The saying “colour affects mood” is 100% correct.

Colour can give an overall feeling of well-being or just the opposite; colour affects people differently due to inherited and learned responses. Women differ in their responses to colour than men do. Depending on your income level, culture and physical area your response to certain colours will vary.

Colour can be used to manipulate space, create moods or influence the way people will react when exposed to certain colours.

Let’s get the terminology correct

Hue — The same as the term colour

Value — The lightness or darkness of a colour

Tints — Shades that are created by adding white

Tones — Shades that are created by adding black

Intensity — Brightness, dullness or lack of greyness of a colour

Colours and their effects

All colours have a blue- or yellow-based undertone. It is advisable to not mix a colour with a blue undertone and a colour that has a yellow undertone. When in doubt place a swathe of blue fabric next to a colour, and if it fights or contrasts, then it’s an opposite based colour.

Studies reveal that calm, quiet, lower-energy people tend to like cool, calm colour schemes with not too much contrast.

Energetic, active, high-energy, outgoing folks tend to like contrast in their colour palette. Go figure!

Colour families

Pink

Cleanliness, youth, happiness, perkiness and warmth. The pink family is preferred by women and combines well with grey, black, burgundy, violets, blues and greens.

Red

High energy, passion, warmth, comfort, wealth, power. An adrenaline rush. This colour will encourage you to spend more, eat more and stay longer. Reds are preferred in commercial establishments. Women prefer blue-based reds, men prefer yellow-based reds. Red is not advisable for bedrooms and folks who have anxiety issues.

Purple

Preferred by women over men. Royal, dignified, elegant and sophisticated. Purples perform really well when used with an accent. Blues, pinks, whites, greys, yellows and greens work well with this hue.

Grey

The perfect neutral and background colour that goes well with most colours and gives many other colours life. Sophistication, coolness, calmness and creativity. Cool grey is blue-based and is easy-going while deep grey is dignified. Cool greys are blue-based while warm greys are yellow-based. Greys are either cool or warm and do not mix well together.

Yellow

Sunny, bright, optimistic, happy, cheerful, youthful, energetic and makes people feel good. Yellow is usually better used as accents than in large areas. All colours blend well with a touch of yellow.

Green

Refreshing, cool lively, soothing, reminds you of nature. Greens are easy colours to live with and combine well with most colours.

Blue

Relaxing, calm, preferred by most. Time passes slowly in a blue environment. Combine blue with lively colours for an energised ambiance.

Orange

Warmth, heat, comfort, stimulating, cheerful and energetic. Peach shades are preferred by most people and complexions are most flattering in a peach environment.

Colour Schemes

Successful decorating evolves around comfortable colour scheme… Here’s a plan as to how to use them.

Monochromatic

Based on one colour and variations of that same colour. Very calming and basic!

Related or analogous colours

Composed by using colours which are immediately next to each other on the colour wheel. This gives a wide variety of colours giving a harmonious and unified outcome.

Complementary colours

Contrasting colour schemes. This scheme is created by selecting one colour and selecting another colour directly across from the selected colour. This is a very exciting scheme to work with.

Consider these factors when making colour selections

Location of the home — garden area, city, concrete environment

Natural lighting

How is the room to be used?

What is the ambiance to be created?

Personality of the people to use the room

Here is the formula

The lightest and most neutral colours should be in the largest areas in the space to be decorated — those would be the walls, ceiling, and floors.

Use medium tones of that of a complementary, contrasting or related colour depending the colour scheme you are going with on furniture, counters of the kitchen, bedding, rugs and drapes.

Stronger, more intense colours should be used as accent pieces and accessories.

Colour in general: A few guidelines to follow

Texture and light will change the colour.

Colour choices will change constantly, the trend today will be different next year, so stick with a scheme that you love.

Rooms that are successfully decorated are based on a room with one dominant colour. Only one colour should dominate. Use contrasting colours as accents in small amounts.

Several colours fighting to dominate will make a room appear busier and smaller.

Fewer colours make a room calmer and larger.

Bolder colours jump out at you and make the room smaller.

Balance colour throughout the room.

Lighter colours reflect light, making the room appear larger.

In rooms that a lot of time is spent, select neutral tones.

The easiest way to select a colour scheme

Select a patterned fabric, rug, painting or wall covering that you love. Match colours in the pattern. If a colour is particularly dominant in the amount used, then use the same proportional amount of the colour in the room. Use the secondary and tertiary colours in proportionately the same amounts. If the colour in the background is a green, then use the green on the walls, if the secondary colour is a salmon, then use that for the sofa. Tertiary colours can be used as accents.

Linking rooms

Colour needs to flow from one room to the next. So, select one colour to flow in varying degrees throughout the home. This will create unity and harmony. You may change the dominant used in the primary rooms throughout, and that’s perfectly fine as long as you use some amount in each room. The key is picking an interesting scheme with a bit of life and excitement to it rather than a dull, no-personality combination.

My go-to colours in EdgeChem Paints

For the living room and bedrooms

Burlap

Edgecomb Grey

Linen Sand

For the bathroom

Bridal Wave

For the kitchen

Rainforest Green

Accent colours worth their weight in gold

Cobalt

Burnt Sienna

June Plum

Perfect Pastels

China White

Dust Pink

Honey Dew

Rules worth breaking (Go ahead and be a colour rebel)

Never mix metals; in today’s world, you absolutely can.

Never mix red with pink (only do that with accents).

Don’t decorate with blue and green; ground it with a bit of black and you are good to go!

Never use black on walls; just pair it with lots of white.

Beige is boring: simply not true.

Brown is drab; choose lively accents!

So yes, colour does affect mood, so start at the end, decide on the mood you are trying to create and go from there. That way your palette is intentional and in no way trial and error. Here’s to creating an unforgettable colour palette!

Karen Booker

Creative Director/Principal

Karen Booker Design Group and DeZign Diva Lifestyle

Brand Ambassador for EdgeChem Paints

Website: www.dezigndivalifestyle.com

IG: @karendezigndivabooker

Tele: 876-421-6298