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How to Choose the Best Colors for Bedding
The bedding is the heart of the bedroom and can significantly impact how your room feels. Just like the right paint color can instantly transform a space, picking the right colors for your bedding can instantly transport you to a relaxing and calming area.
But since there are so many choices, it can be hard to figure out what to choose. Do you prefer a fun, bright pop of color or a soft and soothing neutral? What about patterns?
While it can be a bit overwhelming initially, choosing the right colors for your bed is not that complicated. Here are some things to remember when selecting colors for your bedding.
Creating Your Sleep Environment
There is a lot of information about the colors you should use in your home if you want to get restful sleep at night. Creating a relaxing sleep environment is about controlling the colors you are exposed to.
There are three primary colors that you should control in your home.
There are also a few colors that you should avoid altogether, regardless of whether you have insomnia. One of these is beige. Because it is a mix of white and brown. So it doesn’t matter if you have a beige duvet or not.
The other colors are stark or pure primary colors. Red, blue, orange, and yellow is standard colors for bedding. These colors are too jarring and will keep you awake. It is best to stick with softer colors that are more restful.
One of the essential factors in creating a restful sleep environment is making the right level of darkness. Light has a powerful effect on our mood and energy levels. But it also impacts our sleep cycles.
Most people need somewhere between total darkness and total light to create restful sleep. For example, a dark room only lit by a small lamp is one way to get the right amount of darkness. This is because a light blanket can cover the lamp if it is too bright.
The Right Feel
To create a calm mood, you must select neutral hues—neither too warm nor too cool. The best options are hues located around the center of the color wheel or shades adjacent to the center.
Suppose you want your color scheme to create a specific feeling, like serenity or romance. In that case, you can choose hues that fall in the same family as the color that the color wheel assigns to that feeling. For example, suppose a color wheel gives a sense of serenity to the color blue. In that case, you can consider cool hues like sky blue and cobalt blue, along with shades adjacent to the center like aqua and turquoise.
On the other hand, the more vivid and extreme hues are better for creating vibrant and energized moods. If trying to make a calming effect, you should avoid the most intense hues on the color wheel, which are located in red, yellow, and orange hues. The most intense shades to include in your palette are those in the middle or around the edge of the wheel.
Neutral Colors
There are many shades of gray, but none are truly neutral. A true neutral is a shade of white, a color that is not too cool and not too warm.
Neutrals also come in other hues, such as soft blues, grays, taupes, and beiges. Some of the best neutral colors are lighter versions of the primary color in a monochromatic color scheme. The best neutral colors are not too soft and not too dark but lie in the middle range.
One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make when choosing the best colors for bedding is to choose colors that are too dark. Dark colors are overwhelming because they include many different hues and are more intense. They are also harder to pair successfully with other elements in the room. Dark colors also make the room feel smaller and more closed in.
Are Black Sheets a Good Idea?
Black bedding has a lot of styles. It can give a room a modern, hip, or glamorous look. But black isn’t for everyone. It can make a small room feel even smaller. And a black comforter can make you feel like you’re sleeping in a casket.
If you invest in high-quality sheets, you might try avoiding black. There are so many other color options available to you. You could go with a true white or another natural color. You could choose a pastel shade or a bold color. You could even pick a metallic tone.
In any color, black sheets are straightforward to keep clean. But the dark color will make you feel more sleepy than energized. Black sheets are a good idea if you want to chill out and relax, but they might not be the best choice for a room you use for work or play.
Other Surprising Options
There are other surprising options for bedding colors beyond white and single bright colors. One of the most popular choices is a range of whites or off-whites, to a range of cream colors or light beiges.
For a more yellow tone, try adding some of the colors of the spectrum, like salmon, gold, and deep orange, to the range of whites, beiges, and off-whites. These colors are similar to the colors of a sunflower.
For a more blue tone, try adding some of the colors of the spectrum, like navy, cobalt, and dark or deep blue, to the range of whites, beiges, and off-whites. These colors are similar to the sky at dusk or dawn.
For deeper shades, try adding some of the darkest shades of the spectrum, like burgundy, wine, and deep purple, to the range of whites, beiges, and off-whites. These colors are similar to the shades of a deep red rose.
The Problem with Patterns
Patterned sheets can also present problems, but for a different reason. If you choose a pattern that is too busy, it can make the overall scheme look messy. In addition, patterned sheets are more likely to create awkward color choices. The general pattern can dominate the scheme, so you can quickly end up with a too-dark and cool system.
If you have a patterned duvet, then the pattern can create color problems even when you use patterned sheets. In this case, you can use a complementary color, which is a color that is opposite to your primary color on the color wheel. For example, you could use orange patterned sheets with a green duvet.
But you can also create a too-cool scheme by adding cool colors to the patterned sheets. This can make the same problem as adding cool colors to a solid color scheme: you end up with a scheme that is too dark, too cool, and too low in contrast. If you want to use patterned sheets, look for a simple geometric pattern.
Does Gender Matter?
White sheets, darker shades, and neutral tones are the safest colors for both genders but still have a traditional feel. If you want to buy sheets in a lighter color, you can still play it safe with a gray, blue, or tan color. However, if you are going for a bold color like red, yellow, or green, you should stick to the traditional gender colors (pink for girls, blue for boys).
Crimson and maroon are masculine colors, while pinks, lavenders, and purples are traditionally feminine hues. Gray is a gender-neutral tone, but in most cases, you can still make it more masculine or feminine by adding blue or pink.
The more pastels or light colors you use, the more neutral your room will feel. But even we can soften bold colors by adding lighter shades, patterns, or textures.
Warm Colors
Warm colors can relate to blood pressure, heart rate, and mood. The colors in this family include red, orange, and yellow. A red duvet can help the room feel warmer if you have blue walls. Yellow has a warming effect.
Warm colors can also make us feel more energized and vital. However, too much of this color can make us feel anxious or jittery. And if you have blue walls and a red bed skirt, it can make you feel like you are sleeping in a beehive.
The bottom line is that you should use warm colors only in moderation. And you should be wary of using them when you feel low or vulnerable.
Accent Colors
Neutral shades make up the bulk of the color palette, but you also need a variety of colors. The most common color to use as an accent is red, a great color to energize a bedroom. Accent pillows are a great way to add a pop of color to a room. Use them to liven up a neutral upholstered headboard or bed frame.
Wine reds and true reds are the best hues for accent pillows. You can also use blues, purples, greens, yellows, or various other shades. Remember that too bright pillows can be overwhelming when placed on a neutral bedding ensemble.
You can also use accent wall paint for a low-key room to liven up the space. It is a good idea to add a little extra punch to a room by using plenty of accent pillows, wall paint, and other touches.
The Bottom Line
We shouldn’t overlook the power of a neutral color palette. The right muted shades in a neutral color palette can create a soothing bedtime environment. White linen and bed sheets are also essential components of the best color palette for bedding.
But if you want a bolder palette, don’t be afraid to experiment with the hues in the red, blue, and yellow families. But don’t be too hasty to reach for the darkest, most rich blue and red shades. Choose more muted shades, and you will find that the color palette for your bedding can be as bold as any other.
Whatever you choose for your color palette, ensure the hues are not too bright. You also want to ensure that your elements aren’t too bright or too dark overall. In other words, you want a balanced bedding color palette that contains a wide range of hues rather than one that is missing a vital component of the color spectrum.
Choosing the right colors for your bedding can be a tough decision. There are many options, and knowing what will look best in your space can be challenging. But, with some guidance, you can easily find the perfect colors for your bedding. Follow these tips, and you’ll be sure to choose the best colors for your bedding.
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