Color Theory of Interior Design

Color has a psychological effect on your mood depending on the shade and intensity of the hue.  If you want to achieve a certain mood and overall feeling for your room, let color theory by your guide.

Massucco Warner Red Living Room

Red symbolizes fire, associated with passion and importance. This color stimulates conversation in a room, which is perfect for a living room or dining room. If you want to spark a little more romance, place red accessories in the bedroom. Just don’t go too overboard with this color in your bedroom because it will be hard to relax and sleep.

Blue is peaceful and calming which is perfect for a bedroom or spa like bathroom. Studies show that the color blue actually lowers blood pressure and slows down heart rate.

To energize and uplift your mood, add a punch of yellow to your room.  Bright yellow symbolizes happiness, joy, energy, and optimism.  You can feel the vibrancy in this living room right through the screen! However, don’t make yellow the dominant color because too much of this hue can have the opposite effect of laziness and caution.

Turner Davis Interiors

Cheerful orange will surely add excitement and joy to any room.  It’s happy nature evokes a child-like exuberance, which makes it an ideal color choice for playrooms, family rooms, kitchens, and creative spaces.

Design 4 Interiors - Collins Bath

Green is the color of life, nature, and harmony. This hue tends to have healing and soothing qualities, great for bathrooms and bedrooms. I designed this bathroom with nature in mind.  The customized blend of bright green, turquoise, white, and grass green mosaic tiles give a lively yet calm mood in the space. Green symbolizes wealth and prosperity so you can’t go wrong adding a bit of greenery around your home, especially in an office.

Traditional Home

Purple is the color for luxury, wealth, and sophistication. Muted lighter tones bring forth a soft soothing mood perfect for a master bedroom retreat. Love, love, love, this lavender bedroom featured in Traditional Home Magazine…it is so luxurious and serene. Brighter shades of purple spark creativity which is optimal for kids rooms, craft rooms, and offices.

Yes, black is a color too. It represents power, sophistication, and elegance. Black is best used in studies, libraries, offices, living rooms, master bedrooms, and dining rooms.

While some might think white is the absence of color, it also can be a reflection all colors. This color is symbolic of purity, innocence, and tranquility.  Adding white to a bedroom, living room, or kitchen creates a feeling of cleanliness and soft elegance.

Now that we went through all of the colors and their meanings, what hue are you?

Have a bright colorful day!

~Stephanie Day