Think about the last time you were in a dark room filled with black furniture pieces and walls painted black, how did that make you feel?
Did you know that colours can elicit different emotions from you and even affect your mood? There is a term called “Colour Psychology” that can explain the changes in emotion you experience when placed in rooms of different colours.
What Is Colour Psychology?
“Colour Psychology” and the psychological effects of colour has been explored extensively by artists and designers, who have long used colours to achieve a certain vibe. It is the study of how colours affect perceptions and behaviours, and is mostly employed in marketing and branding, where colours are used to influence consumers’ impressions of a brand. It is also a powerful interior design tool used by many home designers in Singapore due to the influence it has on the mood of a room compared to any other factors.
Whilst using colour to create a comfortable home to live in isn’t necessary, its ability to transform a room and create an experience can make it a valuable part of your home interior design. Here are some commonly used colours in home interiors and their psychological effects on our emotions.
The Psychological Effects of Colour
I. Red
Red is an extremely intense colour that we often associate with mistakes, anger, and passion. It increases the energy levels of a room and sends adrenaline through our bodies. This eye-catching colour is an ideal option for spaces that require a boost of spirit, such as your home office and creative spaces where you need to stimulate your mind for new inspiration and ideas.
If a bright red wall seems too striking for your house and your eyes, you can always incorporate it gently by using muted reds, maroons, or even ornamental items like red roses, or red paintings.
II. Yellow
Yellow is a cheerful colour of positivity that reflects the warmth of the sun and energises the room in which it is used. It is a great colour choice for kitchens, dining rooms and bathrooms, as well as the foyer of your home, where it brightly welcomes you home every day.
III. Blue
Blue is a colour that many brands use to convey feelings of stability and order. It is believed to be a colour that can help to bring down blood pressure, slow respiration and heart rate, and calm a person down.
This serene and peaceful colour is recommended for spaces where you want to create a relaxing environment, such as your bathroom, bedroom or living room. Deep blue tones are often used on kitchen cabinets, walls, and wardrobe doors to give off a sense of nobility and royalty.
IV. Green
Green is a cool colour that symbolises the world of nature. Some of its positive associations include refreshment, peace, rest, and security. Not only that, green is also a colour that encourages thoughts of harmony, growth and restoration, as well as promotes feelings of tranquility and comfort.
Dark shades of green such as olive green and emerald green are favoured by homeowners for their charisma and the way they subtly add pops of colour to your home’s interior design.
V. Purple
Purple is a colour that evokes differing emotions in people. It is a colour of royalty that can make you feel majestic and powerful, yet it is also a mysterious colour often viewed as rare and intriguing. It is seen as a symbol of wealth because creating dyes in this colour required a great deal of effort and money in ancient times.
Incorporate purple satin or purple velvet furniture into your home interior design can help you achieve the maximum luxurious effect you’re looking for. Its regal charm and its association with a range of positive emotions makes it perfect for every corner of your home. Consider having parts of your walk-in wardrobe furnished in purple upholstery to create a palace-like home interior design, or use it in your foyer to impress your guests.
VI. Black
In Science, black isn’t actually considered a colour, in fact, it absorbs all light in the colour spectrum. In colour psychology, though, black has a few positive associations, including attractiveness, elegance, boldness and power.
Black is frequently used in industrial and modern-contemporary home interior design styles. It evokes a sense of sophistication and keeps the colours used in your home comfortable to the eye, especially if you don’t have a thing for loud and bright colours.
VII. Beige
Beige is a neutral colour that is becoming increasingly popular in home interior design. It is a conservative colour that is calm and relaxing; it offers a hint of warmth from the colour brown and bits of crisp and coolness from the colour white.
Some homeowners may see it as a boring colour, but it actually gives a lot more vitality to your home compared to white. Not only is it suitable for all sorts of interior design styles such as Muji and Scandinavian, but it is also easy to incorporate into your home; from painting your walls beige to using beige bed sheets and furniture.
VIII. Grey
Grey is a dull colour perfect for individuals who find white to be too bright and black to be too dark. In colour psychology, grey represents neutrality and balance. It is a colour used to tone down bright colours and offer stability and calmness to a space.
Despite its dullness, grey can be highly comforting when used in home interior design because of its subtlety and softness.
Apart from the eight colours we’ve introduced to you thus far, there are a plethora of colours available on the colour spectrum that can either evoke the same emotion, enhance the atmosphere you’re looking for, or provide you with something completely different. Instead of simply going for colours you like or think are nice, try considering the feeling it’ll give you when added to your home’s interior design.
Many times, it’s a good idea to communicate your ideas and the ambiance you want to create with your home designer, and then have them conceptualise a design that will best connect with you.
Starry Homestead is a one-stop interior design firm in Singapore that provides customised renovation solutions to both residential and commercial clients. Be it designing your very first home or remodeling your current home, contact us today to speak to any of our home designers and let us help you bring your dream home to life.
