There is no denying the power of color in designing spaces. It conveys and elicits emotion, it sets the mood and the tone, it creates ambiance and evokes nostalgia. Speaking purely visually, it can be used to create the illusion of space, separate areas, and create focal points.
The fastest, most affordable, and easiest way to makeover a room and to change how people perceive it is to slap on a fresh coat of paint, more so if it is in a new color.
“Cohesion is what makes a design work, and choosing the right color palette for your design objective is essential towards creating cohesive living spaces,” says SM Home assistant vice president for marketing Tom Castañeda.
Four Filipino designers, through the In Living Color series of SM Home in partnership with Boysen paints, showcase the power of color and how to inject it into different spaces of home.
Dawn Sy designed a living room using the Be You palette, composed of expansive neutrals and shades of blue, to show how a carefully selected palate of complementary colors creates a synergy all its own, and allows a home owner to personalize a space.
Allen Oblena’s dining room, painted in the shades that make up the Be Here palette (refreshing shades of green), showcases the revitalizing power of color, and shows how old and worn furniture can be given a new and refreshing twist with a bit of creative color play. His vignette also highlights some easy DIY projects that can breathe new life into old furniture.
Among color’s most powerful properties is its influence on human emotion. Grace Moslares’ bedroom, painted in the colors of the Be Bold palette (lovely shades of pink and blue), provides the perfect design expression of that power. She uses color to create a space that is inviting, calming, and restful.
Finally, Jennifer Soliman highlights the versatility of color in the most functional part of a home, the kitchen, painted in the shades that make up the Be Seen palette. Soliman cleverly uses colors that complement and that subtly create distinct enclaves within the seemingly small space.