Did you know that you can use colour to your advantage? Certain colours enhance certain behaviours, feelings and even help recovery from illnesses. In one of my blog articles I wrote about chromotherapy or in other words colour therapy. Basically colours are used to help people with certain emotions, feelings in different areas of their lives. In that article you can read about the benefits of 7 colours corresponding to chakras.
So what could you do right now to attract, change or enhance certain things in your life? You could re-paint your rooms for example but this might be too big of a job to start with. Here are some quicker ways to make changes and you could apply some of them right away.
Look around your home. Is it colourful or have you got more of a monochrome taste? If you have colours in your house, is there one that pops out everywhere? In my house it would be red. Though now with all my Mandalas on the walls my home looks rather colourful. And I LOVE IT! You can check them out here. But back to you. What could you do to your home that would enhance your mood, feelings and emotions straight away?
On a budget:
Alternate your knickknacks. I’m sure you have several objects on the shelves, mantelpieces or coffee tables. What I’d suggest to do is take half of them away. Wrap them up and put them away then arrange the rest. This way the house would look a lot tidier. Then in a couple of months take them out and put away the ones you have been just using. You’ll have a new home instantly with ‘completely new’ decorations and you haven’t spent a penny. Fantastic!
Colour co-ordinate your books. You only have to do it once and it would look great! You could even wrap up some of your books in colourful paper or even wallpaper that’s lying around in your home. This would definitely make the bookshelf area very neat and tidy! You could wrap books up in green or green leafy wrapping paper for example. Green is the colour of nature and earth. It is the colour of peace, comfort and nurturing. It brings harmony to a home. Green goes well with brown and most people have brown book shelves or other furniture around the house so they’d definitely match.
Swap cushions around in the rooms. Put living room cushions on your bed and vice versa. This is very easy and it’ll give a different feel to each room. If you don’t have enough cushions look around your wardrobe. I’m sure there will be a couple of shawls lying around with your favourite colours. Place them on the armchair or on the middle of the sofa running down. It is a little change but it can be very effective. I’m doing this in my home with a white futon sofa. White is a sensitive colour but I didn’t want to cover it completely so I put one of my beautiful large blue scarfs on it. It looks stunning!
Create a focal point in the living room- or other areas of your house. Pair together colours that would match such as red/ yellow/orange or blue/purple/green. I’m sure you have some decorative ornaments around the house. It could be pictures, mirrors, vases, small statues or anything at all. Put them together and it would immediately draw the eye to that area of the room.
Swap a blanket to another one. This is a very simple change but it has a great effect on the whole room, especially if it’s a colourful one!
Rearrange the room. It is a bit bigger task and most probably it’d take up most of your day but the reward is certain! Find another spot for the sofa, move the coffee table front of it and you have a completely new room. And you’ll have the chance to clean all those fluff-kittens behind the sofa as well!
As I love kids I’d definitely recommend to decorate your home with children’s art. They are colourful, cheerful and fun. It'd also help with children's self esteem! They don’t have to be in every part of the house though. Pick some designated areas and only display kid’s art there. In my opinion there should be a balance between adult and children areas so you’d keep your personality as well.
It might not be everybody’s thing but you could decorate with colourful office supplies too. Put a pack of yellow pencils in a red mug or small green vase and add a colourful folder or box next to it on the shelf. Voila, you added more colour for free and you have more space in your desk drawers as well!
Use colourful fruit as display. A bowl of fresh fruit would look amazing on a table and it’s not only decorative, you can eat it as well!
Fill your fireplace. If you have a fireplace that is not in use you could definitely decorate it! It would give it meaning and purpose. You could magic it into a beautiful focal point instead of ‘the fireplace that’s never been used’. You could add items front of it as well. Arrange a colourful display of items in a group and admire it every time you step into the room. And don’t forget about candles! They’d make the room very romantic, placed in large glass holders or even jars.
Go shopping or order online:
Add cushions of certain colours. They could change the look of your room completely! In my home I have spring/summer and winter cushions. The spring/summer cushions have vivid velvety dark green/blue colours with a beautiful feather embroidered on them. The winter cushions have winter scenes with snowy pine trees. And if you think you already have the amount of cushions you could manage and don’t have any more space, don't get the whole cushion but only the cushion covers! They’re probably cheaper than full cushions and you’d save a lot of space too! So just swap the covers whenever you need a change and voila, the living room has a completely new feel!
Start a collection. At times of Lockdown it’s not always possible but when it’s safe to go visit some charity shops. They have many wonderful unwanted items for the fraction of the price. You could start a collection of colourful bottles! For example blue bottles are rare and they can be paired up with some wonderful green ones! You could also consider buying a drink in a colourful bottle. Besides a unique drink your reward will be a beautiful decorative item- let’s say- for free! You can also ask friends and family to start collecting colourful bottles for you. I’m sure you’d have your collection in no time. If you decide to go with blue you should know that it has many benefits and meanings. It is the colour of calmness, wisdom, sincerity and healing. It calms headaches and strong emotions. Combined with green- emotional harmony- it would have a wonderful effect on your home and your life as well.
Buy a beautiful bouquet of flowers! And why not add a colourful vase to it? You could buy cut flowers or flowers in pots. Both could be a great addition to your home. They’d make it more welcoming and homely.
You could get some storage boxes. One colour or multi colours- it’s your choice. There are some inexpensive cardboard boxes on the market that are very sturdy and look great! You can put them on an empty shelf or hide clutter in them. You can stack them on top of each other as well to save some space.
Buy a colourful carpet! If your floor is one colour you could add a bit of movement with a rug or carpet and you wouldn’t have to change anything else. It’s a win-win!
You could even buy a couple of colourful tableware. Maybe some colourful bowls or plates. It would give a new meaning to ‘eating in’. I’m sure you would feel just a bit more special with a new set of tableware.
I don’t know how much energy you put in decorating your office space but since a lot of people work from home I think it deserves a couple of lines. I’d definitely suggest to get something very nice and unique for it. It would inspire you and would lift your spirits when needed. A touch of the right colour or colour combination can do wonders! For example to encourage you to work, you could use something that is red, orange, blue, purple or a combination of these colours. Red brings out passion, career, success, and patience. Orange encourages creativity, joy and adaptability. Blue helps with communication, expression and purpose. And if you need a bit of wisdom and understanding definitely pick something purple.
You could also get some original paintings. On my website you’ll find several colourful dot Mandalas and dot paintings. They would brighten up any room! Take a look at mandalovebynelly.com. Mandala paintings are not only art, they can also be a useful tool for meditation practices. If you like the style but you don’t find the colour combination please contact me through the website and together we can design the art that is right for your home and for your personality.
The main thing is: whatever changes you make in your home use the power of colours. You don’t have to look at them constantly for their effect they just need to surround you. So make sure you consciously pick something that is right for YOU and let the positive change begin!
