We learn very early on what the colors are of the world. We, of course, first learn the very basics: the rainbow, primary and secondary colors. For those of us that may have forgotten: The rainbow consists of Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet (ROY G BIV is a great way to remember!) The primary colors are Red, Yellow and Blue. The secondary colors are Green, Orange and Purple. Depending on who you ask, White and Black may or may not be described as colors. In this case, we are going to say that they are.
Even as we are younger, we associate certain colors with certain objects, feelings or moods. For example, I’ll describe a few of the things my six year old daughter does when coloring. Red, yellow and orange are always used for suns or fire. She associates these colors with heat. The grass and trees are always green. Any sort of ocean, water, etc are different shades of blue and she also uses blues when she’s making a “sad” picture. Pink and red is used for when she’s drawing hearts or making pictures that are filled with happiness and love. She makes smiley faces yellow because they are cheery and happy. These color associations with moods often get carried with us through to our adult years in life as well.
Those same associations can really help when you are designing your interior spaces. You’ll have to consider what type of mood or feeling you want your style to give off in that room and choose your paint and accessory colors based off that. Below are a few moods or feelings that will be enhanced by certain colors.
Blues – Blue is a calming and soothing color. It evokes a feeling of tranquility and relaxation. Be careful though because the darker the shade, the more feeling of loneliness and sadness. Blue is also associated with cleanliness. These characteristics help make a perfect choice for bathrooms, laundry areas and especially bedrooms!
Reds – Red gives off a feeling of passion and is very stimulating. It helps raise energy levels but sometimes can be too strong of a color. If you decide to use red, it’s often great for an accent wall or for accent accessory pieces. If you paint a room completely red, try and choose a muted shade.
Yellow – Yellow is often bright and considered happy and cheery! Some bright yellows are simply too much though and hard on the eyes. Softer, more muted tones are best and are great for dark rooms, ceilings, kitchens and patio rooms.
Neutral colors, such as beige, tan, and gray are great choices when you plan on switching up the decor or accessories in a room more often than not. It allows you to have many more options of other colors to use and still has a calming mood to them. They allow for your choice of pictures, accessories, decor items to really enhance the mood, rather than it being the sole job of the paint color.
Just remember, whatever color(s) you choose, make sure YOU are happy with them! Paint colors are easily changed if you decide you need to switch something out. But, don’t dwell on how others may view your style or design taste because at the end of the day, it’s your home and how it feels to you! 🙂
