is your bedroom clean or dirty?
August 11th, 2017 | by Elizabeth | Posted in colorhappy weekend y’all!
my Thursday post is a bit late this week…..whew.
cra-zy week.
and it doesn’t appear that things are slowing down any time soon.
so I thought I’d po in and post my latest Wilson Living Magazine column here for ya in case you’ve not gotten a copy yet. this issue was all about real estate investing with sell my house fast models, so I’ve written about color and how it can affect us.
also this week, the new and only online magazine devoted to real estate staging and design was released and I’m so proud to be a contributing writer and technical decorating editor! if you’ve not seen our inaugural issue or gotten your free subscription, you can do so here.
I’ll check in with you next week and discuss another reader question: Freda wants to know how to decide when to follow a “trend” and buy all new decor for your home….such a great question!!! thanks Freda!!
until then, here’s my column Designing for Health –
thanks for reading!
Designing for Health
Run, run, run as fast as you can… this is the mantra of our days- and for most of us, it doesn’t stop when the sun goes down. We start completely over at 5 pm, or whatever time our “day” ends. Whether it’s jobs around the house, carpooling children from here to there, or any myriad of other things, many of us don’t end our day until the wee hours of the evening. This leaves very little time for sleep; something necessary for everyone.
Per the National Sleep Foundation, adults between the ages of 25-64 need 7-9 hours of sleep a night to function properly. Sleep is critical for health, and although we feel as if we are resting, it is the time our body is doing its most important work.
Throughout the day, we accumulate many memories which are stored in a short-term memory bank. During sleep, our minds convert those memories into a long-term memory bank which is referred to as “consolidation.” When we lack the proper amount of sleep, the consolidation phase is compromised which can affect our memory.
Lack of sleep affects the body medically as well. Research shows that it can be a contributing factor to heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, depression, and anxiety.
These negatives certainly build the case for getting the proper amount of slumber. But did you know that the color and atmosphere of your bedroom can affect sleep as well? Deborah Burnett of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine says our body uses “external or environmental cues, including color and light, to synchronize our biological rhythms to the earth’s 24-hour light/ dark cycle.”
Chroma and Value
When designing a bedroom, it’s not surprising that blue is a top selection. Studies show that it can slow human metabolism and have a calming effect. Men especially love blue and are receptive to designs where it is included.
Green can also be used in bedrooms with positive effects for sleep. Cool, clean colors in contrast to warm, dirty colors are best for bedrooms- and the key to incorporating any color in the bedroom is with chromaticity and value. Other good thing for a bedroom is an air purifier, since this make the air so clean and the sleep better and more rested, there are different options in sites like https://www.bloomingair.com/air-purifier-reviews/levoit-lv-h132/ where you can see the best models.
Chromaticity is the intensity of a color, while value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color. When designing bedrooms, low chromaticity and low value in a color work best.
Benjamin Moore
Gray Wisp 1570 Paris Rain 1501 Ballet White OC-9
These are a few examples of colors that would well in a bedroom and be condusive to rest. The correct wall and ceiling application is another factor that can contribute to the restful feel in a space.
To learn more about color and my reference to colors as “clean” or “dirty,” email me or follow my blog- I’ve trained with leading experts in color, earning the certifications of True Colour Expert ™ and Certified Color Expert ™- and I can’t wait to talk color with you!
I have a terrible green in my bedroom and would love your help!
hey sweet friend!! I’ve not seen your space, but take your cues from the flooring and furniture in the space and look for a soft neutral with a blue or green undertone that works with the fixed elements-