Playing With Colors

09 April 2012,
Yes, color psychology can help you create the ‘right’ interior design or mood for every room.

If you share a home with others, choosing home decorating colors can be a very interesting process (you could actually turn each other into study objects for color psychology!).

Before you settle on an interior color scheme, it’s good to be clear about how you will use the room in question, and at which times of the day. The lighting makes a big difference to how a color looks, and how it affects you. Consider both hue and tonal value when determining how you want your room to appear and feel. These are important aspects of interior design color psychology. 

Warm Colors
RED – associated with passion, heat and energy. This color is very bold in its pure form. It can be very elegant and add a lot of character to a color scheme – both traditional and contemporary. It’s a great accent to the green family which lies opposite red on the color wheel. Even in its softer tint of pink, red can add much character to a design scheme.

ORANGE – associated with vitality, activity and adventure in color psychology. It is believed to have healing qualities and is supportive of the immune system. When used in its more muted shade it can be less overwhelming.

YELLOW – associated with cheerfulness and sunshine. In its pure form yellow can be overwhelming. Perhaps this is because it requires the most complex visual processing by our eyes. Its lighter tints, however, can look clean and fresh. As an accent color, yellow can provide a nice level of pop in a design scheme.

Cool Colors
PURPLE – associated with tranquility, opulence and fashion in interior design color psychology. Because of its position on the color wheel where warm and cool meet, its bias towards red or blue will determine its degree of coolness. With red undertones it takes on warmer characteristics than when the undertones lean more toward blue. Some tones of violet can be quite intense, but pastel lavenders can give a very fresh, uplifting feel to a room.

BLUE – associated with calm, trust and sensitivity. It is the favorite color of millions of people. Blue can easily be paired with many other colors and is therefore a common choice in a color scheme. Common pairings include blue and white (porcelain china), blue and green (reminiscent of flowers in nature) and blue and yellow (evoking the warm sun in a bright, blue sky).

GREEN – associated with nature, relaxation and rest. Green is very versatile in working with other colors as it is in nature. It can be strongly traditional in feel or even a bit contemporary, as in the case of its more acidic forms. When designing, consider using a splash of red from the opposite side of the color wheel to create a dramatic accent for a green based color scheme.

Sissons Paints, founded in 1803 and established on Malaysian shores in 1959, have over two centuries worth of experience and knowledge in manufacturing high quality paint. After an official rename to Boustead Sissons Paints in 1993, the company has expanded to not only producing excellent paint, but products to meet clients’ every construction needs. No longer limited to private homes, Sissons have successfully completed several large projects throughout Malaysia – such as The Curve at Mutiara Damansara, Sepang Gold Coast and Venice Hill Resort Condominiums, to name a few. Equipped with a larger than life vision, Boustead Sissons Paints aims to beautify homes and lives, with their every stroke of passion and creativity.

www.sissonspaints.com.my