If you have often instantly felt calmer — or, conversely, angrier — when entering a room, its color could be one reason.
“The basic science of color theory says that each color has its own frequencies that blend with our own personal energies,” interior design guru Jessica Shaw tells Better Homes & Gardens.
She adds that different people are drawn to different colors “because we all react to visual stimuli in different ways.” Nonetheless, there are also general truths about different colors that can influence their psychological effects — and, hence, potentially your interior design choices, too.
What colors should you initially consider for your home?
“For an individual to feel joyful and comfortable in their own home, they should start with colors that they typically gravitate toward,” another interior design expert, Michelle Bove, has explained to Better Homes & Gardens.
Perhaps, as a child, you had a favorite color that has since stayed with you? As you grew up, you might even have added further hues to your list of favorites. If all of this is indeed the case, you ought to prioritize looking for decor pieces in these colors.
Different colors have been credited with different effects
For this reason, when you do decorate a room, you should remember its primary purpose. Then, you should select colors that, at least theoretically, would make it easier for the right things to get done in the space.
For example, if you usually love purple (as, say, many Prince fans probably do), you should think twice about decking your bedroom out in deep purples. These aren’t as conducive to relaxation as lighter purples like lilac and lavender.
If you are currently still working from home, you could choose green for a home office. Country Living says about green: “It is one of the most restful colors for your eyes and is known to be restorative, mind-clearing and encourage composure.”
For this home office’s furniture, you could go as far as ordering hairpin legs in an especially soothing hue, like pastel green. It’s one example of how making little changes to your home office’s furniture can imbue the room with the right mood-boosting qualities.
What colors can make you feel more energetic?
Let’s assume that you work out at home, one habit you might have originally started during a COVID-19 lockdown. If your home has its own fitness studio, painting it in orange would bode well, as this color is known to spark energy and enthusiasm.
Again, though, this is a color where you have to be selective about where you place it. Rather appropriately for a color that looks and sounds like a specific type of fruit, orange can stimulate the appetite and so probably shouldn’t be used in your kitchen if you are trying to lose weight.
Meanwhile, red — despite its charming associations with romance and roses — is known to raise blood pressure and irritability. Red does, however, come into its own in rooms where a lot of socializing — like living rooms and dining rooms — takes place.
