If you have ever walked into a room with soft blues and greens and immediately felt calm? Or felt an air of mystery when in a room with shades of deep purple? It’s no surprise that the color scheme of your surroundings affects your mood and emotions.
According to design psychologist Constance Forrest, principal of Forrest Painter Design in Venice, California, “Color can change how you feel; it has an instantaneous effect. If people walk into a space and sense a warm color, they immediately get a sense of a cozy home and will probably reactive positively.”
How do you determine what colors to feature in your home? Consider the desired mood for your different rooms, such as romance for a bedroom or calmness for a bathroom, then you can focus on color families that accentuate those emotions.
In interior design color psychology, the yellow, red, and orange shades are viewed as the warm color zone, while purple, blue, green shades project a cooler feeling.
- Red: Often called the ‘color of love’, red truly makes a statement. It’s been said that red tones are common in restaurants and kitchens because it enhances the appetite.
- Orange: Orange shades are warm and inviting. They are also believed to have healing properties.
- Yellow: If you want instant cheer, yellow tones are a perfect start. This hue is the brightest on the color wheel and is known for energizing the soul.
- Green: Shades of green, like blues, create a calm environment. With its ties to nature, green is also considered a healing color.
- Blue: Blues are found in water and the sky, so not surprisingly, blues create a relaxing, soothing environment, and a mood of feeling spiritual and centered.
- Purple: While it is the color of royalty, shade of purple actually elicit mystery and spirituality. Because of that, it radiates confidence and creativity.
- Black: Teens around the world beg their parents to paint their room black, but little do they know, black is typically a color of submission.
- Brown: This natural, earthy tone is often described as safe and stabilizing. Brown is a great option for rooms with the many choices of woods.
When it comes to choosing a color to introduce into your home, it’s important to remember that not only does the color matter, but the tone does as well. Lighter tones, like butter yellow and sky blue, are more reflective, and as a result, they give the illusion of more space. Darker tones, such as burgundy and navy blue, reflect less light and create a more intimate space.
If you are not ready to paint your white walls a vibrant new color, start small by introducing pillows, vases, picture frames or curtains to change the mood of your room. Even adding bright flowers and green plants to your space can make a change. Small changes can result in a substantial impact of the mood of your family, guests and most of all, you.
