You may have heard me mention the phrase Dopamine Dressing in recent posts. I decided to ask good old Google what it meant and this is the response I got:
‘Dopamine dressing is the most joyful interiors trend of recent years – one that forgoes the pristine and intentional curation of the home in favour of pieces that sparks joy, colour pairings that inspire and invigorate, and a design scheme that puts a smile on your face.’ Whats not to love about that!?
In a nutshell, it’s all about using colour, patterns, and furnishings in your home as a way to make you feel happier. There are no hard and fast design rules with Dopamine Dressing. It’s a case of as long as it makes you happy, then do it!
I’ve been harping on for ages around the impact colour has on mental health (man, do we have a long way to go on this topic within our hospitals, eduction, and mental health facilities but I’ll save that for another blog). The use of colour is THE most important part when it comes to Dopamine Dressing. So, ask yourself, like you used to when you were a little kid “whats my favourite colour?”, then start adding it to your decor. I get it, loads of people find the thought of introducing colour scary so start small. Start with something as small as an art print, then as you get more comfortable bringing colour into your space move to some throw cushions, and then when you’re fully embracing the power of colour, do a feature wall.
Dopamine Dressing encourages you to show your individuality. This is your house and it should 100% be a reflection of your personality. People underestimate the importance of that initial feeling you get when you walk in your front door, the warmness, coolness, saturation and intensity of colour, all create different effects. Start thinking about how each room will be lived in and then add your colours based on that. Is it a bedroom that needs to feel calming? Or it is a kitchen that you want to feel warm and lively?
If you’re wondering what colours evoke what emotions, I’ll do a very basic breakdown below (but remember this theme is about what feelings these colours evoke within yourself):
- Green for serenity
- Blue for tranquility
- Pink for uplifting a mood
- Yellow to improve your general well being
I also need to point out thats its not simply bold, bright colours that hold influence on our moods. I personally love a dark walled bedroom as it evokes feelings of cosiness and warmth.
So, if you’re like me, and love this idea here a few of my picks from Resene to subtly introduce some ‘mood altering’ colours into your home.
For a feeling of Serenity try Resene Wilderness, for Tranquility look at Resene Breathless, to uplift your mood then Resene Blanched Pink is a good starting point, and to improve your general well being then a pop of yellow is a great place to start and I personally love Resene Pale Prim.
All images have been sourced from Pinterest.
