Today’s color dilemma…
“We are moving into a new apartment soon, and I am creating an office and work room for the family, which includes two boys.
I want to pick an accent color that will be stimulating, but mentally stimulating, not physically stimulating. At first I thought I would use orange (with grey/beige/white) but I think that may be a mistake because orange is thought to stimulate appetite. Yellow? Red?
Or, should I keep their work area in their bedroom, which is indigo and a mossy/celeryish not dull not bright medium green – that’s the furniture, bedding, and the rug – walls aren’t painted yet.What do you think for an accent color for the work room, and would the boys be better off working in the room that is green and blue?
Many thanks.
-Wendi
Kate suggests…
You are on the right track by beginning with thinking about the functionality of the room and the mood you want to create.
The main color in you decorating scheme sets the mood of the room. Other colors are added that enhance that mood. The gray, tan and white color scheme you mention is a good choice for a family workspace and would go nicely with red or orange accents.
A color scheme of grey/beige/white can work well for kids too as shown in these two workspaces from Pottery Barn Kids
Yellow might be another good choice because it instills optimism and sparks creative thought.
Since an accent color generally occupies less than 30% of what is seen in a room it would not cause your boys to be more hyper plus red, orange and yellow all have the positive effect of being mentally stimulating.
A shared workspace becomes “family central” with spaces to display kids latest school work and keep track of activities.
You could set up their work area in the bedroom however if you have the ability to create a workspace that is shared with your kids this is what I would recommend. It gives you the ability to each be working independently yet be together, and allows you to keep an eye that they are actually working without having it seem as though you are checking up on them.
This solution would also allow you to keep their room focused on rest and relaxation rather than work. The color scheme you have chosen already is ideal for this because cool colors like blue and green have been known in color psychology to promote relaxation, which is why they are often a popular choice for bedrooms.
Architecture for beginners wall decals
If you want to allow your boys to help decorate their space a fun option would be wall decals like the ones shown here.
I hope you find these thoughts helpful as you decorate your new apartment. I’d enjoy seeing pictures of how it all comes together.
Resources:
- Wall decals available at kidsmodern.com
- Furniture and wall organizers from potterybarnkids.com
- Do you have a color dilemma? Post it in the Makeover Gallery at RoomVues.com and you could be the next reader to have your color question answered on the Color For Your Home blog.
Your answer is extremely helpful. You answered ALL of my questions about color and function, and have given me confidence that I am on the right track with a shared family workspace, and keeping the boys’ bedroom as a place for relaxation.
I cannot thank you enough. And, I also love the idea of the decals. One of my sons (eight years old!) loves archictecture. And the other could pick other decals.
I grew up in a house where an artist had painted themes on the walls in each room, sometimes picking up the curtain pattern. This is a good substitute for that.
Hi Wendi,
I’m so glad that you found this information helpful and that you like the decal idea.
The building construction decals are among my favorites so how fun to learn that one of your sons is actually interested in architecture. There are many great designs for your other son to choose from and I bet he’ll find something that fits his interest too.
The home your grew up in sounds fascinating. Maybe if you have any pictures you could share them with all of us by posting on roomvues.com and who knows maybe my next DIY project will be a mural.
Colorfully yours,
Kate
Unfortunately I cannot put my finger on any photos of the interior of the house I grew up in, but I would like to tell people that the paintings on the walls were just incredible. Subtle, and perfect. As the previous owner had spent a great deal of money on expensive wallpaper, we could not afford to remove it, so my mother found an artist who would pick up themes or create environments perfect for each room. Bathrooms might have the window’s curtain “extended,” around the perimeter, or as was the case in the bathroom I shared with my sister, an explosion of lavendar and pink flowers above the clawfoot bathtub, retreating to the perimeter of the room. Isolde (Wenzel) painted in perfect replica the flowers in my curtains all around my room, framing furniture and creating a “headboard” garden.
If one can find someone who can do this or is creative themselves, it is a marvelously unique touch to add to various rooms in particular and one’s home in general. I told my boys about this in my childhood home, and one of my sons, who is a terrific artist, asked me if he could paint on a wall in his room. Sure! (it’s only paint!)
I will look for interior pictures of my childhood home, and when our new home is set up (that could take a while…) I will send also.
Again, many thanks, Kate.
-Wendi