When choosing a color scheme for your home or business, there’s a lot more to consider than simple aesthetics or matching your corporate colors. Many people don’t know this, but color also has a strong impact on the mind! Numerous psychological studies over the years have shown that people’s attitudes and behaviors can be significantly impacted by the dominant colors around them. The more prominent the colors, the greater the effect can be. This is something that any interior and exterior painting specialist knows well, and C.E.T. Painting tries to educate our customers on how their color choices may affect people within a particular space.
However, anyone who’s looking to update their paint job should also know about the power of color psychology. It can help you pick the perfect colors for the mood you want to set or even help put customers in the right mindset to buy!
I. Why Bring Color Psychology into Interior Design
So why does this matter? Shouldn’t you be able to just paint your rooms the way you like?
Yes… but there will be an impact. That’s the point here. Color psychology works on neurotypical people whether they like it or not, and even if they know about it or not. For example, it’s well-known bright reds tend to increase people’s energy levels, and potentially even make them more hostile. You’ll never see a bright red room in a psychological clinic or a jail cell!
Can you paint that room in your home bright red? Sure, but you need to at least be aware of the color’s potential impact on people. That’s why it’s so important for everyone to understand color psychology when choosing colors for their building, whether it’s a home or an office.
II. The Basics of Color Psychology
So now let’s break down the basic colors you might use in a room and the sort of effect you might expect that paint to have on a visitor.
Black: Black is a tricky color to work with because, on one hand, it’s typically associated with sophistication. A lot of trendy modernist and industrial designs use plenty of black. On the other hand, black is also a color often associated with grief or depression. If you follow the Stones’ example and “paint it black,” you could easily end up making a space that’s more morbid than you intended and might bring visitors down.
At the least, make sure to offset it with brighter colors so that the room doesn’t look like an empty void.
White: White is, unsurprisingly, the opposite of black in terms of its psychological effect. White is a refreshing color and can have a cleansing effect on people’s mentality. It also tends to create a more ‘airy’ or open look – there’s a reason that ceilings are almost always white!
However, as with black, don’t go too hard on all-white designs, or else your room will start looking like a blank canvas. Be sure to make use of its “negative space” properties and offset it with more colorful touches or decorations.
Red: Red is almost universally associated with fire and energy, but it also has a violent undertone, being the color of blood. Some cultures see red as a negative color because of that. It also has more adult associations, as in a “red light district” – something that appears in a surprising number of global cultures.
Painting a room red is a bold design choice, but don’t overdo it. People will tend to react more energetically in a bright red room, so we strongly suggest using red as an accent color rather than the primary hue.
Yellow: Yellow is bright and cheery, and one of the better colors if you want a room that will pep people up and make them feel good about themselves – without the negative undertones of a red room. Yellow is also a great choice in rooms that get a lot of sunlight since it synergizes well with the naturally yellow light.
We recommend sticking with lighter yellows, as bright yellow can come off as childish.
Orange: The natural result of blending red and yellow, orange tends to have a similarly blended psychological effect. It’s less provocative than red, but also less openly cheery than yellow. This can be a good choice if you want a bright warm color in your color scheme but want to be a little more subtle about it – particularly darker orange-brown hues.
Blue: Blue is a cool and calming color and is extremely popular for both residential interiors and working spaces. Students even prefer it for study spaces. Light blues are among the most common interior colors for that reason, and they work well in a wide variety of situations.
Honestly, it’s hard to go wrong with a blue-dominant room, unless that room is specifically supposed to be energetic.
Green: Green is another great choice for a calming and peaceful room since it universally calls to mind the colors of nature. Most people find green refreshing and safe. If solid green feels a bit too “comic book” for your tastes, a green-yellow blend is a great way to get the benefits of both colors.
Purple: Purple is another bold choice. Historically, purple dyes were among the most difficult – and therefore expensive – to obtain, so they hold a lot of associations with royalty, nobility, and wealth. Purple contrasted with gold practically screams money, although it can also be seen as too gaudy or showy. More restrained or low-key purples can be lighthearted and playful and make for a fun mood.
C.E.T. Painting Can Find the Perfect Colors for Your Building
With a long history in both commercial and residential painting, we have the skills and knowledge to craft the perfect look for any interior or exterior. From homes to businesses to municipal buildings, we’ll work with you to understand what you want from a space and suggest psychologically appropriate color schemes to match.