal. To add more glimmer to the glamour, there is both silver and champagne beige.

Another palette emphatically connected to heritage and history is New Old School. Adding a twist to a somewhat "preppy," collegiate and classic palette, it celebrates the hues typically found in iconic flags and banners. The styles are also reminders of the past, yet some sport a new contemporized look. There is ribbon red, bright white and sodalite blue, while nautical blue salutes breen and ultramarine green. Gargoyle and microchip grays draw a visible link to the contrast between the old world and the new.

Ranging from out West to the Outback, picking up the "ole" of the gaucho along the way, cowboy and cowgirl styles ride firmly into interiors. These are the Rugged Individuals who encourage and inspire the natural shadings of the prairie, polished leather, weathered wood and animal hide, while the earthiness of raw sienna tones blend with the inevitable classics of both vintage indigo and stonewashed blue jeans.

Taking orangey and spice tones to a new level, Extracts employs flavorful notes of color along with suggestions of appealing scents to create combinations that are zestful, pleasing, piquant and often unexpected. There is a subtle taste implied in this palette that evokes a somewhat exotic top note in spiced coral, brandied melon and apple cinnamon. The quiet presence of dusty pink and baked clay is refreshingly balanced by a tart, green banana.

Footprints is a palette that leads us down a path to vibrant tribal colors. These are steps that are not taken lightly, but instead are bold, forthright and very directional. Following the seductive rhythm of tangerine tango are peacock blue, a fiery pink flambe and solar-powered yellow. A verdant yellow green called oasis provides respite from the heat of Sudan brown.

The Sojourn palette takes us on a journey, one that is a bit more magical and intricate, as reflected in the compelling mixtures of a heady Syrah wine hue, the purpled intensities of a blackish plum, and the rosy glow of foxglove and Baton Rouge fuchsia against pampas and the green winter moss. All are nestled comfortably within the grounded organic hues of cobblestone and shitake.

Surface Treatments is a highly textural palette that adeptly utilizes smooth and nubby - polar opposites in a tactile world. It likewise embraces the liquid colors of ocean, sea and air such as Maui blue, vapor blue, and a more tempestuous tornado gray, along with the land-locked colors of fallen rock and birch, combined with a vegetal agave green. Medal bronze adds yet another dimension and patina to this diverse yet compatible grouping.

Quirky, odd, whimsical and even a bit obtuse, Out of the Ordinary products immediately capture the imagination of the beholder. It can be styling, texture, shape or design that reaches out to tempt the eye, but most frequently it is the color that captures instant attention and awareness. Colors like bonnie blue, pureed pumpkin and chocolate truffle are deliberately enticing, while amber green, linden green, golden rod, bright violet and rosebud round out this creative array.

Resource: Dexigner.com  

5 Easy DIY Painting Projects

Maybe it's been a while since you've painted, or maybe you've never done it before. Even if you feel like you barely know which end of the brush to hold, that's OK — Glidden® paint and Tomboy Tools have you covered with simple instructions, tips, ideas and tools for common projects and helpful answers to FAQs.

Learn how much fun and easy painting can be. Tomboy Tools is excited to partner with Glidden® paint to help women gain confidence, motivation and add color to their lives!

Here are five simple ideas to add color to your home in a single day's work.

1.  How to Paint a Door

There's nothing like a first good impression.

1.    The first step to a good first impression? Give the door a quick wash and rinse, letting it dry completely.

2.    Next, just cover the metal hinges so they don't get covered in paint - a couple coats of rubber cement should do the trick. Mask the doorknob, lock and any other hardware as well.

3.    Now you're at the fun part. Start by painting the frame, making sure to work up from the inside bottom, across the top and then down the other side. This is done best with a 2" to 2.5" brush. When you start on the door, use a 4" brush or foam roller.

Glidden color idea:  Red Delicious (GLR30)

2.  How to Paint a Planter

Add a little color to your greenery.

1.    If you're painting a planter that's already been used, start by giving the plant a new home and scrubbing the planter with warm, soapy water.

2.    Give it a quick rinse and let it dry completely before applying any paint. This is a good time for lemonade. Try it with a little mint for a refreshing twist.

3.    Apply the first coat, inside and out. Follow that up with a couple more coats for denser color, allowing enough time to dry between coats. Looking for a little color inspiration? Why not run with the whole refreshing beverage theme and try Sweet Tea?

Glidden color idea:  Soft Sage (GLG18)

3.  How to Paint a Doghouse

Even your blacklab will be green with envy.

1.    Start by treating the wood with a coat of primer. It's a great way to protect and seal the wood and ensure durability.

2.    Using a paintbrush, apply one coat of paint to each side of the house. Once that dries, just brush on a second coat for denser color. Remember, dogs are color-blind, so the choice is entirely up to you, but they'll probably like anything named after food.

3.    Oh, and to keep this simple project from getting a little complicated, you may want to keep your dog indoors until the paint's dry.

Glidden color idea:  Antique Silver (GLN51)

4.  How to Paint a Window Box

Your view just got even better.

1.    Start by removing any soil or debris left in the box and rinsing it with soap and water. As always, don't forget to let it dry completely before you move to the next step.

2.    Before you paint, spray the entire box with one coat of white enamel.

3.    Once that's dry, it's time to pick up a paintbrush. Paint the box with the color of your choice. You can even match the paint color to the flowers you plan on planting.

Glidden color idea:  Natural Straw (GLY20)

5.  How to Paint a Fence

Consider it the perfect frame for your masterpiece.

1.    Start by rinsing the fence with a hose. It's important to remember to unhook the sprinkler if it's still attached.

2.    Once it's dry, dip a 4" to 6" brush about a third of the way into your paint. Follow the grain of the wood, painting each slat in an up-and-down motion.

3.    Add a second coat using the same up-and-down strokes you did the first time. Simple as pie. As for color, try a twist on a classic, like Granny Smith White.

Glidden color idea:  Wood Smoke (GLN40)

Contact your Tomboy Tools Consultant to book your painting party today. Your Consultant will show you how you can beautify your living space or painting project with ergonomically designed painting tools, color selections, techniques and tips. 

Color Ideas To Get You Going!

Choosing coordinating colors for a room is a lot easier than you think.  A great way to start is to find what color family you like the most (reds, greens, blues, etc.). 

Once you pick your color family, choosing that final color is much easier. 




Follow these easy steps to start:

- Collect pictures of rooms and accessories that you like from magazines and catalogs.

- Next, gather up your favorite things in a room.  Vase.  Pillows.  Floral arrangements.  Comforter.

- Then step back.  Take it all in.  Do you see a common color family or scheme?

Another trick is to steal from the largest pattern in the space.  Upholstery.  Rug.  Even your favorite painting.  Use its background color for your wall color.  Then choose one or two of the other colors for your accents. 

You've now successfully coordinated color! 

Piece of cake.