Understanding the Psychology of Colors When Painting Your Home

Ever wonder why you suddenly feel a dip in your mood or productivity as you enter into a room? Well, that change in mood can be linked something as normal as the color on the walls. To some, painting a room is as simple as getting any old color from the store and plastering it across your walls. While this approach might work for some, arbitrarily selecting a paint color can not only impact your mood but also stifle all productivity because of the hue's psychological effect on you.

Here, we'll give some insight into the psychology of color to help you choose the right paint color for your next home make over.

Overview of Colors and What They Represent

Let's start with the primary colors- yellow, red and blue, that each invoke a different emotion. Yellow is cheerful and warm, but is most likely to cause eye fatigue and strain. It is also believed that yellow makes babies cry. 

Red evokes very strong emotions and encourages an appetite. Red also represents passion or intensity and love. Studies have shown that red can cause poor exam results as it is hypothesized to impair performance on tests since the color is associated with danger of failure.

Blue represents calmness and serenity and is associated with water and peace. It is most preferred by men and is the most-used color in offices since it is believed that people are more productive in blue rooms. The color blue is also believed to curb appetite.

Overview of Accent Colors and What They Represent

Black is a very strong color and represents evil, death, mourning, and slimming. Conversely, ancient Egyptians believed that the color black symbolized life and rebirth. 

White represents purity, innocence, emptiness, spaciousness and is great for creating the illusion of space. 

Green represents good health, tranquility, wealth or money, and nature. It is hypothesized that those who work in green environments have fewer stomach aches. 

Purple most commonly represents royalty since many kings wore purple robes. The color also represents wealth, success and wisdom.

Brown has always been referred to as an "earth tone". However, brown also represents reliability, boredom, and practicality.

Pink represents calming, love and romance. In some prisons, a pink color is used to initially calm inmates.

Orange is commonly used to represent caution, that's why it is commonly used in signage. Orange also represents excitement, enthusiasm and warmth.

Which Color is Best for Rooms in The Home?

Kitchen - Yellow is a good color to use in the kitchen as it increases metabolism, gives you energy and brightens the room.

Living Room - Lavender (a shade of purple) is great for the living room as it calms the nerves and allows relaxation.

Dining Room - Red is very appropriate for a dining room as it encourages an appetite.

Girl's Room - Pink, although it sounds cliche, is great for a little girl's room as it evokes a sense of calm and warmth. 

Bedroom - Green is perfect for a bedroom as it lends tranquility and promotes well being - both good qualities for tired adults looking for a retreat after a long day at work.

Home Office - Blue is the right match for a home office as the color is believed to be the most productive. It will allow you to separate yourself from the fact of being at home so you can get into a productive state of mind.

What about Colors for Advertising?

Luxury Advertisers - Luxury advertisers often use black, white, silver, or gold in their ads as these colors enhance the feeling of sophistication and are great for selling luxury items.

Feminine Advertisers - White, lavender, and pink are all commonly-used colors in ads relating to females. These colors help target the appropriate audiences quickly and are very clean and calming.

Corporate Advertisers - Corporate advertisers tend to lean toward blue in ads because the color represents productivity and is non-invasive.

Restaurateurs - Red is the most popular color among restaurateurs as the color stimulates appetite. This color is used very often in ads for popular restaurant chains like McDonald's, Pizza Hut, KFC, Wendy's and Popeye's.