Colors Change the Perception of Interior Spaces

Color can alter a person’s mood, incite anger, evoke happiness, or call to mind feelings of indifference and sadness. Even so, most people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the effects of color in their homes or offices. Yet, the color and design in our home should reflect the people who live inside, and designers and homeowners should use colors wisely to create the intended atmosphere in each space.

Red

Taking this one step further, how does color make us feel? Red emotes feelings of energy, war, danger, strength, power, and determination, but also passion, desire, and love.  The various shades of red are light red, which represents joy, sexuality, passion sensitivity, and love. Pink, which signifies romance, love, and friendship. Reddish-brown is associated with harvest and fall, and dark red is associated with vigor, willpower, rage, anger, leadership, courage, longing, malice, and wrath.

“Red is never boring.”  It is an excellent accent color, you can use it to make a ‘cool’ room warmer; red is great for kitchens and it is known to increase appetite, and red accent walls can change the way a room is perceived. As the most intense color, red raises a room’s energy and is a good choice when a homeowner wants to stir up excitement, particularly at night. Red stimulates conversation and creates a strong first impression.

Pink

Pink, on the other hand, represents compassion, nurturing, and love, and depending on the hue, it can make a room playful, feminine, and warm. “Keep in mind, pink has the tendency to go sweet and sappy quickly,” . “So, if a homeowner doesn’t want a romantic, girly look, keep lines simple and clean and use sophisticated fabrics.”  That said, pink is a wonderful wall color to create a feel-good atmosphere.  It can be used for “girly” children’s or teenagers’ rooms, or to add glamour or comfort to a dining rooms.

Orange

Orange is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. It represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation. It is the only color to take its name from an object; the orange.  It is a somewhat polarizing color, and people either love or hate it. In ancient cultures, orange was thought to increase energy levels and heal the lungs.  But, dark orange can also mean deceit and distrust. Red-orange corresponds to desire, sexual passion, pleasure, domination, aggression, and thirst for action. Gold, a distant variation of orange, evokes the feeling of prestige; the meaning of gold is illumination wisdom and wealth.  Like red, orange stimulates appetite and is a great kitchen and exercise room color. An apricot or terra cotta orange (increasingly popular in the mid-west) can be relaxing. Bright orange adds warmth and adventure, but can be overpowering if used excessively.

Yellow

Yellow is the color of sunshine and associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy.  It is an excellent choice for kitchens, dining rooms, and bathrooms. In hallways, yellow can feel welcoming.  However, studies show that people are more likely to lose their temper in an all-yellow interior, so it should be used sparingly.  Dull or dingy yellow represents caution, decay, sickness, and jealousy and is rarely used in interior rooms. Light yellow is associated with intellect, freshness, and joy, and is a great outdoor house paint.  Bright yellow evokes optimistic feelings.   “Yellow is an uplifting color, but you really have to pick the right shade. You want to make sure it’s not too bright or too muted…”  But, for a sophisticated look, use deep yellow and gray. Yellow with orange are excellent choices for breakfast spaces, and yellow is great as an accent color in small quantities.

Green

Green is the color of nature. Considered the most restful color for the eye, green can transcend a sense of calmness and security when used in interior design.  Green symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility, and generally makes people feel emotionally safe.  Green is well suited for every room in the house and can have a calming effect when used as the main color for decorating.  Pairing light green with grey can create a modern feel, and using different shades in one room can add contrast. But, the various shades of green can evoke completely different feelings. Dark green is associated with ambition, greed, and jealousy, while aqua is associated with emotional healing and protection.,while olive green is the traditional color of peace. 

Blue

Blue, by far, is the most popular color and is associated with trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven.  Blue slows down the metabolism and has a calming effect, so it is considered to be beneficial to the mind and body when used in the home or office.  It is said that blue will help bring down blood pressure and slow the heart rate. Light or pastel blue can create tranquility and is associated with health, healing, understanding, and softness, but can come across as ‘chilly’ on the walls in a room that receives very little natural light. Dark blue represents knowledge, power, integrity, and seriousness. Deep midnight blue can create a feeling of luxury when used in a bedroom. Sapphire blues can be great as accent colors. 

Purple

Purple, in its darkest values, is dramatic, rich, and sophisticated. It can give a design scheme depth and is associated with luxury and creativity. Lighter values of purple, such as lavender, can add a restful quality to a bedroom. Plus, about 75 percent of pre-adolescent children choose purple over any other color. Interior designers use purple to add drama, create a hip feel by combining purple, pastels, and modern art; add a bold statement with neon purple, or give a room a mysterious feel with dark purple as an accent.