How Do Colors in Design Affect Your Mood?

Feeling a little blue? Punch up the yellow. Yearning for that spa feel? Spread a couple of coats of periwinkle blue onto the walls, in doing so, not only will you spruce up the look and feel of the room but the addition of color has been known to affect your mood as well.

Color schemes are powerful. Various hues of green accessorized with soft hints of coral/mango tones tend to invoke me to be creatively productive, whereas the juxtaposition of green and vibrant orange tones make me feel jazzy, and a largely white based scheme tends to make me feel and awake and alert. The right color can help yield you the right mood, so you’d be wise to take interest in it.

Alas there’s a stress reducing aid that the doctor won’t have to diagnose or write you a prescription for. All that is required is a desire for change and a thirst for colors that are conducive to the journey you are seeking.

Colors basically behave in three different ways: active passive and neutral. Light colors are expansive and give the impression that a room is larger than it is. Dark colors give rooms a cozier, more intimate feel. For instance, the color red naturally raises the energy level of all who see’s in, so you may want to add this color in the social room as a focal wall or even in the foyer to make a passionate impression on visitors entering your domain. Red is also known to raise blood pressure and speed up respiration, so choose it with care.

Tan walls making you feel mundane? Try yellow - it equates to sunshine and is known to lift the mood. White is an expansion color, however, it is also the most common wall color used. Steer clear of common, it’s known to lead to mundane, however, with the proper color and arrangement of accessories a white room can earn the acknowledgement of classic and clean yielding you a feeling of respect.

After a long day at the office and sitting in traffic – it’s time to chill out. The colors blue, periwinkle, sky, powder are great hues to surround yourself in while winding down. Tones of blue are known to do the opposite of red and actually lower your blood pressure. Because blue is the color of the sky and the ocean it conveys the feeling of cool and tranquility.

Purple, lavender and lilac release the same behavioral quality into a room as blue, but without the risk of feeling chilly, hence if the air conditioner is on the fritz, stay in the blue room and coddle the mood. Gray, black and brown color scheme represent warmth and definition. Some experts maintain that every room needs a touch of black to ground the color scheme and give it depth. While very few would paint a wall black, these colors are mostly used for accent purposes. Punch up your scene with color and enjoy the mood effects.