Psychology Of Color

When selecting colors for your home you may find it helpful to know what mood your chosen color will set for a space. Each color has its own personality and if you know how you want a space to feel, you will find it easier to choose the perfect color that you will enjoy for years to come.

Red

Associated with: Danger, passion, energy, warmth, adventure and optimism.
Best for: The color red is known as a sociable and lively color and is used to stimulate the appetite, making this color a perfect choice for dining rooms.

Though Reds have become more and more popular over the last couple of years and can range from fiery, passionate, sophisticated and warm, reds can also be overpowering and lead to headaches. It is a good idea to vary the shade of red on one wall or just use it for accessories. Reds should never be used in a baby's room.

Pink

Associated with: Love, fresh, flirtatious and distinctly feminine.
Best for: The color pink has become very fashionable again and can be found ranging from soft pink to tropical coral or playful raspberry. Pink is a good color for bedrooms as it can be peaceful and restful and if mixed with a hot fuchsia, introduce passion.

Pink can come across as too sweet and girlie – to counteract this you could introduce a neutral color or hints of dark charcoal, brown or black

Orange

Associated with: Stability, reassurance, warmth, sunset, autumn leaves and it's also supposed to be an aid to digestion.
Best for: Living and dining rooms.

Orange is becoming increasingly popular and this year oranges are rich, cozy and slightly spiced but be aware that orange can make a room look smaller, so make sure you only use orange in a room with lots of natural light.

Green

Associated with: Promotes feelings of well-being and harmony, nature, security, stability and balance.
Best for: The color green is known to aid concentration, making it a good color for offices and study areas and bathrooms.

Green can make people complacent or too laid back, so inject different shades of green such as deep olive or the color of new leaves to make the room fresh.

Blue

Associated with: Soothing and calming, loyalty, serenity, authority, protection, contemplative, prevents nightmares, promotes intellectual thought and is believed to keep hunger at bay.
Best for: Bedrooms and bathrooms.

Depending of the natural light in the room, Blue can look cold and therefore be unwelcoming. To prevent this make sure you choose a blue with a warm undertone such as oceanic turquoise or shades of wispy clouds.

Yellow

Associated with: Sunshine and energy, creativity and stimulates the intellect.
Best for: Kitchens, dining rooms or north facing rooms.

Yellow should not be used for bedrooms as it is not a very restful color. Yellow ranges from soft creamy butter to deep amber and is a friendly and inviting color. Be careful with yellow as some stronger shades can enhance feelings of emotional distress.

Lilac

Associated with: Feminine, spiritual matters as it simulates the misty area between the sky and heaven.
Best for: Bedrooms and bathrooms to create a stress free sanctuary.

Lilac can be insipid. Try to live it up with black or silver, or both.

Purple

Associated with: Magic, creativity, joy, fertility, sensuous, luxurious and sex.
Best for: Bedrooms

Purple was once reserved solely for nobility. The color purple is sumptuous and elegant. Purple ranges from deep plum, mysterious mauve to cheerful windflowers shades. Purple can be overpowering, so try to tone it down with a light shade of purple, use it for a feature wall or just accessories your room.

Brown

Associated with: Stability, security and a very practical color.
Best for: Living rooms

The color brown is also known as the 'new' neutral and with the various shades of taupe and beige brown, will look great with almost any color. You could for example introduce a livelier color for mental stimulation such as green or blue to compliment the brown.

Grey

Associated with: Sophistication.
Best for: All rooms

Neutral colors such as grey can be used to bring sense of order and peace to a colorful palette. Grey is considered smart and sophisticated and ranges from dark charcoal to misty silver and looks great when paired to colorful accents.

Black

Associated with: Drama, death and eccentricity. It is a non-color that absorbs color and reflects nothing back.
Best for: Nothing in particular but can be used in moderation.

Black is most commonly connected with depression and should not be use for a base color but use to temper the sweetness of colors like pink.

For a quick reference on colors: http://www.paper-leaf.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/ColorTheory_Screen_White.jpg

Source: http://www.apartment-ideas.com/psychology-of-colour.html