Choosing a paint colour for a room or an entire paint scheme for your home is a highly personal choice. But there may actually be some psychological reasons as to why we tend to gravitate towards certain colours. In fact, studies have found that certain colour tones are linked to our psychology and can influence our emotions and behaviours, also known as colour psychology.
If you’re thinking of redecorating, it might be helpful to look at the psychology behind different interior paint colours to help you decide. While some suggested connections may seem obvious, others might come as a surprise.
White
White or shades of white are one of the most common neutral colours suggested to paint interiors for a modern look. White signifies cleanliness, simplicity, purity, innocence, and honesty.
Red
The colour red is connected to excitement, strength, love, passion, and energy. It’s also suggested that it can fuel our appetites, so be careful when using it to paint your kitchen as you may end up indulging in some late-night snacking!
Orange
Orange signifies confidence, success, abundance, expressiveness, bravery, and sociability. It could make a good choice for a child’s room or home office.
Yellow
Yellow signifies the colour of the sun, and is said to be connected to creativity, happiness, warmth, optimism, and cheer.
Green
Not surprisingly, green is connected to nature, growth, nourishment, healing, and freshness. It can also indicate quality, which is why many brands choose to use it in their advertising.
Blue
Blue symbolizes trust, calmness, competence, peace, loyalty, stability, and intellect. It therefore makes sense that many doctors and nurses wear blue scrubs in order to facilitate a sense of calm with their patients.
Purple
Purple is traditionally a symbol of royalty and luxury, as historically it was a difficult colour to dye and therefore reserved for those with wealth. It has also been linked to spirituality, faith, and ambition.
Brown
Brown is a friendly and dependable colour which also signifies sincerity, dependability, trustworthiness, and simplicity.
Black
Finally, black is a formal and dramatic colour that has been linked to sophistication, class, and security. However, it has also been linked to themes of evil and mystery, which (combined with the darkness of the colour) is likely why it’s rarely seen used as an interior paint colour.
Of course, there are many different ways to look at colour and this list is not an exhaustive look at all of the research that has been done. Rather, it is a list of suggestions that may resonate with you and help you understand a little more about the colours in your home.
It’s worth noting that subtle differences in hues and shades, as well as differences in culture can evoke different emotional responses to these colours. So, despite all the available scientific information, you should consider your own instincts and emotional responses as well.
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Photo by David Pisnoy on Unsplash