Color Psychology in Interior Design

Utilize color psychology in interior design to help you create the ‘right’ mood for every room.

If you’re looking for some basics about applying the psychology of color in interior design, here's a quick overview for you. If you’re more interested in the psychological effects of a specific color, you will find detailed accounts on the following pages:

White, Gray, Black, Brown
Yellow, Orange, Red, Pink
Purple, Blue, Green.


Color psychology is an interesting aspect of interior decorating, but don’t worry about ‘getting it right’ - it’s definitely not an exact science.

"No color has scientifically proven, long-term effects
that are the same for all humans."

The same is true, by the way, for symbolic 'color meanings' - they vary rather wildly around the globe.

Still, research does show that we all share some basic responses to color. So when you set out to decorate your home, color psychology can provide you with the most promising color candidates for the effects you want to achieve.

Applying Color Psychology
to Your Home

• Saturated colors from the yellow/orange/red section of the color wheel tend to raise our energy levels, while colors from the blue/green section calm us down, both physically and emotionally.


• This is not always true for less saturate shades/tints of these colors. Test it for yourself: How do you respond to this vibrant, put-your-eyes-out geranium red, compared to the muted brick red (with yellow, brown and gray in it)? And what's your take on that bubble-gum pink?


• Neutral color schemes are generally found relaxing (and boring, by some - it does take a bit of practice to make a neutral color scheme look stylish.) Click here for ideas on how to create neutral color schemes - they can work in any room in the house.


• Dark colors generally make a room feel smaller; it doesn’t really matter if they are ‘warm’ or ‘cool’ colors. (On the other hand, it takes more than light wall color to make a room seem larger than it is.)


• Some color combinations are loved almost universally; for example, blue combined with neutrals (blue is the majority’s favorite color). For more information about creating great color schemes, check out the article about Choosing Interior Paint Colors .

• your walls
• your furniture
• yourself and
• your fellow humans, and then …

… follow your heart.

No one says you have to abide by The Rules for applying color psychology in your home.

Honor your own taste and preferences. Surround yourself with what you really love. Be different – everyone is.

Color Affects Different People Differently

• No two people see color in exactly the same way; our eyes are all slightly different. Using color psychology when you decorate your home won’t guarantee that everyone who shares that space with you will see, feel and respond to the color as you would like them to.


• Different cultures create different ‘meanings’ for colors. These are traditions, not ‘the truth’. Nevertheless, your thoughts about a color do influence your response to it. For example, many Asian cultures associate the color white with death and mourning, while Christians in the Western Hemisphere use it for christening and wedding dresses (there’s a bit more to this, but I wanted to make a quick point).


• We experience our lives ‘in color’. Colors will, in turn, bring back personal memories and the feelings we associate with them (Grandfather’s garden, a trip to the seaside, a favorite dress…). When you're looking to apply color psychology to the interior design of your home, you could draw on these memories and experiences to create a feel-good home.

Choosing Colors to Decorate Your Home

Before you settle on an interior color scheme, it’s good to be clear about how you will use each room in the house, and at which times of the day. The lighting makes a big difference to how a color looks, and how it affects you.

For example, if you’re using your bedroom only at night, and mostly in lamplight, painting the walls a deep velvety magenta can create a really luxurious effect.

But the color may not look that great in the bright morning sun.

And if you’re using this room to work in during the day, you might find ‘deep magenta’ rather suffocating.

Once you have decided how, and at what times, you will use each room, it's time to apply the psychology of color to the interior design of your home. Ask yourself:

How do I want to feel when I’m in this room? - Calm and focused? Energized? Relaxed? Secure?

Here's where color psychology can provide you with information and choices. To get some ideas, have a look into the psychological effects of each color - here are the links again:
'Neutral' colors - white, gray, black, brown,
'Warm' colors - yellow, orange, red, pink,
and 'Cool' colors - purple, blue, green.

And - don't believe everything you read about color psychology in interior design. Take it with a pinch, or rather, a fistful of salt. As a science, the psychology of color (in interior design and elsewhere) is very young. The shade of green you like is probably not the one they used in the experiment. Trust your own senses. It's what you enjoy that counts.

Would you like to be kept informed with news and updates to this site? Subscribe to my blog and/or free e-zine - it's simple, and keeps you supplied with ... ... fresh home decorating news and ideas year-round!

	Enter your search termsSubmit search form
	Web www.dreamhomedecorating.com