Did you know that colors can effect your mood? Some colors can make you feel more energetic, while other colors can help relax you. Therefore you may want to consider the phycology behind certain colors before you get out your paint brush and paint your bedroom bright red.
Color psychology is the study of how colors effect our mood. And color psychology is nothing new, even ancient Egyptians and greeks studied color and used it in healing. Although how we feel about color is very much influenced by our culture and our personal experiences or beliefs about a color.
Colors fall into two groups: warm colors or cool colors. Red, orange and yellow are warm colors. Warm colors are active and exciting to our brains. Blue, green and purple are cool colors and are more relaxing and calming to our brain.
Let’s take a deeper look into the colors to find out how each color effects our mood.
RED
Red is the color of adventure, optimism, passion, excitement and impulse. Red is an emotionally intense color. Studies have shown that red can actually increase one’s heart rate and raise blood pressure. Red is also said to stimulate both conversation and appetite. Red will raise a room’s energy level like no other color.
Red is a great color for a dining room. And although it may be great for a bedroom color when it comes to passion, I wouldn’t suggest red for the bedroom as you may find it harder to relax at the end of the day in a red room.
PINK
Pink is the color of love, sweetness and calm. Even though pink is a shade of red, it does not induce the same stimulating effect that red does. In fact, believe it or not, pink is said to be the most tranquilizing color. For this reason, pink is a great color for bedrooms. Although, be careful in your overuse of pink as it can be seen as immature.
ORANGE
Orange is the color of motivation, warmth and energy. Because of the motivational quality of orange it is a popular color to use in gyms. Orange is said to increase blood supply to the brain for an energizing effect. Orange is another color that is great to use in a dining room or any room where you want to create high energy.
YELLOW
Yellow is the color of happiness, confidence, optimism and brightness.
Is there a happier color than yellow? Probably not, most people associate yellow with sunshine and joy. The cheerful color creates enthusiasm and optimism.
Yellow is said to stimulate nerves and increase creativity. It has also been linked to promoting intelligence.
Yellow is a peculiar color in that although it has it’s happy reputation, too much yellow can have the opposite affect and actually irritate people. You see, yellow is the most difficult color for the eye to take in. Babies actually cry more in yellow rooms and people can lose their temper more easily surrounded by yellow.
So be sure to choose your use of yellow wisely and don’t overload the brain with yellow. Yellow is best used in kitchens and bathrooms.
GREEN
Green is the color of nature and balance. Have you ever wondered why the room where performers wait is called a green room? Green is the color of relaxation. It is said that green can actually prevent nightmares, which along with it’s calming effect, makes green a perfect color for the bedroom. It’s also a great choice for a family room if you want to create a relaxing atmosphere. Be cautious with overuse of green as it can actually make a person lazy, lethargic or moody.
BLUE
Blue is the color of serenity, protection and calm. Blue is also the color of intelligence, in fact one study showed that students exposed to the color blue during a test actually had more successful results. Blue is the most stable color and has been shown to lower heart rate and slow the metabolism. It promotes creativity which makes it a good color choice for an office. The calming effect of blue also makes it a popular choice for bedrooms. Be careful of using too much blue in a room as it can make a room feel cold.
PURPLE
Purple is the color of mystery, royalty, and spirituality. Purple is the combination of the warmest color, red, and the coolest color, blue. This combination makes purple a color that can give you the heightened awareness of red with the calming effect of blue. Purple is good for bedrooms and bathrooms.
BROWN
Brown is the color of nature and earth. Brown makes a room feel cozy, think log cabin. Brown is best used for cabinets and furniture. It can be used as an accent wall but most people do not think that brown is very aesthetically pleasing to the eye, especially when overused.
BLACK
Black is the color of authority, power and strength. The use of black in decorating can created dramatic effects. Have you ever seen a home where the interior doors are all painted black instead of the typical white? It creates a very rich effect. The overuse of black can create the obvious effect of being too dark and depressing.
WHITE
White is the color of cleanliness and purity. White can really lighten up a room however, it is best to pick a paint that is not pure white or it can have the effect of looking too sterile. White is currently a very popular decorating color used in modern and urban decorating.
When picking colors to decorate your home considered the characteristics of each color and the effect you want to create in that room. To find out what colors suit you best, I suggest visiting some model homes and finding out what colors strike you. You will notice that model homes typically keep the same color theme throughout the entire house. You do not need to do this, however, especially if you have an open floor plan, be sure that the transition from one room to the next feels natural.
Written by Courtney Murphy
Courtney Murphy is a REALTOR serving the Denver metro area including Parker.
Contact Courtney to find your dream home today!
