Colour Psychology: How do colours affect our mood and emotions

The perfect colours for your living space can be difficult to narrow down. It's natural to feel overwhelmed by a decision that will impact the appearance of your home for years to come. 

There are so many aesthetically pleasing modern hues to choose from, without a mood philosophy to guide your choices and tie an aesthetic together early on, your colour palette can quickly lose cohesion. 

When trying to account for mood, you must also consider how much space is in a room, what colour light is coming in through the windows, and whether you want warm or cool tones to prevail throughout your colour scheme. Lean into what you have to work with, and avoid forcing anything that “should work” but doesn’t resonate.

The psychology of colour is a branch of consciousness studies dealing with how colours affect mood, behaviour, and physiological wellbeing. Anecdotal wisdom tells us across the centuries that colour schemes can be used to influence mood or create an approximate feeling. In recent decades, more scientific research has explored the many mechanisms with which colours affect our body and mind. 

What colour comes to mind when you think of your favourite food? The answer might surprise you. It may also be different than the person sitting beside you. Colours can make us feel a certain way and can be used very effectively to influence our moods. 

This happens both on a conscious and subconscious level. Looking inward while making design choices and applying the psychology behind colour is a fundamental step to creating a home that's truly your own. For a deeper dive into how colour theory works, see our Coloursmith article.

When choosing a colour for a space, deciding on a mood or emotion you want the space to evoke is a great first step. To help with this, colour psychology charts have been created based on the common emotions associated with different emotions. For inspiration here are some emotions that common colours are known to evoke:

Red Colour Psychology

Denotes: Passion, aggression, importance

Red is a dominating colour that adds gravity and heightened awareness. It’s traditionally been a stimulating colour that’s known to increase blood circulation, breathing rate, and metabolism.

Red isn’t just associated with love or war. It can also represent honour and celebration. As a design tool, it does a great job capturing people's attention. However, if overused it will overstimulate the senses, preventing the space from also feeling calm or relaxed.

It's best when used in lighter shades in combination with vibrant colours for a sense of youthful optimism. Dark red schemes tend more to emphasise power and durability—something along the lines of a royal bedroom.

Orange Colour Psychology

Denotes: Playfulness, energy, fun

Orange is a great choice to inject some energy into your space. Unlike its cousin red, it has lower risk of causing eye strain or excessive stimulation, while still promoting a sense of fun and excitement. Orange sits opposite blue on the colour wheel, meaning the two colours can offset and juxtapose each other in a way that speaks directly to our psyche.

Yellow Colour Psychology

Denotes: Happiness, friendliness, warning signal

Yellow is an odd colour; it can be associated with happiness and simultaneously trigger anxiety. Like red and orange, it's a powerful color—one that stimulates and revitalises. 

It's also the colour of warning signs, taxis, and post-it notes—a fact our subconscious can’t seem to miss. Use a bright yellow in moderation, because of its potential negative connotations

Lighter yellows tend to represent happiness and joy, a sense of airiness. The strongest association most people make with the colour is “golden hour”—that period of the afternoon when the sun is setting, shining like a golden spotlight through everything. For something more serious and elegant, choose a darker shade with gold accents.

Green Colour Psychology

Denotes: Nature, stability, prosperity

Green is closely associated with the environment, representing nature and organic quality.

Green is also the most balanced colour of the wheel, making it the ideal choice for anyone wishing their design project to take on an air of stability. 

It's a popular choice as an accent or for feature walls because it stands out, but more subtly than the warmer colours already discussed. In certain cultures, it also represents money and financial safety.

Blue Colour Psychology

Denotes: Calm, peace, water

Blue is one of the most popular colours when it comes to home design, and for good reason. It's seen a lot on feature walls in quiet spaces because blue is a colour that inspires introspection. Blue also signifies calm and serenity, making it an appropriate colour for the spaces in your home that should evoke feelings of tranquillity.

Blue is incredibly versatile. Its vibrant end of the spectrum has more drastic impact in isolation than other colours, and combines tastefully with the rest of the colour wheel almost universally. 

Light blue is the colour of water and sky, giving it a refreshing and freeing feeling. It can also be energizing if bright enough, while still projecting reliability. Darker blues have a more somber feel and can be seen as serious, professional or secure. 

Blues shouldn't be used in areas where food is served. Because blue food isn't common in the wild, it can have a suppressing effect on appetite. Great for the home gym though!

Balancing colours effectively for mood makes a huge difference in the way we live in our space. It's important not just to make good long-term design choices, but to pay attention to the colours we surround ourselves with.