How Colors in Your House Affect Your Mood

Written by Rolf

Colors can affect a person's mood. So it is very important to surround yourself with colors that make you feel good. There are numerous studies about this subject and here is the general conclusion.

White

White makes a room look bright and clean (if it is actually clean). White represents purity, peace and all things good. The great thing about white as a main color scheme, is the fact that you can completely change the color scheme by adding or removing colored accessories.

Blue

Blue is a very calming and relaxing color. It decreases heart rate and blood pressure, and is often used in bedrooms and bathrooms. Some blues can turn out to be more chilling than intended, especially in rooms with 'cold' light. Light blue is best balanced with warm hues like natural, wood and earth colors. Soft and light blues are relaxing. Dark blue, however, works the other way and emits sadness, so be careful with that.

Green

Green symbolizes hope and new life and refreshes your interior, while at the same time radiating calmness and rest. It's generally the color that is most easy on the eyes. Green is easily combined with natural materials like (dark) wood, glass or linen. Combined with warm beige or soft gray, you can create relaxing surroundings. Green cools down while at the same time emitting enough warmth to create a feeling of comfort and coziness. Green is relaxing and pleasant for a bedroom, and rumor has it it also helps with fertility. But that is just a rumor.

Yellow

Yellow makes you happy. If you're depressed about the financial crisis, buy a cheap can of yellow paint and cover the walls of rooms that don't get much sun light. It is also great for the kitchen and dining room to give you an energy boost. Yellow is an optimistical color and there are countless accessories available to happify your house. Although yellow sounds like a very happy color, it is also known to cause feelings of anger and frustration, so be wary of making this the main color scheme in your living room.

Orange

Very popular in the 70s, orange is making a bit of a comeback. Not my favorite, but it is a very optimistical and stimulating color. Perhaps too exciting a color for a living room, depending on the hue, orange does give warmth, energy and a feeling of well-being.

Brown

This earthly color gives a luxurious and comfortable feeling, but doesn't make you happy if you're depressed. Combine brown with some brighter colors, so it doesn't get boring. Choose warm shades like chocolate, mocca and even lilac. It's hip to include gold and copper accents.

Red

Red is the color of love and gives a feeling of safety. Red is also stimulating and can raise your blood pressure. For this reason, you will often see this color in casinos, and fast-food restaurants - red makes you want to keep going. Be very careful with the amount of red in your house. A few chairs, one wall and some accessories is more than enough to draw people together and stimulate interaction.

Pink

If you value your life as a single, be sure to fill your house with hard and bright pinks. Otherwise, forget this color and leave it to contemporary brothels with zero respect for the well-being of their personnel and clientele.

Purple

If you want a dramatic, sophisticated room, go with deep, dark purple. Purple is associated with both luxury and creativity. If you want a relaxing, calming room, go with lilac and lavender, which has basically the same effect as light blues, but is somewhat warmer.

Black

Black makes a room look smaller. But if you can fit all your things in, who cares. Black can be depressing in large amounts and should be generously combined with lighter furnishings and accessories, if you really must use it as a main scheme. There is a reason black represents mystery, evil and death.