Spirit of Women magazine is a national publication presented to women by hospitals and their physicians. The magazine provides up-to-date, evidence-based healthcare information and promotes our hospitals as leaders in women's health excellence.
Issue link: https://spiritofwomen.epubxp.com/i/655065
3 1 w w w. s p i r i t o f w o m e n . c o m S P R I N G 2 016 S P I R I T O F W O M E N SHUTTERSTOCK chitchat and a sense of community. Living room: Yellows are perfect for gathering spaces, such as your living room or den. "Yellow makes people feel happy and energetic, and it also stimulates conversation," says Janene Ferrara, president of Dalehead Designs, an interior design firm located in West Sayville, N.Y. For other areas in your home where you want people to linger, warm tones such as browns and oranges are good choices too. "Brown is an especially grounding color," O'Leary says. "It's the kind of color that makes you want to go and sit. Think brown leather couches." Neutrals, such as taupes and tans, are also good options if you want to feel more relaxed. "If you have a stressful job, coming home to a grounded space will support and nurture so that you can recharge your batteries," O'Leary explains. Bedroom: If you often have trouble sleeping, blues and lavenders are great bedroom colors for you. "Blue is a soothing color that slows down your heart rate and lowers blood pressure," Ferrara says. "I recommend it for sleeping areas because it calms people down." Reminiscent of water and tranquil settings, blue can also aid in reducing anxiety and tension. Studies show it may even help alleviate insomnia. Conversely, if depression is an issue or if you're a slow starter, yellow might be a better choice for your bedroom color. "When I had four kids in five years and no one was sleeping through the night, I painted my bedroom yellow so that I would feel invigorated in the morning," O'Leary says. Home office: Go with shades of green. "Green is an energizing color. It's the color of freshness and growth," O'Leary says. In a home office, it may inspire creativity, productivity and concentration. It's also a good color for any room in your home if you have chronic health issues. "Green encourages healthy thoughts and a healthy body," O'Leary says. In general, when decorating your home for a nurturing effect, pick paint colors in light shades. "Because paint color encompasses a whole room, dark shades can be overwhelming," Ferrara says. If you're a fan of bold color, "go with neutral colors on the walls and add pops of color in accessories, such as artwork, plants and fabric," she adds. • W ant to give your home a sense of renewal? There's nothing like rolling on a new coat of paint to transform your environment. "But be careful with the paint colors you choose," says Christa O'Leary, a marriage and family therapist/interior designer in Hingham, Mass., and author of "Home in Harmony: Designing an Inspired Life" (Hay House, 2014). That's because color isn't just a matter of aesthetics or what's trending at the moment. "It can impact you psychologically and physically and literally change your body chemistry," she says. Evidence suggests that light of different colors enters through your eyes and indirectly affects your hypothalamus and your pituitary gland, which control hormones that may control moods. A study in the journal Emotion, for example, found that when people literally see red, their reactions become faster and more forceful. Other researchers have found that cool colors, such as blues and lavenders, can have a tranquilizing effect. Still, how you respond to color can depend on not just the color itself, but the meaning you attach to it. O'Leary, for example, doesn't like a particular shade of purple because it reminds her of a "horrible-tasting purple asthma medication that my mother used to chase me around the house with when I was a kid. To this day, when I see that color, I actually have a visceral reaction that's a gag reflex," she says. Although the field of color psychology is still in its infancy, many interior designers use it to help their clients choose colors that will leverage their emotions and behavior. Here's a room-by-room rundown of the paint colors they believe work best, depending on the health impact you'd like to achieve. Kitchen and dining room: If you're watching your weight, stay away from red. "There's a reason why the big chain restaurants, such as Chili's and McDonald's, incorporate the color red in their restaurants," O'Leary says. "The stimulating color makes you hungry so you'll order more and increases your energy level so you'll have more fun when you're in the space." A better idea for your own house: Use blues in rooms with food. "Blue decreases your appetite because in nature, there are few blue foods," O'Leary says. One caveat: If you have a dining room that's reserved for infrequent entertaining, go ahead and paint the room red or a color in the red family, such as maroon or raspberry. Reds are thought to also stimulate