It’s time to change up the walls in your house, but did you know that colors can cause an emotional response? The color palette you choose will affect your mood, so it’s important to get those colors right.
Color psychology has determined that certain colors have been proven to repeatedly invoke specific emotions. We’ll dive into the most common responses to give you a better idea of the meaning of color.
Table of Contents
Neutrals
Neutral colors, such as brown, grey, and white, are colors that go with just about every other color. They are traditional and noncontroversial and can have warm or cool undertones.
Brown tones can inspire feelings of strength. Brown is a warm, inviting color that would do well in any room. Grey shades are reserved and calming. Grey can have warm or cool undertones and is one of the best colors for a bedroom.
White comes in thousands of minutely different tints and can be difficult to find the perfect one. The right white can instill feelings of rejuvenation, space, and cleanliness, while the wrong shade can come across as severe and uninviting.
Luckily, there are plenty of resources out there to help you find the best shade of white for your room.
All neutrals do well in spaces everyone sees such as the kitchen, living room, dining room, and bathroom.
Warm Colors
Red, yellow, and orange all are warm colors, and evoke strong, energetic emotions. These colors immediately grab your attention. Because the meaning of color can be subjective, warm colors are polarizing in the effect they have on people.
Reds can make someone excited, passionate, or even hungry, but it can also trigger feelings of anger and fear. You don’t see many orange walls because orange can come off as intense. A muted orange is energizing without overwhelming.
Yellow is always eye-catching. You may paint a room yellow hoping to give off cheery vibes, but yellow can also invoke feelings of frustration and impatience. When it comes to yellow, subtle is better.
If you want bright yellows, they do well as accent colors like curtains, wall decorations, or lamps with these ready made lamp shades.
Cool Colors
While warm colors energize and excite, cool colors like blue and green calm and refresh. Blue and green are the most common colors found in nature and tend to remind people of the serenity of a forest or a beautiful blue sky.
Blue is by far the most popular favorite color and is therefore regarded a conservative, noncontroversial color. Blue has been found to be a calming color that also boosts productivity, which is a perfect recipe for a home office. Blue can also be a sad color, which would not make it the top candidate as a bedroom color.
Green is another calming color that also refreshes. Different shades of green can more of one or the other, such as a dark green being more calming while a bright green can energize as well as a warm color.
Purple is a cool color that stands out. It has not been proven to calm like greens or blue shades but adds a flair of mystery and uniqueness to the room. Purple light has a strong wavelength which makes it a very contextual color. This means that based on the colors surrounding it, it can look bluer or more red-toned.
Your Meaning of Color
All of these insights into the different meaning of color are meant as a guide to help you choose the best colors, but use this in tandem with your personal preference.
Color is always subjective. You can like the idea of a certain color without actually wanting it on your walls. It’s your space: make it your own with shades you love.
If you’re looking for more tips on home projects and decorating, check out our other articles designed to help you love your house a home.