Colour psychology and the influence it has over our moods reminds us to take careful consideration of colour choices within interior spaces. Colour can change the overall mood of the space and different hues can provoke a psychological sensation.

“I use extensive variations of colors to create form, depth, mood, feeling, texture, and to touch our everyday public memory. Colour is not just surface and is not intangible  it is very real, very strong, a powerful tool and has a real physical presence.” – Karim Rashid (Interior Decorator)

The correct use of colour can:
1) Give direction and flow to a room
2) Create a mood, invoke emotion and tell a story
3) Affect taste and smell
4) Create a connection between the surrounding environment and interior space

Colour affects people differently depending on gender, age, background and climate. Before deciding on the best colour to use, it is important to first ask yourself these two important questions:
What feelings do you want the colour to evoke?
What will the room be used for?

If you like the idea of using color to create an emotionally healthy home, you should first consider the primary function of each room. Next, pick a predominant color.

Each colour and hue can have a different visual and emotional impact on a room. Have a look at the below factors to consider when choosing the best colour for your interior spaces.

Cool vs Warm Colours

Ideally each room should have a mix of warm and cool colours to balance the energies within the area.

Warm colours bring radiance and cosiness to a room. Use it selectively in a small room, for it can make the room appear smaller than it is (which is not a bad thing if you wish to add a touch of intimacy to large spaces.

Cool colours have a soothing effect. They can balance the energy in bright rooms with their cooling effect but conversely, can create a feeling of discomfort in a room that lacks natural light.

Neutral colours like white, black and grey, depending on the tint, can be used in conjunction with other colours to balance a room.

Psychological effects of colours

Every colour has a positive or negative attribute that can add or detract to the feeling you wish to create in a room. Look at the below graphic to see how you can best utilise these attributes when choosing the right colour for your interior spaces.

Best colours for different rooms

Still stuck with which colours would be most suited? Here’s a rundown of what usually works best as a predominant colour in each of the most important rooms of your home and the moods they create. You can use this guide to choose which colour to paint the walls or which colour to use to enhance key focus items or areas of the room.

Living room & foyer

Warm colours such as tones of reds, yellows, oranges and earthy tones stimulate conversations and add a feeling of warmth, connection and cosiness. It will encourage your guests to feel welcomed and comfortable from the moment they step into your home.

Kitchen & dining room

It is said that if you have fond memories of times spent in the kitchen growing up, it is advisable to use the same colour scheme in your own kitchen. If this is not the case, reds or yellows can create a feeling of homeliness, but be careful…the colour red increases your appetite, so if you are trying to break your snacking habits, steer clear. 

In light of the above, red will always work well for the dining room. In addition to encouraging conversation, the colour whets the appetites of your guests. 

Bathroom

Traditionally, due to its connection with cleanliness and purity, white has always been a popular choice for bathrooms but small cloakrooms and guest loos are now often painted in much darker and more exciting colours because white can be rather cold and boring.

Blues, greens and turquoise colours also bring in a sense of cleanliness. They are also fresh, and calming and so are a perfect choice if your idea of winding down after a long day is taking a long, relaxing soak in the bath.

Home Gym (Workout room)

While warm colours will encourage you to be active, they do give you the feeling of being hot so use cooler colours like blues and greens if you live in a hot climate if you’re planning on really working up a sweat in your home gym. If you need anger to fuel your workout, try red!

Home Office

Green is the colour of concentration which makes it the perfect colour to use when planning a colour scheme for your home office. Not only does it increase your productivity, but it also creates a feeling of calm and helps you to focus better on your work.

These are some basic guidelines that you can use if you wish to create a specific desired ambience for each room of your house.

If you wish to paint the walls of your room in a dominant colour, it is advisable that you first buy a small sample pot and test a section of wall paint in both natural and artificial light prior to committing to your specific color.

We also really recommend accent or feature walls in your chosen colour complimented by a softer hue for the other walls to add interest to a room. Feature walls add personality, radiate the energy of a room and make the whole scheme more interesting.

We hope you enjoyed learning more about the psychology behind colours and how it can completely change the whole feel of a room. Keep these pointers in mind when you decide on the best colour scheme to use for your next home improvement project.