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Step 1
Pick cool colors to promote tranquility in bedrooms and spa areas. Cool colors are called receding colors because they make a room feel spacious. Greens, blues and violets are cool colors associated with mental and physical relaxation.
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Step 2
Choose warm colors for areas with a lot of activity, such as family rooms, play rooms, halls and stairways. Warm colors appear to advance into a room. Reds, oranges and yellows are warm colors that are stimulating and uplifting.
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Step 3
Create an effective therapeutic color scheme by choosing a dominate color to stimulate a certain mood. Then enhance it with accent colors that can be repeated from place to place.
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Step 4
Establish a harmonious color scheme among adjoining rooms to avoid unsettling color changes. Earthy colors like browns and greens work in harmony with each other. However, warm and cool colors are affected by the presence of other colors. Red-violet appears cool next to orange, but warm next to blue.
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Step 5
Refrain from using therapeutic colors that are disliked by others living in the home, unless a room is used exclusively by one person. Compromise on using a color that others dislike by choosing a different shade in the same color family. For instance, if someone doesn't like brown, consider using taupe instead.
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Step 6
Consider how light affects therapeutic color schemes. Light from incandescent bulbs makes cool colors look dull, but strengthens yellows and other warm colors. Standard fluorescent bulbs have the opposite effect, intensifying cool colors while making warm colors look murky. Some fluorescent bulbs now create softer light that mimics incandescent bulbs.
