Room Color Psychology: How Do Different Colors Affect Your Mood
Picture yourself in the exhibit gallery of a modern art museum. Imagine standing in front of a canvas and gazing at a broad field of pure color. Maybe you feel a tingle in your spine, a catch in your breath, or a peace settle into your fingertips.
There is no question that color is linked to mood. If a single painting can create tangible sensations in the body, imagine the power of painting an entire room!
If you are thinking about painting a room in your home, it’s worth taking a moment to understand a little more about room color psychology. Read on to learn more about room color psychology and the effects of the paint colors that you may be considering, and how they can affect the mood of visitors to the space.
Warm or Cool?
The moods of colors begin with their temperature. We refer to reds, yellows, and oranges as warm colors. We refer to blues, greens, and purples as cool colors.
As it turns out, these terms aren’t arbitrary. The temperature of a color can affect the physical temperature of a room! A foyer painted in blue will feel cooler after coming in from the heat, while a warm orange ski lodge will immediately feel cozier.
These hues can also affect the intimacy of your space. Warm colors have the effect of making a room feel smaller (thus the cozy atmosphere). Cool colors do the opposite, opening up a room and creating an optical distance.
Uplifting Colors to Paint a Room
If you’re seeking color psychology room design tips, then you might want to consider how you want a visitor to feel when they enter the space. Do you want to encourage sleep and relaxation, or action and conversation? Different colors encourage different levels of energy and can subconsciously change the behavior of those entering the space.
Colors To Relax
If you are painting a bedroom or guestroom, you want to choose colors that encourage sleep. This is equally true for children’s bedrooms. While you may be inclined to paint a child’s room a bright and exciting shade, you might regret that decision at bedtime.
The colors most likely to encourage relaxation tend to be cool colors, such as greens, blues, and purples. Though pink is in the warmer family of colors, psychologists have found that it leads to a reduction in anger and aggression! Less saturated shades of these colors have the greatest effect on relaxation.
Colors to Energize
If you plan on entertaining, you want colors that encourage energy and action. For this, you’ll want to look to warmer colors, such as reds, oranges, and yellows.
A lot of research has been done on the color red in particular, which is eye-catching and stimulating. Red and orange both encourage conversation and draw the eye. Yellow, meanwhile, tends to lift the mood, lighten a space, and wake visitors right up.
What About Neutrals?
If you are hoping to design a more neutral space, a traditionally neutral color may not be your best choice. Even white, gray, and brown have their effects, and it’s worth considering whether they are quite as neutral as you think!
White, for example, evokes cleanliness and sterility. It may make visitors cautious in a social space. For that reason, white works best to brighten a kitchen or a bathroom!
Likewise, rich browns evoke nature and simplicity, and grays add sophistication but dampen creativity.
Room Color Psychology Can Transform a Home
When it’s time to paint a room in your home, considering room color psychology can be key to transforming it into the space you want it to be! Considering the temperature and energy level of the space are the first steps toward designing the room of your dreams.
If you’re ready for some fresh paint, get in touch with Carolina Blue Painting and ask for a quote! We can’t wait to talk color with you.