How Interior Paint Colors Affect Mood

11 Jan How Interior Paint Colors Affect Mood

The Paint On Your Walls Sets The Tone Of The Room

Often times people get caught up in what the “color of the year” is as decided by Pantone or some other paint manufacturer. Or they want to copy something they saw on Pinterest and use it in their home. But there’s an entire psychology behind color selection and how it affects mood. Before you get too far into your home painting project, consider what emotions the colors that you’re considering invoke. Here’s a quick list below:

Choose Blues to calm the soul

Blue is the most calming of all colors. Many modern hospital rooms are painted with a light shade of blue, to relax patients and put them at ease. I can hear what you’re thinking already…”I don’t want my home to look like a hospital!” Don’t worry, a good professional painting company will make sure that you lose the medical facility vibe with good complimentary colors. (There’s certainly some value in considering a color that brings down blood pressure and slows heart-rates though.) Just remember that blue has long been considered calming, relaxing and serene. It’s a great choice for for bedrooms and bathrooms. It’s also a winner for kids rooms if they just can’t seem to relax at night and get to sleep. If you do decide on a light blue as the primary color in a room, make sure to create balance by adding in some warmer accent colors, either with an accent wall or with the decor. Great rooms, family rooms, living rooms, large kitchens and other areas where you’ll entertain should consider warmer blues like periwinkle, or bright blues like turquoise. Be careful with deep, dark blues like cobalt or midnight blue. Dark blue has the opposite effect of light blue, evoking feelings of despair or sadness. So refrain from using darker blues for almost any room, but consider lighter tones for the relaxed, calm environment that you want to create.

Use Reds for passion and energy

Red is a color that’s associated with alertness, and it’s considered a color that raises a room’s energy level. If you’re looking to stir up excitement, particularly at night, this is a great color to consider in the living room or dining room. Deep, dark reds (much like deeper purples), invoke a sense of passion, and are known to draw people together, lower social tension and stimulate conversation. It’s best to not use a strong red in your entryway, as it can be an overwhelming firs impression. The polar opposite of light blue, reds have been known to raise blood pressure, speed respiration and increase heart rates. Although it is linked to passion, it’s not really a great idea for bedrooms. As a side note, be careful of Crimson. This color is linked to aggression and disagreement.  You won’t want it in any room where you’ll be hosting for long periods of time!

Capture nature and togetherness with Greens

Green, not surprisingly, is associated with nature and new life, and is considered the most restful color for the eye to see. (Interestingly enough, you don’t see a lot of house painters using brighter greens on exterior painting projects, despite it’s high acceptance rate among both males and females). Green mixes the relaxing quality of blue and the cheerfulness of yellow. This do-it-all paint color can be used as a primary or accent color in almost any room in your house. Since it contains some blue, it mimics some of the same relaxing properties. In the kitchen, green cools things down. In a bedroom, it’s believed to inspire fertility. In a family room, it encourages a sense of calm while also promoting a sense of togetherness. It’s a natural choice for any room that boasts a large selection of floral accessories, and is fantastic for any room with an abundance of natural light.

Paint with Yellows for cheerfulness and joy

Yellow is color of happiness. Yellow paint captures the natural joy of sunshine. It naturally generates happiness and mimics a youthful spirit. If you’re kitchen doesn’t get a lot of direct sunlight, offset that with a light yellow palette. Yellow is also good for dining rooms, where it’s uplifting hues promote socialization and energy. Stuck in a tight space? Yellow can feel expansive, enlarging and welcoming. A word of caution before using this color in a living room, or any room where business may be conducted (like your home office). Some studies show that people are more likely to lose their temper in a yellow room that in a room with blues or greens. Large doses of this happy color actually promote frustration, so painting the entirety of your house in sunlight yellow is probably not the best idea. Also, babies seem to fuss more in a nursery painted yellow. It’s fine as an accent color, but not as a primary.

Other colors and the roles that they play

Orange, as you can imagine, evokes excitement, euphoria and enthusiasm. While not a good idea for a living room or for bedrooms, this color is great for an exercise room or a laundry room (because hey, sometimes you need a shot of energy to finish the laundry!) Much like yellow, it has strong hints of happiness. Purple has long been considered a lavish color associated with royalty and passion, and finer things. In its darkest values, it’s considered dramatic and sophisticated. It’s also associated with creativity, and as an accent or secondary color, it gives a room scheme more depth. It’s perfect for an art room. Brown is a color associated with stability and neutrality. It’s also a color that lends itself to antiquity and a sense of old times. It’s perfect for capturing a historic or rustic feel in your home, and is a natural choice for the “man cave” that shows off antique sporting equipment or outdoor trophies.

Finding the right painting contractor

All this information is great, but getting down to choosing what’s best for your home and your current furniture can be daunting. It’s why we offer a free paint color consultation to anyone in the Kansas City metro. Our home office is in Shawnee, but we’ll come see you in Overland Park, Olathe, Mission Hills, Roeland Park and anywhere in between! Also, our promise to you is that we’ll never use sub-contractors at your home. Ever. You’ll always have a licensed and insured professional painter creating a masterpiece inside your home. And you’ll love the finished product!