Color Psychology in Interior Design: The Right Hue for Every Mood

Have you ever walked into a room and instantly felt calm, energized…maybe a little anxious? You’re not imagining it. The colors surrounding us can have a powerful effect on our emotions, behavior, and even physiological responses. This is the foundation of color psychology, or the study of how human emotions and behavior are impacted by the colors around us. Understanding how color influences your mood and energy can help you make intentional choices in your home that will support your lifestyle.

Whether you’re looking to invoke a feeling a energy as soon as you walk into a home gym, feel calmer when you step into your bedroom, or build a home office designed to help you focus, I’ll teach you how to use color in interior design, so your surroundings mirror the way you want to feel.

What Is Color Psychology?

First things first, a quick explanation: color psychology explores the physiological and emotional responses individuals have to color, and whether those responses are impacted by demographic details like gender, age, or background. Everyone’s response to color will vary, but there are a few things that seem to be fairly universal. Shades of blue, for example, tend to bring out feelings of calm and serenity, while conversely, red shades are more likely to elicit feelings of energy, passion, or even anger.

Interior designers use the psychological framework of color psychology to choose palettes meant to align with the desired function and ambiance of a space. Considering the way color influences mood will support more intentional and appropriate design choices for the space.

Warm Colors – Bring on the energy!

Warm colors - think reds, oranges, or yellows are associated with stimulation and warmth. You’ll want to use these in social spaces and areas where you want to feel high energy or increase interaction.

Red can be a great color for a kitchen accent wall, a sitting room, gym area, or home theater room, since it is associated with higher blood pressure and an increase in heart rate. Use it in rooms where you want to stimulate conversation, encourage people to eat, or work up a sweat. Best to avoid it in rooms where calmness is desired, though. Leave that to the calming cools we’ll talk about in in a minute!

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I really wish I could live inside the sun”? Painting your space yellow might be right for you! This color is typically associated with joy, optimism, and (you guessed it!) sunshine, leading to happy moods and easy laughter. And BONUS – used properly, it can even make smaller spaces feel bigger! Don’t go overboard with it though – an accent wall or some bright yellow décor is enough to bring the vibe, but too much can be overstimulating or even irritating.

If red and yellow had a baby that was full-speed ahead enthusiastic and excited about it, it would be orange. This delightful color is great for inspiring creativity and socialization, making it a great choice for playrooms, gyms, or your in-home pottery studio.

Cool Colors – Calm down, find serenity

When you’ve had your fill of bright and bold colors that wake up all your senses and are ready for a space where you can rest and reset, you’ll find what you need in a room with blue or green shades. Even some shades of purple can help you slow down and find your center!

Blue is an antidote to red, known for reducing heart rates and bringing calming vibes wherever its used. This makes it an ideal color for a bedroom, obviously, but also for any other space where you want to feel comfortable and relaxed. The nook where you do your morning yoga, your home office, or your family room are all great spaces for some blue shades. Lighter tones like sky or baby blue will evoke a feeling of openness and peace, while navy and ocean blues add depth and tranquility to your space.

Greens symbolize nature, balance, and renewal, and even with bolder shades of it, won’t be overwhelming or visually startling. Green pairs well with almost any neutral base and helps promote a restful, balanced state of mind. The beauty of this color is that it’s very easy to incorporate it naturally into your design with plants and flowers!

Not to be outdone, purple is a complex color, known not only for enhancing creativity, but also conveying feelings of luxury and grandeur. Make your guest room a moody space fit for a king with darker shades like eggplant, amethyst, or indigo, or lighten things up with a lavender or lilac accent wall.

Neutrals and Earth Tones – Balance everything

Neutral colors often get a bad rap in the design world for being underwhelming, mundane, or basic. And while they admittedly might not pack the same emotional punch as the brighter colors we discussed earlier, neutrals offer a classic and timeless foundation that can be used as the background for nearly any interior design plan.

Grey is well known for its nuance and multiple shades, and for good reason! From platinum to charcoal, steel to slate, there are a whole lot more than 50 shades to choose from. Sometimes grey can come off cold or dull, but with the right accents and lighting, any shade you choose will feel sophisticated, calm, and modern.

Earthy tones like beige, brown, or even a very light salmon color can instill feelings of comfort, reliability, and warmth in a space, making them ideal background colors for living rooms, bedrooms, or any space where you want the atmosphere to feel cozy and grounded.

And last, but never least, is white, a color known for its simplicity. It’s great for making spaces feel open and inviting, but without texture or softening accents, the pendulum can easily swing in the other direction to sterility, and no one wants that. There are also about eleventy-six different shades of white, which can make it difficult to know which one is the best option for your specific project. Luckily for you, I’ve got a short guide for you on that!

Using Color Psychology Strategically

Now that you a better understanding of the emotional impact of colors, let’s talk for just a moment about how to use color in interior design effectively. There are five things you’ll want to consider in every space to design the space of your dreams.

Number 1 – What is the function of the room?
If it’s a bedroom, look for more of the neutral or cool tones. If you want the space to house lively discussions and friendly banter, consider one of the warmer colors.

Number 2 – What’s the best base palette for the space?
No matter how energetic you want to feel in the room, jumping straight into a bright orange color wash might not be quite the invigorating decision you imagine. Particularly when it comes to bold colors, you’ll want to carefully consider just how much of the color you want in the room.

Number 3 – What’s the magic amount of color to make a statement without being overwhelming?
Too much of any color, no matter how calming or neutral, can be a negative for a space. To avoid this, consider the 60-30-10 rule: 60% of the room in dominant color of your chosen palette, 30% in a secondary color, and 10% in an accent.

Number 4 – How will natural light impact the colors?
No matter what color you choose, the way natural and artificial light interact with it WILL make the color appear somewhat different than its base. I always recommend testing paint swatches on your wall before finalizing your color selection so you know how the light affects the color. The grey you fell in love with in the store might look like a prison wall when the sun goes down.

Number 5 – What is your personal preference?
Forget what I think – how do YOU want your own space to look and feel? You are the one who needs to live with it, so your preference is the most important, design principles be damned. If a bright yellow bedroom makes you feel like the sun rises and sets just for you every day, go for it! If you want to put a black wall in your living room (like my client just did), do it! At the end of the day, it’s YOUR space, and you need to feel at home in it.

While color psychology can, and should be, a guide in design decisions, it’s important to remember that it’s an art, not a science. Understanding how color influences mood gives you a great set of tools you use in your home design, helping you to make thoughtful, intentional choices to make your dream home a reality!