The mood for what? Everything! Color influences mood and sets the pace for relaxing or for getting things done. Humans see things in color because color is important to our experience of life; it shouldn’t be a second thought, especially when it’s the color of our home environment in question.
Before you pick paint to put you in the mood, evaluate the intended use of each room and pick paint colors to influence the mood, activities, and energy level as desired.
A General Guide:
Bold colors produce the most vivid impact on mood. Softer colors are gentler, felt without overwhelming. Bold colors stir creative juices and may be more appropriate for a single accent wall than the entire room. Softer colors are less distracting and often more appropriate to full-room use.
The Breakdown:
BLUE creates a calming effect, making it an ideal choice for bedrooms and baths. Home offices might benefit from the keep-calm effect of blue, too. Warm shades of blue in family and living rooms may help keep socializing serene but cool blues can get chilly. Save darker blues for accents so they don’t become too dark and broody to enjoy.
GREEN is the easiest color on the eye, making it an excellent choice for any room. Choosing green interior painting in Nashville is a great way to bring the area’s lush outdoors in, especially in rooms with many windows and beautiful views. Think about green, the color of fertility, for bedrooms if dreams of a family are part of the plan. Dieting? Green is great for taming the appetite. So is blue.
ORANGE energizes. It draws out the emotions, too. Use it sparingly except where high energy levels are wanted, such as the exercise room or study. Orange, like red, will stimulate appetite so it’s good for an eating area as long as excess weight is not a concern.
PURPLE is cheerful, dramatic, and sophisticated all at the same time. It’s great for a study or artist’s office where the spark of creativity is important. Lavender, lilac, and other soft shades of purple have the same calming effect that blues do but without the risk of seeming cold and uninviting.
RED, the color of love, speeds respiration, raises blood pressure, and ramps up heart rate. It increases the appetite, too, so foods eaten in red surroundings will probably be enjoyed with vigor – a boon to the cook but a bust for the diet. Use red sparingly. It’s a welcoming color for an entry way or living room where lively conversation is desired. Red in the bedroom? Best for bedrooms used mostly after dark, when red’s bold presence is softened by moonlight and shadows.
YELLOW, like sunshine, energizes the nervous system, bringing happiness to any room but it’s best used sparingly. In the Chinese tradition of feng shui, yellow is important for promoting health so it’s used in the very center, or heart, of the home. Too much yellow can have the opposite effect, though. Babies are thought to cry more in yellow nurseries and older kids and adults often experience feelings of frustration and anger when surrounded by too much yellow.
NEUTRALS – black, brown, gray, and white – provide an easy backdrop for a room filled with vibrant color as long as the neutral isn’t overpowering. Too much black or brown becomes claustrophobic. Gray becomes gloomy like a long, overcast day. White can seem impersonal. Neutrals are great accent colors in a vibrantly colored room.
Your Paint, Your Call
What are you in the mood for? Cool calming blues, greens, and purples? Warm and inviting reds, yellows, and oranges? The color of our surroundings certainly influence mood and energy levels so harnessing the psychological power of color can make every house the home we want to come home to but what works today may not be appropriate tomorrow. As time changes a family’s lifestyle and composition, we often change the way we use the rooms in our homes. No worries. There’s almost nothing a Nashville homeowner can do to quickly and easily change the nature of a room than re-energize it with a fresh coat of colorful new paint.