Colour plays a crucial role in all of our lives. It can influence emotions, shape our perceptions, and can even affect our decision-making. From the clothes we wear to the spaces we inhabit, colour has always had a powerful impact on how we feel.

When it comes to designing a home, choosing the right colour palette is about more than just aesthetics - it's about creating an environment that reflects your personality and enhances your overall well-being. Understanding the psychology of colour can help you make informed choices that turn your home into a sanctuary.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how different colours affect our emotions and offer tips on how to choose the right palette for your home.

The Emotional Power of Colour

Before diving into specific tips for choosing the right colour palette, let’s first explore how different colours can influence our emotions.

Warm Colours

Red: Red is often associated with passion, energy, and excitement. It is a stimulating colour that can increase heart rate and evoke strong emotions. In home design, it’s best used in spaces where you want to encourage activity, like a dining room or a living room.

Orange: Orange is a more playful and creative version of red, bringing warmth and enthusiasm to any space. It’s a great choice for social spaces like kitchens or home offices where you want to spark conversation and ideas.

Yellow: We all know that yellow symbolizes happiness and optimism, and it can energize any space. Light, buttery yellows work well in kitchens and breakfast nooks, while more muted tones can bring a sense of cheer to living areas or bedrooms.

Cool Colours

Blue: Known for its calming and serene qualities, blue is ideal for spaces meant for relaxation, like bedrooms or bathrooms. Lighter shades promote tranquility, while deeper blues can add a sense of sophistication and depth to a room.

Green: Green is highly associated with nature and renewal, and has a balancing and harmonizing effect. It works well in almost any room of the house, but is especially effective in home offices or living areas where you want to foster a sense of balance and calm.

Purple: Purple is often linked to luxury and creativity and can evoke a sense of sophistication. Lighter shades of lavender bring a gentle, relaxing feel to bedrooms, while deep purples like eggplant can add richness to dining rooms or entryways.

Neutral Colours

White: Symbolizing cleanliness, simplicity, and purity, white is a classic choice for creating a sense of space and light. It works well in modern, minimalist homes but can also serve as a blank canvas for bolder accent colours.

Grey: Grey is a versatile neutral that ranges from cool to warm tones, perfect for creating a serene and sophisticated atmosphere. It pairs well with almost any colour and can be used as a base in living rooms, bedrooms, or kitchens.

Beige: With its warmth and subtlety, beige creates a welcoming and comfortable environment. It’s perfect for common areas like living rooms, hallways, and foyers where you want to create an inviting atmosphere.

Now that we’ve covered the basics of colour psychology, let’s explore some practical tips for choosing the right palette for your home.

Consider the Room’s Function

Each room in your home serves a different purpose, so it’s important to choose colours that support that function. For example, in spaces meant for relaxation like bedrooms or living rooms, consider soothing colours like blues, greens, or soft neutrals. These hues promote a sense of calm, making them perfect for unwinding after a long day.

For spaces like kitchens or home offices, you might want to consider using warm, energizing colours like yellow or orange to boost creativity and focus. Think about the mood you want to create in each room and select colours accordingly.

Use the 60-30-10 Rule

A tried-and-true design principle, the 60-30-10 rule can help you create a balanced colour palette for any room. This rule helps create visual harmony in a room by distributing colour in a way that feels cohesive. It’s a great guide to follow when choosing multiple colours for a space.

Here’s how it works:

60% of the room’s colour should come from a dominant hue - typically your walls.

30% of the room’s colour should come from a secondary colour, such as upholstery or furniture.

10% of the room’s colour should come from accent pieces like throw pillows, artwork, or decorative objects.

Experiment with Colour Swatches

Before committing to a colour, always test it in your space. Paint a few swatches on the walls to observe how the colour changes throughout the day as the light shifts. Pay attention to how the colour makes you feel - does it energize you or make you feel calm? Does it complement your furniture and decor?

Choosing the right colour isn’t just about following trends; it’s about finding hues that resonate with you and enhance your home’s atmosphere. We work with Sherwin Williams and their Peel and Stick Colour Sample program to ensure that we can test our paint colours before final approval.

Colour has the power to transform your home into a space that feels comforting, energizing, or serene, depending on your choices. By understanding the psychology of colour and how it influences mood, you can make informed decisions that enhance the overall vibe of your living spaces. Whether you opt for calming blues, energetic yellows, or sophisticated neutrals, the key is to create a home that feels uniquely yours.

All images used in this blog post were found on Pinterest, our favourite place for inspiration. Follow us on Pinterest for weekly design inspiration, trends, tips and more.

Ready to turn your home into your oasis with the perfect vibe to suite your style and mood? Book a consultation with one of our experienced designers!

The Psychology of Colour: How to Choose the Right Palette for Your Home